Information Technology

Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images There is no doubt that the great CrowdStrike-Windows meltdown in July 2024 was an economic disaster. It was the largest IT outage in history. Its effects disrupted banking systems, healthcare networks, and the global air transportation network. As the post-incident analyses made clear, it was entirely preventable. Also: Stop paying for antivirus […] More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETThe iPhone 16 sports a new security feature that aims to protect you against spyware and similar threats better. Known as “Secure Exclave,” the enhanced privacy technology will visually notify you if your camera or microphone is being used without your permission. But since the technology is hardware-based, it’s more resistant to hackers who try to tap into those sensors without triggering an alert.Also: How to preorder the iPhone 16 now (and even get one for free) The feature itself isn’t new. “Secure Exclave” first appeared earlier this year with the launch of the M4 iPad Pro More

Lance Whitney/ZDNETOnline threats and privacy concerns seem to be ever more salient as users are becoming more and more aware of the lack of safeguards online. Now, Google is rolling out three new and improved features to Chrome aimed at beefing up your safety and security. Also: Was your Social Security number leaked to the dark web? Here’s how to find outIn a blog post published Thursday, Chrome product manager Andrew Kamau described the new features and explained how they’re designed to better protect you from online threats.1. New and improved Safety CheckFirst up, getting a tune-up is Chrome’s Safety Check. Designed to uncover malicious downloads, compromised passwords, unsupported extensions, and other hazards, this new and improved version will automatically run in the background to scan for more types of threats.Safety Check will be able to revoke permissions from sites you no longer use, alert you to potentially unwanted website notifications, and remind you of any security or privacy issues that need your attention. It will also keep you abreast of the actions it takes so you’re not caught off guard.Also: What is DuckDuckGo? If you’re into online privacy, try this popular Google alternativeFurther, Safety Check will try to protect you against abusive notifications by automatically revoking permissions from sites considered deceptive by Google’s Safe Browsing service. With Chrome on a computer, Safety Check will also alert you to any extensions that might be a security risk and take you to the extensions page where you can remove them.2. Remove website notificationsUnwanted website notifications can not only be annoying but potentially hazardous, and Chrome will now make it easier to opt out of them. Now on Pixel phones and coming soon to other Android devices, a new “Unsubscribe” button will appear in the notifications drawer so you can quickly turn off notifications for a particular site.3. Grant one-time website permissionsLastly, Chrome on Android devices and computers will now let you grant one-time permissions to specific websites. You’ll be able to allow certain permissions, such as access to the camera or microphone, for one time only. After you exit the site, those permissions are revoked and must be granted again the next time you browse to that site. More

It’s all about privacy. When you search with DuckDuckGo, you don’t have to worry about third parties tracking you or capitalism determining what results are displayed first. DuckDuckGo does not collect user data, track users across the web, associate browsing behaviors with IP addresses, or save your search history. DuckDuckGo is what online searching was meant to be; there’s no tracking, analyzing, fingerprinting, or any other mysterious untoward behaviors. On top of that, you don’t have to worry about AI-generated content in the results. Also: The best VPN services of 2024, and why you need one One thing to keep in mind is that DuckDuckGo isn’t just a search engine. There’s also the DuckDuckGo browser for Android, iOS, Windows, and MacOS. This browser includes built-in private searching, tracker blocking, and all the privacy goodness you’d like to have in Chrome but may never see come to light.Finally, with DuckDuckGo, you don’t have to worry about scrolling through ads to get to the results. When you search with DuckDuckGo, everything you see is directly related to what you were searching for. More

rob dobi/Getty Images You’ve likely never heard of National Public Data, the company that makes its money by collecting and selling access to your personal data to credit card companies, employers, and private investigators. It now appears that the hacker group USDoD snatched about 2.9 billion of its records. Odds are that your records — including, possibly, […] More

undefined undefined/Getty Images As Windows 10 begins its final year of official support, Microsoft is executing a familiar game plan for its business customers.  Also: What is a TPM, and why does Windows 11 require one? Last April, in separate posts on the Windows IT Pro Blog and on the Microsoft Education Blog, the company revealed its price list […] More

natatravel/Getty Images When Microsoft introduced Windows 11 in 2021, its new, stringent hardware compatibility test included checking for the presence of a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) — specifically, one that meets the TPM 2.0 standard. Also: Still have a Windows 10 PC? You have 5 options before support ends next year So, what is a TPM, […] More

Robert Brook/Getty Images US customers of Kaspersky’s banned security software are being thrown a lifeline in the form of an alternative product. In emails sent to its customers, Kaspersky revealed that it will automatically migrate them to Pango Group’s UltraAV software as a continuation of their current subscriptions. The news comes in the wake of […] More