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As the owner of a 2016 MacBook Pro, I was forced to tolerate dongles at first, but over time, I have actually come to like using them. Do I wish my Apple laptop had additional ports, such as USB-A, Ethernet, and an SD Card reader? I suppose, but to be honest, I find myself needing those connection types less and less these days -- especially on the go. I'd rather a thin and minimalist approach.

When at home, however, I do like having those ports as an option, so I typically use a Thunderbolt 3 docking station -- it's a great way to turn a notebook into a makeshift desktop. Lately, I have been testing a TB3 dock from IOGEAR called "Quantum Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station Pro 85." As the name suggests, it is designed for professional use, but it can, of course, be used by home users too.

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As owners of Dell computers will be only too aware, the company is no stranger to stuffing systems with bloatware. This is in itself is irritating, but when this bloatware includes a security vulnerability that could be exploited by hackers, the irritation becomes rather more serious.

The SupportAssist tool is supposed to provide an easy way to update drivers on Dell computers and laptops, as well as deleting unnecessary files and the like. However, it poses a security risk if you don't install the latest update from Dell to plug a vulnerability. The flaw (CVE-2019-3719) has been assigned a high severity rating of 8.0, and could enabled an attacker to take control of your computer.

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The UK tax authority, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), has been forced to deleted voice recording of five million taxpayers. The recordings were made without consent, which the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said constituted a "significant" breach of data and privacy rules.

Before being allowed to access HMRC services, callers were required to repeat the phrase "My voice is my password". This recording was fed into the authority's biometric voice ID database, and violated GDPR rules.

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Since late last night, Firefox users have been plagued with a problem that meant no add-ons were working. Extensions were disabled and users were unable to re-enable them, causing confusion and frustrationaround the world.

It turns out that that the reason Firefox add-ons stopped working is that a signing certificate expired. Having determined the cause of the problem, Mozilla has developed a fix for users of the desktop version of Firefox on the Release, Beta and Nightly channels. [UPDATE: Mozilla has released a new version of Firefox that fixes most problems for more users.]

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Modern smartphones are fantastic, but they burn through battery life like no-one’s business. Most of us charge our devices overnight, but if you’ve used your phone a lot in the day, there’s a good chance you’ll have needed to top up the battery at least once at some point -- especially if your handset is getting on a bit.

Few people choose a smartphone based solely on its battery life (as the abject failure of the 18,000mAh battery-toting Energizer P18K shows) but it is still an important consideration. If you’ve found you’re not getting as much life from your phone as the manufacturer claimed, you won’t be too surprised to see an investigation by consumer champion Which? came to the same conclusion.

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In a survey of IT professionals, 55 percent of respondents reported that their enterprises receive at least 10,000 security alerts every day; of that group, 49 percent receive more than 1,000,000 security alerts each day. And, more to the point, 96 percent of respondents reported that their security teams feel stressed or frustrated over the volume of security alerts that come in.

It's more than mere humans can bear.

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Want to make your mommy as excited as the lady in the picture above? Well, if you do, you should get her a very special gift this Mother's Day. Many women like gold, but sadly, the precious metal is quite expensive at over $1,000 an ounce! Don't get discouraged though, as Satechi is launching a very special sale that should enable you to buy a golden present.

No, Satechi hasn't gotten into the jewelry business. Actually, the accessory maker is offering a huge discount on its gold and rose gold colored technology products. By using a special coupon code, you can save up to 50 percent off the MSRP!

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The censorial Great Firewall of China is famed throughout the world for the restrictions it places on Chinese citizens. Internet users play a game of cat and mouse, seeking tools and methods for slipping through the censoring and spying that the government enforces.

But it is getting harder and harder to evade the Great Firewall. VPNs that once allowed unfettered access to the greater internet are quickly stomped on by the Chinese government, just as happens in Russia. At the end of March, a new update to the firewall blacklisted hundreds of VPN servers and now fewer VPN tools than ever work in China. So which is the best VPN for those fighting the Great Firewall?

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YouTube CBO Robert Kyncl has confirmed that all of the company's Originals content will be made available free of charge.

Currently locked behind a paywall, Originals will become free and ad-supported. At the moment, it is not clear exactly when the change will happen, but it is certainly in the cards, meaning shows like Cobra Kai should reach a larger audience.

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Dell has been manufacturing excellent value-focused computers for years. Back in the day I was a computer salesman at a now-defunct brick and mortar CompUSA. People would often walk into the store, look at what we charge, ask if we could match Dell's price for a similarly configured machine, we would say no, and they would leave. It was virtually impossible to compete with Dell's high-volume online business model from a cost perspective.

Back in those days, Dell was in a monogamous relationship with Microsoft, but in modern times, the computer-maker is no longer exclusive with Windows. Actually, with its "Developer Edition" computers (also known as "Project Sputnik"), Dell also offers Ubuntu -- a Linux-based operating system. That may not seem like a big deal today, but years ago, when it first happened, it was huge news.

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While data backup and storage probably aren’t the first things that come to mind when looking at your IT strategy for 2019, business owners should understand that they are part of your technology foundation and could be key to your success this year. Storage, for example, is the vital base for your cloud and data center, and backup capabilities are a requirement in today’s interconnected world.

We read about it nearly every day: Cyber attacks against businesses of all sizes are on the rise and doing more damage than ever. But there are also physical threats your data faces, too. A fire, flood or other natural disaster can wreak havoc on your data and make recovery virtually impossible unless you have a backup plan in place. What is your business doing to protect your data?

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Privileged access management (PAM) delivers the greatest benefits when it is implemented as a mission rather than to satisfy a limited, one-time mandate. Achieving more complete and proactive protection for privileged accounts requires an ongoing program to add more platforms and accounts and to share more security data with other systems over time. It also requires paying as much, if not more, attention to how PAM affects people and processes as to technology issues.

Without proper ongoing governance, a PAM program can give an organization a false sense of security regardless of their investment in their initial PAM rollout. Here are the essential elements of ongoing PAM governance, why they are important, and how to get them right.

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Need a TV? You should definitely buy a 4K model. Even if you don't have any UHD content now, it makes sense to "future-proof" at this point as pricing has gotten quite low.

If you are averse to spending money, I have good news -- Roku is giving away a 55-inch 4K Westinghouse TV. This smart TV has an integrated Roku, making it easy to stream content. The model of TV is "WR55UE4019," which I have been unable to find for sale online. That's not all, however -- the company is also including its Roku TV Wireless Speakers for a superior audio experience.

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As Mozilla continues to try to make it safer than ever to use Firefox, the organization has updated its Add-on Policy so that any updates that include obfuscated code are explicitly banned.

Mozilla has also set out in plain terms its blocking process for add-ons and extensions. While there is nothing surprising here, the clarification should mean that there are fewer causes for disputes when an add-on is blocklisted.

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People have been predicting the death of the password for some time, but it's still the case that most online accounts rely on them, even if supplemented by another feature like 2FA.

A new report from Avira to coincide with World Password Day shows that so far in 2019, there have been at least four major data breaches, each impacting more than 200 million records.

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