Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson

Let's Encrypt is revoking digital certificates after discovering CAA bug

Red and blue security padlock

Let's Encrypt has discovered a bug in its Certificate Authority Authorization (CAA) code and will have to revoke millions of certificates today unless customers force a renewal of their certificates.

Any site that fails to renew its certificate will display security warnings to visitors until the problem is rectified. While no specific sites have been mentioned, with up to three million certificates involved, there is a chance that some high-profile sites could be affected.

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The search for alien life is over... for now

SETI@home

At the end of this month, SETI@home is closing down after two decades of alien hunting.

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence was an early example of distributed computing, using spare processing cycles from computers around the world to analyze signals from the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico and the Green Bank telescope in West Virginia. Now the project has gathered enough data and is going into hibernation, rendering the famous screensaver useless.

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Microsoft gives us a preview of a new Start menu concept for Windows 10

Windows 10 Start menu concept

During a Windows Insider webcast, Microsoft shared a new design concept for the Start menu in Windows 10.

In the video stream, the Windows Insider team showed off a new look that is being explored. The team confirmed that Live Tiles are here to stay, but they are not visible in the new design. This is because the new look is only going to be available when Live Tiles are disabled.

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You could be in line for a payout from Apple for slowing down your iPhone

Angled Apple logo

Apple has agreed to settle legal action taken against it for deliberately slowing down older iPhones. Having already been fined €25 million by a French consumer watchdog the company has now agreed to settle in the US -- something which could cost it $500 million.

Apple previously admitted to the practice of slowing down phones, saying it was to increase the life of devices with aging batteries. The new agreement in the US could see Apple paying out $25 to those affected by updates to iOS that slowed down their iPhones.

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Leaked: 146 million records relating to users of railway Wi-Fi exposed online

Young woman using her tablet computer while traveling by train

An unsecured database has been found online that contains 146 million records about people who have used free Wi-Fi at railway stations in the UK.

The database was discovered by a security researcher on Amazon web services storage. It was found to include personal details such as usernames, dates of birth, email addresses and details of travel arrangements. Network Rail and the service provider C3UK have confirmed the data leak.

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How to play the secret surfing game in Microsoft Edge -- and unlock the hidden NinjaCat player

Microsoft Edge surf game

Everyone loves a good Easter Egg, and Microsoft Edge has an absolute belter -- a hidden surfing game that you can even play using your Xbox controller.

The game was originally used by Microsoft when it was revealing the new logo for Edge, and it is designed -- much like Chrome's dino game -- to give you something to do when you're offline.  The surfing game itself is a great bit of fun; here's how to access it, and how to unlock the secret NinjaCat character.

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Microsoft starts rolling out new icons to all Windows 10 users

New Microsoft logos

It is a few months since Microsoft first unveiled the new look icons for Windows 10 and various applications.

Now, having started the roll out of the new icons to Windows Insiders, the company is giving everyone access to the new designs. At the moment, it seems to be people running Windows 10 version 1909 that are affected, and this means they can enjoy new icons for Mail, Calendar, Calculator, Photos and more apps.

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Microsoft is making Cortana much less useful for most people in a business-focused pivot

Cortana

Microsoft is planning a major re-focus for Cortana; one that will mean the digital assistant becomes far less useful for most people. When Windows 10 version 2004 (or Windows 10 20H1) arrives, users will lose many of Cortana's consumer and third-party skills as Microsoft gives the assistant more of a business focus.

In dropping feature, Microsoft says that Cortana will be "focused on your productivity with enhanced security and privacy". Other significant change is the impending removal of Cortana from the Android Launcher app and a closer relationship with Microsoft 365.

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Updated Microsoft Edge will protect you from malware, crypto miners and more

Microsoft Edge potentially unwanted app blocking

With the switch to the Chromium engine, there's a lot more to like about Microsoft Edge these days. Microsoft is now pushing the browser hard, with the promise of serious speed improvements being used as a lure.

The latest update offers something extra -- protection against potentially unwanted applications (PUA). Microsoft Edge will now step in and block adware, cryptocurrency miners and other unwanted nonsense, particularly when downloading free software. The Microsoft Edge Team explains how to get the most from the protection.

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Microsoft releases KB4535996 update to fix Windows 10 search and printing problems

Windows 10 box and spanner

Microsoft has released a new cumulative update that, among other things, addresses problems introduced by previous updates to Windows 10.

The KB4535996 update applies to both Windows 10 1903 and Windows 10 1909. It fixes issues such as the Wiindows Search box failing to render properly, as well as network printing problems.

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Google displays warning in Microsoft Edge encouraging users to switch to Chrome

Chrome / Edge fade

Having embraced the Chromium engine, Microsoft Edge now gives users the chance to install Chrome browser extensions -- but Google would rather you just stick with Chrome in the first place.

The company has start to display warning messages to anyone who has the audacity to visit the Chrome Web Store using Microsoft Edge with a view to downloading extensions. The message advises users that "Google recommends switching to Chrome to use extensions securely" and includes a link to download the browser. The browser wars are back, complete with sneaky underhand tactics.

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FCA reveals data breach that exposed personal details of people complaining about UK's financial watchdog

FCA

The UK's financial watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has revealed details of a data breach that took place last year.

The FCA says that personal details of people who had made complaints against the watchdog were exposed following the online publication of a response to a Freedom of Information Act request. Among the exposed information are the names and numbers of those who had lodged complaints.

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Mozilla is enabling encrypted DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) by default for US Firefox users

DNS-over-HTTPS

Firefox users in the US will soon have DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) enabled by default. Mozilla is in the process of rolling out the privacy- and security-focused feature after an intensive period of testing.

DoH is an option for anyone outside of the US, but it will have to be manually enabled. Once enabled, DNS lookups are routed through Cloudflare or NextDNS using an encrypted HTTPS connection, hiding it from third parties such as your ISP.

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Netflix launches new top 10 feature so you can see what's popular in your country

Netflix on smartphone

Having previously contented itself with offering up algorithm-based suggestions about what you might like to watch next, Netflix has introduced a new feature that lets you see what other people are enjoying.

New lists of the top 10 films and series let you see what is currently popular on the streaming platform. Netflix has chosen to provide top 10 lists based on country, so you'll only see lists of the ten most popular series and movies in your country rather than globally.

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Samsung admits to data breach unconnected to mysterious Find My Mobile 1 push notification

Samsung S20

Last week, Samsung customers around the world were confused by the appearance of a mysterious push notification which simply read "1". The company revealed that the Find My Mobile notifications had been sent out by mistake as part of a test, but there was something even more worrying.

In addition to the random notification, some users reported that they were able to access personal data of other users, including names, addresses and partial payment card details. Samsung has now admitted to the data breach and says it will be contacting those affected.

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