1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 On October 13, Microsoft ends support for Office 2021 — Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint stop receiving security patches that day — along with the extended security updates for Windows Server 2012. Danny, sitting in for Jim Polito, asked the obvious follow-up: how does anyone find out what they are running? Craig’s answer started with what people assume covers them. “Most people think, oh, I’ve got antivirus software. I’ve got Windows Update turned on. So, I’m all set. It is not true.” Windows Update does not update all the software on a Windows machine, and antivirus only tries to stop an attacker who is already in. The average person has more than 60 programs on their computer that they don’t know about. Danny had just found a pile of them himself, cleaning up his startup list to speed up a slow machine. Craig pointed out that he had done more than speed it up: every old program deleted is one less thing that can go out of date. He described the scan he wrote to show every installed program, flag the ones that are vulnerable, and explain the worst one in detail — what it is, why it matters, and what to do. He is updating it for the Microsoft announcements, and the new version goes to the newsletter list later in the week. Then Boston Scientific, in Marlborough. Hit on August 25, it took two full weeks to recover. Investigators traced the entry to a single internet-facing network-management device on the perimeter. No patient data was stolen and no files were encrypted, but for weeks the company could not ship product. Craig’s advice was to have someone check the outside of the network, starting with Microsoft Remote Desktop and the firewall. Also in this segment: Zero-day vulnerabilities explained: the hole the attackers know about before anyone else does Almost 1,000 Microsoft patches a month, which Craig ties to vulnerabilities found with AI The U.S. ban on imported Chinese firewalls Eleven federal prison sentences in Virginia for a scam that borrowed strangers’ phones to get into their Navy Federal banking apps — and Craig’s 12-digit passcode before Face ID will work Turning the air conditioning back on for an 80-degree day after taking the unit out: “We’ll get through a couple of days, honey. Put the fan on.” How to reach Craig with a question: me@CraigPeterson.com, and Danny vouches that he answers Newsletter and Insider Session announcements: CraigPeterson.com Craig Peterson - Secure Your Business, Your Privacy, and Save Your Sanity https://cptt.libsyn.com/podcast <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/43222298/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/item/43222298