Newly-published tests suggest solid state drives (SSDs) are much more reliable in the long term than traditional drives. The tests only cover a specific use case, but it's one that could let users find a good mix of cost and performance. SSDs work ... in a similar way to USB memory sticks, with data accessed through a flow of electricity. It means they don't have any moving parts, unlike a hard drive that spins round and has a moving arm to access data, a little like a vinyl record player. That brings several key advantages - most notably that SSDs are quicker to access data. They are also ... (view more)
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A satellite Internet company has slammed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for refusing to subsidize its expansion. Starlink wanted the public money that is normally given to wired Internet companies to reach rural areas. The FCC said ... Starlink hadn't done enough to prove it could live up to its promises and said the technology wasn't developed enough. The argument is about how the FCC allocates a $9.2 billion fund that's designed to subsidize companies to build or extend broadband access in places where it wouldn't be profitable to do so otherwise. Starlink had bid in an auction to ... (view more)
A former diplomat says the amount of data shared and sold in the US puts the country at security risk. Karen Kornbluh said businesses gathering data on a large scale created a "national security loophole." She also points to a recent warning that ... China was attempting to gather data, both legally and illegally, about US citizens' health. The country is thought to be looking for blackmail material, for example on people in positions of power who have been treated for mental illness or embarrassing physical complaints. (Source: dni.gov ) Kornbluh previously held senior roles at the Federal ... (view more)
Smartphone and tablet manufacturers may be forced to offer updates and security fixes for longer. It's part of a European plan to reduce the need for users to get rid of old devices so often. The proposals would also mean manufacturers making parts ... available for independent repairers and making batteries either long-lasting or replaceable. The move could bring benefits to device buyers around the world. However, analysts also fear it could mean an end to cheap handsets, even if they are a false economy. The proposals come in a draft law in the European Union. They are now out for public ... (view more)
Two more applications have been removed from the Google Play Store after turning out to be a front for malware. As always in such cases, users who already have the apps installed need to uninstall them as this won't happen automatically. The apps in ... question are called Mister Phone Cleaner and Kylhavy Mobile Security. They had 50,000 and 10,000 downloads respectively before Google pulled the listings. The scam in these cases has a couple of key differences from the familiar story of scammers disguising malware as legitimate apps and finding a way to bypass Google's security checks. That ... (view more)
Microsoft's antivirus tools have mistakenly labeled Google Chrome and other browsers as housing malware. The error didn't cause any harm but may have annoyed or confused millions of users. The mistake affected Microsoft Defender (previously called ... Windows Defender), the built-in security tool in Windows that is likely the world's most widely used anti-malware tool. For most users, the mistake will have been most visible through a beeping noise and on-screen alert every time they opened Google Chrome. Confusingly, clicking on the notification opened up a screen which flashed more details for a ... (view more)
Additive manufacturing is the process of creating an object by building it one layer at a time - similar to a 3D printer. The method was initially geared at quick prototyping, producing pieces for testing and iterative design. However, during the ... past five years, engineers from all over the world have begun to concentrate on finding appropriate uses for final products and realizing the full potential of additive manufacturing. There are hundreds of potential products in every business, whether it be healthcare, aerospace, automotive, logistics, or consumer goods. Using sliced computer aided ... (view more)
LG has made a monitor that automatically moves to the most comfortable viewing position for the user. The UltraFine Display Ergo AI can also move throughout the day to reduce the risk of users sitting in the same position for extended periods. The ... monitor has different modes attempting to mitigate different health and safety risks for users. One is the problem of not sitting at a suitable distance or comfortable angle, which can lead to eye and neck strain. Another is the problem of sitting in the same position throughout the day. If this position involves either slouching or excessive ... (view more)
The next iPhone model looks likely to have a free satellite connection that works virtually anywhere. Initially at least it will likely only work for text messages. The idea has reportedly been in the works for iPhones for some time but now looks ... likely to be announced in September and cover the forthcoming iPhone 14. Apple is holding a launch event titled "Far Out" and artwork showing space. Meanwhile a company called Globalstar announced earlier this year that it bought 17 new satellites to serve a new, unnamed customer. That's looking increasingly likely to be Apple. No Signal ... (view more)
A man who built his own broadband network because he couldn't afford a commercial service has got a $2.6 million government deal to serve other households. Jared Mauch took the drastic step after Comcast asked for $50,000 to connect his rural ... Michigan home. Mauch had been on a 1.5 Mbps phone line connection since 2002, a speed that was no longer sufficient for his needs. He had switched to a wireless service in frustration before asking Comcast to extends its network to cover his home. He told Arstechnica that he would have paid as much as $10,000 for the connection but could not afford the $ ... (view more)
Walmart has stopped offering a 30TB portable hard drive that was listed on its website for $39. The third-party listing was not an unbelievable bargain but rather an audaciously cheeky scam. The supposed solid state drive (SSD) was listed on ... WalMart's site but sold and shipped by a third party. One security researcher found the same item from the same seller at the Chinese-base Ali Express for $31.40. Those familiar with the SSD market would recognize straight away that this was, to say the least, an implausible price. Most externals SSD ranges designed for the consumer market top out at 4TB ... (view more)
Mount Kilimanjaro now has high-speed internet almost two-thirds of the way up the mountain. The Tanzanian government plans to have Internet connectivity at the summit by the end of the year. The mobile broadband is available through the ... government-owned Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation. The government minister involved marked the connection by posting online from an event held 3,720 meters up the 5,895 meter mountain. He wrote: "Today Up on Mount Kilimanjaro: I am hoisting high-speed INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS (BROADBAND) on the ROOF OF AFRICA." He also called for similar ... (view more)
Google has closed the account of a user who sent a photograph of his son's inflamed groin to a doctor. It's sticking by the closure despite an obvious case of its automated systems mistakenly flagging the image as abusive material. The account ... closure covers all Google services including the man's Gmail and his phone service which was provided by Google Fi. This was a disastrous combination as losing access to both emails and SMS messages to his phone number meant he couldn't get security codes to prove the ownership of many other online accounts. The man, identified by the New York Times ... (view more)
Google has revamped the look of Gmail, favoring people who use its other communication tools. The new look is not a complete overhaul but rather the type of change where users notice something is different, even if they can't immediately put their ... finger on what's changed. Users have a couple of options if they want to undo the changes. Gmail has two new main features. The first is a subtle color change, with the menu bar down the left column and the search bar at the top both now having pale blue backgrounds, visually breaking up the page. The second change is to the left-hand menu itself. ... (view more)
Three national governments say major tech companies should pay some of the costs of expanding broadband networks. Critics argue such a move could have negative knock-on effects. The idea is highlighted in a leaked document from governments in ... France, Italy and Spain. They were responding to EU regulators who are exploring the idea of big companies paying some of the costs of upgrading telecommunications infrastructure. The document notes that just six companies, including Alphabet (Google), Meta (Facebook) and Netflix make up the majority of all Internet traffic. (Source: reuters.com ) 'Free ... (view more)
Ransomware scammers are targeting smaller businesses, partly because larger firms are refusing to pay up. Attackers are also more likely to threaten to expose data than in the pass. The statistics come from security company Coveware, which sells ... ransomware response services. While precise figures should be taken with a pinch of salt, the company reports the average (mean) payout to ransomware scammers in the second quarter of 2022 was $228,125, up eight percent on the previous quarter. (Source: coveware.com ) However, it appears that's a case of a few major attacks distorting the average. The ... (view more)
A Windows update that causes bugs is no surprise at this point, but a new one affecting printers has a twist. The bug is with Windows 10 rather than 11. The problem comes from a month-old update, KB5014666, which rolled out from June 28, 2022. ... Microsoft says it has two main problems, affecting users with USB-connected printers. The first is that on some computers, Windows shows two copies of the same printer, with the second one having the same name but ending in "Copy1". That can mean the computer is unable to print to either of the "two" printers. The second problem ... (view more)
The iOS Netflix app now has a subscribe button. It's a small change that could make a big difference to Apple's bottom line, as well as opening up legal challenges. Since 2018, Netflix has not offered any way to subscribe through its iPhone and iPad ... app. Instead, users had to sign up on the website, then install the app and sign in. That wasn't a case of Netflix being deliberately awkward but rather not wanting to pay a commission to Apple, which demands a 30 percent cut of any subscriptions made through an app, falling to 15 percent after the first year. Companies like Netflix which refused ... (view more)
The makers of an app that can alert parents when a diabetic child is at risk say Google's rules are making it harder to use the app. Play Store rules designed to stop malware mean the app can't send text messages directly. The app is called CamAps ... FX and works with medical devices to operate an "artificial pancreas" for type-1 diabetes, which is a hereditary condition. It connects to a glucose monitor and an insulin pump, constantly monitoring glucose levels and then delivering insulin as necessary. (Source: camdiab.com ) The BBC reports that while it's suitable for adults, the app is ... (view more)
Some Google Play Store apps with more than a million downloads have turned out to house malware. It's a reminder that however good Google's security vetting process is, it's not perfectly reliable. Two security companies, ThreatLabZ and Evina, say ... they found a total of 60 apps that are or have been in the Play Store and house one of four "families" of malware. One type appears to be new and has been dubbed Autolycos by researcher Maxime Ingrao. Promoted via Facebook and Instagram ads, the apps use a common technique. They are listed as carrying out a specific feature, which they ... (view more)
A recent Windows 11 update has failed to install for some users. Meanwhile, some of those who did install it have reported annoying bugs. It reawakens an age-old dilemma: some users may conclude it's safer to avoid the update altogether and even ... manually uninstall it, but that means missing out on some security fixes for previous vulnerabilities. To make the decision more difficult, Microsoft hasn't provided much detail about these fixes other than to say the update "addresses security issues for your Windows operating system." For some users, there's no choice to make as they ... (view more)
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is set to increase the minimum threshold for 'broadband' speeds. It won't mean immediate changes for users, but could speed up efforts to boost investment and competition in broadband networks. At the ... moment, the FCC officially defines broadband internet as having speeds of at least 25Mbps for downloads and 3Mbps for uploads. That definition has remained unchanged since 2015, with previous FCC chair Tom Wheeler rejecting calls to increase it. Current chair Jessica Rosenworcel has formally proposed increasing the minimum speeds to 100Mbps for ... (view more)
Canadian communications giant Rogers is to give extra credit to customers hit by a 15-hour Internet outage. But regulators want to know more about what caused the problem and how it can be prevented in the future. The outage had a huge impact, ... partly because of the sheer size of Rogers' customer base. It has a reported 11 million customers in a country with a population of 38 million. To make things even worse, the outage also affected some critical infrastructure including emergency phone lines and bank machines. That's prompted the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ... (view more)
Microsoft says it still plans to make a key security move with Microsoft Office, despite already having reversed it. It says it has put the changes to macros on hold to "enhance usability." The back-and-forth involves Visual Basic for Applications ... (VBA) macros. In principle, these are shortcuts that automate detailed processes with multiple steps. In some cases, users will share macros as part of their work. While macros can be very useful, they also offer a security risk. That's because a maliciously crafted macro could carry out unwanted tasks without the user knowing exactly what ... (view more)
Google has fixed an unusual bug that mistakenly implied trusted contacts might be spammers. It asked users to make a decision about future filtering but took no notice of the reply. The good news is that the fix removes the unwanted messages and the ... filtering now appears to be working as intended. The bug involves the way Google will occasionally highlight a message sender as a potential source of unwanted emails. Users can then click one button to block all future messages from the sender. Once the bug took effect, many more users than usual started seeing the message, which read: "Do ... (view more)
At least half the zero-day bugs discovered by Google this year were preventable according to one of its security experts. She pointed to sloppiness by software developers. The claims came in a talk and subsequent blog post by Maddie Stone. She's ... part of Google's Project Zero security program. While precise definitions sometimes vary, the general principle of a zero-day bug is that it's where attackers are exploiting the vulnerability before the software developers have a chance to develop a fix - in most cases because they aren't even aware of the bug. The name comes from the way the ... (view more)
A third-party tool can help users get round some of Microsoft's restrictions on upgrading to Windows 11. It won't remove Microsoft nagging, however. Although Windows 11 is a free upgrade for Windows 10 users, three main restrictions mean some people ... may not be able to get it. The first is a series of hardware minimum specifications, with even some relatively recent computer processors judged inadequate by Microsoft. The second is the need for a Trusted Protection Module (TPM), a hardware device aimed at boosting security. Many computers either don't have a TPM or have it disabled by default, ... (view more)
Consumer groups claim Google acts unfairly in getting permission to use personal data. They say the sign-up process makes it far more time-consuming to exercise the right to limit data use. The complaints come from consumer groups in six European ... countries who have complained to national data regulators while warning they may also launch a civil court case. The European setting is key as data laws there say companies that rely on consent to make data handling lawful must make sure the decision to give consent is based on having a meaningful choice. Businesses aren't supposed to make both ... (view more)
Google has added an offline mode for Gmail. It lets users read, reply and even search through Gmail messages without being online. The mode will be familiar to users of a certain age, though it's mainly aimed at people in places where Internet ... connections are unreliable such as in some remote areas or developing nations. Though the offline mode might seem like wizardry, it's an extremely simple setup with some clear limitations. It uses some of the user's hard drive to store copies of messages that are normally only kept on Google's servers. The mode only works for users running the Chrome ... (view more)
Google says its messaging service Hangouts will close by November. Users who want to download past conversations may need to act sooner than that. Google Hangouts launched in 2013 and was designed to be a simple form of instant messaging that worked ... regardless of what operating system or platform the users were on. That simplicity was somewhat undermined by Google's chopping and changing as it developed various services. (Source: arstechnica.com ) Google originally had two messaging tools: Messenger as part of the ill-fated and Google+ Messenger social network, and Talk. It then merged ... (view more)
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My name is Dennis Faas and I am a senior systems administrator and IT technical analyst specializing in cyber crimes (sextortion / blackmail / tech support scams) with over 20 years experience; I also run this website! If you need technical assistance , I can help. Click here to email me now; optionally, you can review my resume here. You can also read how I can fix your computer over the Internet (also includes user reviews).
My name is Dennis Faas and I am a senior systems administrator and IT technical analyst specializing in cyber crimes (sextortion / blackmail / tech support scams) with over 20 years experience; I also run this website! If you need technical assistance , I can help. Click here to email me now; optionally, you can review my resume here. You can also read how I can fix your computer over the Internet (also includes user reviews).
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