Articles

More than two million Chrome and Edge users installed extensions that later turned into malware. The 18 extensions all delivered their advertised functionality but some unwanted bonus features. Extensions (known as add-ons in Edge) are a third-party ... tool for web browsers that interact with the browser to bring additional features. Most have perfectly legitimate uses, for example sending the text of a long article on a web page to the user's Kindle e-reader, or blocking ads. Because the tools have varying levels of access to a user's browser and online activity, security is a must. That's why ... (view more)

A campaign group want users to sign a petition calling on Microsoft to automatically extend support for Windows 10. It says existing plans where users can sign up to an extra year of support cheaply or free of charge don't go far enough. The ... petition is the work of the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), which describes itself as "an advocate for consumers, advancing solutions to problems that affect our health, our safety and our wellbeing." It commonly campaigns on tech topics including the "right to repair" as a way to benefit consumers while reducing environmental waste. Millions Of ... (view more)

A boy who started hunting computer bugs aged 13 has been dubbed Microsoft's youngest security researcher. 'Dylan' is the reason the company lowered its minimum age for officially reporting security vulnerabilities. Everything we know about the boy ... comes from a Microsoft report, which notes he is currently in his junior year at high school. Because of his age, it appears reporters don't consider it appropriate to try to independently verify any of the details. (Source: microsoft.com ) According to Microsoft, Dylan was a tech enthusiast for a young age, but became more interested in security ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced Windows 10 users won't have to pay for updates for the first year after its "end of life". It's the most significant move yet away from a potential security nightmare. This October will still be the official point at which ... Microsoft no longer offers any updates. With previous systems, that meant a complete end to security updates for consumers, with businesses able to pay a significant fee (doubling every year) to get the patches through a three-year Extended Security Updates program. Microsoft had already announced that for the first time, consumers would be eligible ... (view more)

Microsoft has started public testing on a range of new Windows 11 features. They deal with a nagging display annoyance, the controversial Recall technology, and touchscreen interfaces. The changes have been unveiled in the Dev Channel. That's one of ... four options for people who join the Windows Insider program and is the one where most new features roll out to the public for the first time. If something's in the Dev Channel, Microsoft usually intends to make it part of Windows but may withdraw it if the testing goes badly. The most useful change for the average user is arguably a minor ... (view more)

Microsoft is to release a tool to make it easier to move to a new computer when upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11. It removes a minor headache but won't necessarily overcome the main reasons people are passing on the upgrade. With some recent ... estimates saying the majority of Windows PCs are still running Windows 10, time is running out for the end-of-life deadline in October. After that, Windows 10 will get no new features and no free security patches. Businesses can pay for security patches for three more years (with the price doubling each year), while consumers can pay $30 for one ... (view more)

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta has been accused of tracking users even when they are using VPNs or incognito mode. They have now stopped using a technique that may have breached Google's rules for Android apps, raising serious questions about how ... far companies are willing to go to bypass privacy controls. The controversial activity was discovered by computer scientists from Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands. Their findings revealed that both Meta and Russian search engine Yandex used a similar method to monitor users without consent, even when standard privacy measures were in place. ... (view more)