Your PC is capable of running not one, but two Windows apps designed to protect you and your system against online threats: Windows Security and Microsoft Defender. Telling them apart can be tricky, though. Thanks to a few name changes, what’s old sounds new and what’s new sounds old. If you haven’t kept up with the updates, it may not be clear which one you want — or if you actually prefer to run both.  To help you decide, I’ve broken down what each app does. Let’s dig in. What is Windows Security? PCWorld PCWorld PCWorld Previously known as Windows Defender, Windows Security is the most current name for the app that ties Microsoft’s basic antivirus and network protections together. Similar to third-party antivirus software, you get a unified interface to make changes to the app and access manual scans. Separate tabs break out various settings: Virus & threat protection: From this tab, you can run manual scans (Quick, Full, Custom, or Offline), change how your system screens for threats, and set up more stringent ransomware defenses. Account protection: Guard the Microsoft account tied to your PC, as well as strengthen Windows’ login process. Firewall & network protection: Refine your settings in order to tailor screening of incoming and outgoing traffic. App & browser control: Adjust how Windows screens apps for suspicious behavior, and if Edge runs in an isolated, sandboxed environment. Device security: Get information about your PC’s deeper security protections in Windows — core virtualization, security processor (TPM), and secure boot. Device performance & health: See a quick overview of the general “health” of your PC with regard to software issues or storage drive issues. Family options: Filter viewable content for users on the PC, as well as see breakdowns of device usage. You can manage your family group through the web portal. Click on the arrows (desktop) or swipe (mobile) to see each tab in the Windows Security app. What is Microsoft Defender? PCWorld PCWorld PCWorld Confusingly, the Microsoft Defender app shares its name with the antivirus engine powering Windows Security’s malware protection — but they’re not directly tied. Instead, the Defender app offers additional defenses against online threats for Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscribers. It works equally with either Windows Security (including the Microsoft Defender Antivirus engine) or third-party antivirus software. Privacy protection: You can funnel your online traffic through Microsoft’s encrypted VPN service whenever you’re on a network connection, like public Wi-Fi you don’t trust. You get up to 50GB of data per month. Microsoft Defender also can now detect unsecure Wi-Fi connections, and not just alert you to them, but automatically turn on the VPN too. Privacy Protection is available on all supported platforms, including Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS. Identity theft monitoring: Through a partnership with Experian, Microsoft Defender will alert you to data breaches and any fraudulent activity on your credit reports. The service also provides up to $1 million in restoration costs and $100,000 in lost funds if you are a victim of identity theft. Device protection: You can watch to see if your devices (up to four) or those linked through your Microsoft Family Group have any suspicious activity occurring and be notified through this app. Notifications will be sent through Windows’ notification system, and you can also view them through the Defender app. Click on the arrows (desktop) or swipe (mobile) to see the different sections of the Microsoft Defender app. Windows Security vs. Microsoft Defender Windows Security and Microsoft Defender are complimentary apps, rather than competing.  Windows Security defends against online threats, including ransomware, and it’s included for free with a Windows license. (Heads-up: If you ever see a popup notification telling you to call a phone number or pay to renew, you’ve either visited a compromised website or your PC has been directly compromised — time to run an antivirus scan ASAP.) Microsoft Defender then rounds out those protections by letting you shield your online activity from other users on the same network, keeping you informed of data leaks and credit fraud, and monitoring your devices for vulnerabilities.  Should you use Microsoft Defender? Windows Security and Microsoft Defender paired together can rival basic third-party antivirus suite subscriptions. Windows Security and Microsoft Defender paired together can rival basic third-party antivirus suite subscriptions.Alaina Yee / Foundry Windows Security and Microsoft Defender paired together can rival basic third-party antivirus suite subscriptions.Alaina Yee / Foundry Alaina Yee / Foundry If you’re already a Microsoft 365 subscriber, having both Windows Security and Microsoft Defender set up and active is comparable to a very simple third-party antivirus suite subscription — and you don’t have to pay extra. However, if you’re not yet a paid Microsoft 365 user, want additional integrated features (like a password manager), or prefer a different interface, independent antivirus software will be a better fit for your needs. You can check out our top recommendations in our best antivirus software roundup, which covers all types of plans. Read...

Competitive gaming can feel like an Olympic-sized endeavor for many. It demands time, dedication, practice, grit, and mental fortitude. You have to cultivate success from many angles — and part of that involves making sure your network isn’t impeding your performance. The best online esports gamer in the world with a top-tier gaming rig is still at the mercy of one vital bottleneck: network latency. When playing competitively online, ping or lag or latency (whatever you want to call it) can turn a winning move into a disaster. You need every millisecond you can get for your reaction time and cat-like reflexes, otherwise your opponents will have an advantage over you. As a competitive PC gamer myself, I know this all too well. Here are my best tips for how to lower your latency in online games, whether you’re a casual gamer or have dreams of an esports future. Tip #1: Kill network-hogging apps One thing you need to be mindful of when playing online games is that the game isn’t the only thing sending and receiving data. Most of the other apps on your system — and the operating system itself — are likely dealing with their own network data. Of course, a lot of those apps aren’t hogging your network. They’re probably using a few megabytes here and there, so nothing to be concerned about. But there are a few heavy-hitting apps to be aware of, and you’ll want to exit them before you game. Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG For example, game launchers like Steam, Epic Games Store, and even Microsoft Store might end up downloading games and updates in the background. (Nothing will tank your in-game network performance faster than an active download!) Look in the settings for a way to disable downloads during gameplay. Streaming services like YouTube and Netflix are also common culprits. It takes a lot of data to serve streaming video, especially if you’re watching in 1080p or 4K. Yeah, you might prefer to have something playing in the background, but just know that it’s affecting your bandwidth. Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Torrenting is the third common major culprit as far as reasons why your ping might be laggy in online games. Always make sure you haven’t accidentally left your torrents on in the background. And, of course, you also want to make sure that no one else on the network is doing any of these things. Your partner who’s streaming 4K episodes and your sibling who’s torrenting are affecting the network all the same. (You can kind of mitigate this with a properly configured router. More on this below in Tip #3.) Tip #2: Benchmark your network speeds Ping and latency are recorded in milliseconds (ms). For best performance, you want to have less than 20 ms of latency in online games, but that may not be possible due to server distance or network equipment limits. You can have close-to-ideal performance under 50 ms, while 100 ms is about the limit of playability. Above 100 ms, lag and network artifacts are increasingly more likely to impact gameplay. Readily-available internet speed tests are a quick, easy, and free way to test your download and upload speeds while also seeing your ping and latency to the test server. This is good for establishing a reference point before you make adjustments to your home network. Related: How to test your home internet speed A few terms worth knowing: Round Trip Time (RTT) is how fast a network data packet can be sent from your network to a server and then back. Jitter is how much variation there is in RTT, based on an averaging of results. This gives a more accurate picture of latency. Packet loss refers to how many network data packets never reach their destination, requiring them to be resent. This can drastically affect jitter if it’s frequent. You basically want the lowest numbers for latency, else you’ll run into lag and disruptions while gaming (and while doing anything else that’s network-intensive, like video chatting, streaming, etc.). Cloudflare network speed test results on a wireless office network. Cloudflare network speed test results on a wireless office network.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Cloudflare network speed test results on a wireless office network.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG In-game tools are also commonly available to let you know what your ping is. You can test with a wireless connection and then switch to Ethernet to more scientifically calculate any differences. Every connection is different, so this can be a good way to see how your specific connection behaves in your environment. Tip #3: Tweak your router settings For the most part, network latency is mostly influenced by your ISP, your internet connection type, your network equipment, and your distance to game servers. It’s important to make sure your network equipment (e.g., router) isn’t causing a bottleneck somehow. If you’re gaming on a Wi-Fi connection, stick to 5GHz bands instead of 2.4GHz bands. 5GHz is generally faster and has less interference. (If you can get a router with 6GHz bands, that’ll be even better.) You may have to manually enable 5GHz for your router, so make sure it’s on (and make sure you’re connected to the 5GHz network.) Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Your router may also have a setting called Nagle’s Algorithm, which basically bundles together network data packets before sending them out (as opposed to sending them out individually as they’re ready). This has its benefits, but it can increase your latency. If it’s enabled in your router, try disabling it to see if it has a measurable impact on your gaming. Related: Why Nagle’s Algorithm is bad for PC gamers Quality of Service (QoS) is another router feature that can aid with connection quality. In a nutshell, QoS lets you prioritize the most important activities on your network (e.g., gaming) so that those data packets are always processed first. For example, if you’re playing a game and someone else is downloading a large file, your router’s QoS can prioritize your gaming traffic over their download traffic. Related: What is Quality of Service? Explained You can further push network priority to devices on wired connections over wireless connections to ensure best latency. (See below Tip #6 for more on why you should use a wired connection.) Some gaming routers have “gaming modes” that handle all of this for you automatically, making it easier to optimize network latency without being an expert yourself. Gaming modes can typically be found in the router’s admin panel or BIOS settings. Related: The best router settings for gaming And speaking of the BIOS, make sure your router firmware is updated to maximize stability and benefit from improvements. Tip #4: Optimize your network routing Network packets travel at the speed of light, which means your latency is limited by the laws of physics. The farther your data packets have to travel, the higher the latency — no way around that. Which means the physical distance between your machine and the game server is very important. If the game lets you choose between multiple servers, always choose the one that’s closest to you. My ping level in Quake Champions on a moderately distant server. My ping level in Quake Champions on a moderately distant server.Thiago Trevisan / IDG My ping level in Quake Champions on a moderately distant server.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG The amount of servers available to you will depend on a lot of factors, though. Popular games may run a lot of servers all over the world while lesser-known indie games may only have a couple. If you’re in the US, you’ll have more options than someone in Australia. (Sad but true.) All of this is beyond your control. However, if you have high latency on a relatively close server or if you don’t have any server options near you, what can you do? There are some VPN services out there that promise to reduce gaming lag by providing a special networks with optimized routing. For example, WTFast uses machine learning to find optimized paths between your network and gaming servers, which might help in some cases to reduce latency, reduce packet loss, and improve stability. Your gaming rig won’t save you if your network isn’t robust! Your gaming rig won’t save you if your network isn’t robust!Thiago Trevisan / IDG Your gaming rig won’t save you if your network isn’t robust!Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG If you already have good network routing, these kinds of services probably won’t do much for you. They’re mainly for extreme situations, like if you live in a remote area with underdeveloped broadband. Your mileage may vary. Tip #5: Improve your Wi-Fi network Wi-Fi performance has improved tremendously over the last several years. With the newer Wi-Fi 7 standard hitting the market, you can get unprecedented speed and latency. Many routers also support multiple bands, helping to mitigate issues with interference in busy areas. Good wireless gaming performance is possible, but you’ll need a solid router. Good wireless gaming performance is possible, but you’ll need a solid router.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Good wireless gaming performance is possible, but you’ll need a solid router.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG But if you can’t afford to get a fancy router, there are some other optimizations worth trying. Tweaking your wireless network channel can mitigate interference and congestion, while elevating your router and moving it to a central spot can reduce interference further. Proximity to your wireless router matters a lot, too, and you should be able to secure a stronger signal just by moving closer to it. If your main issue with Wi-Fi has to do with spotty connections and inconsistent performance, you might consider something like a Wi-Fi extender or even going with a wireless mesh system. However, there’s a trade-off: in exchange for a more stable connection, you might experience slightly higher latency. That might be worth it if your ping is constantly spiking due to shoddy signal. Tip #6: Use a wired Ethernet connection While I’m a huge fan of Wi-Fi for everyday use because it’s just so convenient, it has its flaws and quirks — and if you need every last bit of network performance in your competitive games, then you should reconsider using Wi-Fi while gaming online. Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Switching to a wired Ethernet connection is the best way to eliminate potential issues with Wi-Fi and get faster internet speeds. Plus, it’s cost effective and cheaper than a pricey gaming wireless router. With wired Ethernet, you don’t have to worry about wireless signal drops or interference from other wireless devices cluttering up the space. Sure, cable interference is also a thing, but it’s way less common and can be mitigated with high-quality Ethernet cables. Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG More importantly, Ethernet is faster than Wi-Fi in most cases. As of this writing, a CAT 8 Ethernet cable can theoretically deliver up to 40Gbps while Wi-Fi 6 can theoretically deliver up to 9.6Gbps. In real-world usage, Wi-Fi transmissions rarely operate anywhere close to max speed; meanwhile, Ethernet connections are more stable. There are even specialized fiber-optic cables on the market for the most serious of esports gamers, and these cables allow for faster data transmission compared to typical copper cables. But they’re more expensive and have diminishing benefits. For most gamers, a standard Ethernet cable is more than enough. Tip #7: Upgrade your ISP plan The latest and greatest Wi-Fi and Ethernet technologies mean nothing if the internet service to your house is poor OR if your network router is too weak to process that much data quickly enough. If you’re paying peanuts to your ISP for the budget-tier 150Mbps plan, then you don’t have much to work with. And same goes if you’re still on a cheap, years-old “Fast Ethernet” router that maxes out at 100Mbps. Your internet speed is limited by the slowest bottleneck in your network — and in this example, you’d be stuck with 100Mbps on either Wi-Fi or Ethernet. To be fair, 100Mbps could be enough for online gaming. But if you have a lot of devices connected to your router, they could be clogging up network traffic and causing slowdowns. That’s when it’s worth paying for a higher ISP plan and/or upgrading to a better router. Your internet service type can also affect latency. For example, satellite internet is terrible for gaming because of the way the technology works: your data has to bounce off satellites in space to reach its destination, then bounce back off those satellites to return to you. That’s why satellite connections have much higher latency. If possible, switch to an ISP with a dedicated fiber-optic line. Cable internet is the next best thing. DSL internet can be a last resort. Tip #8: Upgrade your router Now, if you have a high-speed multi-gig ISP plan, make sure you also have an advanced router that’s capable of delivering those speeds to all the devices on your network. (No point paying for 1Gbps internet if your network traffic is just going to be throttled by a dumpy router.) This Asus ROG wireless router has a dedicated gaming port. This Asus ROG wireless router has a dedicated gaming port.Asus This Asus ROG wireless router has a dedicated gaming port.Asus Asus Some high-end routers, such as the Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro, even have a dedicated 10Gbps LAN port with a “Game Boost” feature that prioritizes your gaming connection and helps ensure the fastest speeds and minimal latency, especially when network traffic is congested. Advanced wireless routers, such as the Asus ROG AX11000, also typically have more antennas. These extra antennas allow the router to more easily split Wi-Fi bands between 2.4GHz and 5GHz. They also tend to include more gaming-focused settings to tweak within their admin panels, too. A wireless gaming router with branded Call of Duty packaging. A wireless gaming router with branded Call of Duty packaging.Thiago Trevisan / IDG A wireless gaming router with branded Call of Duty packaging.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG The quality of your router matters a lot more for wireless connections than it does for Ethernet connections, so consider splurging on the best router your budget allows — one that at least has Wi-Fi 6, supports multiple bands, and can handle your ISP plan’s speeds. Further reading: Wi-Fi 5 vs. Wi-Fi 6 vs. Wi-Fi 6E, explained Read...

Modern Windows PCs often include some kind of biometric hardware, mainly in the form of facial recognition (using infrared cameras) or fingerprint scanning. Both of these features let you use Windows Hello for better and more convenient PC security. get windows 11 pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro Not only are face IDs and fingerprints harder to hack than PINs and passwords, they’re much quicker to input when it comes to unlocking your PC. Signing in a lot faster and you’re better protected and you can use some really cool extra features in Windows Hello. Keep reading to learn more about what Windows Hello is, why you should be using it, and how to set it up as painlessly as possible. (This applies to both laptops and desktop PCs!) What is Windows Hello? Windows Hello is an operating system feature that lets you securely sign into your PC without typing your Windows account password. It supports biometrics, so you can sign in with facial recognition or fingerprint scans (as long as you have the requisite hardware). Windows Hello’s fingerprint scan prompt to unlock 1Password. Windows Hello’s fingerprint scan prompt to unlock 1Password.Chris Hoffman / IDG Windows Hello’s fingerprint scan prompt to unlock 1Password.Chris Hoffman / IDG Chris Hoffman / IDG But Windows Hello isn’t just for signing in. You can also use Windows Hello to unlock certain applications, like password managers. You can access your password vault without your huge master password. And if you’ve ditched passwords altogether for passkeys instead, Windows Hello is doubly useful — it integrates with passkeys in web browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. You can create a passkey for a website, which is then secured with Windows Hello so that you must authenticate (with your face or finger) to sign in. Related: How to start using passkeys on Windows Technically, Windows Hello also includes the PIN login method, but I don’t recommend using that. When security experts talk about Windows Hello, they’re mainly focusing on the more secure biometric options. Is Windows Hello secure? For starters, Windows Hello never syncs your facial recognition data, fingerprint data, or even your PIN between your devices or to your Microsoft account. It’s all stored only and entirely on your PC. Windows Hello’s security relies on the underlying Trusted Platform Module (TPM) hardware that’s found on modern PCs (a required PC component if you want to install Windows 11). The TPM handles the authentication and signing in process, and it’s also used for other things like encrypting and decrypting your computer’s storage. Related: What is the Trusted Platform Module? Explained And again, Windows Hello is separate from your Microsoft account. Even if someone were to capture your fingerprint, face, or PIN, they would only be able to use it to log into your Windows Hello-enabled PC and wouldn’t be able to access your Microsoft account. (All of this Windows Hello data is stored securely in the TPM, so hackers can’t access it.) Windows Hello is also secure against anyone who tries to unlock your PC via facial recognition trickery. For instance, Windows Hello isn’t fooled by someone holding up a photo of your face because Windows Hello facial recognition uses an infrared (IR) camera to ensure it’s looking at a real live person. That’s why you need a Windows Hello-compatible IR camera to even start using Windows Hello facial recognition. Of course, Windows Hello isn’t perfect. Fingerprint scanners are still vulnerable to James Bond-style attacks where someone lifts your fingerprint off a glass and uses that to sign into your PC. (CEOs of major companies and political dissidents may want to be extra careful.) But it’s more than secure enough for the average person, especially since those spy movie-style attacks require access to both your physical laptop and a carefully duplicated copy of your fingerprint. Facial recognition vs. fingerprint reader: Which method is better? If your PC only has one or the other, you don’t really have a choice — use whichever Windows Hello method is available to you. If it has both, then you can actually use both. But if you only want to use one, then it ultimately comes down to personal preference. I prefer facial recognition, especially on laptops. It works surprisingly well and the experience is seamless. As soon as you open your laptop, Windows scans your face with the IR camera, then signs you in. It all happens so quickly — an automatic sign-in without you having to press anything at all. Just open up your laptop. And some newer, higher-end laptops even have “presence sensing” hardware that detects when you physically sit down in front of your PC. It then automatically wakes up and uses the IR camera to sign you in via Windows Hello. A secure way to sign into your laptop just by sitting down in front of it? It’s as awesome as it sounds. Of course, fingerprint scanning also works almost as smoothly, especially if the fingerprint scanner is integrated into the power button. In that case, you go to press the power button to wake up the laptop, then keep your finger resting on the fingerprint reader to unlock your machine. So, again, it’s a matter of personal taste. Note: When you’re shopping for a laptop, make sure to check out the biometric options it offers — whether it has a Windows Hello-compatible IR camera, a fingerprint scanner, both, or neither. We always mention these features as a matter of course in our laptop reviews here at PCWorld. How to set up Windows Hello Windows normally prompts you to set up Windows Hello when you first sign into a new PC, but you probably skipped it when you were setting everything up. That’s okay, because you can always configure later. If you’d like to set up Windows Hello (or maybe just see which biometric options are available on your laptop), you can do so from the Settings app on either Windows 11 or Windows 10. To configure Windows Hello, open the Settings app, select Accounts, and select Sign-in options. You’ll see options for configuring your machine’s available sign-in methods under Ways to sign in. Note: If your PC doesn’t have a certain option, like facial recognition or fingerprint scanning, then you’ll see the message: “This option is currently unavailable.” Setting up Windows Hello options in Windows 11. Setting up Windows Hello options in Windows 11.Chris Hoffman / IDG Setting up Windows Hello options in Windows 11.Chris Hoffman / IDG Chris Hoffman / IDG Here, you can also tweak and configure facial recognition and fingerprint recognition. For example, you might want to scan your face in different lighting conditions, train Windows to recognize your face with and without glasses, or add an additional fingerprint. Some applications will also prompt you to authenticate with Windows Hello. For example, the 1Password password manager lets you quickly use Windows Hello to unlock your password vault. How to add Windows Hello to any PC Not all PCs come with Windows Hello biometrics. Some laptops just don’t include Windows Hello hardware, which can be one way to keep costs down on otherwise expensive builds (e.g., gaming laptops). Also, if you’re building your own desktop PC, you won’t get Windows Hello unless you incorporate compatible hardware. If you don’t have Windows Hello but you want it, the easiest and most effective option is to buy a Windows Hello-compatible webcam. And not just one that has IR technology, but one that’s a high-quality webcam in its own right so you look good in video calls and meetings. Related: The best webcams for Windows Hello The other option is to hunt down a fingerprint scanner that plugs into your computer via USB. Be sure to pick one that explicitly states compatibility with Windows Hello! I’ve personally used this inexpensive Kensington USB fingerprint reader in the past, and I have no complaints despite it only costing $18 on Amazon. Take the next step with Windows Hello Windows Hello is far from mandatory. You can certainly use your PC without it — and along with millions of other PC users who have gotten by without biometrics thus far, you can probably get by just fine. But biometric PC security is absolutely a step up, not only in terms of protection but also convenience. The first time you open your laptop or sit down at your desktop PC and you’re automatically signed in with facial recognition? It’s almost surreal. After that, it’s tough to go back to typing a PIN every time you need to sign back in. Whenever I review a laptop and it turns out the manufacturer skipped Windows Hello hardware to keep costs down, I think it’s a real shame. It’s just an awesome feature that makes using Windows PCs a lot nicer. I highly recommend you get Windows Hello hardware in your next laptop, or pick up a compatible webcam for your desktop PC. Further reading: Is Windows 11’s built-in antivirus enough? Read...

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If you’re trying to scam someone, you want to reach as many people as you can — that’s why you’ve almost certainly received one of the literally billions of scam phone calls made every year. But it’s not just phone calls you need to be cautious of. Scammers and fraudsters are no strangers to putting up fake websites, and one recent example involves sites impersonating Disney+. This particular crop of phony websites is concerning because Malwarebytes found them ranking high in Google searches. That makes them particularly dangerous to anyone who doesn’t manually type the full www.disneyplus.com URL into the browser address bar and instead relies on a quick search to find the relevant web page. The security researchers found that these high-ranking fake sites throw up a misleading image and Disneyplus.com/begin text — not the actual URL in the browser — as you can see below: Malwarebytes Malwarebytes Malwarebytes Then you get a spiel that’s familiar to anyone who spends any time on the web: a fake Microsoft “security scan” pop-up that says you have all manner of nasty stuff on your computer, including trojans, spyware, and “child pornography.” This is meant to terrify you into taking immediate action, which is to call the fake Microsoft support phone number that’s displayed on the screen. Savvy web users might notice that nothing has actually happened outside the web browser. But less experienced users — including children and grandparents — might call the number right away. Once you’re on the line with a scammer, they’ll guide you through a “remote login session,” at which point they’ll install actual malware or just try to get you to send money to them over the phone. Related: The most common phishing scams to know about Again, none of this is unusual or surprising, but it’s the latest example of scammers worming their way into highly relevant search results and widening their nets to millions of potential victims. And it’s not just the less technically inclined that might get suckered in. I’ve been using the web pretty much every day since the late 90s, and I almost fell for a fake shoe store earlier this year. (That one also ranked highly in Google results.) We’ve seen bogus sites impersonating Chrome downloads get to the top of Bing search results, a particularly clever and devious little work-around that self-selects for more advanced PC users. Google’s constantly working to hunt down and remove fakes and scams. Whatever you think of the declining quality of its search engine, the company will protect its high-ranking results if only out of self-interest. But the gargantuan scale of the web means that most of its tools are automated, which also means clever (mostly) human scammers are going to find the cracks in its systems and figure out ways to get to the top of organic search results. (Or just flat-out pay for Google advertising and bust through their various security methods.) Microsoft does make tools for securing Windows — and they’re pretty good — but they won’t pop up out of the blue to accuse you of downloading pornography, nor will they give you a phone number to call. Further reading: The best habits for staying safe online Read...

Last week, the World Wide Web Foundation announced in an open letter (PDF) that it would be “winding down” and “closing [its] virtual doors” after 15 years of working to make the web safer and more accessible. The World Wide Web Foundation was founded in 2009 by Tim Berners-Lee, the man who’s widely credited as inventing the world wide web and making it possible for regular users like you and me to browse websites and download files over the internet. When the WWWF was first created, only 20 percent of the world’s population had access to the internet. Today, that figure has ballooned to an astonishing 70 percent with no signs of stopping — and alongside that growth, ever more threats of scams, malware, and hackers. In the open letter, Berners-Lee writes that while the internet of today continues to face new challenges, many excellent organizations have formed over the last decade-plus that are “defending the Web’s principles and users’ rights online.” As such, Berners-Lee will be switching his attention away from the WWWF so he can further develop his vision for the Solid Protocol, which aims to bring us a more open and decentralized evolution of the web. Further reading: The most secure web browsers Read...

The hacked data may include bank account details, patient records and insurance information. Read...

Yesterday, Mozilla released Firefox 131 for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, which not only fixes a number of security vulnerabilities but also includes some interesting new features. They also released security updates for both ESR versions as well as the Tor Browser. Mozilla’s security report for Firefox 131 lists more than 13 fixed security vulnerabilities, categorizing at least seven of them as “high risk.” As far as is known, none of them have been exploited in the wild. You can use the Help > About Firefox menu to manually initiate an update check and download the update if you haven’t yet. What’s new in Firefox 131? The Tab Preview feature that was promised for the previous version should now be available to all users. When hovering over a background tab, Firefox no longer just displays a simple tooltip but now shows the title, URL, and thumbnail. (This should be familiar if you use other browsers like Chrome.) fz fz fz Another change is that when a website asks for permission to access your location, Firefox can temporarily remember your decision. After an hour or after closing the tab, Firefox forgets the permission granted. Firefox now also supports URL fragment text directives, which are basically links to specific text passages on a web page that aren’t necessarily provided by the website itself. Clicking such a link will cause Firefox to automatically scroll to the linked text passage and highlight it in a color that helps it to stand out. What Firefox still lacks is the ability to create such links yourself, but there’s a browser add-on called Link to Text Fragment that provides this functionality. (Chrome can already do this without an extension.) Firefox ESR and Tor Browser updates With Firefox ESR (Extended Support Release), Mozilla remains committed to supporting older versions of Windows and macOS. Firefox ESR 115.16.0 fixes a Windows 7 incompatibility with the latest Widevine library as well as 4 security vulnerabilities. Firefox ESR 115 is only available to users on Windows 7 through 8.1 and macOS 10.12 through 10.14, and will only remain supported through to March 2025. (A final date for end of support is still to come, expected sometime in early 2025.) Firefox ESR 128.3.0 fixes at least 11 security vulnerabilities and includes a few quality-of-life improvements. (The security fixes are largely a subset of what was fixed for Firefox 131.) For the time being, Tor Browser and its developers are following Mozilla’s lead and will continue to support older systems. Tor Browser 13.5.6 is based on Firefox ESR 115.16 but integrates some security improvements from Firefox 131. NoScript 11.4.40 is also included. Mozilla plans to release Firefox 132 as well as Firefox ESR 128.4 and Firefox ESR 115.17 on October 29. Further reading: Chrome vs. Edge vs. Firefox speeds, compared Read...

It’s been three years since Microsoft released the 2021 version of its inescapable Office apps suite, but the company hasn’t been resting on its laurels. The subscription-based, always-online Microsoft 365 has been getting constant tweaks and updates in that time. But not everyone is keen on software-as-a-service. If you’d rather pay a flat fee for software, here’s some good news for you: Microsoft just released Office 2024 for consumers. The base version of Office 2024 is called Office Home — I see Microsoft is keeping up its tradition of terrible branding — and it includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote for a price tag of $150 on both PC and Mac. There’s also the Office Home & Business version that adds commercial licensing, which really only matters if your business is big enough to have an HR department, for $250. (If you need to install on five or more machines, talk to Microsoft’s sales department for bulk licensing and be prepared for a hard upsell to Microsoft 365.) The big draw of Office 2024 is that you can purchase the package once and use it forever — or at least for however long Microsoft keeps its purchase validation servers running. But it’s also worth considering if you’re a power user because it offers improved performance, updated interface tweaks, and more data analysis and image embedding tools in Excel, as well as support for new features in the OpenDocument ODF 1.4 standard. Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft Furthermore, PowerPoint’s Cameo feature lets you embed a live camera feed into a slide. (Don’t do that. Please don’t do that. If you’re giving a PowerPoint presentation, you’re either already in the room with someone or you’re on a video call. There’s no reason to do this. Please, for the love of [Editor’s note: Michael continues like this for some time. I’ve decided to spare you the groveling.]) Note that Office 2024 is a locked-in-time version, which means all of the included Microsoft apps have been updated to the latest features for release but won’t be receiving further updates. To stay on top of evolving features, you’ll want Microsoft 365 instead. Also note that you will need a Microsoft account and an internet connection to initially validate your Office 2024 license, but after that it should work just fine even when you’re offline. It’s compatible with Windows 10 and 11, but you’ll be out of luck if you’re still hanging on to earlier versions. (Then again, if that’s you, you probably still have an older version of Office sitting around.) Read...