That’s Not Mahjong: Malicious Android apps can hijack your home screen    A friend of the site recently showed us malicious Android apps that hijack your home screen. A customer who had installed dozens of Mahjong apps on their device had their home screen replaced by a game that has since been pulled from the Google Play Store. While it’s easy to dismiss an app taking over your home screen as a glitch, it can be quite dangerous. It might feel like your phone has a home screen virus, when really it’s an app that has set itself to replace your standard phone launcher. Home screen permissions are an aggressive ask, and understanding why can help you avoid malware in the future.        Why your home screen is worth hijacking Android’s home screen app is sometimes called the “launcher”. It’s the active application that you see every time you hit the home button. Many legitimate launchers aim to improve speed and responsiveness on older devices or provide custom workflows. However, a lot of apps that replace your home screen without you asking are just ad-filled garbage for revenue. Persistent foreground access is attractive for malicious app developers looking to harvest data, and a subset of these are quite dangerous. Launcher and firmware level access can be used and abused in several ways: Ad fraud. Some malware adds a clicker module in the system launcher, silently generating ad revenue in the background without you noticing. Overlay attacks. Launcher malware can wait for you to open a real app and draw a fake login screen on top of it, grabbing autofilled login details. Data theft. A recent malware campaign prompts users to set the malicious app as their default home screen, then harvested mobile numbers, one-time passcodes, and stored card details. Resisting removal. Some unwanted launcher apps overlay elements directly over buttons that would let you uninstall them, forcing victims to reboot into Safe Mode. READ MORE..

 

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New Outdoor Range Robotic lawn mowers and pool cleaners are becoming increasingly popular as Australians look for smarter ways to maintain their homes while saving time. The latest outdoor range from ECOVACS brings new technology designed to take on everything from lawn care to pool cleaning with greater intelligence and automation. Karen Powell from ECOVACS Australia and New Zealand joined us to discuss the company’s latest outdoor innovations, how these products are evolving, and why more Australians are embracing smart technology to handle everyday outdoor chores.    How Ecovacs outdoor robots are designed to tackle the biggest chores

Students Launch into Australian Rocketry History Australia’s rich contribution to space research is inspiring a new generation of young innovators. Through a unique educational initiative, students are learning about the country’s rocketry history while gaining hands-on experience in science, technology and engineering. Dr. Cherry Chen from CSIRO joined us to discuss the program, why it’s important to spark interest in STEM from an early age, and how today’s students could help shape Australia’s future in space research and advanced technology.

 

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How to buy a TV: 3 good things to look for from an expert    TVs are getting so sophisticated these days it can be tricky to know how to buy a TV just from comparing them side by side in a store. Patrick Chen, Product Training Specialist at TCL Australia says demo units are often tuned to look as punchy as possible rather than accurate as possible. Here are three of his top things to look at in the store. Skin Tone The first check is simple: does skin still look like skin? Demo reels presented in store often lean on bright and saturated images to grab attention away from neighbouring brands, and extra vibrancy can cause them to look artificial. “Often bright hues such as reds, greens, and blues can make a person on-screen look unrealistically bright or artificial, so ensuring skin tones still look natural is key,” Chen says. ” You should ideally be able to look at the bright blue sky or strong orange stripes of a tiger during a movie scene and still see someone’s skin tone remain as you would expect in real life, just as the director intended it to look.” If an actor’s face looks waxy or off-colour next to a vivid backdrop, that’s a sign that the panel prioritises vividness over accuracy.        Read the full article here.

 

Why I Think Higher Phone Bills On The Way…In 2027    The Australian telco industry is at a crossroads, and it’s time to take a broader look at what’s unfolding. Over the past 12 months, every major provider has faced significant issues. Optus suffered a major network outage, Vodafone experienced one, and most recently Telstra did too. Outages are more than an inconvenience: for some businesses they mean lost income, and in rare but critical cases they can be the difference between life and death. Yesterday ACMA revealed that Optus could face fines of around $250 million for failing to deliver Triple Zero emergency calls during its most recent outage. By the end of the day, ACMA updated journalists to say the figure they will pursue is closer to $500 million. Telstra is also expected to face penalties once investigations into its outage are complete. But fines for failing to meet emergency service obligations are only one part of the pressure facing Australia’s telcos. Costs and regulatory demands are rising sharply across several fronts.        Read the full article here.

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Connected Car Data Privacy Laws As more Australians embrace electric vehicles and connected car technology, our vehicles are becoming more like smartphones on wheels. Modern cars collect and share large amounts of data, from driving habits and location information to vehicle performance and usage patterns. While this technology can improve safety and convenience, it also raises important questions around who owns this data, how it is used, and how drivers are protected. James Pickering from the Australian Electric Vehicle Association joined us to discuss the growing conversation around connected car data privacy laws and what EV owners need to know. New Research Showing Aussies Unaware of Their EV Backup Power Ability Electric vehicles are becoming more than just a way to get from A to B, with many models now offering advanced features that can support modern lifestyles. New research revealed that many Australians were unaware their EV could potentially provide backup power capabilities, highlighting a knowledge gap around what these vehicles can actually do. Steve Maciver from GWM ANZ joined us to discuss the findings, explain the benefits of vehicle-to-load technology, and explore how EVs could play a bigger role in powering homes and devices in the future.

 

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New Outlook versus Classic Outlook: Why your client looks different   If you bought an outright license for Outlook with no subscription attached, you may have noticed it switching to a new version seemingly on its own. Microsoft’s rollout of New Outlook has been landing on Windows PCs regardless of what version you actually own. Whether you press the “Try the new Outlook” banner toggle or receive a sneaky popup that prompts you to do so, it means a separate version appears on your PC.    What is New Outlook? New Outlook has difficulty with larger .pst archives and offers limited functionality beyond reading them. If you rely on PST in your workflow, you may find it inadequate. New Outlook is a separate app built on a different underlying architecture. It’s installed separately from your standalone Outlook app, but supplants it as the default email client on your system. New Outlook repeatedly sets itself as the default app for email files, calendar links, and mailto links for some users – even after they’ve manually switched it back. New Outlook looks different than Classic with a modernised interface. It is faster for search and Microsoft is continuing to build it out. If legacy extensions and .pst file handling aren’t important to you, New Outlook is a solid option.        Read the full article here.

 

A Windows 11 storage bug could be eating your hard drive space If you’ve found your PC is mysteriously using up hundreds of gigabytes for no reason, you’re not alone. Microsoft has confirmed a Windows 11 storage bug that eats up hard drive space in a hidden system file. The problem is in a Windows component that logs application permissions. Its log file, CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal usually sits at around 1.6MB to 4MB, but affected machines running the 24H2 or 25H2 Windows 11 update cause the file to grow unchecked. Some users have reported the file reaching upwards of 70GB, and in one confirmed case, over 500GB. Microsoft has not listed the problem on its issue tracker although there have been months of user reports. In the latest update, the release notes specify “improved disk space usage” for the file in question.

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After the Upgrade: The Right Way to Dispose of Old Tech Millions of Australians upgrade their phones, tablets and other devices every year, especially during major sales events. But while many people enjoy the latest technology, old devices are often left sitting unused in drawers or end up in landfill. Those forgotten gadgets still contain valuable materials that can be recovered and reused, making proper recycling more important than ever. Helen Maisano from MobileMuster joined us to explain why recycling old tech matters, what can actually be recovered from these devices, and how Australians can safely and responsibly dispose of their unwanted electronics. Google Storage Update   Google recently announced a significant change to how Android device backups are stored, with backups once again counting towards a user’s available Google Account storage. While the change may sound minor, it could affect millions of Android users who rely on cloud backups to protect their photos, apps and device settings. For anyone close to their storage limit, it could mean needing to free up space or upgrade their Google One plan. Alex Choros from WhistleOut joined us to explain what has changed, who will be affected, and what Android users should do now to avoid unexpected storage issues.

 

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