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Ever gotten an e-mail offer that seemed just a little bit too good to be true? Might’ve been a phishing attempt! These are everywhere and can come in many different forms. 

So what’s phishing exactly, how can you detect it and how can you keep safe?

What is phishing?

Phishing (pronounced like fishing) is a type of cyberattack that tricks the user into trusting the source and revealing sensitive information. Fishing being the perfect analogy, the bait is a legitimate-looking site, e-mail or file and when you take a bite, your identity, banking information and much more can be revealed and stolen.

Some phishing attempts are incredibly obvious, others are super elaborate. Like with most types of malware, cybercriminals have become extremely well-versed in phishing and anyone can fall for it. To help you recognize and avoid it, we’ll take you through a couple of phishing types and give you tips on what to do if faced with them.

Phishing techniques

E-mail phishing

This is actually the most common type of phishing. A cybercriminal creates an e-mail containing stuff like attractive offers, legitimate-looking attachments or links and makes it appear as though it’s coming from a trusted source.

For example, it looks like it’s coming from your bank or your favorite retailer. The logo looks legit and the structure of the e-mail seems familiar, so you might get tricked into clicking on whatever clickable content is in it.

Unfortunately this exposes your device to malware that hands your data off to the hacker, who can decide what to do with it further.

SMS and social media phishing

Like the above example, you could be approached with lucrative offers or links via text messages or social media messages. Typically, the messages seem relevant to the user as they will be made to look like they’re related to apps or services you’re using.

Voice phishing

Voice phishing attacks are schemes that appear as though they’re coming from a credible number. Normally, you’ll get a call about something related to credit cards or taxes to get you into a state of worry, leading you to disclose personal information on the phone.

Spear phishing, whaling and BEC

Spear phishing normally targets specific individuals within a company who are likely to have access to sensitive data. Spear phishers spend time collecting information they can use to reach out to the individual looking as trustworthy as possible. They’ll typically lead with something relevant, for example mentioning an upcoming company event, and make a seemingly legitimate request.

Whaling is a more elaborate form of spear phishing, which targets people in even stronger positions such as executives or high-value individuals. The ultimate goal is to get them to transfer financial or other sensitive information that can be used to compromise the entire business.

BEC, or Business e-mail compromise, is a specific spear phishing technique carried out via e-mail. While there are many ways this is done, most commonly you’ll see instances where the phisher poses as a CEO or similar executive, or as a lower-level employee in specific positions (e.g. sales managers or financial controllers).

In the first situation, the impersonator reaches out to employees requesting them to transfer certain files or pay invoices. In the second situation, the phisher takes control of the employee’s e-mail account and sends false instructions to other employees in order to obtain data and information from them.

What can you do?

There are many ways you can be aware and spot a phishing attempt. Here are some tips:

• Always check the sender’s address in your e-mails, even when they seem to come from a familiar source.
• In any instance where payment information is requested, be very, very careful.
• If you are receiving attachments you never asked for and definitely didn’t expect, better not click on them. 
• Beware of content that transmits a sense of urgency (sales deals, urgent updates to login credentials, etc.).
• Bad spelling and grammar are usually a telltale sign of phishing.
• Links that look shortened (e.g. Bit.ly) or just suspicious in general - if you have a bad feeling, do not click on them.
• If you are receiving threats, you probably shouldn’t be clicking on anything in that message.
• Always examine first-time senders in detail.
• Block suspicious e-mail addresses, numbers and social media accounts.
• If you are receiving a coupon for free stuff… You aren’t.
• If you’re being asked to update your payment details by a service you use, such as Netflix, chances are it’s an impersonator.

Those are some of the ways to identify and prevent phishing attacks. However, sometimes phishers disguise themselves a little too well or a misclick happens and there you go - you’ve been exposed to malware.

This won’t happen if you invest in powerful protection software from the get-go, though. A good antivirus program like Bitdefender will keep you safe from becoming a victim of phishing scams. In fact, it will protect you from malicious attacks overall.

Be it your household or your business you’re concerned about, there are a bunch of different packages and options available, providing different kinds of cybersecurity services. That’s the only way you can ever really be sure you aren’t at risk of a digital attack.

Summary

Have you ever been targeted by phishers and didn’t know that’s what it was until you read this article? Many can relate. Protect yourself before it’s too late!

Error Code 0x80070017- What is it?

Error Code 0x80070017 is an error code that is most often associated with Windows 10 installations, although it has also been encountered by users on previous versions of the Windows operating systems. It is usually encountered as users attempt to install a new version of the software on their machine.

Common symptoms include:

• A vague error message regarding the inability of the system to copy over the necessary files pops up as users attempt to install a new version of the Windows operating system on their computer

While it can be hard to tell what the exact cause of Error Code 0x80070017 is on your specific device, the good news is that there are two primary methods that can be used to fix the problem and to allow you to proceed with your installation. These two methods do require some degree of technical knowledge and/or skill, so if you don’t feel like you have the ability to undertake them on your own, be sure to get in touch with a trusted computer repair professional to assist you.

Solution

Error Causes

The most basic cause of Error Code 0x80070017 is that some of the files that are needed by the system to complete the installation are either not being found by the computer or are believed to be corrupted by the system. When this happens, security features within the software prevent it from completing the installation process, so as to avoid damage to the computer. Error Code 0x80070017 can be disruptive to your installation process, but there are two basic methods that can be employed to resolve it.

Further Information and Manual Repair

While it can be frustrating to encounter Error Code 0x80070017 on your Windows machine, there are two methods that can be used to try to resolve the problem. One of these methods is extremely simple, even for the most basic users, while the second method takes a little bit more skill and technical knowledge. If you aren’t able to complete these methods on your own, be sure to get in touch with a qualified computer repair technician that can assist you. Here are the best ways to attempt to resolve Error Code 0x80070017 on your device:

Method One:  Clean Your Physical Disk

If you purchased a physical disk version of the installation files for your Windows operating system, remove the disk from your drive and clean it using a microfiber or other lint-free cleaning cloth. As you wipe down the disk, do not use any chemicals, and be sure to wipe gently from the center towards the outside edge rather than the other direction, as failure to do so can damage the disk irreparably.

In some cases, you may need to contact Windows support if you believe that there is an error on the disk itself, such as a scratch, that would prevent the disk from being used as needed in the installation process. They may be able to offer you a replacement disk or you may be able to download a digital copy of the version that you are attempting to install on your machine.

Method Two:  Use the Chkdsk Utility

To determine if there may be an error within the disk drive itself, place the installation disk into the drive and restart the system. Go through the prompts until you see the option to “repair your computer.” Choose the operating system that you are using, go into the menu for System Recovery, and type in the words “Chkdsk/r” to begin to use the tool.

Whenever you run a tool like Chkdsk on your computer, it is important to restart your machine afterward to ensure that any changes that have been made are able to be fully applied and accepted by the operating system that you are running.

Method Three: Use An Automated Tool

If you wish to always have at your disposal a utility tool to fix these Windows 10 and other related issues when they do arise, download and install a powerful automated tool.

There are a lot of online services and a lot of ways to get your public IP address. One of them being typing whats my IP in Google search and you will get immediate results. But there is a way to get the same information inside Windows 10 which could be very useful if for any reason you can not connect to mentioned services. By checking public IP directly inside your windows you can make sure that the issue for not being able to open some websites is not due to your public IP. In order to use this Windows feature, we will be checking our public IP using Windows PowerShell. To open Power Shell in Windows first press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open the run dialog Inside run dialog type Powershell and press ENTER In the Powershell type in the following command and press ENTER

(Invoke-WebRequest -uri "http://ifconfig.me/ip").Content

When the command finishes you will see what is your public IP address, if you wish to know more about your connection type in and press ENTER:

Invoke-RestMethod -Uri ('https://ipinfo.io/')

This command will provide you with further information like city, region, country, and others.

One of the useful features that came with Windows 10 is the Mobile Hotspot although there’s a downside to it – it drains your battery faster especially if your Windows 10 device is running on battery. Another one of its flaws in the implementation of this feature is that it stays activated even when the connection is idle. In other words, it is still activated even if no devices are connected to it. As a result, it consumes battery life and affects it. There are also instances when it affects the performance of the network connection. At the time of writing, Microsoft hasn’t done anything about this dilemma yet so in the meantime, you can continue reading this post to resolve this issue on your Windows 10 device. You can remedy this Mobile Hotspot issue by running a command in Windows PowerShell. To get started, follow the given instructions below.

Turn off Mobile Hotspot Automatically:

Step 1: The first thing you have to do is to copy the following command:

powershell -windowstyle hidden -command "Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/s,/c,net stop "icssvc" & REG ADD "HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesicssvcSettings" /V PeerlessTimeoutEnabled /T REG_DWORD /D 1 /F & net start "icssvc"' -Verb runAs"

Step 2: After copying the command given above, open the Notepad app and paste the command you copied there and save it. And when saving it, select the “Save as” option and its File type as “All files”. Step 3: After that, put “TurnOnTimer.bat” as the file’s name and save it on your Desktop. Step 4: Once done, run the file you just created, and when a User Account Control or UAC prompt appears, just click on Yes. Step 5: After you run the file, it will run a series of scripts in a command line which will turn off the Mobile Hotspot automatically when idle. And that’s how you automatically turn off the Mobile Hotspot when your Windows 10 device is idle. On the other hand, if you want to undo the changes made, you can always do so using the steps provided below.

Turn on Mobile Hotspot:

Step 1: Copy and paste the following command in the Notepad app:

powershell -windowstyle hidden -command "Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/s,/c,net stop "icssvc" & REG ADD "HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesicssvcSettings" /V PeerlessTimeoutEnabled /T REG_DWORD /D 0 /F & net start "icssvc"' -Verb runAs"

Step 2: After copying and pasting the command, save it as “TurnOffTimer.bat” on the Desktop. Step 3: Once done, run the file like what you did earlier and select Yes when a UAC prompt pops up. This will run a series of scripts on a command line which will revert the changes back to their default state.

The latest update from Panos Panay on Twitter is including New and redesigned Snipping tool inside Windows 11. From the shared video, we can see that it includes modern Windows 11 UI redesign and it looks and feels like a part of Windows 11. More things that can be seen from the shared video is that it looks like the new snipping tool is a merged version of the old with snip & sketch. It is good to see that it is still possible to capture screen with easier way natively inside Windows 11 but some more functionality would be more welcome I guess. Users were asking for added functions for a long time like adding simple text for example but from shared video, no new features were presented so for some users 3^rd party solutions will still be the way to go. The new and redesigned Snipping tool will roll out with the next update and we will see then about all new features inside it firsthand. Until then, take care.

Windows 11 has arrived and it is being adopted all around the globe as we are writing this article. People are adapting it daily and today we will take a look at some advanced security features of the new Windows and do you really need an antivirus in it. It is not a secret that Windows 11 is the most secure Windows ever created, well at least up until now. It is packed with advanced security features like S-mode, Secure Boot, and Trusted Platform Module (TMP 2.0). All these new security features that Microsoft has advertised made people question are enough for security or do you still need third-party Antivirus software. In order to get an answer to this question, let us first take a detailed look at what each one of them does, and then we will give you our opinion on a given subject.

Windows S mode

For everyday home use, Windows 11 S mode is the most secure feature to have on your PC. This is a safety protocol where only apps from Microsoft Store are allowed to be installed. This eliminates the risk of installing third-party apps that may contain viruses or malware. Furthermore, S-mode protects your web browsing activity through the Microsoft Edge browser. S-mode does not allow you to use other browsers for security reasons. If you are using Windows 11 in S-mode, your PC and data will be secure in most parts. You need not buy antivirus when using Windows 11 in S-mode.

Windows Defender

The inbuilt security suite, Windows Defender was launched for the first time in 2006. Earlier to that it had existed and was known as Microsoft AntiSpyWare. Windows Defender has undergone significant improvements over the years. In its latest version available with Windows 11, Windows Defender offers a comprehensive range of security features. It is available under the Windows Security system. Some key security features include real-time virus and threat protection, account protection, firewall & network protection, app and browser control, parental controls, and device (hardware) security. This is comparable to security features offered by third-party antivirus programs.

Microsoft Account

In Windows 11, it is necessary to use a Microsoft account that will be linked to your device. This ensures the security of your data in case your device is lost or stolen. You just need to make sure that you have set a strong password for your device. Windows 11 also has Bitlocker that keeps your data in encrypted form.

Ransomware protection

In view of rising cases of ransomware, Microsoft has introduced dedicated ransomware protection in Windows 11. It works by stopping apps from carrying out unauthorized changes to files and folders. Users can choose their important files and folders that they want to be protected from ransomware.

Conclusion

As we went through Windows 11 security features, we can clearly see that it is packed heavily with many security features that aim to protect your data and your identity. Looking at them, one can clearly come to the conclusion that you do not really need any third-party software and that Windows itself can catch and protect most of the issues, and they would be right. If you use Windows 11 carefully, meaning that you go only to trusted websites, do not open suspicious emails, and click on suspicious links, if you do not use extensively external USB devices or mass media you really do not need any kind of third party protection, Windows built-in tools will do well and keep you protected. However, if you do come in contact with other people's USB devices if you surf over the net, and overall if you really want to be at peace of mind that you are protected you will still need a well-established third-party software protection solution. Windows 11 has great security features, best so far in any Windows but it is still far from being a solution that does not require dedicated protection solution. So do yourself a favor and grab one. We recently had a top antivirus software review, find the article here and pick one that is best for you. https://errortools.com/viruses/the-best-antivirus-software-of-2021/

When you run a program in Windows 10, error 0xc000012f may pop up, mentioning that the files and binaries you’re trying to run are corrupted. Error 0xc000012f means Bad Image, denoting that the program’s executable or one of the supporting modules is corrupt. Or there is probably a DLL mismatch. This error usually manifests itself after a windows update or after installation of some application, in order to fix it follow the steps below:

1. Perform SFC scan

   Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the Windows menu From the menu choose command prompt (admin) In command prompt type sfc /scannow and press ENTER Leave the computer for the operation to be completed and Reboot your computer

2. Run DISM

   Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the Windows menu From the menu choose command prompt (admin) in command prompt type: DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth and press ENTER wait for the process to be finished and Reboot your computer

3. Reinstall application

   If this error has been popping up after the application install remove the installed application and install it again. There is the possibility that the application installer has by accident corrupted some files, reinstalling it might fix the issue.

4. Uninstall Windows update

   In some cases, Windows update can introduce this issue, go to Windows updates, into advanced options, and uninstall the latest update to see if this will fix the error.

5. Install Visual C++ Redistributable

   Go to the official Microsoft website and download C++ redistributable package and install it

6. Install new windows update

   If there is a new Windows update install, there is a chance that in the last update something went wrong and it is very likely that it was fixed in the last one.

Microsoft store is ready and prepared for Windows 11 official release on October 5^th and it is coming with some surprises. It has officially confirmed that many open source and free applications will be in it like Opera, VLC, discord, Libre office, etc. It seems that Microsoft wants to place its store as one place to go for all of your software needs. Another great surprise is the coming of Epic games store implementation. It was officially confirmed but not explained in detail, will we have Epic store opened in Windows store or we will only get installer as a package we will see but this is some great news. As for how it states now, it seems that the Windows store aims to eliminate searching the web for applications and bring them all into one environment with reviews and ratings so you know which one to install and use. It also features a great search engine to find proper applications for your needs. The new store will come to Windows 10 as well but after all Windows 11 has been mostly released and adopted. So expect it via update in two or three months' time. It would be great if some larger companies decide to join MS stores like Autodesk, Adobe, the Foundry, etc so you can install everything you need from it but one can only hope.

A PC that turns on by itself every so often can get quite annoying. Many users have faced this problem countless times. There are lots of possible reasons why your Windows 10 PC turns on by itself, wakes up from sleep, standby, or even when it’s shut down. To find out what exactly woke your computer, simply open Command Prompt as admin and type the following command:

powercfg –lastwake

Once you enter the command given above, it will show you the last device that woke your PC up. After that, you need to type in the next command:

powercfg –devicequery wake_armed

After entering the command, it will show you a list of all the devices that could wake your PC up. The goal in running these commands is to understand the reason what’s really causing your PC to turn on and see the reason is on the hardware level or not. Here are a couple of options you can try if your Windows 10 PC turns on by itself.

Option 1 – Try disabling Fast Startup

As you know, Windows 10 comes with a mode called Fast Startup which does not turn off the computer in the usual manner. This mode keeps your computer in a mixed state so that when you turn it on again, it will be a lot faster. However, as useful as this feature appear to be, some security experts find this an issue, for numerous reasons – for one, it can turn on your Windows 10 PC by itself. Thus, you need to disable this feature to fix the problem.

Option 2 – You need to stop the Task Scheduler from waking up your computer

There are times when the issue has something more to do with the software than hardware. It could be that you are using a Scheduled Task to get some work done on your computer at a particular time of the day or many times a day. That’s why if you really are using Task Scheduler, you need to change the Power settings of Windows to make sure that it ignores those tasks rather than deleting them instead when your computer is either on Hybrid or Standby mode.

• Open the Power Options and then click on “Change Plan Settings”.
• After that, make sure to choose the correct power plan and then select the “Change advanced power settings” option.
• Next, look for the Sleep tree and expand it to view the “Allow Wake Timers” option and then disable it. Disabling this option will make sure that none of the program that could wake your PC up when it’s either on shutdown or sleep mode. However, this only applies to laptops.

Option 3 – Try to disable Automatic Restart

There are instances when the computer crashes and the system restarts itself. This is actually by design – when your computer has been left on standby, the computer will restart and if the program repeats, it will keep on waking your PC up.

• In the Search bar, type in “system”.
• Once it appears from the search results, click on it.
• Next, select Advanced system settings on the left side and then go to the Advanced tab.
• From there, click on Settings under Startup and Recovery.
• Then unmark “Automatically Restart” and click on OK.

Option 4 – Adjust the Power Management option of both the Keyboard and Mouse

As you know, two of the culprits in waking your PC up are the keyboard and the mouse. If they’re slightly moved or hit, your PC turns on. To prevent these two from waking your computer up, you need to make some adjustments to their power management option since they have one. You can disable this option to ensure that they won’t wake your PC up unless you really want it to.

• Tap the Win + X keys and then tap M to open the Device Manager and list all the hardware on your computer. From there, select your keyboard or mouse.
• Next, right-click and then go to Properties and go to the Power Management tab.
• In this tab, uncheck the “Allow this device to wake the computer” box.

Note: Aside from the keyboard and mouse, if you are also using any gaming rig to play games on your computer, then you might have to disable their power options as well as they could also wake your computer. Just make sure that either the keyboard or the mouse has the ability to wake your computer up at the very least as it can be quite inconvenient to tap the Power button every time you want to turn on your computer.

Option 5 – Modify Wake On Lan

The Wake On Lan feature can bring back your computer online if it is connected to a network. This feature is useful especially when a computer wants to communicate or to send data or files to a network computer which should come online only when it’s requested. Wake On Lan is built into the hardware, i.e. network adapter so it is one of the possible reasons why your PC turns on by itself.

• Tap the Win + x keys then hit M to open the Device Manager and then under the Network adapters, look for the one that was listed above. Take note that you must not change anything with the ones that are listed as Miniport.
• Next, right-click and select Properties and then go to Power management and from there, uncheck the “Allow this device to wake up the computer” option. This will ensure that no PC on the network can ever wake your computer up.

Option 6 – Prevent any scheduled Windows Update and Automatic maintenance

It is also possible that the Windows Update has restarted your PC to complete the update. This depends on your active hours or a predefined schedule. AS you know Windows has a built-in Automatic Maintenance mode which wakes the computer up at the scheduled time and performs the system update. This could be one of the possible reasons why your computer turns on by itself. so to prevent any scheduled updates and maintenance, you can simply change the time for Automatic maintenance. How? Follow these steps:

• Open Settings then go to Windows Update and Security >Windows Update and select Active Hours.
• After that, type in “Automatic maintenance” in the search bar to change the time for Automatic maintenance.
• From there, you can adjust the timing or just uncheck the “Allow scheduled maintenance to wake up my computer at the scheduled time” box.

In an operating system, it is ideal for an administrator to have permission to access all the folders and files. However, there are times when you try to access the security settings or attempt to view the properties of a file, you could encounter an error saying, “You do not have permission to view this object’s security properties, even as an administrative user”. This kind of error may be caused by several reasons. For one, if your computer is infected with a virus or malware which might have caused some changes to the concerned folder or file. It could also occur if a program or service is using the folder or file simultaneously which explains why you’re not able to access the system. It could also be that the folder or file might have been owned by a user account that no longer exists or you might not have the permissions to view the targeted folder or file even though you’re logged in as administrator. To fix the “You do not have permission to view this object’s security properties, even as an administrative user” error, here are some options that might help.

Option 1 – Put your computer in a Clean Boot State

You can also troubleshoot the problem in a Clean Boot state. It could be that there are some third-party applications in your computer that’re preventing you from accessing security settings or properties of a file and to isolate this possibility, you need to boot your computer in a Clean Boot State and then try installing the program again. Putting your computer in this state can help you identify which program is the culprit and thus isolates the problem. In a Clean Boot state, your computer will start using only the pre-selected minimal set of drivers and startup programs. Note that you have to disable and enable one process at a time.

• Log onto your PC as an administrator.
• Type in MSConfig in the Start Search to open the System Configuration utility.
• From there, go to the General tab and click “Selective startup”.
• Clear the “Load Startup items” check box and make sure that the “Load System Services” and “Use Original boot configuration” options are checked.
• Next, click the Services tab and select the “Hide All Microsoft Services” check box.
• Click Disable all.
• Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
• After you’ve set your computer into a Clean Boot State, try to check if the error is now fixed and that you can now view the Properties.

Option 2 – Try booting your computer into Safe Mode and delete inactive users

Aside from the Clean Boot State, you can also reboot your computer in Safe Mode and then delete all the inactive users. There are instances when the folder was created or owned by a user account that’s either deleted or inactive now and so you need to get rid of these inactive user accounts to resolve the error.

• First, boot your computer in Safe Mode.
• Then right-click on the concerned folder or file and select Properties.
• Next, select Advanced in the Security tab and click on Add.
• A new window will appear and from there, click on “Select a principal”.
• And then type the name of the user to who you wish to give permissions in the “Enter the object name to select” box.
• Now select Check Names and this would resolve the user name.
• After that, click OK to save the settings. This will close the window and take you back to the previous one.
• Next, from the drop-down menu, change the Type to Allow and select the Full Control checkbox.
• Click OK to save the changes made and then restart your computer in a normal mode.

Option 3 – Try to take ownership of the folder or file

Another thing you can do to fix the problem is to take ownership and force the system into giving permissions to the Administrator. How? Refer to these steps:

• Type “command prompt” in the Windows Search bar and then right-click on the relevant search result and select “Run as administrator”.
• After that, if a User Account Control or UAC prompt appears, just click on Yes to proceed.
• Next, type and enter this command: TAKEOWN /F <path>
• Note that the <path> is the location of the folder or file in File Explorer.
• Now type and enter this second command: ICACLS <path> /grant administrators:F
• Finally, once the command has been executed, restart your computer and then see if you can now access the folder or file.

Option 4 – Try scanning your computer using Windows Defender

As mentioned, the error when accessing the security settings or properties of a folder or file might be due to a virus or malware. It could be that it had made some modifications that prevents you from accessing security settings or properties. To eliminate it, you have to scan your computer using security programs like Windows Defender.

• Tap the Win + I keys to open Update & Security.
• Then click on the Windows Security option and open Windows Defender Security Center.
• Next, click on Virus & threat protection > Run a new advanced scan.
• Now make sure that Full Scan is selected from the menu and then click the Scan Now button to get started.