insecure Archives - usatoday24

Windows 10 is as of today an insecure operating system. One that is installed on 4 out of every 10 computers in the world

October 14, 2025 by usatoday24

Today is the last day that Windows 10 will be officially supported by Microsoft. This means that this operating system will no longer receive security updates, and therefore the computers governed by said version will be exposed to security vulnerabilities that are discovered from now on. Windows 10 is too popular. The problem with this operating system going unsupported is that it is still enormously popular. It is true that Windows 11 has already managed to surpass it in share, but not by much. According to data from Statcounter GlobalStatsIn September 2025, Windows 11 has a 48.94% market share in Windows computers globally, while Windows 10 has a 40.5% share. Four out of ten Windows-based computers will use an insecure operating system. Five, without taking into account that one in ten continue to use even older versions: Windows 7 is installed on 9.61% of Windows computers, for example. Windows 11 is the version of Windows with the largest market share, but not by much. It overtook Windows 10 just a few months ago, and today Windows 10’s share is around 40%. Source: Statcounter GlobalStats. Remembering Wannacry. On May 12, 2017, we woke up to the news of a massive cyber attack that we first believed was had affected Telefónica and that it was actually global. The ransomware responsible for the attack, called WannaCryput companies in check from all over the world. The attack took advantage of a vulnerability called EternalBlue present in several old versions of Windows, including Windows XP, which at that time had a reduced market share (5%) but was relevant: it was still relatively used in companies that were exposed. The attack forced Microsoft to release a specific patch for this operating system, and showed how serious it can be rely on an insecure operating system. Payment lifeguard… To mitigate the problem that millions of users will now face, Microsoft offers two paths. One of them is the paying officer. The company has launched calls extended security updates (ESU, for its acronym in English). Although some requirements must be met (such as using Windows 10 22H2), many users can enroll in this program to continue receiving critical security updates. That, according to Microsoft, will allow time “while they make the transition to Windows 11”, which is the ideal solution for all Windows 10 users. This option is designed for business users but be careful, because said program – which in fact will have a total extension of three years – it’s not cheap: It costs $61 per device for the first year, $122 for the second, and $244 for the third. And entering the program later does not reduce the cost. …and free lifeguard. But Microsoft will also offer one more year of free security updates in Europe and the USA. In fact, in Europe, being able to activate that one-year extension of support for Windows 10 is relatively simple: just log in with a Microsoft account to access that option. It is best that you move to Windows 11. But obviously the best solution to avoid problems is to update your computer to Windows 11. It is possible to perform this update for free on Windows 10 computers according to Microsoft’s FAQ. Normally Microsoft requires that the PC or laptop meet certain requirements, but even in those cases it is possible to “skip” those obligations and install a modified Windows 11 with a little trick. Or give Linux a chance. There are other solutions, of course. One of them is to maintain the current equipment, but install some Linux distribution on it. Although that may put some users off, these distributions have been making it really easy for users to do the same things they do on their Windows computers for some time now. Including video gamessomething that Steam’s Proton platform has made possible. There is joy in the sale of PCs. In the third quarter of 2025, 9.4% more PCs were sold worldwide than in the same period of 2024. Source: IDC. The end of Windows 10 is a joy for PC manufacturers. Especially because this is the perfect excuse to change teams, especially in the business segment. Old PCs with Windows 10 are a huge security risk for these companies, which are especially forced to update their equipment or renew their IT fleet. That is also true for many users who take advantage of this circumstance, and that is causing a boost in sales. We are already seeing it: an analysis from the consulting firm IDC shows how in the third quarter of 2025, 9.4% more PCs were distributed than in the same period of 2024. Image | Clint Patterson In Xataka | If you have an old PC, there is an effective alternative to Windows 11 requirements and bloatware: this is how Flyoobe works

Hertz hired an AI company so that his clients felt safe by returning cars. Are more insecure than ever

August 3, 2025 by usatoday24

“I only have one problem, I am too perfectionist.” No, if you have thought about saying this in your next job interview, I would say you park the idea aside. And I would say that it is not the best idea if you want the work to move forward efficiently. It can be very effective but very little efficient. If you have doubts, ask Hertz. What happened? Hertz is one of the large rental cars companies. In his search to clarify the possible conflicts with customers about whether or not that scrape was before taking the car keys, the company associated with Uveye in April and since then it has been deploying verifier tunnels in the airports that analyze the state of the car. In its statementHertz pointed out that “AI -driven camera systems and Uveye automatic learning algorithms allow automated inspections in real time of the body, glass or tires.” The ultimate goal is to give “greater precision to our maintenance process, so that we can focus on our vehicles being ready when and where our customers want them.” Too much precision. And what if they have achieved precision. As soon as a few months have passed before the company has to face its first controversy. At the International Airport Hartsfield-Jackson From Atlanta, in the US, the system has already been mounted and one of the clients already knows what it is to face the scrutiny of the AI. Patrick, a client who had rented a Hertz car, found a $ 440 sanction by the company. This alleges that the customer marked the car with a scratch of 2.5 centimeters. With the contract signed by Patrick, the company defends that the driver must pay almost half of that amount for the repair of the car and, in addition, pay $ 125 for the processing and another $ 65 to administrative expenses. This reached the sum of more than 400 dollars. Nail clients. The client, they explain in The Drivehe refused to pay for the damage after seeing the images provided by the company that, through an application they advanced that, as if it were the soon payment of a fine of the DGT, he would receive a bonus of 50 euros. But Patrick’s case is not the only one. Carscoop He explains that more than one client has had problems with the artificial intelligence system that Hertz’s cars is reviewing. The problem, they say, is that the system is failing on some occasions, either ignoring friction in cars or by giving bodies that do not have any damage. There is nothing. This last medium echoes a client who has told his Reddit experience (Akkasca of user name). There he presented his case. Before leaving the car at Houston airport, Texas, she checked that everything was in order. The tunnel passed without novelty but when he already set up to the terminal, a notification came to the mobile phone that there was a body damage. Strange, he went to the car again and found that the detail shown by the AI should only be a reflection. He decided to record a video and, subsequently, present it as proof to Hertz. However, he says, the rent is washed and says that she has to talk to those responsible for the company of AI who, in turn, have dismissed the video in which nothing is seen. This is not. Chaos has also been followed by New York Post. The media indicates that among the few solutions that are there is, obviously, not to rent a Hertz car where they have implemented the tunnels with AI. The problem: at the end of the year they hope to have 100 operating tunnels distributed throughout the United States. The problem would be such if it were not for the small detail that the AI is not only being extremely careful on some occasions or making errors for the incident light in the body. As if that were not enough, there are friction that does not contemplate and, therefore, the next client runs the risk of being accused of touching a car that was already damaged. The solution should be to record a video in which the status of the car is shown before getting on it but we have already seen that in case of error Hertz’s clients are not obtaining the best response from the company. In fact, The New York Times It tells the story of a client who was sanctioned by the AI with more than $ 100 dollars despite the fact that a Hertz employee had verified that the car had been delivered correctly. Photo | Uveye In Xataka | We are less and less owners of our cars. The renting in Spain accelerates even between individuals

The most common and insecure passwords in the world, exhibited in a graphic developer

July 12, 2025 by usatoday24

Passwords They are a headacheand so it is just as it should be. We have more and more applications that require a password, something fundamental because in many we have associated payment data, but the Statistics evidence that, as much as there is Key managers And security gaps, we still do not give them the importance they deserve. In fact, every year ‘12345’ remains the most used password. It is not the only password that can be burst in seconds, but that we insist on continuing to use. And this graphic exposes it perfectly. Usual suspects. Prepared by Visual Capitalist With the data of NordPassin the upper graph we have the 25 most common passwords worldwide for 2024. To anyone’s surprise, ‘12345’ is the most popular, used more than three million times (according to the accounts of this service, so it can be many more), but it is accompanied by some consecutive numerical series a little longer, by the classic ‘password’ or by the first row of the keyboard, with more or a shorter length, but always left, but always left, but always left, but always left, with a length right. Passwords such as ‘Dragon’, ‘Monkey’ or ‘Iloveyou’ also appear, or the classic ‘Secret’. There are some that combine numbers and letters that, according to recommendations, give more strength to the key, but are such simple combinations that they do not make a difference in security. Burst in a second. Where do these passwords come from? Precisely, of a 2.5 TB database (which is said soon) that Nordass analyzed because they were credentials exposed in different security gaps. And beyond the number of times these unsafe passwords appear, what attracts attention is the time someone would take to burst them. You don’t have to be hacker to skip those passwords, and NordPass points that 25 can skip in less than a second. Of the most used, you have to go to the 28th place with ‘Target123’ to see that it would take nine seconds to crack it, ‘Tinkle’ would take two minutes and the first “safer” (Note the quotes) would be ‘Zag12WSX’, which would have been more or less and that it came out more than 90,000 times in different data leakers. Curiosity: Do not use Pokemon ‘like 45,776 people,’ Starwars’ as 34,427 or ‘Batman’ as another 24,638 people exposed because they are also bursting in less than a second. Spain and Latam without getting out of the line. Those are the most used worldwide, but something curious, and useful, is that we can filter through countries. If we look at Spain, ‘123456’, ‘123456789’ and 12345678 ‘are the three most used, but’ Spain ‘is the fourth and is somewhat safer. It would barely take that password that appeared 7,349 times in data filtration. ‘Spain’ would also take a couple of minutes and then there are some curious such as ‘Barcelona’ or ‘Alejandro’. Interestingly, if you have ‘Cristina’ as a password, it would take three hours to skip it. In Mexico the popular are identical to those of the rest of the world, but we have more insecure variety such as ‘Pokemon’, ‘Pass’, ‘Alejandro’, ‘America’, ‘Hello’ or ‘Carlos’. In Chile and Colombia, ‘Chile’ and ‘Colombia’ are among the most popular. In general, the list is quite curious, with “safe” passwords such as ‘111222Tianya’ in China or ‘Tkideltki’ in Taiwan, taking the Crackers one day to skip both. And return to recommendations. Six of the ten most used passwords are purely numerical and with extremely predictable patterns. Precisely, the trick to create a good password It is to use numbers, symbols and capital letters and lowercase with at least 12 characters. To do this, we have at our disposal programs that generate and manage these passwordsbut we can also take precautions changing the keys to timeuse Two -step verification methods whenever possible and take the habit of not reusing passwords. In Xataka | Beware of aircraft wifi: there are scammers that create false networks on flights

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