Microsoft Kills Public Patch Tuesday Advance Notifications; Now for Paid Members Only

Microsoft began issuing Patch Tuesday updates publically in advance over ten years ago, but from next every second Tuesday of the Month, if you want to see what security patches Microsoft is going to issue, then you will have to pay for it.

UPDATE ALERTS FOR PAID CUSTOMERS ONLY

Yes right, Microsoft has decided to ditch its Advanced Notification Service (ANS) and will no longer be releasing a public blog post to preview what is to come on Patch Tuesday.

Microsoft is facing fierce criticism by industry experts for its decision to make advanced security bulletin available only to those who pay a premium.

Note: Only advance notifications are now paid, but security updates/patches are free.

NO MORE "OUT-OF-BAND" PUBLIC SECURITY ALERTS

In the post on the Microsoft Security Response Center blog, Chris Betz, senior director at Microsoft's security research arm, said:

"more and more customers today are seeking to cut through the clutter and obtain security information tailored to their organizations. Rather than using ANS to help plan security update deployments, customers are increasingly turning to Microsoft Update and security update management tools such as Windows Server Update Service to help organize and prioritize deployment. Customers are also moving to cloud-based systems, which provide continuous updating."

The change in Microsoft's Advanced Notification Service (ANS) also applies to the occasional alerts that Microsoft issued when it gave customers a heads-up about an impending emergency patch i.e. public alerts for "out-of-band” updates.

WHAT-THE-HACK [FREE ADVANCE ALERTS]

Within a couple of hours after the Microsoft announcement, we were getting Whatsapp messages and emails from our readers and colleagues about it and none of them seemed to be happy about the decision. But don't be sad because there is a hack to get advance notification without being a premium Microsoft member.

A Microsoft spokesperson informed ZDnet author that those who receive the advanced notification service information won’t have to sign an NDA. That means anyone from premium member is free to publish it publicly just after receiving advance notices.

MICROSOFT's my Bulletins DASHBOARD

Microsoft has offered an alternative way for administrators who aren't Microsoft customers to see which patches and updates they need to apply. myBulletins - a new online security bulletin customization service which is all responsible for identifying, monitoring and managing patching and security for the organisation.

Unfortunately, myBulletins does not send notifications - you must log in using your Microsoft Account to the service to see the security bulletins.

'Black Friday' and 'Cyber Monday' — 4 Scams To Watch Out For While Shopping

 Holiday Shopping season is really an excited time for both shoppers and retailers, but unfortunately it's a good time for cyber criminals and scammers as well.

With Black Friday (28th November 2014) and Cyber Monday (1st December 2014) coming up, you need to be more careful while shopping. These are the two very busy shopping days where shoppers spend millions online.

Every eye will be on retailers to ensure that consumers' online shopping experiences are straightforward and, most importantly, secure. So, at the major part, retailers need to pay attention to extra security measures in order to prevent themselves from massive data breaches, like Target data breach that occurred last year during the Black Friday sales in which over 40 million Credit & Debit cards were stolen.

Not just Target alone, multiple retailers including Neiman Marcus, Michaels Store were also targeted during last Christmas holiday, involving the heist of possibly 110 million Credit-Debit cards, and personal information.

So, in an effort to secure yourself from scammers you need to be aware of some top scams and tips to keep yourself safe online.

1. COPYCAT & FAKE WEBSITES

In order to fraud an online account holder's financial information, scammers could pose their website as a legitimate one. Like you got an email from Amazan.com for the hottest deals, and not Amazon, make sure before providing your financial details.

Check properly thrice who emails are from and if it's an unknown, best way is to avoid the email and the so-called hottest deal. Always go for a website using an HTTPS URL, before entering a password or any information like address or credit card number.

There are thousands of websites that closely resemble legitimate domains like Amazon, Google, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft. Apart from these, there are so many new sites offering online shopping, that it's quite difficult for customers to say which one is legitimate and which is not.

Many of these websites host exciting contests or advertisements for dodgy services to gain your attention and force your finger to click it, while others host malware that can infect your system when you browse to these websites.

So, to be in safer side, always shop from websites which you or your friends know. Just keep one thing in mind while shopping online that Website ratings and security seals can be faked and the website could look too good to be true, but probably it's not.

2. PHISHING WEBSITES

Phishing scams are typically fraudulent email messages, masquerading as a well known and trustworthy entity in an attempt to gather personal and financial information from victims. However, phishing attacks have become more sophisticated recently.

Keep an eye on scams emails claiming to come from legitimate sources which will ask you to visit a website actually hosted by cyber crooks in order to steal your personal information like email addresses, passwords, credit card numbers, expiration date, verification code, and more.

Always type website name in Google Search Engine and then visit the particular website from those search results, instead visiting through any link provided in messages or emails. Don't go to websites you've never heard of.

3. UNEXPECTED GIFTS SCAM

A year ago during Black Friday, one of the major scams was the cyber criminals offering $1,000 Best Buy gift cards, which nobody won. But, a lot of people ended up in giving away their personal information for no reason at all.

Online users are recommended to avoid such "unexpected gifts" scams, just like your dear ones recommend you to not accept unexpected gifts from strangers. Emails could be a major medium to offer you unwanted gifts, so be careful when opening attachments you receive by email - that special delivery could end up costing you.

4. FAKE ADS AND COUPONS

Customers on holiday season are always on search for great deals, especially on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but your just a small mistake can lead you to danger. Miscreants use your desires by creating 'click-bait' ads or posting links to 'the best deal ever', which will always lead to either a survey, a scam site or even drive-by exploits.

Customers are advised to treat such offers with skepticism, especially when the source is unknown and unfamiliar to you. You are also advised to keep an updated Antivirus software onto their systems, so if any convincing advert does trick you and gain your click, your AV protects you against infection.

In addition to fake ads for Best Buy, users also want to look out for fake online coupons in general. If it sounds too good to be true, visit directly to reputable websites, and, by some miracle, the offer is true because it's Black Friday sales, it's all yours.

Successfully Conducted Ethical Hacking & Cyber Security Workshop Today @ city Central Library (23-Nov-2014)

Successfully Conducted Ethical Hacking & Cyber Security Workshop Today @ city Central Library (23-Nov-2014)

Thanx to All my EH4A Team Members for Making This Workshop Grand Success

All Registration fee was Donated to Valmiki Foundation (orphan Age Home)

Online Registrations Open For Workshop @ http://www.e-hacking4all.com/

Online Registrations Open for Workshop @ http://www.e-hacking4all.com/ 

EH4A Team is Going to Organize Ethical Hacking Workshop In This Month We Will Update the Details of VENUE,DATE & Topics Soon....

EH4A Team is Going to Organize Ethical Hacking Workshop In This Month  We Will Update the Details of  VENUE,DATE & Topics Soon....