Recent Windows 11 updates have been problematic in several ways. That's not the end of the world, but it has been more than a little frustrating for those in the test group getting a first look at the new operating system. One recently introduced bug has been a sore spot for Windows 11 users. The File Explorer will randomly freeze and the only way to get use of it is to reboot the system.
A small but important feature was recently incorporated by the Windows 11 design team. A new Account Lockout Policy enabled by default has been added. This policy automatically locks user accounts (including Admin accounts) after ten failed sign-in attempts. The account remains in a locked state for ten minutes, requiring users to wait that amount of time before they can try again. The addition was made in a bid to prevent or at least minimize the risk of brute force attacks being made against systems.
There's a new threat to be aware of if you own an android device. Microsoft recently warned that their researchers had spotted a new toll fraud malware strain wreaking havoc in the Android ecosystem. Toll fraud is a form of billing fraud. It is a scheme whereby bad actors attempt to trick unsuspecting victims into either calling or sending an SMS to a premium number. In this case, however, the scheme doesn't work over WiFi so it forces the device the user is on to connect to the mobile operator's network.
If you haven't heard of DuckDuckGo, it's a tiny browser that only gets a fraction of the traffic that Google does. If we're being honest, it gets only a fraction of the web traffic that Bing does. The search engine does have some pluck though and bills itself as the engine of choice for those who value their privacy. In fact, blocking trackers is DuckDuckGo's main selling point. It is the overriding reason that those who use the tiny search engine don't simply go somewhere else.
Researchers at Defiant authored the popular Wordfence security solution for WordPress users and they have detected a massive campaign that has seen hackers actively scanning for websites employing the Kaswara Modern WPBakery Page Builder plugin. The plugin was recently abandoned by the creative team behind it before receiving a patch for a critical security flaw. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2021-24284 would allow an attacker to inject a malicious Javascript into any site using any version of the plugin, which would allow the uploading and deletion of files that could easily lead to a complete takeover of the site targeted.
If you haven't heard of the UK startup Speechmatics, it may come as a surprise to learn that the company may be on its way to becoming a globally recognized brand. The company's ambitious goal is to leapfrog over the progress made by America's tech giants in speech recognition by using AI and machine learning. If you own a Google Home device or have ever worked with Siri or Alexa, you are already familiar with the challenges associated with speech recognition.
There's interesting news in the world of Windows 11 development. Microsoft recently began testing a new Kiosk feature that will enable IT administrators to limit which applications users can use while logged into their user profiles, blocking all other functionalities. Even better is that the kiosk approach allows you to create multiple different apps and access configurations for different user classifications on a single device. This approach also unlocks the door to use Windows 11 machines in a variety of ways, including but not limited to:
If you eat out or are in the habit of ordering take-out on a regular basis, be aware. Recently, a large, well-organized web-skimming campaign has been uncovered that allowed hackers to swipe the payment card details for more than 300 restaurants, impacting more than 50,000 customers. Web-skimmers are sometimes called Magecart malware and they are bits of JavaScript that collects credit card data when shoppers enter their card data on the checkout page on an online payment portal.
Quantum computing is on the horizon. Unfortunately, it's been on the horizon for at least two decades. It's one of those technologies that's always "just around the corner." In recent years, however, several important strides have been made. Although quantum computing isn't exactly mainstream, great strides have been made where the technology is concerned. There's a missing link, however. It's not as though the entire world will wake up one day and just start migrating to quantum computers.
According to ongoing research by Group-IB, a massive phishing campaign is currently underway. This is a campaign that has impacted no less than 130 organizations across a broad range of industries. These include but are not limited to professional recruiting firms and companies connected to finance and technology. Some of the companies targeted include giants in their respective fields such as: TTEC Best Buy HubSpot Evernote Riot Games AT&T Epic Games Microsoft Twitter Slack Verizon Wireless MetroPCS Twilio MailChimp Klaviyo And T-Mobile This comes with an unsuccessful attempt to breach Cloudflare's network as well.
March 20nd, 2026
March 19nd, 2026