Eliana Willis

ZDNETThose of you who use Microsoft Authenticator as a password manager will have to find another option, and soon. That’s because an upcoming change will pull the plug on the ability to use the Authenticator app to store and autofill passwords.In a recent support document, Microsoft revealed the timeline for Authenticator’s retirement as a password manager. Starting in June, you’ll no longer be able to add or import new passwords in the app, though you’ll still be able to save passwords through the autofill option. Beginning in July, you’ll no longer be able to autofill passwords with Authenticator. Come August, any passwords you’ve saved in the app will no longer be accessible.Also: 10 passkey survival tips: Prepare for your passwordless future nowMicrosoft Authenticator isn’t going away. You’ll still be able to use it for its primary purpose, namely to generate and display multi-factor authentication codes for logging in to secure websites. But its sideline as a password manager will come to an end.OK, but what should you do if you’ve been saving and using passwords in the app?Microsoft offers a few suggestions. Your stored passwords are synced to your Microsoft account, which means you can still use them elsewhere. For that, you can turn to Microsoft Edge. In its support document, the company explains how to use Edge to autofill saved passwords. At the same time, you can use this opportunity to review your saved passwords to remove any you no longer need or want. More

Brother / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETHundreds of Brother printer models have been found to harbor a serious security flaw that can’t be fully patched on existing devices. First noticed by Rapid7 in May and publicly disclosed on June 25, this unpatchable vulnerability lets an attacker who knows — or can find out — your printer’s serial number generate its default administrator password.Also: Patch your Windows PC now before bootkit malware takes it over – here’s howYes, the same password that’s set in the factory and that many of us never change. But the “good” news is you can still protect yourself by changing that default password today. What happened and how bad is it? Rapid7’s zero-day research has revealed eight security holes across 689 Brother printer, scanner, and label-maker models — and an additional 59 devices from Fujifilm, Toshiba Tec, Ricoh, and Konica Minolta. Of those eight flaws, seven can be fully patched with firmware updates. But the big one — CVE-2024-51978 — can’t be fixed on any device already sitting in your home or office. CVE-2024-51978 carries a CVSS score of 9.8 “Critical” severity. Once an attacker knows a device’s serial number, they can reconstruct the password, log in with full privileges, and launch all sorts of nastiness. Also: Is your Asus router part of a botnet? How to check – and what you can doAccording to a detailed technical analysis by Rapid7, Brother uses a password generation algorithm during manufacturing that is easily reversible. An attacker who leaks your serial number (for example via CVE-2024-51977) can reverse this process, recover your factory password, and log in with full privileges — allowing them to reconfigure the device, access scans and address books, trigger remote code execution (CVE-2024-51979), or steal external-service credentials (CVE-2024-51984). How many devices are susceptible? In total, 748 devices across five vendors are affected by at least one of the eight vulnerabilities. Beyond Brother’s 689 models, there are: 46 Fujifilm Business Innovation printers5 Ricoh printers2 Toshiba Tec devices6 Konica Minolta modelsAlso: The best online photo printing services: Expert tested and reviewedNot every flaw impacts every printer. For instance, only 695 models are vulnerable to the default-password bug, and around 208 models can be crashed remotely via the Denial-of-Service flaws (CVE-2024-51982 and CVE-2024-51983). How to tell if your printer is affected If you own a Brother printer, you can check to see if your model is affected on this Brother support page (PDF). What’s been fixed? Brother has released firmware updates that patch seven of the eight vulnerabilities: You can download these updates from Brother’s support pages (under Printers, Scanners, or Label Printers). Fujifilm, Ricoh, Toshiba, and Konica Minolta have similarly published advisories and firmware for their affected models. More

ANDREY DENISYUK/Getty The Trump administration’s tax bill — also called its “big, beautiful bill,” which is facing a vote today — includes a rule that would prevent states from enforcing their own AI legislation for five years, and would withhold up to $500 million in funding for AI infrastructure if states don’t comply.  Over the […] More