Google Releasing Chrome Extension To Detect Password Theft

February 22nd, 2019

Google has a new extension for its Chrome browser, and it's one you should strongly consider getting for all of your devices at home and in the office.

The extension is called 'Password Checkup,' and has exactly one purpose.  It securely checks your logins against a breach database in real time as you're logging onto the various websites you use daily.

New 5GE Coming To Phones Is Still In Development

February 21st, 2019

AT&T is getting some pushback for what most industry insiders are calling a misleading indicator. It has started to appear on many new smartphones including both Androids and iPhones. With the latest update, a growing number of customers are now seeing a "5G E" indicator on their 4G phones, which leads to a momentary surge of excitement, leading customers to believe they're using 5G technology.

Popular Media Applications Will Be Discontinued From Windows 7

February 20th, 2019

Despite that there are still a shocking number of Windows 7 users spread around the world, Microsoft has kept with its previously published end of support schedule, and is no longer supporting the venerable product.

The company has also begun quietly pulling the plug on applications that were central to the Windows 7 user experience, including (according to updated support documents) Windows Media Player and the Windows Media Center from versions 7 and 8.1 of the OS.

One of the most notable changes from a user's perspective is the fact that audio and video meta data will no longer be updated.

Mistyped URLs Will Soon Get A Warning In Chrome

February 19th, 2019

At one point or another, everybody has done it.  You open a browser and type in the URL of a site you visit frequently.  In doing so, your finger slips and you mistype it.  Sometimes, nothing comes of it except that you get an error message. Knowing that, increasing numbers of hackers have gotten into the habit of buying up domains that are slight misspellings of popular, mainstream brands.

In App Subscriptions Getting Crackdown From Apple

February 18th, 2019

One of the unfortunate truths about apps is that many developers use deceptive practices to try and confuse consumers.

They try to mislead them about how much custom features cost and when in-app purchases occur.

Many attempt to hide or obfuscate the particulars of subscription details.

Hackers Are Hiding Code In Images To Fool Mac Users

February 16th, 2019

In the world of hacking, steganography ranks as one of the most difficult methodologies to detect.

If you're not familiar with the term, it is the practice of embedding executable code inside images, which makes it virtually impossible to detect.

Digital Movie Service UltraViolet Is Shutting Down

February 14th, 2019

On paper, UltraViolet seemed like a great idea.  It was (and still is, for the moment) a service that stored your license information for various digital media you purchased.

You could buy a movie from Amazon Prime, buy something else from some other online vendor, and watch them on any number of devices without having to log into individual services.

Chrome And Firefox Should Be Updated To Stay Secure

February 13th, 2019

The first browser update of 2019 is officially out. Both Google's Chrome and Mozilla's Firefox browsers are getting a raft of security fixes that will help make Mac, Linux and Windows users safer and more secure.

The latest build of Chrome addresses nearly sixty CVE-level flaws, seventeen of which are rated as being "high" severity, and one rated as 'critical.

Your PC May Have Security Risks From Old Loaded Software 

February 11th, 2019

When was the last time you conducted a company wide audit on all the software running on all the machines tied to your firm's network?  If you're not sure the answer to that question, it's almost certainly been too long.  The risk, at least according to the latest survey from Avast, is that there are almost certainly programs running on those PCs that are outdated.

Watch Out For New Ransomware Called Phobos

February 9th, 2019

There's a new strain of ransomware making the rounds, and it's a nasty piece of work. Called Phobos by its creators, the latest threat on the ransomware scene first made an appearance in December of 2018.

While details are sketchy, what we know so far about it is grim indeed.