reporting Archives

Tech Optimizer

July 3, 2026

Why identity theft protection now matters just as much as antivirus

Cybercrime has shifted focus from targeting individual devices to stealing credentials and personal data for identity theft. In 2024, consumer losses due to fraud reached billion, a 25% increase from the previous year, with over a million identity theft reports filed. Stolen passwords and session cookies are central to most breaches, making credential theft the primary enabler of attacks. Password reuse is a significant vulnerability, with 65% of individuals reusing passwords, leading to increased risk of account takeovers through credential stuffing. Bitdefender offers features like Scam Protection Pro, which protects against fraud across email, chat, and SMS, and identity monitoring in Ultimate Security that alerts users to data leaks in real-time. In 2025, researchers identified approximately 2 billion unique leaked credentials, emphasizing the need for identity protection alongside traditional antivirus solutions.

Winsage

June 29, 2026

OEMs reveal Windows 11 Secure Boot fix after deadline passes, here’s how to update your PC

Major PC manufacturers, including HP, Dell, ASUS, Lenovo, MSI, Acer, Samsung, LG, and Microsoft’s Surface division, have provided guidance on transitioning to new Secure Boot certificates as the expiration of Microsoft’s 2011 certificates approaches. The expiration will occur in three phases: Microsoft Corporation KEK CA 2011 expired on June 24, 2026; Microsoft UEFI CA 2011 expired on June 27, 2026; and Microsoft Windows Production PCA 2011 is set to expire on October 19, 2026. Microsoft has begun rolling out replacement certificates through Windows Update, contingent on OEMs providing compatible BIOS updates. ASUS offers detailed documentation for both consumer and commercial devices, confirming that most users will receive updates automatically. Lenovo provides direct download links for BIOS updates organized by product family and specifies which products will not receive updates. Dell's support article covers its entire product lineup, noting that devices with an End of Service Life before January 1, 2026, will not receive updates. HP outlines a dual-track approach for updates, with specific timelines for commercial PCs. Microsoft's Surface devices receive updates directly from Microsoft, while MSI categorizes guidance based on processor generation for its laptops. Acer emphasizes backing up the BitLocker recovery key and provides a model table for confirmed BIOS release dates. Samsung confirms that all PCs running Windows 10 or 11 will function normally post-expiration, but security updates will cease. LG has released a guide for checking BIOS updates for its PCs. To verify if a PC has the 2023 certificates, users can check the Secure Boot section in Windows Security. A green checkmark indicates successful application, while yellow or red icons indicate pending updates or incompatibility. Microsoft has pushed the certificates to all eligible devices as of June 2026.

AppWizard

June 27, 2026

Legacy of Atlantis is “perfect” for newcomers, because it’s “the foundation of where Tomb Raider is going”

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is designed to appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers, blending nostalgia for the original Lara Croft with elements from the 2013 reboot trilogy. Experience Director Jeff Adams describes it as a reimagining that operates on a deeper level, while Art Director Arek Tomaszewski notes that the nearly ten-year gap since the last game has heightened anticipation. Game Director Raul Siqueira emphasizes that Legacy of Atlantis is a standalone experience that introduces Lara Croft's character effectively, with no prior knowledge required. The game is set to launch on February 12, 2027, and can be wishlisted on Steam.

AppWizard

June 27, 2026

Star Wars Galactic Racer is “a marriage made in heaven” for its creators at Fuse Games

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is being developed by former Burnout developers at Fuse Games as a spiritual successor to Episode I: Racer. The game features a variety of vehicles including landspeeders, skim speeders, and speeder bikes, each with unique strengths. Podracers will also be included, emphasizing their significance in the Star Wars racing universe. The studio has a history in arcade racing, with experience from the Burnout series and titles like Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit. The game will focus on rivalries, featuring familiar characters like Sebulba and new characters with distinct racing styles. Star Wars: Galactic Racer is set to be released on Tuesday, October 6, and players can wishlist the game now.

Tech Optimizer

June 26, 2026

EDB launches agentic Postgres AI with governance tools

EDB has introduced new features for its Postgres AI platform, including an agentic database and converged analytics capabilities, allowing enterprises to run AI agents alongside transactional workloads on a unified PostgreSQL foundation. The platform includes governance tools that position control mechanisms at the data layer and integrates AI processing with operational data, enabling businesses to connect live records with AI systems without transferring sensitive information. The agentic database can monitor over 200 metrics, identify issues, suggest changes, and apply fixes automatically based on user-defined policies. It consolidates various data types through a single SQL interface, significantly accelerating database tuning processes and enhancing application performance. EDB has also expanded its analytics capabilities with a zero-ETL architecture for real-time analysis and large-scale warehousing. EDB PG AI for ClickHouse targets real-time analysis, while EDB PG AI for WarehousePG focuses on historical analysis at petabyte scale. The platform claims up to 30 times faster query performance compared to legacy systems and improved scaling efficiency. EDB's platform integrates vector search and retrieval for AI agents, demonstrating lower query latency and higher retrieval accuracy than competitors. NTT East is using EDB PG AI for AI-driven network operations, while the governance feature manages agent access at the data querying point using native Postgres roles and row-level security. The platform can be deployed on-premises, in hybrid environments, or across cloud infrastructures, with partnerships including Dell, IBM, Nvidia, Red Hat, and Supermicro.

AppWizard

June 25, 2026

From Idea to Launch: Essential Steps for Building a Successful Android App

Building a successful app requires transforming a strong idea into a useful, reliable, and discoverable product. Key steps include addressing a genuine problem, developing an effective initial version, conducting thorough testing, and launching with a strategic plan. Many apps fail by neglecting essential steps, leading to confusion or lack of real need. It is important to identify specific problems the app aims to solve rather than starting with an extensive feature list. Understanding the target audience and their pain points is crucial for making informed decisions. Validation can be achieved by examining reviews of competing apps and engaging with potential users to assess interest in the solution. The initial app version should be the smallest iteration that delivers tangible results, focusing on the primary user journey. Outlining the user flow is important for a smooth experience, ensuring that permission requests are logical and intuitive. Early-stage apps should exhibit stability, integrating analytics and crash reporting from the beginning to understand user behavior. A gradual launch is recommended, starting with internal tests and moving to closed tests with target audience members. This phased approach allows for learning and adaptation, ensuring that the initial version effectively addresses a real problem and engages users.

Winsage

June 25, 2026

Windows 11 Secure Boot update released to all, hours ahead of expiry

Microsoft has begun rolling out the Secure Boot 2023 certificate update to eligible Windows 11 and Windows 10 PCs ahead of the expiration of the Microsoft Corporation KEK CA 2011 on June 24, 2026. This update enhances device targeting data for automatic Secure Boot certificate updates. Secure Boot is a firmware-level security feature that verifies digital signatures of boot components to prevent rootkits and bootkits. The certificates for Secure Boot were first issued in 2011, with subsequent expirations for related certificates occurring in June and October 2026. Users can check their Secure Boot certificate status through the Windows Security app or System Information. If a PC does not receive the update, it will still boot normally but will lose the ability to receive future boot-level security updates. Multiple restarts after updates are expected due to the Secure Boot certificate process. A new folder, C:WindowsSecureBoot, is not malware but is used for staging cryptographic certificate files. Windows 10 users enrolled in the Extended Security Updates program will also receive the Secure Boot update, while those not enrolled will not. The expiration of the KEK CA 2011 means Microsoft will not be able to sign new Secure Boot revocation payloads using the old key, but existing signed payloads will remain functional.

Winsage

June 24, 2026

Windows 11 Secure Boot update released to all, hours ahead of expiry

Microsoft has begun rolling out the Secure Boot 2023 certificate update for eligible Windows 11 and Windows 10 PCs ahead of the expiration of the original certificates on June 24, 2026. The update includes additional device targeting data to increase coverage for automatic updates. Devices receive the new certificates after demonstrating successful update signals. The original Secure Boot certificates were issued in 2011, with expiration dates set for June 24, 2026, June 27, 2026, and October 19, 2026. Microsoft has been distributing replacement 2023 certificates since 2024, with the June 2026 update expanding eligible devices significantly. Users can check their Secure Boot status through the Windows Security app or System Information. If a PC did not receive the update, it will still function normally but may not receive future boot-level security updates. Multiple restarts after updates are expected behavior, and the SecureBoot folder in Windows is not malware. Windows 10 users in the Extended Security Updates program are also receiving the Secure Boot update. The expiration of the Microsoft Corporation KEK CA 2011 on June 24 means no new Secure Boot revocation payloads can be signed with the old key, but existing signed payloads will continue to function.

Winsage

June 23, 2026

‘Going to make myself stick with SteamOS instead of slithering back to Windows’: gamers get ready to abandon Windows 11, as Valve focuses on boosting SteamOS on the desktop

Valve is enhancing SteamOS to improve compatibility with desktop hardware and collaborating with Nvidia for better GPU support. The recent release of SteamOS 3.8 includes enhancements for Intel CPUs and Nvidia GPUs, as well as improvements in video memory management for discrete graphics cards. The update features KDE Plasma version 6.4.3 with Wayland support, improving external display and variable refresh rate support. Discussions on platforms like Reddit show growing interest in switching from Windows 11 to SteamOS, with users reporting positive gaming experiences on the latter. Some gamers have noted better performance on Linux-based systems compared to Windows 11, indicating Valve's efforts to promote gaming on Linux. Despite SteamOS being a niche option, its advancements may make it a more appealing alternative for gamers, potentially influencing competition with Windows 11.

Tech Optimizer

June 20, 2026

How Five PostgreSQL Optimizations Sped Up Our Dashboard

The dashboard operates on a Django monolith with PostgreSQL and is transitioning to ClickHouse for denormalization. The initial p50 metric was 0.7 seconds, but the p95 was 8 seconds, which was reduced to 1 second. Observability tools were established to monitor performance, and slow HTTP requests were identified using OpenTelemetry traces. Optimization techniques included late joining, asynchronous counting, creating a PostgreSQL replica for read operations, and improving full-text search. Denormalization was explored to enhance filtering performance by creating composite indexes. The production stack was upgraded to PostgreSQL 18, which provided incremental performance improvements. The final p95 value achieved was 1 second, below the target of 3 seconds.