How ad-blocking works in Google’s Chrome browser

Google, as promised, has launched the Chrome browser ad-blocking feature it has touted for nearly a year.

Although not the first such effort by a browser maker, Google's decision - effectively a pre-emptive strike against even more users turning to independent add-ons for killing online advertisements - has both import and impact by virtue of Chrome's dominance.

With more than 61% of all browser users running Chrome as of January, according to analytics vendor Net Applications, when Google's browser whispers, the web listens. Sites that instead tune out last week's move do so at their peril.

Just what is Chrome's ad blocking - Google likes to call it "ad filtering" - really all about? How does it work and what's the reasoning behind it?

All good questions. We've got the answers.  Click here for the full article to find out!

Are you using a Pwned Password? Find out

Pwned Passwords are half a billion real world passwords previously exposed in data breaches. This exposure makes them unsuitable for ongoing use as they're at much greater risk of being used to take over other accounts.  Fortunately, there is a legitimate site that you can use to see if your password is one of them.  Simply check here.

How To Enable Ransomware Protection In Windows 10

Ransomware is a nasty, evolved form of computer viruses. As the name implies, it’s going to cost you money to undo the damage it does. Ransomware basically locks your files and asks you to send money if you want them back. If you’re a victim of ransomware, you have two choices; pay up, or pay someone to get rid of the ransomware. There’s no option that doesn’t cost you money and neither one guarantees that you will get your files back which is why it’s a good idea to be more proactive about this particular type of threat. Windows Defender has a built-in feature that, if set-up, will enable ransomware protection. Here’s how it works.

You must have Windows Defender enabled for this to work. You cannot just opt to use some features of Windows Defender and not use others. Ransomware protection in Windows Defender doesn’t go by that name. It’s more what the feature does that makes it useful for staying safe from ransomware. Windows Defender lets you lock down folders so that unauthorized apps cannot make changes to it. You will need administrative rights to enable ransomware protection in Windows 10.

For the complete article, click here.

How To Transfer Photos Over WiFi From Your Phone To Windows 10

If you want to transfer photos from your phone to your desktop, the easiest way to do it is to use a data cable. This holds true for both Android phones and iPhones. There are other methods to import these photos but the most reliable one is the data cable method. If you don’t have a data cable, you’re stuck looking for other alternatives that won’t need your phone to be connected to your desktop. If you have a Windows 10 system though, Microsoft has just made it incredibly simple to transfer photos over WiFi.

Microsoft has released a new app called Photos Companion for both iOS and Android. This app is a companion app for the Photos app on Windows 10. With this app, you can send transfer photos from your phone to your desktop provided both your devices are on the same WiFi network. This app works with an experimental feature in the Photos app so you’re going to have to enable it first.

For more, check out the full article here.

No, Microsoft is not calling you!!

Online crime is taking a step into the real world with a dangerous new technology-themed phone scam.

According to a top security researcher, criminals are targeting victims all over the world with fake support calls pretending to be PC experts.

Masquerading as employees from the likes of Microsoft, Google or Apple, the scammers are able to persuade victims into installing harmful malware onto their devices without getting their hands dirty - and then making off with your data.

So what do you need to know about this new threat?

Although phone scammers have been around for some time, recent months have seen a huge rise in tactics using a distinctly technological theme.

Speaking to Express.co.uk at the company's Security Analyst Summit in St Maarten, David Jacoby, senior security researcher at Kaspersky Lab, warned that the scammers now have new techniques to try and trick their way in.

Calling the main home number (although Jacoby notes that there has recently been a rise in smartphone calls too), the scammers claim to be from Microsoft or Apple, saying that there has been a problem detected with a user's PC or Mac, often to do with the security of the device.

They then attempt to install a harmful program on the victim’s device, which could do anything from installing a virus to monitoring every key pressed in order to steal passwords.

The calls are normally spammed out in huge numbers, after the scammers largely guess which numbers are being used by specific telephone companies.

The scam normally takes place during the middle of the day, meaning that the elderly or unemployed are often hit hard, especially as they may be not quite as technology-aware.

"This is a global problem," Jacoby warns, "there's a lot of small groups and copycats that are doing this."

"Phone scammers are a huge problem because they're very difficult to stop and to monitor," he notes.

"We don't really have any insight into how they work, how much money they make, which countries are targeted and so on."

"It's kind of an epidemic that's going on."

So how can you stay protected?

Jacoby says that the key to not falling victim is simple - be vigilant.

"It's all about awareness," he says, "you can't really protect yourself with software on this."

"Microsoft, or Apple, or whoever they would never call your house and tell you that you have a virus on your computer - it will never happen!"

Jacoby and his fellow researchers are now conducting further research into the scams to try and understand how they work, but for now it seems that the best thing to do, is just be smart.

Washington state bill would make hard-to-repair electronics illegal

A number of states are considering right to repair bills, legislation which if passed would make it easier for individuals and repair shops to replace or repair electronics parts. Repair.org reports that 17 states have already introduced bills this year and while most aim to make repair parts and manuals accessible, Washington's proposed legislation would straight up ban electronics that prevent easy repair. "Original manufacturers of digital electronic products sold on or after January 1, 2019, in Washington state are prohibited from designing or manufacturing digital electronic products in such a way as to prevent reasonable diagnostic or repair functions by an independent repair provider," says the bill. "Preventing reasonable diagnostic or repair functions includes permanently affixing a battery in a manner that makes it difficult or impossible to remove."

Motherboard reports that the bill is cosponsored by a dozen representatives, a group that includes both Democrats and Republicans, and was recently moved out of committee, meaning it's closer to a vote than similar bills in other states. "With Apple phones in particular, they glue the battery in the case, so for me, that sounds like a purposeful attempt to make it so you couldn't repair the phone," Jeff Morris, the representative who introduced the bill, told Motherboard. "It helps accelerate the path of those devices to the waste stream. So we're trying to keep the philosophy our state is behind, which is recycle, repair, reuse."

Naturally, tech groups have jumped to make their opposition clear. In a letter to Morris, groups such as the Consumer Technology Association, the Telecommunications Industry Association and the Computer Technology Industry Association said the bill was "unwarranted" and added, "With access to technical information, criminals can more easily circumvent security protections, harming not only the product owner but also everyone who shares their network."

The bill is still in its early stages, so there's no guarantee it will pass. Also, the January 2019 cutoff that it currently sets for manufacturers to abide by the proposed legislation is very soon, which could cause some pushback, and not just from the tech industry. However, it's an interesting addition to the pile of right to repair bills under consideration across the country and if it does pass, it stands to help consumers, third-party repair shops and even the environment.