Microsoft’s latest patch crashes antivirus programs of Sophos, Avira, Avast, McAfee

Microsoft’s recent security update affecting anti-malware software from Sophos, Avira, Avast, McAfee

Microsoft’s recently released April 9 monthly rollup update is causing compatibility issues with anti-malware software from Sophos, Avira, ArcaBit, Avast, and McAfee.

The antivirus titles that are affected are Sophos Endpoint and Sophos Enterprise Console, Avira antivirus software, ArcaBit antivirus software, Avast and McAfee Security Threat Prevention 10.x & McAfee Host Intrusion Prevention 8.0. The update (KB4493472) is affecting PCs running Windows 7, 8.1, Server 2008 R2, Server 2012, Server 2012 R2, and also likely Windows 10.

After the April 9 security update, the systems running the aforementioned antivirus software are either failing to start or having sluggish performances or become completely unresponsive at the restart.

According to Microsoft, the issue could be likely due to a bug introduced with the April security update that impacted the Kerberos implementation in several versions of Windows.

For those unaware, Kerberos is a computer network authentication protocol used in a huge number of open-source and commercial products. It works on the basis of tickets to allow nodes communicating over a non-secure network to prove their identity to one another in a secure manner.

Microsoft has currently added a block to this update for Sophos, Avira, and ArcaBit users that will stop it from being installed on PCs with affected antivirus software. McAfee is still under investigation.

“Microsoft and McAfee have identified an issue on devices with McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) Threat Prevention 10.x or McAfee Host Intrusion Prevention (Host IPS) 8.0 installed. It may cause the system to have slow startup or become unresponsive at restart after installing this update,” Microsoft explains in its support page.

Several vendors have issued warning to its customers regarding the bug in the monthly roll-up update.

“After installing certain Microsoft Windows updates… Sophos has received reports of computers failing to boot. Sophos is actively investigating this issue and will update this article when more information is available,” Sophos said in a note that it sent to its customers earlier this week. However, system running Sophos Intercept X are not affected by the issue, Sophos notes.

McAfee suggested that the problem could be due to a change that Microsoft made to the Windows Client-Server Runtime Subsystem (csrss.exe).

“Changes in the Windows April 2019 update for Client Server Runtime Subsystem (CSRSS) introduced a potential deadlock with ENS. McAfee is investigating this issue and will resolve it in a future update. A Proof of Concept (POC) build to test a fix is currently available. Escalate a Service Request to Technical Support to obtain the POC,” McAfee wrote. “McAfee is investigating this issue and will resolve it in a future update.”

On the other hand, vendors like ArcaBit and Avast have published updates that address the problem.

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TikTok app removed from Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store

China’s Bytedance Technology’s hugely popular video app, TikTok has been removed from Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store in India following a local court’s decision. However, users who have already installed the TikTok app on their devices can continue to use the service.

For those unaware, the Madras High Court on April 3 had directed the government to ban downloading of the video-sharing mobile app, TikTok, as it exposed children to illicit content bordering on nudity, obscenity, including pornography. However, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, argued for a stay on banning the app saying it is causing irreparable damage to the company. ByteDance had earlier challenged the state court’s order in India’s apex Supreme Court.

In its hearing on Tuesday (April 16), the Madras High Court refused to suspend the ban on future downloads of TikTok app in India and the Supreme Court too refused to stay the ban. Following the order, the Ministry of Electronics and Information (MeitY) directed Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Apple Inc. to remove TikTok from their App stores. The court also restricted media houses from telecasting videos made using the TikTok app.

“It is evident from media reports that pornography and inappropriate contents are made available in this kind of cyber applications. The children are exposed to strangers and there is a possibility of the photographs, and other private details of the children are being landed in the hands of predators or third parties,” the bench hearing the case said.

Responding to the Madras High Court, TikTok said, “We have faith in the Indian judicial system and we are optimistic about an outcome that would allow over 120 million monthly active users in India to continue using TikTok to showcase their creativity and capture the moments that matter in their everyday lives. We are committed to continuously enhancing our existing measures and introducing additional technical and moderation processes as part of our ongoing commitment to our users in India.”

Last week, ByteDance-owned TikTok had removed six million videos from its platform that violated user agreements and community guidelines. It also introduced an age limit feature for new users, that allows only those aged 13 and above to login and create an account.

The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing of the case again on April 22, where ByteDance can make a point as to why the ban should be withdrawn.

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Facebook admits storing “millions” of Instagram passwords in plain text

In yet another shocking admission by Facebook, the company said that not “tens of thousands” but “millions” of Instagram users were actually affected by the password leak that happened last month.

Back then, Facebook had announced in a blog post dated March 21, 2019 that passwords were left in a “readable format”, which allowed at least 2,000 Facebook engineers and developers with access to the company’s internal systems to view the actual plain text passwords.

“This caught our attention because our login systems are designed to mask passwords using techniques that make them unreadable. We have fixed these issues and as a precaution will be notifying everyone whose passwords we found stored this way,” wrote Pedro Canahuati, Vice President, Engineering, Security and Privacy at Facebook.

Facebook had estimated that hundreds of millions of Facebook Lite users, tens of millions of other Facebook users, and tens of thousands of Instagram users were affected by the password leak.

However, on April 18, 2019, Facebook quietly updated the above blog post to revise the number of affected Instagram users from “tens of thousands” to “millions”.

“We discovered additional logs of Instagram passwords being stored in a readable format. We now estimate that this issue impacted millions of Instagram users. We will be notifying these users as we did the others,” said the social networking giant in an update. However, the company did not mention how many millions of accounts were impacted by the breach.

The company also says that the stored passwords were not internally abused or improperly accessed by their employees. “This is an issue that has already been widely reported, but we want to be clear that we simply learned there were more passwords stored in this way,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement.

While Facebook is not recommending users to change their passwords, it is, however, advisable to have the passwords changed for your own safety, considering the company’s long history of breaching user’s privacy and security.

Source: Facebook

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10 Best LogMeIn Alternatives for Remote Support

Founded in Budapest in 2003, LogMeIn has grown to become the 10th largest software-as-a-service (SaaS) company in the world. In this time the company has built up a roster of products that are focused on delivering remote connectivity services across three key areas: IT Management, collaboration, and customer engagement.  

LogMeIn’s most popular products include:   

• LogMeIn Pro – Remote desktop access software for small businesses and home users  
• Logmein Central – IT management software for businesses, including three key feature sets: remote control, background management, and automation 
• Logmein Rescue – Remote monitoring and management software for IT service desks and managed service providers  

Why do you need an alternative?

In recent years, LogMeIn has been on a merger and acquisition spree—it’s most prominent purchases include Lastpass (2015), NanoRep (2017), Citrix GoToMeeting business (2017), Bold Software (2017), and Jive (2018). As a result, LogMeIn now owns more than 10 different software products (including GoToAssist, GoToMyPC, GoToMeeting, and join.me), and like any company that grows so quickly, it has struggled to integrate the operations of all these entities into its own corporate structure.

These struggles have left the company facing criticism from its customers. The company failed to deliver some planned product enhancements in 2018 and has also been slow to address some product quality issues that have crept in on the back of its attempts to realign its disparate and rapidly expanding engineering teams. Additionally, the company has mishandled communications with customers. As a result, it is now restructuring, and its co-founder Michael Simon has resigned from the board of directors.

LogMeIn User Frustration and Price Hikes

Despite the question marks over product quality and operations, LogMeIn has still enforced a number of major price hikes on its users, which impacted most of its product offerings. This brought about serious affordability concerns for many of its users.

One example of this is LogMeIn Central shifting from plan-based to menu-based pricing in December 2018. This resulted in LogMeIn Central Basic going from $50 per month to its new base plan, which starts at $80 per month for 25 computers. Meanwhile, the full package, which replaced the Central Premier plan and covers patch management, process automation, and IT reporting, went from $133/month to $219 per month for 25 computers. And it’s even worse if you manage more than 25 computers.  

Despite the company’s attempts to restructure to manage its operational challenges, there are no reasons to believe that LogMeIn products for remote support, and in particular for IT Management, will ever go back to being affordable.   

Fortunately, there are a number of excellent alternatives to LogMeIn for companies looking for a remote support solution or video conferencing, that are both excellent value for money and include rich feature sets. In this article we’ve set out the 10 best ones for you to check out.

Best LogMeIn Alternatives for Remote Support & Remote Desktop Access

1. Goverlan

If you’re in the market for a business solution for IT management, Goverlan Reach offers a great alternative to LogMeIn Central, Rescue, and GoToAssist/ RescueAssist.

Goverlan Reach is designed to provide remote support in an environment where there is a wide mix of end-users, systems, devices, and unattended machines inside or outside the network using disparate operating systems including Windows, Mac OS, Linux, or even VDI machines.

Goverlan Reach offers some powerful features for remote support, including Advanced Remote Control, Background System Management, IT Process Automation, Active Directory Management, Software & Patch Management, IT Reporting, IT Compliance & Global Configuration, and  Service Desk Software Integrations.

Goverlan provides the ability to share screens, record sessions, transfer files, and chat with users during a remote session. It is easy-to-deploy and its user interface is very intuitive.

Goverlan Reach is not only the most versatile solution we found, but it is also the best value for money. While many of its competitors have been heavily hiking their prices up over the past few years, Goverlan has kept its price increases modest and its pricing practices straightforward, and continues to focus on adding value through a rich feature set. It comes in three different editions Standard, Pro, and Enterprise.

Price: Goverlan Reach starts at $29 per month per concurrent technician and includes unlimited endpoints as well as no cap on the number of sessions. A free trial is available on the Goverlan website.

Visit: www.goverlan.com

2. Teamviewer

Another of the big players in the Remote Access Software market is Teamviewer, and this is definitely worth considering if you are a business or home users looking for remote control, remote desktop sharing, online meetings, web conferencing, and file transfer between computers in one package.

The TeamViewer remote access software is easy-to-use, scalable and allows you to connect to and monitor any device, anywhere in the world. From desktop-to-desktop, desktop-to-mobile, mobile-to-mobile, or to unattended devices like servers and IoT devices. It requires no pre-installed, IT-administered software to receive help, and supports Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Chrome OS, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry. It also offers seamless Integration with most of the top IT-enablement platforms, alongside bank-level security and multi-user remote support sessions.

TeamViewer is free as long as it’s only for personal use. TeamViewer’s Remote Control for professional use costs $49 per month but is limited to 1 concurrent session. The corporate license starts at $199 per month for up to 3 concurrent sessions.

Visit: www.teamviewer.com

3. BeyondTrust (formerly Bomgar)

BeyondTrust, formerly known as Bomgar, allows cross-platform remote access, either via a cloud-based app or desktop software, depending on the package you choose. You can also take up a seven-day free trial to try out the services.

Each plan allows unattended access, screen sharing, file sharing, and collaboration. Designed with security in mind it encrypts all data in transit using TLS 1.2, and data at rest allows for modified encryption. It also offers integration with key business software modules such as CRM, ITSM, SIEM and password tools. You also have the option to use BeyondTrust’s open API to create custom integrations.

One of the main benefits of BeyondTrust is its customization. The software permits extensive modifications to many features. You can also easily manage team users, roles, and session permission settings.

BeyondTrust for remote support is priced at $1,995 per year for a concurrent license.

Visit: www.beyondtrust.com

4. Windows Remote Desktop Services

Windows Remote Desktop Connection is a free feature built into the Microsoft Windows Operating System, Ultimate, and Business versions that give fast and complete access control over a remote PC.

Supported by Windows and Mac OS X, the tool is simple, easy-to-use and easy to set up, making this tool a great fit for beginners and amateurs.

Windows Remote Desktop Connection can be accessed from your PC’s System settings, found in the control panel. The router of the remote PC needs to be routed on port 3389 to direct it to the PC you want to connect to. Note that this tool is not capable of controlling multiple PCs at a time.

Visit: www.microsoft.com

5. RealVNC

RealVNC provides both free and paid versions of its Remote Desktop Client. The software consists of a server and client application for the Virtual Network Computing (VNC) protocol to control another computer’s screen remotely. RealVNC offers the dependability and features like cross-platform remote control, VNC authentication, encryption, file transfer, collaboration tools, and chat, to ensure a good remote connection experience for the person on the other end of it.

The cross-platform utility allows you to connect individually to a remote computer or also connect multiple PCs behind a public IP Address. The supported platforms for this software are Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, UNIX, Ubuntu, and Raspberry Pi. The software is free for private use, while it is $30 per desktop for Personal Commercial Use and $44 per desktop for Enterprise Use.

 Visit: www.realvnc.com

6. AnyDesk

AnyDesk is another feature-rich alternative that allows users to access their devices from anywhere in the world. In areas like transfer speeds and reliability of connection, AnyDesk performs extremely well. Furthermore, AnyDesk offers high frame rates, even double that of competitors like TeamViewer.

As for security, AnyDesk relies on TLS 1.2 technology along with RSA 2048 asymmetric encryption to verify every connection. The free version is perfectly fine for personal use while you have to pay for business or commercial use.

Visit: www.anydesk.com

7. Chrome Remote Desktop

This remote desktop software is available as an extension for the Google Chrome browser. It is accessible on any operating system and is fully secured.

Setting up is simple and the add-on costs nothing. Chrome Remote Desktop provides an easy-to-use setup for getting your remote desktop connection, allowing users to remotely access any desktop and its contents right from their browser.

It’s simplicity and versatility make it a great LogMeIn alternative for anyone looking to get up and running quickly with a basic remote connection.

Visit: www.chome.google.com

Best LogMeIn Alternatives for Video Conferencing

8. ezTalks

ezTalks provides a reliable web conferencing and video conferencing solution for a wide range of scenarios—from online meetings to webinars or training and sales presentations. It gives you the ability to host up to 100 participants in its free version and up to 500 in its pro version.

ezTalks comes in both cloud and on-premise versions and includes powerful features such as HD video/ audio chat, IM, screen sharing, record, and whiteboard. It also offers mobile-friendly compatibility with iOS and Android platforms.

Visit: www.eztalks.com

9. Zoom

Zoom is a cloud-based video conferencing platform, designed to offer HD-quality video conferencing as well as simple group messaging. Unlike other services that cater to larger organizations that can afford a premium video conferencing suite, Zoom provides an economical solution that focuses on supporting essential features, such as high-quality HD video and good audio quality. It also offers a wide range of subscription packages. 

Zoom performs well, and its rich set includes the ability to chat, share files, and invite contacts to a meeting. Zoom also supports phone-dial-in and H.323/SIP room systems that enable video conferencing with anyone you want no matter where they are.

Zoom runs on Windows XP or later and on Mac OS X 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) or later.

Visit www.zoom.com

10. WebEx

Cisco’s WebEx free and premium tool allows you to remotely connect with people based on different systems through free mobile or desktop applications.

Meeting hosts can share their desktop and choose to pass over the control of mouse and keyboard to other presenters. Sharing files, chat and face-to-face live interaction, scheduling in Outlook, and password protected messaging are also possible with this tool.

Supported by Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Mobile Apps, Cisco’s WebEx would be a great fit for your needs if you are looking for a premium business solution or to remotely access a desktop with an added bit of interaction to it.

While it is free for 3 people, paid plans include Premium 8 ($24 per month for up to 8 attendees), Premium 25 ($49 per month for up to 25 attendees) and Premium 100 ($89 per month for up to 100 attendees).

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What is so special about the new Samsung S10 phone

2018 was a year of excellence with some incredible phone releases. For instance, the iconic Samsung Galaxy S9 was launched in 2018, and it was among the most popular smartphones of that year. But as usual, an upgrade of the S9 is expected in 2019, and it will happen when the year is still fresh.

The much anticipated Samsung S10 is expected to be launched on February 20, and there is a lot that users will experience from the S10. Tech experts believe this new phone will be a hit, and it’s all because of what it will offer to the users.

We will be telling you just how and why the Samsung Galaxy S10 will be a special phone this year. Here is what you should expect from the phone.

Advanced Design/Display

First off, you should know that the Samsung S10 series will come in three models so far. This includes the S10E, S10, and S10+. All the three models will come with infinity, edge-to-edge displays. This is better than the S9 display and other Galaxy S series models.

Furthermore, there are hole-punch cutouts for two front-facing cameras. The back comes with three camera lenses that are horizontally placed, along with a single flash. This little beast is ready to make your photography incredible.

The top and bottom bezels are thin enough to give you a perfect display, which seems better than the S9’s display.

Wi-Fi 6

The Samsung S10 is expected to be among the first devices to come with the new WiFi 6 standard. This means that you’ll get a faster WiFi connection with the device. But it doesn’t imply that it will automatically increase the WiFi speed.

Unfortunately, it is hard to find a Wi-Fi 6 compatible router. So yes, you might not find the Wi-Fi feature helpful now, but it will keep you ready for the future.

The Samsung S10 Camera

The S10 and S10 Plus will both have three back cameras, while the S10 E will have two back cameras. On the other hand, the S10 Plus is the only one that has two front-facing cameras, while the S10 and S10 E come with a single selfie camera.

The S10 will have a similar 12MP variable aperture lens like that of S9. There’s also the 16MP wide-angle lens with a 123-degree field of view. It doesn’t have an auto-focus or optical image stabilization.

However, there is a new camera feature called the Artistic Live Focus, which is not found in S9. This feature will better the control over the background blur level in a photo. You also enjoy a more creative use of short or motion video.

Samsung S10 Unique Features

Samsung brings in a native cryptocurrency wallet in their Galaxy S10 model. It’s expected that S10 will come with a Samsung Blockchain KeyStore that currently only supports Etherium. However, the digital wallet may support more cryptocurrencies after the launch of the phone.

If you thought Galaxy S9 was your ideal health partner, wait till you use S10. This model is expected to have better health apps. Word has it that S10 will come with an app that can determine your skin type and suggest recommendations to reduce the sun exposure.

It’s believed that the phone will gather photos of different parts of the body to determine your specific type of skin. After the skin type is registered on the phone, you will get regular tips on how to keep the skin safe and healthy. It will also measure your ideal UV exposure.

Massive Storage

If you are crazy about the storage of a device, you won’t have to worry at all when you have the Samsung S10. This phone has massive storage that is more reliable than the predecessor, Galaxy S9. It is expected that the Galaxy S10 will back an incredible 1TB drive.

Samsung had announced that it would be producing 1TB drives for their future smartphones. The Samsung S10 is expected to be the first phone to pack 1TB storage.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 came with a 512GB, which was one of the largest internal storage for a smartphone. But S10 will double that and offer 1TB internal storage.

Maximum Security

The security feature of a smartphone is one of the things that people look out for. You want a phone that will secure your identity and prevent any unauthorized access. In this case, most smartphones come with a fingerprint sensor. The Galaxy S9 had it too.

But things are a little different from the S10. Last year, it was reported that the forthcoming Samsung S10 would use Qualcomm’s third-generation ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor.

In other words, the sensor will be on the screen and appear like a floating menu. The sensor on S10 is expected to capture 3D fingerprint data. This means that it will offer higher accuracy and better security.

It’s also expected that the Galaxy S10 will come with a 3D-sensing camera tech. This will also prevent fake IDs and better the phone’s security.

5G Network

The 4G network is super fast itself, and it is way better than the old-fashioned, but still decently-fast, 3G network. But imagine what an experience it would be to have a network that’s better than 4G? Yes, the Samsung S10 X is expected to come with a dedicated 5G network chip. The S10 X is larger with a 5.7-inch screen and would cost higher than the 4G Galaxy S10 phones.

There is more to learn about the Samsung Galaxy S10 models . Also, you should be ready to spend a couple hundreds of dollars, as some models will go way beyond the $1000 mark.

But before the mighty Samsung S10 is officially launched, you can find other high-performance phones at bestreviews.guide/smartphones, where you can choose the one that suits you perfectly.

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MWC 2019: What to expect from your favourite brands

Mobile World Congress 2019 is around the corner, and there is excitement in the air as the world’s biggest smartphone brands get ready to announce new mobile technologies and products at the event. MobilityArena is set to bring you news and details of the exciting product launches that happen at MWC 2019. 

In general, almost all top mobile phone brands, with the exception of Apple, participate at this event, so we are expecting to see Samsung, Huawei, OPPO, Nokia, Motorola, LG, Sony, and others at the event. That means you  can expect quite a handful of announcements this year.

Table of Contents

What is Mobile World Congress?

Mobile World Congress is a yearly mobile industry trade event organised by the GSMA. The event has always taken place in different countries within Europe, but for some years now, it has only been in Barcelona, Spain.

This is the event where major mobile phone brands launch their forthcoming smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and other related gadgets in recent years.

Apart from launching products, Mobile World Congress also gives room for industry heavyweights to talk about the future of mobile. Features like VR, AR, 5G, and other advanced technologies often take centre stage.

When is Mobile World Congress 2019?

The scheduled date for Mobile World Congress 2019 is February 25-28th.

What products will launch at MWC 2019?

Below are the big gadget announcements being expected at the 2019 Mobile world Congress.

Samsung Mobile at MWC 2019

Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S10 will be officially launched on the 20th of February at Mobile World Congress. This means that we will see the S10 models before the event kicks off properly. It is also likely that the company will unveil its Galaxy F foldable phone and the rumoured Galaxy Sport smartwatch on the same day.

Sony Mobile at MWC 2019

Sony will most likely launch the Xperia XZ4 and at MWC 2019. Rumours claim that the XZ4 will come with a rear triple camera setup and a tall, narrow 21:9 aspect display.

LG Mobile at MWC 2019

We are expecting to see the launch of LG’s 2019 flagship, G8, at the Mobile World Congress 2019. A 5G smartphone, LG V50, is also being expected.

Xiaomi at MWC 2019

This won’t be Xiaomi’s first appearance at the Mobile World Congress, but this year will most likely be its greatest ever. On the list of expected announcements is the Xiaomi Mi 9, the Mi Mix 3 5G, and the Mi foldable phone.

Huawei Mobile at MWC 2019

The launch of the Huawei folding phone has been teased, and the Company’s Twitter teaser made us believe it will arrive soon, and MWC will most likely be the venue of its launch.

Microsoft at MWC 2019

Microsoft has confirmed that they will be at Mobile World Congress 2019 but they have not given any hints as to what they will feature. Rumours say we can expect to hear about a 5G-enabled HoloLens 2.

Nokia Mobile at MWC 2019

Everybody is waiting for the official unveiling of the Nokia 9 PureView at MWC 2019. It is perhaps the most delayed smartphone announcement in the history of the world. Will HMD Global put Nokia fans out of their misery? We hope so.

Motorola at MWC 2019

The G7 series has finally been launched by Motorola but there has been talk about a new Moto RAZR of recent, and we are hoping to see this announced at the Mobile World Congress 2019.

OPPO Mobile at MWC 2019

OPPO has confirmed that it will be at the Mobile World Congress, where it will be unveiling its groundbreaking 10× zoom camera.

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