TECH CORNER
03-01-2025
By Max Trenck
The mind is like a parachute; it must be open to work.
-D. Staelin
MAR 3
Your iPhone has a hidden folder eating up storage space without you even knowing
I had only 10 dupes, I thought it would have been more. -Max
MAR 1
Google Will Delete My Gmail And Photos On April 3—How To Save Yours
-Davey Winder via Apple News
On May 5, Microsoft’s Skype will shut down for good
-Samuel Axon via Apple News
FEB 28
Malware exposes 3.9 billion passwords in huge cybersecurity threat
-from Kurt the Cyber Guy, Feb 28, 2025
Now you see them, now you don’t: Hold down Ctrl(Windows) or Cmd (Mac) and click on multiple tabs to select them all at once. Now hit Ctrl + W or Cmd + W to make them all vanish.
-from Kim Komodo newsletter, Feb 28, 2025
FEB 27
Long-dormant Mac malware returns with advanced capabilities
-from Kurt the Cyber Guy, Feb 27, 2025
FEB 15
How cyberscams are draining Americans wallets by the billions
FEB 14
Think your home network is secure? Think again. A shocking new data breach exposed nearly 3 billion records containing Wi‑Fi network names, passwords, device IDs and IP addresses. This is big!
I bet you’ve never heard of Mars Hydro. It’s a company headquartered in Communist China that makes InternetofThings (IoT) devices. Their speciality? LED lights and hydroponics equipment.
Security researcher Jeremiah Fowler (I had him on the show about other breaches, and he’s a smart, standup guy) was digging around and found they had a massive 1.17TB database online for anyone to see. There was no encryption and no password required.
The database contained 2,734,819,501 sensitive records. My first thought is why does a hydroponics company have so much data?
What is Mars Hydro?
Stick with me because it’s a mess. The records Fowler found belong to a California-registered company, LG‑LED Solutions Limited. Within those are also database details and URLs to LG‑LED Solutions, Mars Hydro and a company called Spider Farmer.
They make and sell grow lights, fans, cooling systems and other gear used for agriculture. Mars Hydro is based in Shenzhen, China, with warehouses in the U.S., U.K. and Australia.
So, why was an agriculture company collecting all this data and storing it all in an unsecured database? Probably because it’s the last place someone might look.
-from Kurt the Cyber Guy, Feb 14, 2025
FEB 9
Watch out for fake job offers: Say you land a virtual job interview. When you click the link to start, an error message pops up saying it’s time to update Zoom or Google Chrome. Stop! That update is malware. It’s part of North Korean hackers’ “Contagious Interview campaign.” Yeesh, what a name. Always download updates from official sources, not random links.
-from Kim Komodo newsletter, Feb 9, 2025
No denying this Tex appeal: Texas just banned Chinese-backed AI and social media apps from all state-issued devices. That means employees and contractors can’t download or use apps like DeepSeek, RedNote, Lemon8 and others. Before you say it’s overkill, DeepSeek’s iOS app is literally sending unencrypted data to ByteDance-controlled servers. That’s a national security risk, plain and simple. Expect this at the federal level soon.
-from Kim Komodo newsletter, Feb 9, 2025
Meet the new crimelords: Guess how much money online scammers steal in a year. The answer? About $12.5 billion in the U.S. and $500 billion worldwide. That’s about as much as the illegal drug trade (paywall link). Unlike street gangs who fight for territory, the internet has no boundaries. AI face-changing apps and translation tools are making scams easier to pull off. Click this link to report fraud if you spot it
-from Kim Komodo newsletter, Feb 9, 2025
Bye-bye: Remove the background from a photo in your iPhone’s Files app. Go to Photos and tap Select on the right. Choose the photo you want to move and press Share > Save to Files to import. Then, open Files > Quick Actions > Remove Background to make a new copy of your pic.
-from Kim Komodo newsletter, Feb 9, 2025
On Android? You probably don’t have a built-in option for removing backgrounds. Here’s a site that does it for free. Upload your pic and, poof, watch it disappear. Hit Download when you’re done.
-from Kim Komodo newsletter, Feb 9, 2025
Shortcut bonanza because I know you love ‘em: On Windows, hit Windows key + L to lock your screen, Windows key + E to open File Explorer and Windows key + M to minimize all apps. The Mac equivalents: Cmd + Control + Q to lock your screen, Cmd + spacebar to open Spotlight Search and Cmd + Option + M to minimize your windows.
-from Kim Komodo newsletter, Feb 9, 2025
FEB 8
Most Sophisticated Gmail Attacks Ever—FBI Says: Do Not Click Anything
New Apple Spyware Warning—Check This iPhone Setting Now