Nine in ten Americans are now online according to new figures. But it's the United Kingdom that is "most online" and least subject to Internet restrictions. The figures come from Proxyrack, a company with a clear interest in places where users may ... want to disguise their identity of location. It wanted to see if there was any connection between how widespread Internet use was and how freely people could use the Internet. (Source: proxyrack.com ) The usage figures came from Statista and shows 99,231 out of every 100,000 people in the UK had used the internet recently. That was followed by Japan ... (view more)
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Microsoft Defender has come in last in two separate tests of Windows 11 security software. It's a surprise result given it generally did well on Windows 10. There's some comfort for Microsoft, however, as the nature of the testing means many users ... won't notice that much difference in practice. That's important given Microsoft Defender (previously Windows Defender) is built-in to Windows 11. The first rankings came from AV-Test, which describes itself as "The Independent IT-Security Institute." It ran a series of tests on 19 products using "realistic test scenarios" and "real-world threats." ( ... (view more)
Android users have been urged to check their phone has the latest security patches. It follows a researcher accidentally uncovering a significant flaw in the screen lock. The researcher discovered the problem on a Google Pixel 6 and replicated it on ... a Pixel 5. The problem appears to affect phones running Android 10 or later that use a SIM card, not just those made by Google. However, some reports suggest it doesn't affect Samsung handsets. The problem is with the personal unblocking key (PUK). That's a way to regain access to a handset that's been locked after forgetting the phone's passcode ... (view more)
"Password" and "123456" continue to battle it out for the worst password choice according to two annual studies. While this tells us very little about why users continue to use such weak passwords, there's some mixed news elsewhere. Several ... companies chase headlines each year by publishing lists of the worst passwords, meaning the ones that appear most frequently. The data source is usually a collection of stolen website login databases published online. Sometimes these are stored in plain text while sometimes cyber criminals have successfully cracked decryption. The ... (view more)
Microsoft is once again testing advertising for its own products in Windows 11. This time the promotion appears in the Start menu. As with the previous testing, it's unclear how likely the advertising is to be rolled out to all users. It seems ... Microsoft is not just testing the technology itself but also how users will respond. Back in March, a selection of users in the Windows 11 test program started seeing promotions in the File Explorer tool. One suggested the user install a Microsoft-made browser extension for getting spelling and grammar suggestions when typing on websites such as forums ... (view more)
The Department of Justice has found $3.36 billion of stolen money in a popcorn tin. But more than $2 billion of it no longer exists. It's not a case of corrupt law enforcement, but rather a spectacular example of the bizarre world of cryptocurrency. ... It raises head scratching questions about what money really is in 2022. The money was seized in a raid of the home of James Zhong. He's now admitted to stealing it in a hacking attack on the controversial online marketplace Silk Road. That's a site where goods and services, many of them illegal, were bought and sold using cryptocurrency. Bogus ... (view more)
A government plans to scan every Internet-connected device in the country for vulnerabilities. The agency concerned insists it won't compromise privacy. The scan is the work of the United Kingdom's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). It says its ... looking for zero-day vulnerabilities, meaning security holes that hackers are actively exploiting before a fix is available. The NCSC says it will regularly scan all Internet connected devices based in the UK. It doesn't intend to access any data on devices but instead simply make a connection request. The scanning software will then log any ... (view more)
Internet users who find themselves distracted online can pay up to $9 a month to block certain websites. The service has some obvious limitations but does prompt debate about Internet addiction. The Freedom service offers users four types of block: ... block all Internet access, block specific websites, block specific apps, or block all sites except those the user has specifically listed. It can cover computers, phones and tablets. After a free trial of seven "block sessions" users must pay for some features. This includes use on an unlimited devices and scheduling. This carries a subscription ... (view more)
Apple has come under fire on two fronts over changes to ads on its app store listings. Developers feel their apps are being undermined while parents have complained about promotions for gambling appearing beside child-focused apps. The changes ... affect the way users see listings when browsing for apps on an iPhone. That means any changes have a big effect because screen space is so limited. Apple has now created extra ad spaces, one that appears in the main tab of the app store and one at the bottom of the page for an individual app. The ads are all for other iPhone apps. Rival Apps Promoted ... (view more)
Infopackets Reader Leona L. writes: " Dear Dennis, Thank you for mentioning our product WinX DVD Ripper in your newsletter. We would like to extend a special Black Friday two week-long offer to your readers starting November 21, 2022 until December ... 2, 2022. For only $9.90 Digiarty is offering WinX HD Video Converter for 1 year and $24.90 for an unlimited license. Please kindly let your readers know! " My response: Thanks, Leona for sending our readers another great deal. Below I'll provide a bullet point of what each program does. WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe: Full list of Features an all- ... (view more)
Adobe is charging an additional monthly fee to use particular colors in Photoshop. Some users have even seen parts of existing images turn black. The seemingly bizarre policy is all to do with Adobe's commercial agreement with Pantone, a company ... that offers services helping businesses create a consistent color scheme, such as branding. Historically, Adobe included more than 2,000 specific colors that are part of Pantone's "Color Matching Scheme". The idea of the scheme is to use a common reference that means any two uses of the color will look the same, no matter the origin or ... (view more)
Researchers say they used a single five-mile cable to transmit twice the amount of data that's currently used by the entire Internet. While it could one day mean faster connections for users, the main benefit of the research could be more ... energy-efficient data centers. The project involved the Technical University of Denmark and the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. They explored the way most high-speed data connections today involve encoding signals to transmit as light. The key was combining a single laser with a specially-designed optical chip. This breaks the light into 223 ... (view more)
Fujitsu has proposed an "endorsement layer" on top of the Internet to tackle bogus information. It's an idea that would certainly face both technological and societal challenges. The idea comes in a white paper (a report designed to provoke ... discussion) written alongside Keio University in Japan. It explores the idea of a "trustable Internet in which people can use information securely." (Source: kaeio.ac.jp ) The concept is simple, if abstract. The writers propose a system that "overlays a layer on the Internet, which has a mechanism to confirm the credibility of the ... (view more)
A new study suggests Microsoft Defender's effectiveness varies dramatically on the setting. It's one of the best for online-based threats, but among the worst performers for offline-based threats. The study is from AV Comparatives, which runs ... regular tests on more than a dozen leading cyber security tools. (Source: av-comparatives.org ) The results for Microsoft Defender are particular noteworthy for two reasons. First, it's the default, built-in tool for modern versions of Windows, meaning hundreds of millions of people use it. Second, it's often argued that Defender does a good enough job ... (view more)
Repair your corrupt outlook data file (.pst) with Outlook PST Repair Tool Personal Storage Table (PST) files are vulnerable to damage or corruption for various reasons, such as large size or oversizing, abrupt system or application shutdown, ... malware/virus intrusion, drive errors, etc. When the PST file is damaged or corrupt, it cant be opened in Outlook, leading to inaccessible mail items. If the PST file is not repaired, it may lead to data loss. Microsoft provides an Outlook PST file repair tool called Inbox Repair Tool or SCANPST.EXE . The tool is installed with MS Office installation. The ... (view more)
Apple has previously been accused of "dirty tricks" against Android users when it comes to the iMessaging app. Now, one critic says Apple's choice of colors may be deliberate to make Android messages harder to read. The dispute involves the way ... iPhones display chat messages that are sent over the Internet, rather than through SMS messaging that uses cellular data networks. This was originally an iPhone only feature, but from 2016, Apple allowed Android users to use it via the official iMessage app. During testing, Apple engineers added a green background to messages sent from ... (view more)
A court says an employee who refused to keep a webcam switched on was wrongly fired. He was awarded around $72,000 USD in compensation. The man, whose name was not revealed in the case, worked remotely in the Netherlands for a Florida-based IT ... company called Chetu. After working in the role for almost three years, he was told to take part in a "Corrective Action Program - Virtual Classroom." This involved keeping a webcam switched on throughout his nine-hour working day. (Source: bbc.co.uk ) The employee refused to do so, arguing that he was already sharing his screen with ... (view more)
Researchers say a thermal imaging camera could help crack passwords. It's not exactly a looming threat for the average user, though the study does reinforce the important of longer passwords. The research from the University of Glasgow appears to ... have been inspired by noticing that thermal-imaging cameras are becoming more affordable (less than $220 in some cases) and wondering how they could combine with machine learning. The researchers say they same idea may have struck would-be criminals, so it was worth trying to get one step ahead of them. (Source: zdnet.com ) The project followed a ... (view more)
An iPhone safety feature has backfired in embarrassing fashion. 911 dispatchers say they've had multiple false alerts of car crashes involving people who were actually on a rollercoaster. The iPhone 14, the latest model, has a crash detection ... feature. It's triggered by the built-in accelerometer and other sensors that are normally used for features such as automatically rotating the display when a user turns the phone to landscape mode. When triggered, the phone will eventually call 911 and play an automatically generated message saying "The owner of this iPhone was in a severe car crash ... (view more)
The Supreme Court will rule on a key challenge to the way tech companies are responsible for user content. The outcome could affect the long-running "publisher vs platform" debate. The case centers on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, ... which broadly says Internet companies aren't legally responsible for content they post, including cases of defamation. The validity and interpretation of that rule has been challenged many times since it was created in 1996, partly because technology has evolved. Critics of the rule say it was written when the main issue was whether web ... (view more)
A US official has beaten a Russian opponent to become head of a major Internet body. The result could make a big difference to online technology, particularly on the issue of blocks and censorship. Doreen Bogdan-Martin beat out Rashid Ismailov to ... lead the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). She prevailed 139-25 in an election where every country had one vote. (Source: politico.eu ) The ITU is a United Nations agency that started in 1865 as a way to make sure telegraph systems in different countries could use a compatible system. It now oversees many cross-border tech issues, ... (view more)
"Privacy-focused" web browser Brave will block cookie consent banners that annoy some users. Its makers say the move will still protect users from unwanted tracking. Cookie consent banners appear on many sites affected by a series of privacy laws, ... most notable Europe's General Data Protection Regulation. The laws require explicit, active consent from users to handle personal data, including through creating cookies that can track online activity. To comply with such laws, sites will often put up a banner or pop-up window whenever somebody first visits a site, asking them to give or ... (view more)
Two researchers say voice controlled "assistant" devices could harm children's development. The claims are more of a warning than proven results at this stage. The claims come from Ananya Arora and Anmol Arora, both of the School of Clinical ... Medicine at the University of Cambridge. They were writing in the publication Archives of Diseases in Childhood. (Source: bmj.com ) The pair say they have three main fears about the uses of devices such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home, along with Apple's Siri. In all three cases, the researchers say it appears some parents may have mistaken ... (view more)
LinkedIn has admitted it ran experiments that may have affected a user's chances of getting a job. The business networking site says everything it did was covered by its user agreement. The New York Times revealed that the experiments involved more ... than 20 million users over five years. The core of the testing was the way LinkedIn picked who appeared in the "People You May Know" section that automatically suggests potential contacts. The experiment, run alongside three major universities and later published in the journal Science, meant some users got a higher proportion of ... (view more)
Microsoft has added a new feature to warn users when they type their Windows password into a scam site. It's particularly aimed at people who reuse passwords, a particularly risky approach. "Enhanced Phishing Protection" is available to both ... consumer and business users who've installed 22H2, the first major update for Windows 11. However, it's not yet switched on by default and instead users must enable it in settings menus. The relevant menus are Start, Settings, Privacy ... (view more)
A popular malware-fighting tool left users unable to access Google and YouTube after a blunder. It's the second time Google has been hit by false positives in the past few weeks. This problem affected Malwarebytes, one of the more popular security ... tools other than those built in to operating systems. Specifically, the problem was with the premium version of Malwarebytes that integrates with web browsers, checks links the user might visit, and blocks the link if it points to a domain believed to pose a security risk. Such risks can include look-alike sites used for phishing scams to try to ... (view more)
Microsoft has released the first major update to Windows 11. It also says it may issue new features every month, yet another change to its update strategy. One year after Windows 11 first came out, the new update is formally called 22H2, though ... Microsoft has also simply called it the 2022 Update. That reflects an initial theory that updates would be relatively infrequent. Older versions of Windows had new features added as and when they were ready, with a Service Pack bringing everything together every couple of years for users who didn't want to install frequent updates. Windows 10 switched ... (view more)
Google is to test a plan to exempt political campaign messages from its spam filter. It says users will have a clear opportunity to opt out. The move has proven unpopular with many people, particularly since users will need to opt out on a ... sender-by-sender basis. There won't be a simple way to opt out of all political emails. Previously Google had labeled many campaign emails as spam because, well, that's what they often are. In many, if not most, cases people were receiving messages despite not explicitly giving permission for their address to be used in that way. The spam filter appeared to ... (view more)
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)
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)
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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).
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