May 17 & 18, 2025 Show Notes
Victoria Day Long Weekend Edition
🎙️ Show airs live
Saturday: 10:05am-Noon
🔁 Rebroadcast
Sunday: 1:05pm-3pm on C-FAX
🎧 Podcast
Anytime
Your crew this weekend:
Ricky Winter
Co-Host
Tech Experience Manager at London Drugs Tillicum Centre
store +1 250-360-2753
1) If you have an Apple device, please update it ASAP to close a raft of security holes
Apple has released hefty updates for all its operating systems, to patch literally dozens of security holes, some of them critical, as well as to fix bugs.
- For iPhones and iPads, the update is iOS/iPadOS 18.5 which fixes 31 security issues, and is about 1.5GB, which is big. To get it without waiting for Automatic Updates, go to Settings> General> Software Update.
- If your iPhone or iPad doesn't have enough available storage to install the update, you can use iTunes on a PC or Mac to help install the update…
- If your iPad is too old to be able to run iPadOS 18, Apple has released a special update to give you as many of the security fixes as it can handle — iPadOS 17.7.7. Go to Settings> General> Software Update to get it, but please consider getting a newer iPad as yours is now at least eight years old, and is going to struggle to run more and more apps, as well as being vulnerable!
- If you have a Mac, Apple has released security updates for the last three versions of macOS:
- macOS Sequoia 15.5 which fixes 46 security holes
- macOS Sonoma 14.7.6 which fixes 31 security holes
- macOS Ventura 13.7.6 which fixes 29 security holes
- To get the update, click/tap on the Apple menu logo in the upper-left corner of your screen, and choose System Settings. In the window that opens, click General in the sidebar, then click Software Update on the right. (In earlier versions of macOS, choose Apple menu> System Preferences> then click Software Update.)
Note that not all the security fixes can be deployed on the older Mac operating systems. If you have a Mac that is too old to be updated to Sequoia, please consider buying a new — or at least newer — Mac so you'll be safe online, and able to run current versions of your software and apps!
- For Apple Watch, the update is watchOS 11.5, which fixes 21 security issues. To get it, open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap the My Watch tab, then tap General > Software Update.
- For Apple TV, the update is tvOS 18.5, which fixes 22 security isues. To get it, use your remote to go to Settings > System > Software Updates, and select Update Software. If there's an update, select Download and Install.
These updates would all be installed automatically if you have Automatic Updates on, but because these fix security holes which hackers now know-about, we encoureage you to not wait for an automatic update and insraed iupdate immediately.
2) Watch out for scam pop-ups claiming to be from Google advising that you're one of 100 reward winners
The pop-up most-often appears on Facebook, but has also appeared on other social media apps and sites and also on websites, and looks like this screenshot shared by Peter…
One of the clues that this is a scam is that the prizes offered include a $500 Tesco gift card; Tesco is a British chain. Also, they're offeroing phones that were released a year and a half ago. Another clue is that it's not addressed to you, but to "Dear Google customer".
If you hold your finger (on the actual pop-up, not on our screenshot!), you'd see that tapping on it takes you to a gibbersh website hosted in Spain (.es) or Poland (.pl).
There, you'll find a fake Google Rewards website where you have to answer three basic demographic questions and then pick a prize box. No matter which box you pick, you won't "win". But, they'll give you a second chance, and no matter which box you pick, you will "win". You pick your prize, and then they'll ask for your contact info and mailing address, and then you'll be asked to give them your credit card info to pay $7 or €5 for shipping your prize.
If you give them your credit card info, within minutes, the overseas scammers will be racking-up fake charges on your card. But even if you don't, by that point, you've already given them your contact info and mailing address, which they can use to try to steal your identity.
NEVER tap on buttons in pop-ups like this! Just force-close the app or web-browser, or if necessary, restart your device.
4) Steam says reports that 89 million of its accounts have been hacked are false
Gaming news feeds have been abuzz with word that passwords for 89 million Steam accounts have been offered for sale on the dark web, and security analysts have confirmed that samples of the data are authentic.
But if you have a Steam account, you can relax: Steam says it can say with confidence that it has not been hacked, and that you do not need to change your password.
Steam says the leak, which appears to have originiated with Twilio, which Steam uses to send 2FA codes, consisted of older text messages that included one-time codes that were only valid for 15-minute time frames and the phone numbers they were sent to. The leaked data did not associate the phone numbers with a Steam account, password information, payment information or other personal data. Old text messages cannot be used to breach the security of your Steam account, and whenever a code is used to change your Steam email or password using SMS, you will receive a confirmation via email and/or Steam secure messages.
5) Coinbase says hackers bribed staff to steal customer data, and are demanding $20 million ransom
Coinbase, which operates the largest crypto-currency exchange in the USA, says cybercriminals bribed overseas support agents to steal customer data, and are demanding a $20 million USD ransom, which it says it will not pay.
Coinbase says it instead is offering a reward of up to $20 million for info leading to the identification of the hackers.
Although passwords and private keys were not compromised, affected data included sensitive data such as names, addresses, phone numbers and emails; masked bank account numbers and identifiers as well as the last four digits of Social Security numbers; government ID images and account balances, the company said.
The incident may cost Coinbase up to $400 million to fix, the company estimated.
6) Google is rolling-out new features to reduce scam texts in Google Messages
Google Messages is getting five new security features, which include enhanced detection of package delivery and job scams, intelligent warnings about potentially dangerous links, and more.
These new features augment the app’s existing, built-in spam protection feature to protect you from new threats that have recently grown in popularity.
First, Google Messages is rolling out enhanced detection of package delivery and job scams. Texts about package delivery alerts and job seeking inquiries might seem harmless at first, but they’re often from spammers who are trying to get personal information from you so they can defraud you. Starting today, an enhanced, on-device scam detection algorithm that detects these kinds of texts is rolling out to Google Messages beta users who have spam protection enabled in settings. When the app detects a potential scam text, it’ll automatically move it to your spam folder or warn you about it.
Next, Google Messages will offer intelligent warnings about potentially dangerous links. The app will warn you when you get a link from an unknown sender as well as block messages with links from suspicious senders.
To protect you from scam texts originating from international numbers, Google Messages will let you automatically hide messages from international senders who aren’t in your contacts list. If you enable this feature, then these messages will be automatically moved to the “Spam & blocked” folder. However, this new feature will only roll out as part of a pilot program in Singapore later this year, after which Google will “look at expanding [it] to more countries.”
Sensitive Content Warnings is another new Google Messages feature that gives you more control over seeing and sending images that may contain nudity. Sensitive Content Warning blurs images that may contain nudity before viewing them, and it then prompts you with a “speed bump” that contains “help-finding resources and options, including to view the content.” When it’s enabled and you try to send or forward an image that may contain nudity, Google Messages will also show a “speed bump” that reminds you of the risks of sending nude imagery.
Lastly, Google has announced a new contact verifying feature that’ll make it harder for attackers to impersonate one of your contacts. This feature will let you verify your contacts’ public keys so you can confirm you’re communicating with the right person. The company says it’s creating a “unified system for public key verification across different apps” that you can verify through QR code scanning or number comparison. This feature is launching next year for devices running Android 9 or later with support for messaging apps like Google Messages.
Google’s new contact verifying feature is similar to the Contact Key Verification feature which Apple rolled-out 18 months ago.
7) A dozen top-end video cards can now crack eight-character passwords in just three hours
Hive Systems has released the 2025 edition of its password crack time estimate table, and it's a doozy. The company's researchers have calculated that all random passwords around 8 characters in length are easily brute-forced with only consumer-grade hardware.
Hive Systems used only 12 RTX 5090 cards for this experiment. You might be cocking your eye at "only", but remember that even at $4k a pop, a set of twelve cards would amount to around $48,000 USD; make it 60 grand USD with the accompanying infrastructure. That amount may be a serious chunk of change for a mere gamer, but it's nothing for a seriously invested cracker, especially one backed by criminal or government money.
This is why more and more companies are increasing the minimum number of characters in their passwords from 8 to 10 or 12, and requiring you to use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
Hive Systems
The 2025 Hive Systems Password Table Is Here - Passwords Are Easier to Crack Than Ever
Passwords that felt secure a year ago might not hold up in 2025. Hive Systems’ updated Password Table reveals just how much faster hackers can break into accounts today. See the latest cracking times and find out if your passwords are still safe while downloading your copy.
Tech Deals This Weekend
Headline
$350 for a refurbished Dell OptiPlex desktop PC, plus a new 24" monitor, and new mouse and keyboard
If you have a Windows 10 PC that's too old to be worth getting upgraded to Windows 11, here's a very affordable alternative: a refurb business-grade Dell OptiPlex 5070 desktop PC, with Windows 11 Pro, powered by an 8th-gen Intel Core i5 chip with a new 256GB SSD, 8GB of DDR4 RAM.
It comes bundled with a new 24" LG or Samsung monitor, and a new wired Logitech mouse and keyboard.
Gary at Tesseract has just four of them, and the whole package will be just $350 when Tesseract Computers reopens after the long weekend on Tuesday in downtown Victoria.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware: $35 for one year for three devices
We're big fans of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for protecting Windows and Mac computers and Android phones and tablets (it's not needed for iPhones or iPads).
A licence good for one year on any combination of three Windows, Mac, or Android devices is on sale this long weekend for $35 (save $20) at London Drugs stores and online.
Tech News Of The Week
Items start at #10, so the numbers don't get thrown-off if we add more security items above!
Tip: if an item in these Show Notes has the icon on the right in the upper-right corner, you can click/tap on it to make the additional info open in a new tab.
10) Rogers-owned Chatr has quietly added a 2,000-text limit to outgoing messages; extra texts will each cost 70 cents
In an extrordinary move that's sure to prompt more than a few clients to switch carriers, Rogers-owned Chatr has quietly added a 2,000-text limit to outgoing messages on all its plans.
You can still receive unlimited messages, but every text after you send 2,000 will cost you 70 cents!
Chatr appears to be the only major Canadian carrier to have a cap on the number of text messages you can send; all the others, ikncluding the budget and ultra-budget brands offer unlimited texting, although only include Canada or Canada/USA texting.
11) Microsoft has started testing "Hey, Copilot" in Windows 11
Two years after Microsoft shut down its Cortana digital assistant, the company is moving to bring back the feature, but with Copilot, its popular AI-powered chatbot.
The latest Windows 11 Insider test build includes the new "Hey Copilot" option, which you have to activate if you want to use it. It's expected to be rolled-out to all Windows 11 users this fall.
If you're on the Windows 11 Insider Build program, you can try it out now:
- Open Copilot
- Tap your avatar in the bottom left corner,
- Tap Settings
- Scroll down to Voice mode
- Toggle on “Listen for ‘Hey, Copilot’ to start a conversation” (it's off by default)
Windows Insider Blog
Copilot on Windows: “Hey, Copilot!” begins rolling out to Windows Insiders
Hello Windows Insiders, we are beginning to roll out an update for the Microsoft Copilot app on Windows via the Microsoft Store which introduces the following changes and improvements: Copilot wake word: Windows Insiders can now inv
Cortana was originally introduced in 2014 as Microsoft's answer to Siri and Alexa, but over time, Microsoft shifted its focus toward AI-powered productivity tools like Copilot.
12) A free-with-ads eSIM network called "Firsty" is now available here in Canada, but the connection speeds are horrible
Free mobile service is now a reality here in Canada, if you're willing to watch some ads, but the limitations are so significant That it's hard to imagine anybody being satisfied with the service.
The provider is Firsty, which is based in Amsterdam, and offers free mobile data service In more than 180 countries, with Canada being the latest.
The company (founded by a travel agency in The Netherlands), offers three tiers of service similar to airlines: Firsty Free, Comfort Plus, and First Class.
Firsty Free gives you 300MB of data per day, but you have to watch a few ads to start, and more at least every six hours in order to stay connected, and you're limited to emails, texts, and Uber. But, the worst part is that your connection speed is just 1Mbps (not a typo!), which is only marginally better than dial-up speeds from decades ago!
You can pay €1 a day (about $1.56 CAD) and 'upgrade' to Firsty Comfort Plus service, which eliminates that ads, and lets you also browse the web, but your speed will still be limited to 5Mbps inituially, reducing to just 512Kbps after 1.5GB of data use, which is essentially useless, with even a simple text message of a few words taking more than a minute to send. By comparison, most carriers here in Canada offer up to 100 Mbps on even their cheapest plans — 100x the speed! At 5Mbps, the top speed on Firsty Comfort Plus, you'll be frustrated trying to do much of anything online, and certainly no video calls.
The company does now offer First First Class, which costs €2.5 a day (about $4 CAD), which boosts your daily data limit to 5GB, and your speeds to what the company says (without specifying an actual speed) is fast enough for video calls.
And none of the Firsty tiers includes any phone calling — texting, emailing and data only, although on First First Class you can make audio and video calls via free messaging apps liuke WhatsApp.
So while the prices are attractive, we can't imagine anyone being satisfied with what you get.
13) Rogers has added 150+ international channels to its Xfinity TV service, and is offering free viewing of them till June 17
Rogers says the latest additions to its cable TV service have boosted the number of available channels to 480, the most of any Canadian provider.
Rogers says that includes more than 150 international channels in more than 20 languages.
Those channels are now available in Free Preview Mode till June 17, after which you can choose the ones which you want to subscribe to, either individually or in theme packs.
About Rogers
Rogers Xfinity TV Now Delivers the Most Content in Canada - About Rogers
Adds more than 150 international channels in 20+ languages Customers get live news, sports and entertainment with the best entertainment experience TORONTO, May 15, 2025 – Rogers Xfinity TV offers the most content of any television provider in Canada with the addition of more than 150 international channels in over […]
14) Chrome’s Android app will now let you zoom in on text without affecting the whole webpage
Google is rolling out a handy update for Chrome on Android, as it will now allow you to zoom in on text without affecting the appearance of the webpage. You can use a slider to enlarge text, and then set it for one page or for all the sites you visit.
Previously, when you zoomed in on a page in Chrome’s Android app, it enlarged the entire page, making the site more difficult to navigate.
You can try out the updated zoom feature by tapping the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of Chrome and then selecting how far you want to increase the size of the text.
15) Netflix is going to start adding overlay ads to its ad-supported tier next year, using AI to determine when and where the ads will be
Netflix says its ad-supported $8/month tier has helped boost its number of worldwide subscribers to its ad-supported service to more than 94 million people.
To capitalize on the popularity of the discounted-price ad-supported tier, Netflix says it's working on adding 'overlay' banner ads, which will pop-up somewhere on the screen during shows, and it says it'll use AI to determine where in the show, and where on the screen, to make the ads appear starting next year. Netflix says the goal is to not have them appear during key moments, or in a position on the screen that blocks significant content.
16a) Sony is considering upping PS5 prices worldwide to soften the blow of tariffs in the USA
Sony says it's projecting a $685 million USD hit from USA tariffs, and is considering raising the worldwide price of its popular PS5 gaming console and accessories to help offset that.
16b) NVidia GPU's are likely going to soon get a lot more expensive because of USA tariffs and limits on which countries can use them
If you want to buy a new console or a gaming GPU for your computer, you’ll likely soon have to shell out a lot more money than expected.
A new report from a Taiwan-based tech news outlet claims that GPU maker Nvidia is facing “multiple crises,” which include a $7.6 billion hit to its earnings due to export restrictions on AI GPUs and tariffs.
16c) Trump says he's 'too busy' for his own tariff negotiations, so countries will get a letter dictating terms
Countries including ones who supply Apple, have been told they will no longer get to negotiate tariffs with Trump, because he hasn't got the time.
Instead, Bloomberg is reporting that over the next few weeks, many countries will get a letter from US ATreasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick "essentially telling countries what they'll be paying to do business in the United States".
17) Bluetooth 6.1 standard released; it'll enable more distant connections, more-accurate locating, and lower battery use
Bluetooth is the technology that we use to wirelessly connect our phones to our cars, our headphones to our phones, wireless speakers to our cars, hearing aids to our phones, and a myriad of other wirless device connections.
Bluetooth has been around for more than a quarter century (the Sony Ericsson T36 was the first Bluetooth-enabled smartphone in 2001), and over the years, the stardard has evolved significantly.
(Fun fact: 'Bluetooth' was originally a placeholder name for the technology when it was invented in 1994, named after Harald Bluetooth, a Viking king who united Norway and Denmark in the 10th century, but the name stuck.)
The latest iteration, Bluetooth 6.1, has just been approved, and it brings Increased device privacy by randomizing the timing of address changes to make it much more difficult for third parties to track or correlate device activity over time. It also once again extends the range of Bluetooth connections while lowering power consumption, and also boosts the accurancy of signal ditrection, which will make it easier for people to use object trackers like AirTags to locate the tag.
The first phones and devices to include Bluetooth 6.1 are expected to be released this fall.
Bluetooth® Technology Website
Delivering on the bi-annual release schedule: Bluetooth® Core 6.1 is here | Bluetooth® Technology Website
Blog The Bluetooth® Core Specification recently moved to a bi-annual release schedule. This shift enables more frequent and consistent delivery of completed features, fostering faster innovation and…
18) Real ID now required to board a flight in the USA, but for non-residents, a passport or NEXUS card will suffice
A big change has just taken taken effect for people boarding a plane in the USA: to get through security screening and onto a plane, you now have to show photo ID that is "Real ID compliant", and if you don't, you'll be shifted to a long line where you'll undergo additional inspections and questioning.
For Canadians and others from outside the USA, passports and NEXUS cards are REAL ID compliant, so nothing changes for us!
For Americans, it means showing a Real ID compliant driver's licence or state ID card which has a gold star in the upper right, or is marked "Enhanced Drivers Licence", which signifies that the issuing body has taken extra steps to confirm the identity of the person.
The Real ID requirement took effect on May 7.
19a) Carry-on luggage sizes have now been standardized for most of the world, but 60% of popular carry-on's will be a bit too big
The good news is that airlines here in North America and Europe (and also more and more other countries) have finally agreed to standardized carry-on luggage size limits, so if your carry-on fits on one airline, it'll fit on all of them.
The bad news is that the new standardized size — 56cm x 40cm x 23cm (22" x 16" x 9") is a slight bit smaller than about 60% of carry-on's in use today.
If your carry-on is too big, airlines will start requiring you to pay to have it checked, although initially, they may check it for free till the new size limits become commonly-known.
In addition to the new standardized size limit, the carry-on weight limit is also being standardized: 10kg (22 pounds). If your carry-on is heavier than that, you may be required to either remove some items, or pay to have it checked.
Here are the old size and weight limits for 64 airlines prior to the standardization…
19b) Rules governing pocket power-banks and portable electronics carried onboard planes (in carry-on's or personal items) have also been standardized
- The new rules require that all portable electronics must have enough power to be turned-on if requested by security screening staff. If your laptop or tablet doesn't have enough power to be turned-on, you can be required to leave and charge it up and return for re-screening, or to leave it behind.
- There's a new 20-device limit on portable electronics being carried aboard per person
- According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), power banks with a capacity of up to 100 watt-hours (Wh) are allowed in carry-on baggage. Most power banks of 20,000 mAh or less will be within this limit. (Read on for the formula to use to be sure.) Spare batteries are strictly prohibited in checked luggage for safety reasons. These guidelines align with the regulations set by the FAA and TSA for domestic flights, ensuring consistency in safety measures.
- If your power bank exceeds 100 Wh but is within the 101-160 Wh range, you can carry up to two spare batteries in your carry-on, though airline approval may be required.
- Batteries larger than 160 Wh are not permitted in either carry-on or checked baggage and must be transported as cargo in compliance with IATA’s Dangerous Goods Regulations.
To check if your battery pack complies with regulations, you need to convert mAh to Wh using a simple formula: Watt-hours (Wh) = (Voltage (V) × mAh) / 1000
For example, most power banks use lithium-ion batteries with a typical voltage of 3.7V. If you have a power bank with a capacity of 10,000 mAh, the calculation would be:
Watt-hours = (10,000 mAh × 3.7 V) / 1000 = 37 Wh
So, yes, you can bring a 10,000 mAh power bank on a plane, as it falls below the 100 Wh limit.
Similarly, if you have a 20,000 mAh protable charger, it would be approximately 74 Wh. This is also within the allowed range for carry-on luggage.
22) We've also started compiling a list of our favourite phone apps
The "Our Favourite Apps" list — which will have a lot more added in the coming weeks — is on our home page, and you can also get to it by going to Tech-Talk.ca/apps.
…and finally, our "Sign Of The Week"…
And so it goes…