Over 90 malicious Android applications were found on Google Play, including the banking trojan Anatsa, which has contributed to 5.5 million downloads across these apps. Google removed the identified apps from the Play Store after the report, which highlighted that Anatsa targets over 650 financial institutions. Two infected apps, disguised as PDF and QR code readers, had over 70,000 downloads before being reported. Anatsa operates stealthily, stealing banking information while appearing as benign applications. Other malware threats on Google Play include Joker, Facestealer, and Coper. Users are advised to be cautious when downloading apps and to scrutinize requested permissions. The two Anatsa-infected apps are no longer available, and the developers have been banned. Google Play Protect helps safeguard users by removing known malicious apps.
Tyler Graham is an associate writer in CNET's home energy and utilities category, a recent graduate from Seton Hall University, and has been with CNET for seven months. He has attended a White House press conference, engaged in energy product testing at CNET's Testing Labs, and authored an article on federal solar policy. His expertise includes Community Solar, State Solar Policy, Solar Cost and Accessibility, Renewable Energy, Electric Vehicles, and Home Internet for Gaming. Ajay Kumar is an editor with over a decade of experience in tech journalism, having previously worked at Newsweek, PCMag, and Digital Trends. His expertise includes consumer product reviews, buying guides, and tech news, particularly in mobile products and electrical challenges in prewar apartment buildings.
Android 16’s first developer preview introduces a feature called "Notification Cooldown," which reduces the volume of repetitive app alerts when multiple notifications are sent in a short time. Alerts will appear quietly in the notification shade instead of making loud sounds, lasting up to two minutes. This feature was initially seen in Android 15 Developer Preview 1 but was not included in the public beta. It reappeared in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2, suggesting a broader rollout is expected by the second quarter of 2025 with the stable release of Android 16. The feature does not address persistent vibrations. The Google Pixel 9 offers significant value, closely resembling the features of the more expensive Pro and Pro XL models.
Google Play dropped its 2024 picks, celebrating the best in apps, games, books, and multi-device options. Partiful won Best App for reinventing event planning, AFK Journey claimed Best Game, and Max nailed Best Multi-Device App.
Microsoft has begun a gradual rollout of its 2024 feature update for Windows 11, which includes increased integration of artificial intelligence, support for Wi-Fi 7, and the introduction of Sudo for Windows. Notably, the update removes the WordPad text editor entirely, along with three essential files associated with it: Wordpad.exe, wordpadfilter.dll, and write.exe. Users are advised to use Notepad for basic text editing and Microsoft Word for rich text documents. WordPad is no longer under development and will not receive updates or security patches. To restore WordPad, users can download a verified software package from certain websites, which includes the necessary files. Microsoft’s decision to remove WordPad is speculated to be aimed at redirecting development resources and promoting Microsoft Office products.
Microsoft introduced its AI-driven feature, Windows Recall, which aimed to provide users with AI-enhanced access to their past activities by capturing screenshots every five seconds. However, it faced backlash from privacy and security advocates due to its automatic opt-out nature and inadequate data security. In response, Microsoft retracted Recall and made significant changes, including making it an opt-in feature, allowing uninstallation, encrypting the database, running processes in an isolated environment, and requiring Windows Hello for certain actions. Users now have controls over disk space allocation, data retention duration, and can delete specific data. Private browsing data will not be saved in major browsers, and website activity can be blocked. A system tray icon will indicate activity, and sensitive content filtering is included.
Microsoft has released an optional update for Windows 11 version 23H2, identified as KB5043145, which previews changes for the upcoming cumulative update. The update includes the restoration of the sign-out option in the Start menu, allows local files to be shared directly from the taskbar, removes the search box in the Windows Share window, and enables media controls on the Lock screen. It also addresses several non-security issues, including fixes for Microsoft Edge hangs in Internet Explorer Mode, a sync issue with Defender for Endpoint, and a problem with Outlook prompting for a PIN when opening encrypted emails. The update is available now, and users can check for it via Start > Settings > Windows Update. A restart is required to complete the installation. The cumulative update is scheduled for October 8th.
Support for older versions of Windows (7, 8, 8.1) and macOS (10.14 or earlier) in the open-source email client Thunderbird will officially end next month with the release of Thunderbird 115.15.0, which is the last major update for these systems. Thunderbird ESR 128 will also no longer function on these platforms. The latest version of Thunderbird, version 128, will only support Windows 10 and 11, macOS 10.15 and newer, and Linux. Mozilla has extended support for Firefox on older operating systems, but Thunderbird users will not receive this extension due to lower usage statistics, resource constraints, and the end of support by Microsoft for these operating systems. Approximately 600,000 Thunderbird users will be affected by this decision. After support ends, Thunderbird will still operate, but users will not receive updates or security patches. Alternatives for accessing email include web interfaces and limited email clients like Postbox and MailSpring, which support Windows 8 and 7, respectively.
Windows 11 has surpassed Windows 10 in usage on the gaming platform Steam, with 49.17% of devices running Windows 11 compared to 47.09% for Windows 10. However, according to Statcounter, Windows 10 still dominates the Windows market with 64.15%, while Windows 11 holds 31.61%. Windows 10 will receive official support until October 2025, after which users will need to decide whether to pay for continued security updates, use alternatives like 0Patch, or upgrade to Windows 11.
