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Showing posts from December, 2017

Facebook's new tool reveals if you're being scammed

 The social network unveiled on Wednesday a security feature that lets you see a list of recent emails sent by Facebook. Hackers often send emails disguised as messages from companies like Facebook to trick users into giving them login and password information. The tactic, called phishing, is common among cybercriminals. Now, if you receive an email from an address that appears to be Facebook (FB) -- but don't recognize the activity or the alert -- a tool in its Security and Login section in Settings will tell you if it's legit.  If the email claiming to be from Facebook isn't listed there, you'll know it's fraudulent. Facebook sends security emails from the domain "Facebookmail.com," offering another way to check its authenticity. But if you don't recognize the domain or sender, you can report the issue directly to Facebook. In a blog post, product manager Scott Dickens urged users to report fraudulent emails pretending to be Faceboo

Apple admits slowing older iPhones because of ageing batteries

After years of rumours, Apple has confirmed that it does indeed slow down older iPhones, a feature introduced last year to protect against problems caused by ageing batteries. The feature was implemented on the iPhone 6, 6S and SE last year during a software update, and on the iPhone 7 as of December with the release of iOS 11.2. The feature is planned to be rolled out to newer devices in the future. Apple said it slowed down phones that have older batteries, batteries with low charge or that are cold. An Apple spokesperson said: “Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices.” The company explained that when a battery is in a poor condition it may not be able to supply the required maximum current demanded by the phone’s processor at full speed. If that happens, the iPhone can shut down unexpectedly to protect the internal components. It was one of the factors contributing to user

How to stop rogue ads that can set you up for malware

Of all the advertising-inflicted annoyances on the web, the “forced redirect” ad most deserves to be shot into the sun. As you’re reading a page an ad bumps your content aside with an obviously fraudulent pitch — maybe a phony claim that your computer has been hit with a virus, maybe a fictitious offer of a free gift card — and takes over your browser’s address bar. Clicking or tapping the back button doesn’t get you away from the pestilential ad, because it already sent your browser through a loop of page reloads. Your only recourse is closing the entire tab — or, if this happened as you read something shared on a social network’s mobile app, quitting the entire program. What’s more, these ads can lead you to download malware or trap you in a financial scam. “These are the bottom of the bottom,” said Jason Kint, CEO of Digital Content Next, an online-publishing group that has been campaigning against fraudulent and deceptive ads. And while everybody hates the way these

How To Turn Off iPhone X

I’m a big fan of Apple’s iPhone X. In fact, it’s the first iPhone in years that I want to buy for myself. It’s also the most expensive one yet, which doesn’t bode well for my bank account. But after using a version of the handset Apple sent me, I’ve noticed a slight issue. See, no one I handed the phone to could figure out how to turn it off the first time they used it. That’s because the original power button is now used to call upon Siri, lock the screen and bring up Apple Pay. So how do you turn it off? With standard iPhones, the 8, 8 Plus and all of their predecessors, you simply hold down the large button on the phones’ right sides, then swipe their screen to turn them off. The iPhone X, however, requires you to hold down the side button and either the volume up or volume down buttons at the same time until the power off screen appears, then swipe to shut it down. It’s a bit confusing because it’s completely different from how you’re likely used to turning off a phon