scanning

Fri
25
Nov
John Lister's picture

Government to Scan Every Internet Device

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)

Thu
06
Jul
John Lister's picture

iPhones Could Get Facial Recognition

Apple is working on facial recognition as an iPhone security measure. It's said to be have it ready for this year's iPhone 8, but may wait until the feature has been fully tested and complete. The idea is to replace fingerprint scanning for ... unlocking the phone. It's not yet confirmed if and when the facial recognition would be extended to other uses, such as using Apple Pay rather than have to type in card details or a PIN code. According to a Bloomberg source, the face unlock takes less than half a second to scan a face, confirm its identity and unlock the phone. The feature ... (view more)

Tue
27
Jun
John Lister's picture

Google to Stop Scanning Emails for Advertising Purposes

Google is to stop scanning Gmail messages for advertising purposes. The move was driven largely by a need to satisfy business customers. The company announced that "Consumer Gmail content will not be used or scanned for any ads personalization after ... this change." A company spokesman said this would bring the consumer service into line with the G Suite service for businesses. Business Users 'Put Off' By Scanning Diane Greene said that although business customers "have never had their messages scanned for use in advertising, many potential customers were nonetheless put ... (view more)

Fri
21
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

How Does Windows Defender Stack Up in Windows 10?

How Does Windows Defender Stack Up in Windows 10? Infopackets Reader Lisa K. writes: " Dear Dennis, I read with interest your article entitled: ' How to Fix: Windows 10 Antivirus Missing, Not Compatible '. After upgrading to Windows 10, my antivirus ... also went missing. So my question is: how does Windows Defender stack up against popular antivirus or antimalware programs? Should I continue to use Windows Defender or should I reinstall my antivirus program? " My response: This is often simply a question of choice, but your computer hardware may also dictate what is most suitable. In my opinion ... (view more)

Mon
30
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

Google Facing Court Date Over Email Scanning

Google has denied claims that its practice of scanning Gmail messages for advertising purposes breaches wiretap laws. But a judge says there may be a case to answer, particularly when it comes to scanning messages sent by non-Gmail users. Although ... Gmail is free to use, Google makes money by putting adverts at the top of the inbox and beside messages. These ads are usually based on topics that are mentioned in messages -- the theory being that somebody who reads and writes a lot of messages about golf may be more likely to click on an ad for a golf supplies store. Google repeatedly notes that ... (view more)

Mon
16
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

US Airports to Receive New Molecular Laser Scanners

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reportedly working on a laser scanner that could check airline passengers for security violations from 164 feet away. However, the technology may require at least four more years of development before ... being ready for deployment. The scanner works at the molecular level, giving it the potential to probe in far more detail than is possible with existing machines. The technology is being adapted for security scanning from use in both medicine and manufacturing. The manufacturer, Genia Photonics, says its "Picosecond Programmable Laser" is able ... (view more)

Wed
05
May
Dennis Faas's picture

Google Street Views Put On Hold Amid Privacy Concerns

Google is once again at the center of controversy in Europe over the use of its technology in regard to privacy rights. Recent claims were made by German officials that the tech company is scanning for private wireless networks and recording the ... details through the use of its Street View service. According to Germany's federal data protection commissioner Peter Schaar, Google has been collecting MAC (Media Access Control) addresses of private citizens for some time now. A MAC address refers to a specific network adaptor -- and in this case, individual wireless routers. Schaar said that he was ... (view more)

Wed
23
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

IOBit Security 360 Review

Quite often, I'm asked if it's a good idea to use more than one anti-virus / anti-spyware program at the same time. The answer to this question is both "yes" and "no." Yes: it's a good idea to scan your PC using more than one solution -- whether ... it's anti-virus or anti-spyware -- as it's possible to sniff out additional, missed threats. No: you shouldn't run more than one anti-virus or anti-spyware program at the exact same time as they would likely conflict. So, what's the difference between these two scenarios? Allow me to break it down: Real-Time Protection Real-time protection scans your ... (view more)

Wed
23
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

Registry Mechanic 4 Review

Great news! PCTools, the authors of the incredibly popular flagship utility 'Registry Mechanic', have just recently released version 4.0. If you've been keeping up with our newsletter, you've undoubtedly heard me mention this extremely beneficial ... utility a number of times in the past. Reminder: What is Registry Mechanic? Registry Mechanic is by far the most widely regarded Windows Registry Cleaner on the Internet -- not only because it's received countless rave reviews from credible online sources, but also because it is one of the few Registry cleaners on the market that actually delivers ... (view more)

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