EMET 5.5 now available

Microsoft’s Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) version 5.5 was released on February 2.

EMET is not a substitute for anti-malware software, but it does provide an additional layer of security against typical malware activity. If malware finds its way onto your Windows computer, EMET can prevent it from causing actual damage; by default, it kills the affected process.

EMET is free, and recommended. Unfortunately, when you use EMET, there’s a chance that it will cause problems for legitimate software. A few weeks ago – before EMET 5.5 was released – EMET started reporting problems with my main computer’s Office software, including Outlook and Excel. I was forced to disable some of EMET’s detection settings for those programs. I had hoped that EMET 5.5 would resolve these issues, but it did not.

Still, EMET can be a useful addition to your security toolkit, if you’re willing to put up with the occasional glitch.

Windows 10 now classed as ‘recommended’ update for Windows 7 and 8.1

As expected, Microsoft recently changed the status of the Windows 10 update for Windows 7 and 8.1 computers, from ‘optional’ to ‘recommended’. If your PC’s Windows Update settings are configured to automatically install recommended updates, Windows 10 will be downloaded, silently consuming multiple gigabytes of bandwidth and hard drive space.

Thankfully, the Windows 10 upgrade won’t actually be installed without your consent; users will be given a chance to skip or reschedule the upgrade. You can also avoid the update completely by making some changes to the Windows registry, or by using the excellent GWX Control Panel.

Hacked WordPress sites spreading ransomware

WordPress continues to be a favourite target for people engaged in malicious activity on the web. A WordPress site that isn’t kept up to date with security patches is almost guaranteed to be compromised in some way.

There’s been a recent surge in the number of hacked WordPress sites, many of of which are infecting visitors with ransomware. If you haven’t bothered to install security updates on your computer, simply visiting a compromised site can infect it. And ransomware is not something you want to mess with.

Please, make life more difficult for the people spreading malware and compromising web sites: keep your WordPress sites, operating system, and software patched.