Saturday, March 20th, 2021

Time	Event
12:45a	Windows 10 Updates Are Causing Even More Printer Problems Than First Thought Following reports that a recent update to Windows 10 was causing blue screens as well as problems with printing, Microsoft issued a new series of updates to address the issues. But it seems that the problems caused by this month's Patch Tuesday updates are actually worse than first thought. BetaNews reports: Users with certain brands of printer experienced APC_INDEX_MISMATCH errors and blue screens, but now Microsoft has issued a warning that there may be additional problems with elements missing from print outs, or even entirely blank pages being output. The problematic updates are KB5000802, KB5000808, KB5000809 and KB5000822. In the support documentation for these four updates, Microsoft acknowledges the APC_INDEX_MISMATCH error problems and BSoDs, and directs people to install the relevant patches for their system. But the company now also acknowledges that there are more problems with the original updates than first appeared to be the case. For each of these four updates Microsoft issues the same warning: "After installing updates released March 9, 2021 or March 15, 2021, you might get unexpected results when printing from some apps..." There is currently no fix, and Microsoft is not even able to offer a workaround right now. Instead, the company simply says: "We are working on a resolution and estimate a solution will be available in the coming days." Read more of this story at Slashdot. (Comment on this)
1:25a	US Grid At Rising Risk To Cyberattack, Says GAO Distribution systems within the U.S. electrical grid are increasingly vulnerable to cyberattack, a government watchdog said in a report released Thursday. The Hill reports: In the report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted that the Department of Energy's cybersecurity strategy has predominantly focused on generation and transmission systems. The watchdog recommended further attention to risks facing distribution systems, those parts of the grid that actually carry power directly to customers. Those aspects of the grid, the report states, "are becoming more vulnerable to cyberattacks, in part due of the introduction of and reliance on monitoring and control technologies." "However, the scale of potential impacts from such attacks is not well understood," it states. Distribution systems' vulnerability is increasing due to their industrial control systems, which have increasingly been incorporating remote access. As a result, they can give bad actors access to them. The systems the report analyzed generally are not covered by federal cybersecurity standards but have in some cases taken independent action on them. Energy Department officials told GAO investigators they were unaware of any assessments underway analyzing how a cyberattack would affect distribution systems, saying the impact would likely be less significant than on generation and transmission. However, the report notes, depending on which distribution was affected it could have nationwide effects. Read more of this story at Slashdot. (Comment on this)
1:00p	Victoria University of Wellington Accidentally Deletes All Files Stored On Desktop Computers An anonymous reader quotes a report from Newshub: Victoria University of Wellington has accidentally deleted all files stored on its desktop computers affecting a "significant" number of staff members -- as well as some students. A spokesperson for the University confirmed to Newshub on Thursday that an unexpected issue wiped all files saved on the desktops. "The University's Digital Solutions team continues to work with all affected staff and students to recover access to files and in many cases the issues have been resolved," they said. "There are however, some affected staff and students who have not been able to recover access to files." The aim of the data wipe was to clear inactive users' data by getting rid of profiles of students who no longer studied, reports student magazine Critic. Critic spoke to one Masters student who had heard of PHD students losing an entire year's worth of data. The university spokesperson said they apologized for the inconvenience caused and is investigating the issue to ensure it doesn't happen again. Read more of this story at Slashdot. (Comment on this)

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