Safari browser bug

Apple devices worldwide are crashing due to a Safari browser bug

 

A strange bug has been affecting owners of Apple devices worldwide, with many users of the Safari web browser on iOS devices recently experiencing frustrating crashes.

Users have complained of their devices crashing and returning them to a home screen when they attempted to type in the search bar or open a new browser tab. Apple has confirmed that there was indeed an issue and has assured its users that the problem has now been resolved.

But if you’re still having problems with your Apple mobile device, these simple steps should have you back to browsing in no time.

First, try clearing your browser cache. To do this on your mobile device, open ‘Settings’, then scroll down to Safari and tap ‘Clear History and Website Data’.

If that doesn’t work, try to disable Safari Suggestions (the feature that tries to guess what you are going type into your browser address bar). To do this on your mobile device, head to ‘Settings’, then scroll down to ‘Safari’ and tap ‘Safari Suggestions’ to turn it off.

Another trick to use ‘Private Browsing Mode’ when browsing. That way, Safari won’t try to contact its ‘suggestions server’ for auto completing an address in your browser address bar, which means the server that is causing the crash won’t be contacted by your browser.

Read more at www.bbc.com

Related articles:

Apple unveils iOS 9
Five common iPad issues solved
Apple Pay is on the way

 

 

W10 Keylogger

Is Windows 10 spying on you?

 

Windows 10 is recording every single key you press on your computer. But is this a cause for concern? Learn more about Microsoft’s invasive technology and how to turn it off.

The early test versions of Windows 10 came with a piece of software that recorded every keystroke users made, as well as recording every request they made to Cortana (the voice activated personal assistant). It was thought that this piece of software, which is quite essential to the development stage of creating software, would be removed for the final product. However the creepy keylogger has not been removed and is still in place with the new version of Windows 10 that has been rolled out to millions of users worldwide.

Should you be concerned?

Recording data like this to help improve the accuracy of programs is becoming more common these days. This is because as technology and software become more and more complicated, it takes more effort to develop, bug test and release them onto the market. Approximately 10 years ago, all of this monitoring would have been performed by a dedicated team of software testers, which takes longer and costs a lot more. Microsoft would certainly still employ plenty of these testers but, with the internet, they now also have access to millions of testing and quality assurance testers – the consumers who are using the end product.

Whether or not you should be concerned comes down to your personal views on privacy.

This type of testing comes as a double-edged sword: you get a more polished and accurate final product at the expense of some privacy and/or peace of mind.

This double-edged sword is well represented by the choice to deactivate these settings in Windows 10, as doing so will deactivate the ability to dictate to your computer or use the voice activated assistant Cortana – features which rely on this data gathered.

How to turn it off

If you wish to deactivate the ‘service’, open up the Start menu then select Settings > Privacy > Speech, inking, and typing. From here, select ‘Get to know me’ to turn the services on, or select ‘Stop getting to know me’ to turn the services off.

Next, navigate back to Privacy and then select General and then turn ‘Send Microsoft info about how I write to help us improve typing and writing in the future’ off. 

Read more about these Privacy settings at Microsoft.com

 

Safe Use of Email

Stay safe when using email

 

Email is one of the most popular ways that people stay connected. It’s on everything – phones, computers, smart devices, gaming consoles and even some cars. But email was never built with security or privacy in mind.

Your email is potentially vulnerable on the network being used to send it, on the server from which you’ve sent it, on the recipient’s device, or from your own device – be it computer, phone or smart TV.

Whilst most email apps allow for encryption, many do not, and it’s the ones that aren’t that provide perfect fodder for hackers using malware to ‘phish’ for your information.

However, if you follow our easy guidelines for using email you’ll be able to better protect yourself from the malicious intentions of these nasty, thieving hackers.

Treat email like a postcard

You remember postcards, right? Well, technically, email is very similar. It’s an open message sent through cyberspace that can be read by anyone who cares to look for it. So it’s best not to send any private information, such as financial or account details via email, as you could be exposing your personal data to hackers and digital miscreants.

Be wary of attachments

If you are not expecting an attachment on any email you receive, it’s best not to open it. That goes for emails from friends as well as from strangers.

Don’t be click happy

Any emails that contain links to external websites should also be treated with caution, which sounds easy, but hackers are a devious lot that will try any trick to fool you for your info. To find out if a website address is legitimate, simply right click on the link and copy the URL then paste it into your web browser. If the domain name in the URL matches the domain name in the sender’s email address, then you are most likely safe.

Protect your personal information

Unless you are specifically expecting it, an email asking you for personal information should set alarm bells a-ringing. More often than not, it will be someone or some organisation trying to get your personal data to use for their own nefarious purposes. These ‘phishers’ will try to conceal their ploy by disguising their messages as sent by legitimate businesses. So, if you are suspicious of any contact made to you by these seemingly legitimate organisations, it’s best to contact them by phone rather than trying to do so via email. 

Don’t reply to spam

Spam, or junk mail, is quite possibly the most annoying thing about the internet. Spammers will send a million emails to random addresses, and if you reply to them in any way, including unsubscribing, you give them a reason to send you more spam because you’ve verified that your email address is a real one.

Delete messages that state you have a virus

Some viruses infect the contact list, or address book, of the computer they infect, then sends an email to everyone on the list. If you receive an email that tells you that you have a virus, don’t panic, and just delete it.

Get encrypted

The best way to protect your email is to encrypt it. Encryption is when your data is scrambled after it’s sent from your device to whomever it’s intended for, so any one in between can’t read it. Read this article for more information on how to set up email encryption.

Use antivirus software

Okay, so free antivirus software has been in the spotlight recently for subsidising the ‘free’ aspect by selling user data. However, running antivirus software is still a great way to safeguard your information from cyber criminals. If you’re worried that the company that makes the software is selling your data, then maybe it’s time you paid for antivirus software instead.

Do you have any tips for how our members can better protect themselves from the threat of hackers and phishers? Why not share them?

Read more about this at www.digitaltrends.com

Read more about internet security tips.

Read more about protecting yourself when using public wifi.

 

 

Free video calls

Facetime: how to make free video calls on Apple devices

 

If you've got an iPhone, iPad or Mac, you can make free video and audio calls using Apple's FaceTime app.

FaceTime is available for free on most of Apple’s recent devices:

·         iPhone 4 or later

·         iPad 2 or later

·         iPad mini

·         Mac computers (OS X Lion or later)

·         iPod touch (4th generation) or later.

 

It is also available for older Mac computers, for $1.29, from the Mac App Store.
 

How to get started

The first step is to enable FaceTime. On iPhone, iPad or iPod touch you can do this by opening up ‘Settings’ on your device and tapping ‘FaceTime’. Once here, turn on FaceTime by tapping the on/off slider. You may now sign in with your Apple ID, and if you own an iPhone you may choose to use your phone number to receive FaceTime calls. 

Now navigate to the FaceTime app on your device and open it. You may be asked to sign in with your Apple ID again, after this is completed you will now be able to make and receive FaceTime calls from other users. If you can’t find the app, try searching for it in the “Finder” if you’re on a Mac, or “Spotlight” if you’re on an iOS device. 

How to make your first call

Now that you’re set-up, you need someone to call! If you know for a fact that any of your friends or family are using Apple devices, you can try calling them. To do this open up the FaceTime app and select someone on your contact list to call. If you succeed in making your call then they must have FaceTime enabled, otherwise you’ll be told that they are “not available for FaceTime”.

If this is the case, you’ll have to ask them to enable it. Why not teach them how to do this, now that you know?

You can also choose people to call from your iPhone or iPad’s address book. To do this, open the “Contacts” app and select a contact. From the following screen there will now be a FaceTime option and from it you will be able to video or audio call someone, by selecting the corresponding icon.

FaceTime is free to use, but it will use internet data, so before you make any calls check that you are either on a wifi network or that you’ve got plenty of mobile data left to use.

Related articles:

Four iPhone and iPad tips and tricks video tutorial

Six scams to watch out for in 2016

 

Bad Passwords

SplashData has revealed its 2015 list of the worst passwords

 

SplashData has released its fifth annual ‘Worst Passwords List’, which once again highlights the unsecure passwords used by internet users the world over.

On this year’s list, we see the emergence of longer passwords, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re any more secure. Take for example the absolute worst password, which is ‘123456’ and a newcomer to the list ‘1234567890’ – as you can see, longer, but by no means more secure.

The top two passwords on the list remain unchanged from last year, in fact, whilst they’ve swapped rankings, they have otherwise been the same since 2011.

The longer passwords show that internet users are at least being a little more cautious, but they are so ineffectual that they may as well be ‘1234 let the hackers in the door’ (hey, that’s not such a bad password!).

According to CEO of SplashData Morgan Slain, “We have seen an effort by many people to be more secure by adding characters to passwords, but if these longer passwords are based on simple patterns [it] will put you [at] just as much risk of having your identity stolen by hackers”.

SplashData offers these three simple tips to help protect you:

·         use passwords or passphrases of twelve or more letters with mixed types of characters

·         avoid using the same password over and over again on different websites

·         use a password manager such as TeamID to organise and protect your passwords, generate random passwords and automatically log in to websites.

 

Anyway, here are the top 25 worst passwords of 2015. Here’s hoping that none of you use any them.

1. 123456

2. password

3. 12345678

4. qwerty

5. 12345

6. 123456789

7. football

8. 1234

9. 1234567

10. baseball

11. welcome

12. 1234567890

13. abc123

14. 111111

15. 1qaz2wsx

16. dragon

17. master

18. monkey

19. letmein

20. login

21. princess

22. qwertyuiop

23. solo

24. passw0rd

25. starwars

What’s the worst password you have used? Have you used any of these passwords? If so, you need to change them. So check out our data security article for some handy hints on choosing better passwords.

Read more at www.teamsid.com

Related articles:
Best password managers
How to make a strong password
Five tips to protect online privacy

 

January App

App of the month January 2016

 

Create or watch a live stream with an innovative new app, or relax and have some fun playing the newest Cut the Rope game with the January app of the month.

Periscope

This new app, which has partnered with Twitter, allows anyone to create their own live stream and share it with the world. So you can hold your camera and record what you’re doing or seeing, and anyone who is using the app can tune in and see it too. While you might not find sharing your life with millions of strangers overly appealing, it can be fun to tune in and see what some of the other 10 million users are up to.

The streams you can watch on the app vary from the people going about their daily lives (cooking or shopping) to more unique events (live concerts or feeding time at the zoo) and the completely bizarre, such as a large sidewalk puddle in London which, a few weeks ago, attracted over 20,000 viewers. 

It’s a fun way to pass some time and if you’ve ever wondered what life is like in another country, it’s a great way to find out. I just watched some Russian University students studying between classes… I think.

Available for free on iPhone, iPad and Android.
 

Cut the Rope: Magic

The original Cut the Rope has over 750 million downloads, and the newest sequel is a just as fun, featuring new mechanics that have greatly improved the game.

The premise of the game is simple and remains unchanged (if you haven’t played the original, you can get it here), Om Nom (the adorable little monster) wants to eat candy but he needs your help to do so. By cutting ropes and activating objects you must get the candy into his mouth. This new instalment allows Om Nom to transform into different magical forms to aid his quest for candy. It’s really addictive and you’ll be surprised by how challenging the game can get as you move through the levels.

Available for $0.99 on iPhone and iPad, and for free on Android.

 

Wipe your mobile before sale

How to wipe your iPhone, iPad or Android before selling it

 

Selling or giving away your old iPhone, iPad or Android is a great idea, but you should first make sure that your personal data has been erased, otherwise your private data might be up for grabs. Here’s how to do it.

iPhone and iPad

If you’re upgrading to a newer device, you should back up all of your data.

on your iPhone or iPad so that you can transfer it, if you haven’t already. If possible, you should wait until your new device is up and running before deleting your data off your old one.

Next, open up Settings on your device then tap iCloud, then tap Sign Out. Now tap Sign Out again and then tap Delete from My iPhone; you will now have to enter your password.

Now go back to Settings and tap General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. You might have to enter your password again during this process.

All of your data will now be cleared from the device and you can safely sell it or give it away.

Read more about wiping your iPhone or iPad on Apple’s website. 

Android

As Android devices do not encrypt data by default, the first step is to enable encryption on your smartphone or tablet. You can do this by navigating to Settings > Security > Encryption > Encrypt device. When this is finished, open Settings again and head to User and backup > Backup and reset and then tap Factory date reset and follow the prompts.

As different manufacturers have slightly different menus for Android devices, you might have to look for similar sounding settings to find the ones listed in the steps above.

If you’re having trouble, feel free to leave a comment below.

Now you’re free to give your smartphone or tablet away. If you’re interested in selling it, keep an eye on our newsletter for our guide on how to sell your smartphone or tablet next week.

 

Group Chats

How to make group chats on Facebook

 

Find out how you can chat with a group of your Facebook friends in the one chat with this quick and easy tech tutorial. 

The easiest way to do this is to open up a chat window with one of the people you would like to make a group chat with. If you’re on a computer, you can either select a friend from the chat sidebar at the right hand side of the screen or you can click ‘Messages’ at the left hand side of the screen, towards the top. If you’re using a smartphone or tablet, simply download the Facebook Messenger app. 

Once you have a chat open, click or tap on the gear icon at the top right (on some devices the icon is shown as an ‘i’ within a circle). Now click or tap on ‘Create Group with (name of your friend)’ or ‘Add Friends to chat’. And that’s it, you can add as many friends as you would like and you can change settings such as the group’s name, picture, members and more by clicking on the gear or ‘i’ icon. 

Facebook recently updated group chats and now allows you to change colours for your chats and set nicknames for all the members of the chat, this is also accessible by clicking or tapping the gear or ‘i’ icon but may not be available on all devices. If you can’t see the options, try updating your app. 

Do you use group chats on Facebook? Or do you prefer other methods of chatting? 

If you want to learn more about Facebook and its features, we’ve got dozens of articles about the world’s most popular social network. 

 

Digital cleaning

How to digitally clean your computer, smartphone or tablet

 

The new year is a great time to get on top of your digital data and make sure you keep it in check. By tidying up and deleting old files you can speed up your computer, smartphone or tablet. 

These tips will keep your computer junk free and running fast, best of all they don’t have to be performed very often.

Backup your smartphone photos

If your smartphone or tablet is your primary camera, you might want to look into a method of backing up the photos from time to time. This way you can delete the photos off your device (knowing they are safe elsewhere) and create room for more photos. Backing up to a computer is a great way to do this, but you can also back up all of your photos to the internet for free. This means that anywhere you are in the world, if you have an internet connection, you can access your entire photo collection (just make sure you don’t lose that password). Have a look at this article for your best options for backing up your photos online for free.

Free up space on your device

Having a lot of stuff on your computer, smartphone or tablet is one of the most common reasons for a sluggish device. Just like us humans, your device needs some space to function properly. If you fill up your entire device with photos, videos, apps and other files, it’s going to struggle. Click on your device from the following list for a simple method for freeing up space on your device: iPhone, iPad, Android, PC, Mac. 

Get some software to do the dirty work
No matter how vigilant you are, there is always going to be junk on your device, lots of it you won’t be able to find no matter how hard you try. CCleaner is your saviour when it gets this bad. Available for Windows, Mac and Android (unfortunately not iPhone or iPad at this stage) CCleaner will delete all of the invisible junk on your device and speed it up. It can also notify you when your device is getting a little cluttered and will offer to do the cleaning for you – nifty. Visit CCleaner’s website to learn more.

Get rid of those apps

I’m sure we’ve all got a dozen apps or programs that we don’t use anymore. If you want to make some room on your device, you can delete these old apps or programs and speed up your device. 

To delete an app on iPhone or iPad, tap on the app icon and hold down your finger until the apps begin to wiggle and then tap the little X that appears. 

On Android you can delete apps by navigating to Settings and then opening up Apps or the Application Manager. From here just tap the name of an app and you should be able to delete/uninstall it on the screen that opens up. 

To uninstall a program on Windows 7, click on the Start menu, then click Control Panel > Programs. Now select a program and click Uninstall. 

On Windows 10, click on the Start menu, then click Settings > System > Apps & features. Now select a program and click Uninstall. 

For help with Windows devices, visit Microsoft’s website.  

If you’ve still got some energy left over after all this digital cleaning, why not read up on how to keep your devices clean physically?

 

 

Un-send messages

How to ‘un-send’ messages

 

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton’s text message snafu has caused quite a stir, but is there anything he could have done to avoid it (other than not sending a nasty text message in the first instance)?

You’ve probably heard about Peter Dutton’s big mistake of accidentally sending a message (in which he referred to journalist Samantha Maiden as a “mad f***ing witch”) directly to Ms Maiden herself. 

Commentators from all sides have been raging, laughing, shocked and more. Ms Maiden has since updated her Twitter biography to read “Totally mad witch” and has accepted Mr Dutton’s apology.

Sure, Peter Dutton could have avoided all of this by not sending the disrespectful message in the first place, but whether it was full of insults or not, I’m sure we’ve all wished we could un-send a message at one point in our lives. It turns out that there are a few services that allow you to un-send a message, if you act quickly.

Gmail
If you have a Gmail account, you can head to ‘Settings’ and then under the ‘General’ tab you will find an option to ‘Enable Undo Send’. This activates a 5, 10, 20 or 30 second period between when you hit send and when your email is actually sent, allowing you to frantically let expletives fly as you make a mad dash for the un-send button within the small window of time you have to un-send the message.

Facebook
While direct messages cannot be deleted, posts on someone Facebook profile can. Just click the little arrow at the top right of the post and click ‘Delete’. People may still see the post before it’s deleted, but unless they’ve taken a screenshot, it’ll be gone for good.

SMS messages on Android, iPhone and iPad
Apple devices unfortunately don’t have any way to un-send messages at this time. Android devices on the other hand allow you to change the app that manages your SMS messaging. So if you want, you can change from the default messenger to an app which allows you to ‘un-send’ messages if you act fast. Popular apps which allow this include Chomp SMS andOn Second Thought (SMS). 

 

Scams

Six scams to watch out for in 2016

Start the New Year on the right foot by getting a step ahead of the scammers. Keeping an eye out for these latest scams will help you to keep your money and personal details safe.

Fake parcel delivery notifications

One of the biggest scams of 2015 was the fake parcel delivery notification, which delivered malware in the disguise of an Auspost tracking notification. With online shopping growing more popular every year, this scam is probably not going to be going anywhere anytime soon. Always be vigilant if you receive an email from Australia Post and if you’re in doubt simply call or visit your local post office, where someone can verify the report. Or you can check up on Australia Post’s scam alerts page.  

Macs being targeted

Macs are becoming more popular, and if you use an Apple computer and don’t have virus protection, you might want to consider getting some as 2015 saw Mac computers receive more malware attacks than in the last five years combined. 

Phone and ISP scams

Whether it’s a call or an email from your phone or internet provider, if it seems suspicious, hang up/close the email straight away. Now look up the phone number for your provider on either Google or in a phone book; never click the link to its website in the email, or call the number listed as it’s probably fraudulent. 

Now you can call your ISP or phone provider and explain the situation. If you do this, the worst-case scenario is that you hang up on a genuine Optus or Telstra technical support employee, which is nothing compared to the hassle of a computer hack or stolen credit card details.

Social network sellers

Selling items over Facebook or other social networks is becoming more common, probably due to the friendly nature of the transactions. However, like all good things, this easy going process is often taken advantage of by unscrupulous people who may request payment in advance, and then disappear from the social network. If you don’t feel confident with the transaction (for example if their Facebook account doesn’t look legitimate), simply don’t take the risk, stick to websites with buyer protection, such as ebay. 

Emails pretending to be from your bank

A scam that sadly never goes out of fashion: the fake bank email. As with the phone and ISP scams above, make sure you proceed with caution and never follow links or call the phone numbers listed directly in the email. Also, be on the lookout for website domains which are a little off. For example, Australian websites almost always end in ‘.com.au’, so if you’re given a link heading to www.nab.com, rather than www.nab.com.au, you should close the email and contact your bank either in person, or via a phone number you know is genuine. 

PayPal gifts

On the topic of suspicious internet sales, when dealing with a stranger on PayPal you should never send a payment marked as a gift. Scammers often say to send the money as a gift because you don’t have to pay as much in transaction fees, which is true. But the reason you don’t have to pay any fees is because there is absolutely no buyer protection for money sent as a gift. 

Scamwatch is a great website for staying in the know when it comes to scams.