Fake Windows 11 Installer
Bleeping Computer reported on a fake Windows 11 upgrade installer which is designed to trick Windows 10 users into installing malware. Windows 10 users are now getting genuine pop-ups from Microsoft encouraging them to upgrade to Windows 11. This fake pop-up looks very convincing and has been deliberately released at this time so it can easily be mistaken for the real Microsoft notification. See this Bleeping Computer article for more:-
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fake-windows-11-upgrade-installers-infect-you-with-redline-malware/
Although the fake website has now been taken down, you can bet it will keep re-appearing in slightly different forms. Only attempt to upgrade Windows 10 systems by going:-
Settings, Update & Security, Windows Update
Cyber Aware
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a division of GCHQ, has launched a website to advise both small businesses and individuals how to stay safe online:-
cyberaware.gov.uk
They suggest 6 actions you can take to improve your cyber security:-
- Use a strong, unique password for your email.
- Use 3 random words to create a strong password.
- Save passwords in your browser.
- Turn on 2-Factor Authentication (2FA).
- Keep your software/devices up to date.
- Back up.
We have discussed these issues before. It’s a good idea to use a strong and unique password for everything, but especially for your main email account. This email is the one other services would use to reset a forgotten password, so your email account is potentially the gateway into other sign-ins you may have, such as shopping sites, streaming services, etc.
The 3-random-words-system which the NCSC advocate can produce strong, yet memorable passwords. However, random password generated by a Password Manager might be even better. Provided the password is being stored by your browser or Password Manager, you don’t need to remember it.
Browsers now have in-built password managers and so this is what the NCSC suggest. If you use a separate Password Manager (e.g. BitWarden), this has the advantage of working across all browsers and also for signing into apps on mobile devices.
The site also has a “Cyber Action Plan” generator which, by answering a few simple questions, will provide personalised advice on actions you should take. Just click on the Start Now button near the bottom of the page.
Digital Legacy
We had a discussion about Bequeathing You Data at the Club meeting in November last year:-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2021/11/
If you use a password manager such as Bitwarden, you may be able to designate certain people to have emergency access to your password vault. However, you may need to use the Premium version of the password manager to allow this – in the case of Bitwarden, this is only $10 per year.
Essentially, you can allow designated people to request access to your password vault. If you do not cancel that request within 7 days (or other periods, if you prefer), they will automatically be granted access. This help-page explains how this works in Bitwarden in more detail:-
https://bitwarden.com/help/emergency-access/
The designated individuals will need there own accounts with the relevant password manager, but they only need a free account rather than a premium account.
Other password managers, such as LastPass, have a similar feature.
Install Chrome OS on Old PC
We have previously discussed breathing life into an old PC by installing Linux. In May 2020, John guided us through the process of installing Linux Mint:-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2020/05/
Alternatively, you can try to turn your old PC into a Chromebook using a piece of software called CloudReady from Neverware. Google acquired Neverware in December 2020 and they now have a Support Page explaining how you can use and install CloudReady:-
https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/11080247?hl=en
First, you need to download the software to create a bootable USB stick from:-
https://www.neverware.com/freedownload#intro-text
Click on Install The Home Edition.
Scroll down and click on Download USB Maker.
Run the program (cloudready-usb-maker.exe), following the on-screen instructions to create a bootable USB stick.
Boot from the USB stick on the target PC. Make sure you select UK language and keyboard during the initial boot. This will run CloudReady from the USB stick. Once running, you can click in the lower right and click on Install OS if you want to install it on the local drive.
Google are developing their own version of CloudReady called Chrome OS Flex. At this stage, Chrome OS Flex may be unstable and is available for enterprise clients to test. For home use, just stick with CloudReady for now.
If you want some guidance on the use of a Chromebook, you can refer to my Chromebook document:-
bit.ly/CE-Chromebook
While a modern Chromebook can run Android apps, this is not possible with CloudReady.
End of Local Dialling
We discussed the plan for the old PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) to cease operation by the end of 2025 at the Computer Club in September last year:-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2021/09/
From then, all phone calls will use the Internet – a system known as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). The telephone number effectively becomes a ‘user name’. As there are no local exchanges, the concept of a ‘local number’ does not really exist. A couple of things resulting from this:-
- Telecoms providers will still normally issue numbers using an ‘area code’ based on their location, although VoIP does not technically require this. You may be able to use an ‘out of area number’, and this could allow you, for example, to retain the same 11-digit number if you relocate to a different area of the country.
- The concept of ‘local dialling’, ie. calling a local number without using the area code, may no longer exist. In most cases, you will probably need to dial the full 11-digit (usually) number, although some telecoms companies may retain a local dialling option.
For more on this, have a look at this Ofcom document dated 11 March 2022 entitled “Future of telephone numbers”:-
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/233745/Future-of-Numbering-Statement-on-geographic-numbering.pdf
As we discussed back last September, there are issues with VoIP phones systems, in particular that they need power to the ONT (the box where the fibre-optic cable comes in), to the router (which the phone now plugs into) and to the phone itself if it is a DECT phone. According to this BT article published on 29th March this year, BT are pausing their rollout of VoIP, which BT brand as 'Digital Voice':-
https://newsroom.bt.com/were-pausing-our-digital-voice-plans-for-consumers-while-we-work-on-a-more-resilient-rollout/
Brian mentioned that ThinkBroadband also have an article on this which you can find here:-
https://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/9188-bt-consumer-announces-pause-of-digital-voice-roll-out
Clearly, there a few issues around this switch to VoIP which the telecoms companies need to sort out before 2025.
DECT Phones
Following on from the above, we had a brief discussion on DECT phones. These have a base-station which you plug into the phone socket on the wall (for PSTN) or into the socket on the router (for VoIP). A base-station can wirelessly connect to multiple handsets - possibly up to about 6 handsets. In theory, you can pair any DECT phone with any DECT base-station, thus you can add additional handsets beyond the ones that came with the base-station. Any make/model of handset should pair with any base-station enabling calls to be made and received. However, unless you use the same make/model as the base-station, other functions, such as intercom calling or accessing an answerphone, may not work.
HEIF vs JPEG Image Files
HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) is a relatively new standard for storing image files. Apple were one of the early adopters of this new system, using a variant of HEIF called HEIC (High Efficiency Image Compression) by default in iOS 11 which was released on 19 September 2017. See this Photography Life article for more information on HEIF:-
https://photographylife.com/definition/heif
Some difficulty can arise when you transfer Apple’s HEIC images to a Windows PC, for example. The Photos app in Windows 10 and 11 can handle HEIC files, but only after the addition of an extension. See this How to Geek article which explains how you can view HEIC photos on a PC:-
https://www.howtogeek.com/345504/how-to-open-heic-files-on-windows-or-convert-them-to-jpeg/
Although iOS 11 onward defaults to using the HEIC format for photos, you can still change this in the Settings on your iPhone/iPad so that you use the good old JPEG format. Alternatively, you can stick with HEIC on your iPhone and choose to have files convert to JPEG when you transfer them to a PC/Mac. This iMore article explains how to change your iPhone Settings:-
https://www.imore.com/how-take-jpeg-pictures-ios-11-instead-heif
Using HEIF for photos and videos, being more space-efficient, allows more images to be stored in the same amount of storage without any loss of quality. If you are sending pictures to someone else, the most compatible format to use would stiil be JPEG.
Entering TOTP on Phone
It can be a bit tricky to deal with entering the 2FA code (aka Time-based One Time Passcode or TOTP) when you are signing into an app on your phone. There are a couple of ways you can do this without trying to remember or write down the TOTP.
The easiest way is to look for the notification at the top of your screen when the TOTP code arrives. Tap the word 'Copy' next to the TOTP. On the box in the app where you are entering the TOTP, long-press and then tap 'Paste' in the popup option.
Alternatively, if you don't catch the notification, return to the Home Screen and go into the Message app. Long-press on the TOTP in the recent message and tap the 'Copy' option in the popup. Then, go back to the Home Screen and then return to the app your where signing into. Long-press the TOTP box in the app and tap 'Paste' in the popup option.
Using 2FA in Mail App
When using 2FA to sign in on the web, you enter the email address, the password and then the 2FA TOTP.
When you are setting up a mail app for the first time, if this is a modern app, the process should be much the same.
However, some older mail apps did not have the capability to cope with a 2FA code. If this is the case, you have to sign into the relevant mail service (e.g. gmail.com in the example below) on the web, go into the security settings and generate something called an app-specific password. You then use this to set up the email app instead of your normal password. This is still quite secure, in my view, as this app-specific password can only be used once.
This Windows Central article walks through the process of first setting up 2FA (or '2-Step Verification' as Google call it) in your Google account. Then setting up your Google email account in the Microsoft Outlook app:-
https://www.windowscentral.com/how-set-two-factor-authentication-2fa-gmail-outlook
Removing Dust from Laptops
Most computers have fans and these tend to suck in a lot of dust which can eventually cause over-heating. If you have a desktop tower system, it is fairly easy to remove a side cover and vacuum or blow out the dust. Laptops are a bit trickier. The small fans and small vents on a laptop mean they can easily get clogged. The heat build-up caused by this can mean the fans will run faster and for longer to try and cool it down, making it noisier. If the processor gets too hot, it will reduce its clock speed, resulting in the system running more slowing.
Generally, it is quite difficult to open up a laptop, so just using a can of compressed air to blow through the vents is the simplest option and can be very effective. If you are brave enough to open up the laptop, you can do a more thorough cleaning job.
This How-To Geek article has more detail:-
https://www.howtogeek.com/194479/how-to-clean-the-dust-out-of-your-laptop/
Next Session
Wed 11th May 2022 at 2 pm by Skype.
