Gov’t Issues Warning to Windows 10 & 11 Users; Your Car May Be Spying on You; Windows 11 Update Will Automatically Encrypt PCs; Enhanced Power Settings Coming to Windows 11… and more!
Every day we scan the tech world for interesting news in the world of technology and sometimes from outside the world of technology. Every Wednesday, we feature news articles that grabbed our attention over the past week. We hope you find this week’s ‘Wednesday Newsbytes’ informative and interesting!
High Risk Warning Issued By Govt For Windows Users
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s (MeitY) cybersecurity watchdog, Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), has alerted users of Windows 10 and Windows 11 to two operating system vulnerabilities. According to the cyber security organization, an attacker may be able to obtain “elevated privileges” on the target system by taking advantage of these flaws.
The cybersecurity organization provided some information about the problem in a warning dated August 12 (updated on August 14). It said, “These vulnerabilities exist in Windows-based systems supporting Virtualization Based Security (VBS) and Windows Backup.” These vulnerabilities could be used by an attacker with the right privileges to go around VBS security measures or bring back issues that had been previously resolved.”
The advisory stated that an attacker may be able to obtain elevated privileges on the targeted machine if these vulnerabilities are successfully exploited.The two flaws impact numerous Windows builds, including as Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server. Thankfully, Microsoft has taken the required safety measures to address the issue in the most recent security patch, according to CERT-In. Windows users should download and install the Microsoft updates to safeguard themselves against the issue.
GM Just Killed Its Program That Sold Your Data After Uproar
GM sold customer driving information to insurance companies by way of third-party brokers
On March 11, the New York Times published a report detailing the story of Kenn Dahl. Two years ago, Dahl found his insurance costs for his Chevrolet Bolt spiked by 21%. The increase is the result of his driving habits, though Dahl has never been in an accident. Without his knowledge, Dahl had agreed that information on his driving habits could be given by General Motors to data brokers LexisNexis and Verisk. The data was shared with brokers via Smart Driver, GM’s driving insights app.
Dahl told the Times, “They’re taking information that I didn’t realize was going to be shared and screwing with our insurance.” When the New York Times reached out for comment, GM said the responsibility for what data drivers share lies with the vehicle owners. However, we got a different response from GM. “As of March 20th, OnStar Smart Driver customer data is no longer being shared with LexisNexis or Verisk. Customer trust is a priority for us, and we are actively evaluating our privacy processes and policies.” General Motors was “actively evaluating” privacy processes, as it turns out. On April 24, GM announced that “customer feedback” led to the discontinuation of Smart Driver.
Smart Driver promised to help make customers better drivers by monitoring their driving behavior and aggregating the data into a score…
Microsoft is enabling BitLocker device encryption by default on Windows 11
Clean installs of Windows 11 version 24H2 now have BitLocker device encryption enabled.
Microsoft is making BitLocker device encryption a default feature in its next major update to Windows 11. If you clean install the 24H2 version that’s rolling out in the coming months, device encryption will be enabled by default when you first sign in or set up a device with a Microsoft account or work / school account.
Device encryption is designed to improve the security of Windows machines by automatically enabling BitLocker encryption on the Windows install drive and backing up the recovery key to a Microsoft account or Entra ID.
In Windows 11 version 24H2, Microsoft is reducing the hardware requirements for automatic device encryption, opening it up to many more devices — including ones running the Home version of Windows 11…
Windows power management gets a bit more user-friendly.
Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27686, recently released in the Canary Channel, is finally making it easier and simpler to change your laptop’s power mode depending on its charging state. The current Windows 11 Power & battery menu only lets you select one Power Mode for your device, no matter if it is discharging or plugged in. The new option in the Canary Channel now lets users choose a different power plan depending on the laptop’s charging state from the Settings menu.
This ability isn’t new to Windows, as you can change a laptop’s power settings when it’s on battery power or plugged in, in both Windows 10 and 11. However, to do so, you need to dig through the Control Panel and look for the Power Options app. From there, select the power plan that you want your computer to use, and then click on Change plan settings. This will then let you set how your computer reacts depending on its power state. You can also click on Change advanced power settings to find even more granular control…
Most Common Financial Scams and How To Avoid Them
Crooks and scammers have been working overtime to pry money from unsuspecting Americans over the past year.
A recent report from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) shows that criminals defrauded Americans out of $10 billion in 2023, which is $1 billion more than the previous year. The scams are broken down into two primary categories:
Top Fraud Scams
Top Identity Theft ScamsThe information comes from the FTC’s 2023 Data Book, which compiles statistics from the agency’s Consumer Sentinel, an investigative cyber tool that gives local law enforcement agencies access to millions of reports on things like identity theft, unwanted calls, fraud, scams and more.
In this article, we’ll list the top scams that U.S. consumers were victimized by in 2023. We’ve also included some preventative measures you can take to reduce your risk of exposure, courtesy of money expert Clark Howard and Team Clark…
Thanks for reading this week’s Wednesday Newbytes. We hope these articles were informative, interesting, fun, and helpful. Darcy & TC
