You know that beloved VPN app of yours? The one you rely on to secure your internet traffic and keep your data private? It could be a fake. VPN usage is on the rise across the world as users tune into all the potential benefits, like bypassing region locks on streaming content and avoiding price differences based on your location. But with increased popularity comes greater opportunity for exploitation… As it turns out, fake VPN apps are also on the rise. These fake apps masquerade as real, except they do all kinds of shady stuff — like eavesdrop on your web traffic, steal personal data, and even infect your devices with malware that can let hackers take control. To help fight this, Google recently introduced a new verification feature on the Play Store that helps you spot secure VPN apps at a glance. The verified symbol you need to look for In the Google Play Store, you’ll now see a new “verified” badge on legit VPN apps. This badge looks like a shield icon with a checkmark inside, and you’ll find it on legit VPN apps next to their ratings and download counts, as Google explains in a blog post. Google Verification is based on an independent security check by the App Defense Alliance, which Google has offered for some time. But up until now, users have had to dig into data security details to see whether a VPN app “passed the test” for legitimacy and security. This Verified badge makes it easier to recognize the secure ones at a glance. Note that a Verified badge doesn’t just signify that an app is what it claims to be. It goes a step further and shows that the app takes security seriously, that it doesn’t just meet the bare minimum requirements but goes above and beyond what’s necessary. Which VPN apps are verified? Google cites NordVPN, Aloha Browser, and hide.me as examples of good VPN services worthy of the Verified badge. Others are still coming along, and we expect to see all of our picks for the best Android VPNs to earn their Verified badges in time. That said, as of this writing, the new Verified badges don’t seem to be appearing in the Play Store yet — not even for Google’s highlighted example apps. We expect it to roll out in the coming days with an upcoming update, at which point you should double-check that your preferred VPN app is verified. If not, consider switching. Read...

NordVPN just announced a new protocol called NordWhisper, which is designed specifically to make browsing more accessible by getting around network restrictions. It’ll allow users to overcome advanced network filters that limit traditional VPN connections. The company explains, “NordWhisper uses web tunnel technology to operate differently from traditional VPN protocols like OpenVPN or WireGuard, which can be blocked due to their identifiable traffic patterns. By mimicking regular web traffic, NordWhisper avoids detection by network filters, ensuring reliable access on restricted networks while maintaining strong encryption and security standards.” Due to the nature of how this new protocol operates, it isn’t expected to win any connection-speed races, but it should provide a “smoother and more consistent browsing experience” while trying to connect in certain environments. Airports, cafes, offices, and schools are notorious for utilizing these restrictive network filters which NordWhisper was created to evade.   As for now, Nord plans to gradually roll out the new protocol with initial support for Windows, Android, and Linux. More platforms are expected to be added in the future. No official release date has been given, but once it’s available users can enable NordWhisper under connection settings in the NordVPN app. Read...

Chrome Sync is one of the best features of Google’s world-dominating web browser. The ability to switch between devices and maintain the same bookmarks, passwords, tabs, etc. is a godsend. Not to mention newer features like moving tabs between mobile and desktop. Sadly, Chrome Sync is being deprecated on older versions of the browser, according to a recent Google community post — specifically, versions of Chrome that are “more than four years old.” While it hasn’t happened yet, it will start in “early 2025.” If you’re on such an older version of Chrome, you may start seeing error messages that say “Update Chrome to start sync” or “Update Chrome to keep using the Chrome data in your Google Account.” To keep your Chrome profile data synchronized, you’ll need to update Chrome to the newest version(s) available for your device(s). What if you can’t update Chrome for whatever reason? Unfortunately, as long as your Chrome stays more than four years out-of-date, you won’t be able to use Chrome Sync going forward. In that case, consider switching to another syncable browser that you can keep updated. It’s a reasonable move, to be honest. Google wants you on the latest versions of its browser, if for no other reason than the patching of various security flaws. The farther you lag behind in updates, the more vulnerable you become to exploits, malware, and hackers. Further reading: I got sick of Chrome’s BS and switched to Vivaldi Read...

Large language model AI companies have been aggressively scraping content off the web for years, and many of them are known for ignoring things like copyright or the robots.txt files used by sites to stop search engines. One designer decided to send these web crawlers on a wild goose chase — by trapping them in a never-ending spiral of nonsense that burns up their resources and produces useless results. Ars Technica spoke to the anonymous designer of Nepenthes, a piece of software that he fully admits is aggressive and malicious. The tool, named after a carnivorous pitcher plant, sends AI scrapers hunting after links that lead to other links back within a website. The circular pattern of useless links repeats itself, sending the bot chasing after the same worthless data again and again, requiring human intervention to halt. According to the designer, it’s possible for this pattern to repeat for “months” if it isn’t caught, wasting vast amounts of resources for an AI company. And, to be fair, it also wastes the resources of whatever service is hosting the website being crawled. The designer says that pretty much every AI crawler has fallen for his intentional “tar pit” trap, with one notable exception: OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. The anonymous designer isn’t shy about his intent to harm both AI companies and models with this tool (which is probably why Ars didn’t publish his real name), and that the Nepenthes tool doesn’t provide any real benefit to whoever implements it. But in addition to forcing AI scrapers into an infinite loop, it can be used to feed them useless data to “poison” their AI models and make their results materially worse. “WARNING,” says the Nepenthes download site in all caps. “THIS IS DELIBERATELY MALICIOUS SOFTWARE INTENDED TO CAUSE HARMFUL ACTIVITY. DO NOT DEPLOY IF YOU AREN’T FULLY COMFORTABLE WITH WHAT YOU ARE DOING.” At least one other similar tool, called Iocaine, has emerged based on the same principles after Nepenthes first gained traction on social media. There’s a growing list of such tools, like Quixotic (which deliberately serves up fake content) and Poison the WeLLMs (a reverse proxy system that returns nonsense when it detects known AI bots scraping a site). The full story on Ars Technica is worth a read for the technical breakdown, but I’m more interested in the motive. The designer says he made the tool out of frustration over what the web is becoming, filled up with more and more AI-generated content… which is, itself, often recycled from other AI-generated content. “I’m just fed up, and you know what? Let’s fight back, even if it’s not successful. Be indigestible. Grow spikes,” he says. The creator of Nepenthes is hardly alone in this regard. Facebook users are complaining that the entire platform is overflowing with auto-generated “AI slop” while Facebook itself seems to be leaning into AI content. Google Search has gotten so full of AI and targeted advertising that its newly introduced and stripped-down “Web view” became a hit overnight. The inclusion of AI, often forced into products with no indication that anyone actually asked for it, is part of a broader trend being called “Enshittification,” in which a service becomes worse and less useful while charging more. Web users can perhaps be forgiven a little schadenfreude at the news that OpenAI accused DeepSeek — a Chinese AI model allegedly trained on a tiny fraction of ChatGPT’s cost — of stealing its proprietary technology. Hey ChatGPT, play me a sad song on a tiny, AI-generated violin. Read...

If you feel like your laptop is severely lacking in ports and connectivity, there’s an easy solution: grab a USB hub that expands a single port into multiple, allowing you to plug in all the stuff you need. Right now, Anker’s USB-C hub is on sale for $30 on Amazon, a lovely 25 percent discount off its usual $40 price. With its streamlined design, this hub fits neatly into your laptop bag or even in your jacket pocket for easy carrying. The braided USB-C cord slots into your laptop and holds up with repeated use, and the hub has its own USB-C Power Delivery port for 53W of passthrough charging. (So if your laptop only has a single USB-C port, don’t worry.) With this hub, you’ll gain two USB-A 3.0 ports (great for flash drives and peripherals), a USB-C data port (great for external SSDs), a full-sized HDMI port (for connecting an external 4K monitor), and a Gigabit Ethernet port (for wired internet when you need a stable connection). This hub is $30 well spent because it’ll add all the extra functionality you need for your laptop. Hop on this limited-time deal and grab Anker’s 6-in-1 USB-C hub before it expires! Save 25% on this USB-C hub and add more ports to your laptopBuy now at Amazon Read...

Even if you aren’t a huge techie, you probably know about all the big, mainstream apps that are fundamental to how we use our PCs. I’m talking Word, Outlook, Chrome, Slack, Dropbox, etc. You know, right? But there are many, many, many awesome free apps out there that can seriously improve your PC and your workflows, unlock new tools and features, and just make your PC experience better overall. If you want to wring a little more out of your PC, here are some of the best hidden gem apps that are super useful and available for free. Ferdium for centralizing all the web apps and services you use in one place Ferdium If you have a lot of permanently open browser tabs for all the different web apps you use every day, then you can make things easier for yourself by organizing them with Ferdium. (Have you heard of Rambox or Franz? Ferdium is like those except open-source and totally free.) Ferdium lets you run separate tabs for hundreds of web services, including chat apps (like Messenger, Telegram, WhatsApp, etc.) and social apps (like Slack, Discord, etc.) as well as email apps, calendar apps, media apps, AI chatbots, and more. All of those apps can reside right within Ferdium, letting you consolidate all of that to one place. I love Ferdium for how it fences everything off into its own app. I no longer have to reach for my phone to check WhatsApp or catch up on Teams notifications or pull up Gmail or Google Calendar. It’s all just one click away on my PC and it’s less distracting overall. PDFgear for PDF editing, converting, merging, annotating, and more PDFgear PDFgear is one of those diamonds in the rough, one that we’ve been evangelizing for a while now. But just because it isn’t as well-known as others doesn’t mean it isn’t an excellent PDF editor. If you’ve ever been frustrated by how difficult it is to find a high-quality offline PDF editor that doesn’t charge you for personal use, then PDFgear is the end goal you’ve been looking for. This app is super capable at editing PDFs, whether through annotations or direct file editing. It works with text, images, and graphics. It can merge PDFs together. It can convert PDFs into different file types. It can do just about anything else you’d want to do with a PDF. It even has a built-in AI assistant that can search, summarize, aid with editing, and more. SitApp for developing better posture SitApp If you work or game at your PC for hours at a time, then maintaining good posture and proper back health is something that’s well worth the effort. But maybe all you really need is a gentle prod whenever you start to slouch, in which case you could benefit greatly from SitApp. SitApp is a useful app that uses your webcam to analyze your posture and detect when you’re slouching — and when you are, the app shows a little pop-up reminder to let you know. It also tracks your posture history so you can compete against yourself to see how long you can maintain good posture. My record is 92% over eight hours. How about you? BreakTimer for regular break reminders BreakTimer If you’re always on your PC, good posture isn’t the only thing to worry about. It’s important to get up and walk around, rest your eyes, drink water, stretch, and maybe even exercise. But it’s easy to forget to do all of that, especially if you lock onto a task or get absorbed into a game. BreakTimer sits in the background and periodically reminds you to take a break. You can customize the alerts to whatever frequency you want, however long you want the breaks to be, which days you want them to be active on, and more. It’s simple but life-changing — and free! Mouse Without Borders for using one mouse and keyboard with multiple PCs Wish you could control multiple computers with one set of mouse and keyboard? One way to do that is to buy a KVM switch and go through the hassle of setting it up. Or you could just get Mouse Without Borders. Mouse Without Borders is a Microsoft Garage project that was put together by developer Truong Do during his off-hours, and it works fantastically well for controlling up to four PCs with a single mouse and keyboard. It’s not perfect, but it’s quick, easy to use, and entirely free, making it a great alternative to hardware KVMs. 4K Video Downloader Plus for downloading videos anywhere online 4K Download Lots of video downloader tools have come and gone over the years, useful for when you want to save videos from YouTube, Facebook, and other sites. But most of those tools eventually turn into malware, slow down to a crawl when they gain too many users, or simply die off overnight and leave you dry and forsaken. On the other hand, 4K Video Downloader Plus works almost flawlessly, stays regularly updated, and doesn’t suffer from malware infections, all in a fast and lightweight package. What more could you ask for? Foobar2000 for reliable music playback Foobar2000 Are you in the minority of people who haven’t yet jumped aboard the Spotify train? Do you have a large MP3 collection instead? And are you using Windows Media Player to listen to it? If so, then I have a gift for you: Foobar2000, a simple and lightweight music player. Windows Media Player has its foibles when it comes to managing large music collections, organizing playlists, customizing the interface, converting between file formats, and offering all kinds of other advanced features. Foobar2000 does it all plus more, and it’s been around since 2002, and it’s been completely free for that entire time. This streamlined music player went from super popular to obscure over the last decade or so, and these days it’s sort of a hidden gem again. Its interface is barebones out of the box, but it also has deep customization options that let you make it truly your own. MPC-BE for hassle-free video playback MPC-BE Back in the day, there used to be an open-source app called Media Player Classic that was a lightweight yet improved alternative to Windows Media Player for playing video files. MPC ceased development in 2006, but the project has been forked a few times since. MPC-BE (short for Black Edition) is my preferred successor. It’s still free and open-source, and it still carries forward the streamlined principles that made Media Player Classic so popular. You don’t have to fiddle around with codecs — it just works and it doesn’t bog down your system. It’s one of the best open-source PC apps. EarTrumpet for controlling volume on an individual per-app basis Jon Martindale / IDG If you consistently find that some apps are way too loud or way too quiet even when your system volume seems fine, then you need EarTrumpet. This quick and easy utility lets you individually adjust the volume of any audio source that’s playing on your PC. From browser windows to social apps, from local audio to online, EarTrumpet gives you fine-tuned control over your PC’s audio output. It can even let you lower the volume of everyone in a Discord chat rather than having to do it one by one. EPKL for changing your keyboard layout or customizing individual keys EPKL Here in the US, nearly every keyboard has the standard QWERTY layout that came out in 1874. But this classic keyboard layout has drawbacks, like inefficient typing and a greater susceptibility to repetitive strain injuries. That’s why people have been moving away from it. Fortunately, even if you have a QWERTY keyboard, you don’t have to use the QWERTY layout itself. Thanks to EPKL, you can easily switch over to Colemak, Dvorak, or whatever other keyboard layout you want without having to buy a special keyboard. Alternatively, you can use EPKL to move specific keys around or even rebind certain keys to perform different actions. And if you’re feeling devilish, you can even use it to prank your friends and make them think their keyboard is borked. (Just be sure to let them off afterwards, as this one could stump the less tech-savvy for hours.) Files for an improved and more effective alternative to File Explorer Files Are you tired of File Explorer’s shortcomings? Then don’t delay and install Files right away. This open-source Windows file manager feels familiar yet comes with several advanced features, like dual-pane browsing, tags for files and folders, a better preview system, custom keyboard shortcuts, seamless cloud integration, and more. Everything for a faster and more powerful way to search your Windows PC Voidtools If you feel like the built-in search in Windows is as ineffective as it is monolithic, you aren’t alone. Fortunately, you don’t have to put up with its subpar capabilities. Everything by Voidtools is a far more capable search tool, able to not only find anything on your system by its name or file type but also by its contents. Content searching takes a lot longer, of course, but it’s super effective — and if you search normally (i.e., by name or file type), it’s significantly faster than Windows’ search. Cryptomater for encrypting your data, both locally and in the cloud Skymatic “Not your keys, not your coins” is a cryptocurrency expression that highlights the importance of protecting your data. If you aren’t careful with your files, you could lose more than you expect — and your personal data is only as safe as you make it. Cryptomator is a free solution that adds an extra layer of security to your files using encryption. It works with any files, no matter where you store them, whether locally on your PC or online in the cloud. It effectively locks down your data so that even if someone were to gain access, they wouldn’t be able to do anything with what they find. Fan Control to control your PC fans Fan Control If you’re like me, you’ve probably used a number of software fan controllers over the years and always found them unintuitive, underwhelming, or frustrating. If so, then I have some good news for you: Fan Control is a breath of fresh air and the app you need. This free app gives you straightforward control over all the adjustable fans in your PC, from the rear exhaust fans to the CPU pump speed to everything in between. You can tie fan speeds to various temperature sensors, apply different fan curves and trigger points, and even integrate with third-party software through plugins. Fan Control’s interface is clean and customizable, but if you need help getting started, the app has an assisted setup that aids in labeling and organizing your fans and their associated sensors. Microsoft PowerToys for unlocking extra features and goodies in Windows Jon Martindale / IDG A worker is only as good as their tools, so why use Windows without making sure you have access to its full potential? There’s something called Microsoft PowerToys, available directly in the Microsoft Store, that freely unlocks new features and goodies. I’ve written about my favorite PowerToys features that are pretty useful, including improvements to File Explorer, a batch renaming utility, an expanded clipboard, a quick-find tool for your mouse cursor, a color palette helper, and so much more. Microsoft PC Manager for simplified maintenance of your Windows PC Microsoft If might not feel as cool to use as some of the other niche third-party or solo-dev projects on this list, but Microsoft PC Manager is a really effective system maintenance tool. It helps you free up storage space, track memory usage, monitor system startup time (which you can speed up with some tweaks), and shows you active apps for diagnostic purposes when things are acting up. WizTree for visualizing your disk space usage and finding large files Jon Martindale / IDG With multiple drives full of large apps and files, it can be hard to understand just how much space you have left on your PC and how much each existing piece of data actually takes up. You can also lose space when giant files are forgotten in corners of your drives. Disk analyzer tools like WizTree are a great way to visualize your system’s data storage, making it easier to understand which apps to uninstall or which files to delete when you need to free up some extra space. It’s fast, effective, and easy to use — as well as being entirely free. DDU for purging old and unused drivers DDU It isn’t easy staying on top of your system drivers. But even if you do keep up with installing new drivers, you probably don’t uninstall your old drivers. Maybe the installer handles that for you… but maybe it doesn’t. Even official uninstallers from AMD and Nvidia can miss them. That means you could have a bunch of old drivers still lingering around on your PC, and when old driver files build up over the years, they can rear their heads at unexpected times and cause stability issues. Most full-blown driver uninstaller tools, like Driver Magician, cost money. But there is one that’s totally free: DDU, which stands for Display Driver Uninstaller. This straightforward utility strips your PC of unused graphics drivers, which can come in handy if you’re running into graphics card issues that are seemingly impossible to troubleshoot. HWMonitor for checking the health of your PC and internal hardware Jon Martindale / IDG Want to keep an eye on your PC components and their general health? You can quickly spot overheating, performance issues, or other odd details with either HWMonitor or HWInfo. Both tools are fantastic for monitoring your PC’s various hardware components and how they’re working. HWMonitor is simpler and easier to get to grips with, while HWInfo is more advanced with a more comprehensive overview of PC stats. If you’d rather just keep an eye on the temperatures of your processor and its cores, check out the ultra-lightweight Core Temp. Parsec for streamlined remote desktop access and control from anywhere Have you ever wanted to use your PC remotely? I mean, even when you’re away from home, it’d be great if you could “remote in” to your PC and use it from anywhere, right? With remote desktop software, you can! Most remote desktop solutions are paid, and the free ones usually aren’t very good. But these days we have Parsec, a remote desktop tool that was originally built to allow for remote gaming but has since expanded to become a low-latency desktop sharing app. In layman’s terms, you can use Parsec to connect to your PC and operate it like you’re there, except you aren’t. It’s equally great for working on your hobby coding project during your lunch break as it is for playing your Steam games from a hotel while traveling. Parsec has a free Personal Use version that doesn’t come with all features, but it does have all the essentials: low-latency 60FPS desktop streaming; support for keyboards, mice, and gamepads; and encrypted connections. Further reading: Great free apps that are already installed on your PC Read...

Mysterious drone sightings had lit up the skies and the internet on the US east coast last year. Read...

A recent report reveals that 88% of enterprises are considering alternatives to Oracle Java as costs and licensing concerns rise, up from 72% last year. Read...

Maybe you’re sick of the price hikes. Maybe you’re not keen on the whole password-sharing crackdown thing. Or maybe there’s just nothing you want to watch anymore. Whatever the reason, you might be wondering: Is it time for a Netflix break? The idea of putting Netflix on pause is more fraught than it is for other streaming services. For many of us, Netflix has been in our lives for decades–heck, I was a Netflix subscriber for nearly 20 years straight–while the other big streamers are barely a few years old. Because it’s been around for so long, Netflix can start to feel like a utility–you know, something you pay for automatically, like gas and electricity. (Or taxes.) On the other hand, my attitude toward the newer streamers (like, say, Max or Peacock) is easy come, easy go. When there’s something specific we want to watch, we sign up. Once we’re finished, we cancel. Caught up with the latest season of Hacks or Poker Face? Byeeeee! What makes Netflix so special, then? Good question–and indeed, after months of flicking through row after row of Netflix videos that I didn’t want to stream, I realized I had a serious case of Netflix fatigue. Finally, I had enough–I canceled Netflix, and I’m glad I did. We’ll get back to Netflix eventually, but it’ll have to wait its turn while we rotate through the other big streamers, one at a time. So, repeat after me: You can take a break from Netflix. It’s okay. And just because you leave doesn’t mean you can’t go back. How to take a break from your Netflix subscription There are actually a couple of ways to take a Netflix break: either by pausing your membership (a relatively new option) or by cancelling your subscription outright. What’s the difference between just pausing and cancelling? If you pause your Netflix membership, it will only stay paused for a month, and your subscription will start up again once your month is up. You can briefly “extend” the pause if you wish, but not indefinitely. Click Manage membership to start the process of pausing or cancelling your Netflix subscription.Ben Patterson/Foundry If you cancel your Netflix membership, it will (of course) stay canceled. But here’s the thing: Netflix will keep your membership details, including your profiles, watch list, video ratings, and recommendations, for up to 10 months after you click the “cancel” button. Provided you remember to restart your subscription before those 10 months are up, you’re essentially putting your membership on hold. Put your Netflix membership on pause Just want to pause your Netfllix subscription for a month or so? Here’s what you do. Open Netflix on the web, click your profile icon in the top-right corner of the screen, then click Account. In the top-left corner of the Account screen, just below where it says how long you’ve been a member (guilt!), you’ll find the Manage membership button. Go ahead and click it. On the following page, beneath the Finish Cancellation button, you’ll find the Pause for 1 Month option. Click, and that’s it! Your Netflix subscription will pause for a month starting on your next billing date. You can now pause your Netflix subscription for up to three months at a time. Ben Patterson/Foundry A week before your “pause” is over, Netflix will give you the option to pause your membership for another month. Keep in mind that you can only pause your Netflix subscription for up to three months at a time. Naturally, Netflix makes it easy to un-pause your subscription whenever you want; just visit Netflix on the web on mobile, and you’ll see prominent “unpause your membership?” prompts. If you do, you’ll be charged immediately for the next month, and your billing cycle will change accordingly. Cancel your Netflix membership Want to take a longer break from Netflix, or cancel your subscription for good? Go to Netflix on the web, click Account in the top-right corner of the screen, then click Manage membership, followed by Finish Cancellation. Despite Netflix’s dire warnings about losing access to your personal recommendations, your account profiles and other details will remain safe and sound for 10 months; after that, your Netflix data will be purged. Read...

The USB port on the router is often unused and yet it offers practical functions that can make everyday life easier. You can do things like saving and sharing files, mobile charging, or even an automatic backup of your data. We’ll tell you exactly how this works and what else you can do with the USB port below. Further reading: Solve your Wi-Fi problems with these smart router settings What can the USB port on the router do? The USB port on the router offers various functions depending on your model. Here are some of the most useful applications: Printer sharing: Connect a USB printer to the router to make it available as a network printer for all devices on the network. This saves you having to change cables or drivers back and forth. Network-attached storage (NAS): Connect an external hard drive or USB stick to store files centrally. You can make documents, photos or videos accessible to all devices in the home network and, with some models, even stream content such as films and music directly. Backups: Many routers support automatic backups. Files from the network are automatically backed up to a connected USB storage device, either time controlled or in real time as soon as new files are created. You can find instructions for this further down in this article. Power supply for IoT devices: Some USB ports are suitable for powering small devices such as IoT hubs, smart LED lamps, or chargers. A practical solution if there is no free socket nearby. Mobile internet: If your router supports LTE dongles, you can easily switch to a mobile data connection in the event of an internet outage. This is particularly useful if you need a stable connection and your landline connection fails. Charge devices: Some router models allow you to charge smartphones, tablets, or other devices via the USB port. Fritzbox with connected hard drive as router NASAVM Which devices can you connect? The type of supported devices also depends on the router model. Check the operating instructions to see which devices your router supports and which connections are compatible. How to use the USB port for automatic backups: Connect a USB hard drive or stick to the router. In most cases, the storage device will be recognized automatically. Log in via the router’s user interface and search for options such as “Backup” or “Storage.” Select the option “New Backup Job” or a similar function and follow the instructions of the wizard. Decide whether you want a scheduled backup or a real-time backup that saves changes immediately. Perform the first backup manually to ensure that everything is set up correctly. Read...