John Lister

Google has cracked down on a key method that scammers used to distribute Android malware through the Play app store. But like a game of whack-a-mole, the scammers are adjusting their tactics for greater success. The Google change is to the way it ... handles accessibility tools on Android devices. These include screen-readers, voice input systems and other modifications for users to interact with the device. Such tools often need access to key components such as the camera, microphone or speakers, access that can be abused by malware. Google relaxes the security and permissions system on such ... (view more)

Microsoft has taken control of websites - or rather their domain names - believed to be uses by Chinese hackers. It's the latest example of a tactic that overcomes the usual problems of dealing with an international online threat. According to ... Microsoft, the "Nickel" group is based in China and is a "nation-state actor": in other words, it at the very least has the backing of the Chinese government. It uses a variety of tactics to try to spy on victims and intercept their data. Targets include government agencies and human rights groups. Microsoft somewhat understatedly says there's "often a ... (view more)

Microsoft looks set to reverse a controversial change to Windows 11 settings. The move will make it easier to change the default browser away from Microsoft Edge. Before Windows 10, browsers could easily set themselves as the default, meaning they ... would automatically open any web pages or links. While that was meant to work only where the user had given permission, Microsoft concluded there was too much risk of rogue software setting itself to open web links, in turn letting it display bogus pages designed to install malware or trick users into providing login details. With Windows 10, ... (view more)

Microsoft appears to have cut the period during which users who upgrade to Windows 11 can change their minds and roll back to Windows 10. They'll now have just 10 days to roll back without much hassle. Upgrading to Windows 11 seems to have proven a ... relatively straightforward process for most users, or at least those with the option to do so. Microsoft is rolling out upgrade availability starting with those machines it assesses as least likely to experience problems, though some will never officially be able to run a fully supported Windows 11. Whether to cover cases where Windows 11 doesn't ... (view more)

The latest version of Android adds several new privacy features. However, users may need to make some manual tweaks to take full advantage. The changes come in Android 12 which is rolling out to newer phones at the moment. Older models will either ... get it later on or will never be able to get it, depending on the manufacturer. The biggest change is more information about the permissions system. That's the set-up by which users don't have to give an app complete access to the hardware and software on their system. Instead they can individually grant or restrict individual permissions, each of ... (view more)

Predictive text may not make typing messages on phones quicker or easier according to a new study. In many cases, the study says, it will slow things down. The research comes from Pe Ola Kristennson, a professor of interactive systems engineering at ... the University of Cambridge, and colleague Thomas Mullners. (Source: acm.org ) They previously ran a study in 2019 asking 37,000 volunteers to copy sentences on a mobile phone. Those who used predictive text averaged 33 words a minutes, slightly slower than the 35 words a minute of those who didn't use any technologies. (Source: theconversation. ... (view more)

Facebook and Instagram will not strengthen the encryption on their messaging until 2023, a year later than planned. The delay has been linked to complaints that the encryption could help abusers of children. At the moment, both service messages are ... encrypted between the sender and the company's servers and then from the company's servers to the recipient. That means anyone who intercepts the message in transit can't practically read it, but the company itself can. Although the companies say they do not access the messages normally, they may do so in response to a court order, law enforcement ... (view more)

Microsoft is to switch to updating Windows 10 once a year. It's good news both for those hoping to use it for years to come and for those who'd prefer Microsoft to stop making changes for the sake of it. When Windows 10 debuted, Microsoft adopted a ... policy of batching most non-security updates into two releases each year. The plan appeared to be that this schedule would effectively go on forever with Windows 10 being the last totally new "edition" of the system. That was been ditched with the release of Windows 11, leaving some question over future updates. Windows 10 ... (view more)

Microsoft has confirmed it is blocking third party tools designed to overcome several ways it pushes people towards the Edge browser. It affects tools such as EdgeDeflector which works on Windows 10 and 11. The tools take aim at the way Windows and ... some built-in Microsoft applications use links to web pages. Rather than simply linking to a page address, they start with "microsoft-edge://" and open automatically in the Edge browser. This overrides the user's chosen default browser for opening web link. Once Edge opens with the page in question, it also displays a request to set Edge as the ... (view more)

Scammers are using bogus antivirus renewal demands as their latest money-grabbing tactics. The attacks appear to target both people's money and their account details. The warning came from consumer group "Which" after it spotted two different fake ... emails. One supposedly comes from McAfee and the other from Norton Antivirus, both claiming a subscription is about to end. (Source: which.co.uk ) It's another case of playing the numbers game: while many people will either not use these products or will spot the scam, the popularity means that simply spraying out emails will eventually ... (view more)