Microsoft has announced it will provide one year of no-strings free Extended Security Updates (ESUs) for Windows 10 users in the European Economic Area (EEA). Unlike the rest of the world, there's no need to follow any special conditions. Windows ... 10: The End is Near The end-of-support date for Windows 10 is October 14, 2025. Beyond this date, devices will no longer receive crucial security patches unless they are enrolled in the ESU program. Microsoft has shifted policy several times, originally suggesting the ESU was - as with previous Windows editions - only for businesses. It then offered ... (view more)
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A new app with an unusual function, Neon Mobile, has surged in popularity to become the number two social app on Apple's US App Store. The app pays users for recordings of their phone calls, which are then sold to artificial intelligence companies. ... The idea is to capture real examples of both what people say in conversations and the way they speak. This could power both language generating models and those which produce spoken audio. How Users Earn Money Neon reportedly pays users 30 cents per minute for calls made to other Neon users and 15 cents per minute for calls to anyone else, with ... (view more)
Google has confirmed it is developing a unified version of its Android operating system that will run on both smartphones and PC-style devices. It's effectively a full-blown merger of two systems: the technology behind Android and the user ... experience of ChromeOS, as seen on Chromebooks. The project was discussed at the Snapdragon Summit 2025, where Google's SVP of Platforms & Devices, Rick Osterloh, explained the new strategy: "We are building together a common technical foundation for our products on PCs and desktop computing systems." (Source: 9to5google.com ) Your Phone Becomes ... (view more)
Apple's efforts to make the iPhone as thin as possible have had an unexpected benefit. The new Air model is considerably easier to repair and replacing the battery is simpler according to gadget fixing experts. The handset earned a 7 out of 10 ... rating for repairability from iFixit, a site that gives advice on how to repair devices and replace components. While 7 might not sound much, previous iPhone models have scored as low as 4 out of 10. (Source: ifixit.com ) That's been partly by design, with Apple historically not keen on users repairing devices or replacing parts rather than using its ... (view more)
Researchers say a malware operation involving 224 malware-laden Android apps was particularly creative. They used a combination of tactics to disguise the malware and hide it from Google and security researchers. Human Security, which revealed ... details of the operation, has labeled the operation as "SlopAds". Its ultimate goal was to hijack phones and tablets to make bogus clicks to make it look like a user has viewed an ad on a site operated by the scammers. They then collect revenue from advertisers who are unaware no human saw their message. (Source: humansecurity.com ) The researchers say ... (view more)
Windows 10 users can now sign up for free security updates from Microsoft after it removes standard support in October. It's an option for people who can't or won't upgrade to Windows 11. Officially Microsoft will no longer update Windows 10 as ... standard after October 25, the system's end of life date (it originally debuted back in July of 2015). This means no technical support, no new features and no security patches. (Source: windowscentral.com ) As we've covered, that went down particularly badly with people whose machines don't meet the hardware specifications for Windows 11. This includes ... (view more)
Apple is to release an iPhone model that costs $1,999. It's the most expensive model yet and raises questions about how sustainable such pricing is. The model in question is the iPhone 17 Pro Max, specifically the version with a 2-terabyte storage ... option. That's more than some desktop computer hard drives. It's only the addition of this size storage that increases the price from last year's equivalent models, with the lower capacity versions still starting at "only" $1,199. Indeed, much of the specs remain the same, with the main differences being cosmetic with new colors (who hasn't wanted a ... (view more)
Google has been fined nearly $3.5 billion for unfairly manipulating the online ad markets. European Commission officials said the move had harmed rival companies and may have meant higher prices on consumer products. The ruling has not only been ... condemned by Google but could cause diplomatic and economic disputes between the European Union and United States. The case is about advertising exchanges, which are systems where would-be advertisers and websites wanting to display ads for money are brought together. The theory is the exchanges automatically find the most efficient pairings, meaning ... (view more)
Emails which appear to come from Apple email servers may be carefully crafted spam. Scammers have found a way to abuse Apple's calendar tools to disguise the spam and bypass filters. The spam is getting to many more recipients than usual as the ... messages appear to come from the user noreply[@]email.apple.com. It appears to be convincing enough that some spam filter systems are treating it as coming from a legitimate source within Apple, which is clearly not something most people would want blocked. The trick behind the spam is that the original message isn't sent as a standard email. Instead ... (view more)
Infopackets Reader Jean Paul R. writes: " Dear Dennis, Please help - someone is threatening to expose me online ! I came across your site after reading an article on what to do if someone is harassing you on Instagram . To be honest, my story is ... very similar. I'm a 40-year-old guy from France; last Wednesday, I matched with a curvy Thai girl on the ThaiFriendly app. At first she wanted to chat over Instagram , so I gave her my contact info and we chatted on there for a bit and exchanged a few photos. Things escalated quickly and she asked to see what I looked like, then asked me if I want to ... (view more)
iOS WhatsApp users should make sure their app is up to date following a dangerous security attack. The technique is particularly effective but fortunately seems to be highly targeted so far. It's been described as a zero-click attack, meaning a ... phone could be comprised simply by a user receiving a message. That's different to most messaging-based attacks which require a user to open an attachment or image, or to click on a link. The issue affects the Mac, iPhone and iPad apps for WhatsApp and is the result of a particularly unfortunate combination of two vulnerabilities. One is with WhatsApp ... (view more)
Google has escaped the threat of being forced to sell off Android or the Chrome browser. But a court says it must share data to make it easier for rivals to compete in the search market. Last year a court found Google had acted unlawfully to ... maintain its dominance in the online search market. This included the steps it took to make it the default search engines on some browsers. The Department of Justice (DOJ) had called for a range of harsh measures to rectify Google's behavior, most strikingly to force it to sell Android or Chrome to a third party. The logic there was that this would break ... (view more)
Google says stories it has warned all Gmail users about a security issue with the service are highly misleading. It says claims of a major data breach affecting all users are wide of the mark. The stories appeared to stem from a very genuine breach ... at Salesforce, a major operator of customer relationship management tools. It's suffered a number of successful targeted attacks in recent months. It's an attractive target as it handles data for numerous big name companies. (Source: withsecure.com ) Google Ads Data Affected In many cases the attacks haven't involved software vulnerabilities but ... (view more)
Infopackets Reader George L. writes: " Dear Dennis, I was reading online that Microsoft's latest Windows 11 update ( KB5063878 ) is breaking NVMe and SSD drives, causing catastrophic data loss. I have Windows 11 on my laptop and I'm terrified - does ... this mean my NVMe could stop working at any moment? Should I uninstall the update or stop using my computer until this is fixed? Please help me understand what's really going on, because I'm not very tech-savvy and I don't want to lose my family photos and documents. " My response: Thanks for your message. You're not alone - many people have seen ... (view more)
Microsoft is adding new features to Microsoft 365 for Windows 11 users. They are described as "Companion" or "mini apps" and will be built into the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. The features are only for Microsoft 365. That's the subscription ... version of the Office package where users get updates for as long as they are paying the annual fee. They won't be available on the standalone Office or on Windows 10. The idea of the mini-apps is to make it easier to carry out core tasks without the need to open up full-blown apps or visit a web page. Calendar Tool Enhanced The File Search ... (view more)
Infopackets Reader Tyler M. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just came across your article on how can I stop sextortion - thanks for that. I have a somewhat different issue, though similar. While on vacation in Thailand, I met a beautiful local woman at a ... bar in Bangkok. She offered to be my personal guide (plus benefits!) and promised to show me around for the duration of my visit. I was skeptical at first, but knew that this type of ' transactional relationship ' was common in Thailand. After a few drinks I gave in - we exchanged numbers and added each other on Instagram. Everything seemed fine; ... (view more)
Microsoft is ditching Windows 11 SE, a special version of the operating system designed for low cost computers in schools. It's effectively a surrender in a battle against Google Chrome for the education market. Windows 11 SE debuted a few weeks ... after the main system and was a rough equivalent to the special Windows 10 S system, though with one fundamental difference. Windows 10 S only let users install apps from the Windows Store rather than through direct download from third parties. Windows 11 S doesn't include access to the Windows App store and has no way for users (intended to be pupils ... (view more)
AOL dial-up Internet is ending in September. It lasted 34 years, long after a peak when it handled a claimed 40 percent of US online traffic. Exactly how many people were still subscribing is unclear. Several surveys in recent years estimated around ... 250,000-300,000 dial-up users in the United States, which AOL dominated in the remaining market. A couple of smaller companies do still offer the service in limited areas. AOL will continue as a business but is now primarily offering security tools. (Source: bbc.co.uk ) While many Infopackets readers likely remember dial-up, for the few who have ... (view more)
Infopackets Reader Sam J. writes: "Dear Dennis, I just saw your article on how to stop online harassment - thanks for that. My teenage son got caught up in an online sextortion scam. He thought he was talking to a girl his age on Instagram, but it ... turned out to be a scammer who tricked him into sharing private photos. He already sent the blackmailers $500 in Steam cards. Now, they're threatening to send those images to his Instagram followers. He's terrified, ashamed, and deeply depressed. As a father, I feel completely helpless. How can I stop cyber harassment and online blackmail in order ... (view more)
A Windows 10 user is suing Microsoft for the "forced obsolescence" of cutting support for his two laptops. Lawrence Klien says it's an anticompetitive attempt to dominate the generative AI market. The lawsuit seems to be more about making a point ... than changing Microsoft's plans. It isn't seeking a financial fortune and the timeline makes it almost impossible it will have a practical effect. Klein makes many valid points in his filing, most of which will be familiar to those who've followed the story. His two laptops cannot upgrade to Windows 11 because they don't have TPM (trusted platform ... (view more)
WhatsApp says it has taken down more than 6.8 million accounts linked to "criminal scam centers." It says scammers are using complex methods that use multiple apps to avoid being detected by any one of them. The company, owned by Meta (which also ... owns Facebook), says this isn't just a case of lone actors pulling off scams. It says many are the work of full-blown organized crime gangs which exploit forced labor workers - quite often they are used in sextortion and pig butchering schemes . While the specifics of the scams change, for example getting people to "invest" in cryptocurrency or ... (view more)
Infopackets Reader Mark R. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just came across your article on what to do if someone is harassing you , and I'm reaching out because my teenage son is brutally being harassed online . He recently met a girl in a chat group on ... Reddit; she seemed nice at first, and claims to live nearby. They chatted for a few days, then things got more 'personal': she convinced him to move to Snapchat, where they exchanged some private messages and pictures . She asked for his Instagram and they exchanged info. Almost immediately, the tone shifted and now she's demanding money . She' ... (view more)
A phone carrier has launched a plan for teenage users with built-in content filters and other safety features. It remains to be seen if kids pursue workarounds. The plan, from British carrier EE, appears to be aimed at parents who don't want their ... children to have unrestricted Internet access, but find it difficult technically to control what they do on their phones. Such parents often conclude that simply refusing to let a teen have a phone is not a realistic expectation in 2025. There will be three tiers in the plan, aimed at increasing age groups. The tier aimed at the youngest users will ... (view more)
Microsoft is making changes to the startup screen, taskbar and Task Manager in Windows 11. The changes are more about reducing annoyance than major overhauls. All three changes have shown up in the Dev Channel, which is the first place new features ... shown up for public testing. These aren't always guaranteed to make it out into the final public release, but Microsoft has spoken publicly about these features. That suggests it intends to keep them, rather than just looking for feedback on the concept. The change that will benefit most people is to the Second-chance out-of-box experience (SCOOBE ... (view more)
If you're caught up in a Venmo sextortion trap and are desperate for a way out - you're not alone, and this in-depth, Q&A article is for you. If you are in full-on panic and need help now, you can contact me here for assistance . Otherwise, keep ... reading! Infopackets Reader Sanjay B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I paid someone on Venmo and now they're blackmailing me . Here's my story: a few days ago I met a woman on Adult Friend Finder claiming to be local to me. We chatted casually for a couple of days, but then moved to WhatsApp for privacy. As soon as I did, the tone changed; she was ... (view more)
Infopackets Reader Sam G. writes: " Dear Dennis, I came across your website and read two of your most recent articles: how to stop WhatsApp blackmail and what to do if sextorted on Thaifriendly - thanks - these articles were very insightful. Now for ... my issue. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but until last week I've never even heard of being blackmailed on Facebook . I thought I was just chatting with someone new online - it started harmlessly enough. We flirted a little, exchanged some pictures , and then she casually asked me to send some money her way to help pay for her brother's ... (view more)
Are you being sextorted? Need real answers - fast? Contact me now for 1-on-1 assistance. I've worked on over 1,000+ sextortion cases since 2019 and know this scam inside and out, including the tried-and-tested strategies for preventing your ... exposure. Our business has been online for 24 years, and is BBB A+ Accredited with ZERO complaints - ever. That track record speaks for itself. If you're ready to take action, reach out to me now . Otherwise, keep reading - this guide will show you exactly what's happening and what to do (and what not to do) next. Infopackets Reader Adam G. writes: "Dear ... (view more)
If you're being harassed (sextorted / blackmailed) on Instagram and need help right now - contact me here for assistance. Otherwise, keep reading! Infopackets Reader Sarah B. writes: " Dear Dennis, Please help - I'm being harassed on Instagram . A ... few months ago, I met a guy claiming to be stationed overseas in the US Military. He moves from base to base, which makes it difficult for him to stay in touch with people. Initially, he was sweet, charming, and always had a good excuse for why we couldn't video chat - so we exchange some photos over Instagram instead. At first, he just wanted ... (view more)
Opera has formally complained about Microsoft's efforts to promote the Edge browser to Windows users. It says the tactics verge into unlawfully anti-competitive behavior. The complaint is to regulators in Brazil where Opera has previously been ... comparatively successful. Unlike in many countries where it's only used by a tiny percentage of people, Opera has at times been in a battle with Edge for second place in the browser market, albeit with both far behind the dominant Google Chrome. According to Opera, Microsoft has used a range of tactics to promote Edge that go beyond lawful promotion. ... (view more)
Google and Microsoft have both added AI-powered features to their web browsers. The experimental modes may be more useful but have raised questions about advertising models. Microsoft's new tool, Copilot Mode, is the latest in its series of AI ... additions to existing applications. For now at least it is completely opt-in. It means the new tab page will have a single input box where users can type any text. If it's a website address, the relevant page will simply open. If it's a question, the user can choose between conducting an ordinary web search and having an AI-powered answer. As usual, the ... (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 30 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 30 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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