warning system Archives

Tech Optimizer

December 1, 2025

Risks of Manual PostgreSQL Starts in Patroni Clusters: Downtime Warnings

Patroni is an open-source tool for managing PostgreSQL clusters, automating failover and replication. Manual starting of PostgreSQL services within an active Patroni cluster can lead to severe disruptions, including data integrity issues and availability risks. Patroni uses a distributed consensus system, often with etcd or Consul, to manage cluster state and leader elections. Manual interventions can confuse this process, resulting in multiple nodes believing they are the primary, which can cause conflicting writes and potential data loss. Real-world incidents have documented outages due to manual starts, such as promoting a replica node to leader status inadvertently. This disrupts Write-Ahead Logging (WAL) synchronization, leading to divergent transaction logs. Database administrators are advised to use Patroni's built-in commands for service management and implement role-based access controls to prevent unauthorized manual actions. Monitoring solutions are crucial for early detection of anomalies. Simulating failure scenarios in staging environments can help prepare teams for real incidents. Ongoing advancements aim to enhance Patroni's safeguards against manual overrides, with future iterations potentially incorporating AI-driven anomaly detection.

AppWizard

November 12, 2025

Google to Warn Users About Battery-Draining Apps, Plans Red Labels on Play Store by 2026

Google will introduce a proactive alert system for Android by March 2026 to identify battery-draining applications. This system will flag apps that maintain more than two hours of non-exempt wake locks within a 24-hour period across at least 5 percent of user sessions over 28 days. Users will receive warnings about problematic apps, which will also display red battery alerts in the Google Play Store. Developers of poorly optimized apps may face reduced visibility in the Play Store. Google collaborated with Samsung to enhance the system's accuracy, ensuring legitimate background processes are not flagged. This initiative aims to empower users and encourage developers to optimize their applications for better battery performance.

AppWizard

October 21, 2025

WhatsApp and Messenger add new warnings to help older people avoid online scams

Meta introduced new scam-detection features for WhatsApp and Messenger aimed at protecting older adults from online scams. The enhancements include warnings on WhatsApp for users attempting to share screens during calls and the ability to flag potential scam messages in Messenger, which will be reviewed by AI. In the first half of 2025, Meta identified and disrupted approximately 8 million scam-related accounts and took action against over 21,000 Facebook Pages and accounts impersonating customer support. The new warning system on WhatsApp aims to prevent scammers from extracting sensitive information, while Messenger is testing techniques to assess the legitimacy of incoming messages. The warning screen will inform users about common scam tactics and offer options to block or report suspicious accounts. Meta is collaborating with the National Elder Fraud Coordination Center, which includes major corporations and law enforcement, to address fraud targeting older adults.

AppWizard

September 26, 2025

TuneIn To Add Emergency Alerts On Android Auto App

TuneIn is enhancing its Android Auto app by integrating real-time emergency alerts through a collaboration with FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS). The alerts will be geo-targeted and categorized by severity, with lower-level threats prompting visual notifications and serious emergencies triggering audio interruptions and on-screen alerts. TuneIn's CEO, Rich Stern, highlighted the partnership's goal of making emergency alerts accessible through everyday apps and devices. The initiative aims to provide automotive manufacturers with a cost-effective way to deliver critical public safety updates through the TuneIn app in vehicles.

Tech Optimizer

August 20, 2025

Norton 360 adds Genie AI scam protection to all packages

Norton has launched Genie Scam Protection, integrating artificial intelligence to enhance its security software against AI-driven scams. Genie includes features like a Scam Assistant for on-demand security guidance and the ability to detect scams in SMS messages before they are opened. It scans text messages, emails, and images for signs of fraudulent activity and is included in all Norton 360 packages, starting with the AntiVirus Plus offering. The entry-level Norton AntiVirus Plus package provides antivirus protection, a password manager, and Genie scam protection for a single device. Higher-tier Norton 360 packages offer additional features such as secure cloud backups, a VPN, dark web monitoring, enhanced parental controls, and real-time credit monitoring. Promotional pricing is currently available for Norton 360 packages, with discounts of at least 50% for the first year. All subscriptions include Genie anti-scam protection, reflecting Norton’s commitment to combating evolving AI-driven threats.

AppWizard

August 1, 2025

Free adult NSFW content returns to itch.io, as one of the platform’s major payment processors expresses hope to ‘support adult content in the future’

Leaf Corcoran, the founder of Itch.io, announced a re-indexing of free adult content on the platform and the introduction of a new content warning system. This decision follows a comprehensive de-indexing of adult content due to pressure from an anti-pornography lobby group targeting credit card processors. Itch.io is seeking alternative payment processors that can handle adult material, as its primary partner, Stripe, currently cannot support sexually explicit content due to restrictions from its banking partners. Stripe has expressed a hopeful outlook for the future but cannot accommodate content "designed for sexual gratification." The situation arose after the Australian lobby group Collective Shout called for major payment processors to stop processing payments for platforms hosting adult content.

AppWizard

July 11, 2025

New ICE reporting app sparks national debate over safety, free speech

A new app called ICEBlock alerts users about nearby Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity by allowing them to report sightings of ICE officers. The app has quickly gained popularity on the Apple App Store and is designed to track location and send push notifications when ICE is reported within a five-mile radius. Users can report sightings anonymously, with reports deleted within four hours, and can only report once every five minutes. The app developer, Joshua Aaron, created it to protect vulnerable communities and insists it is not intended to obstruct law enforcement. Critics, including U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, argue that the app undermines law enforcement and endangers ICE officers. Aaron has faced criticism for not making the app available on Android due to concerns about user anonymity. He emphasizes that the app is legal and protected under the First Amendment.

Tech Optimizer

June 3, 2025

Malwarebytes Premium Security review

Malwarebytes, founded in 2004 by Marcin Kleczynski, is an independent cybersecurity company that provides effective malware protection globally. The Malwarebytes Premium Security suite includes antivirus, phishing and identity protection, and an unlimited VPN powered by Mullvad. Pricing for the one-year license for a single device is .99, while a five-device license costs .99, and a two-year plan is priced at .98. The Premium Security Ultimate plan offers full identity protection and credit monitoring for .99 for the first year, with renewal at 9.99. A limited free version is available that detects and removes existing threats but lacks real-time protection. The app features a straightforward design with a clear dashboard, prioritizing user experience. Malwarebytes focuses on efficient scanning of commonly infected areas, completing test scans in 13 minutes. However, it does not automatically scan removable drives and lacks a warning system for password-protected files. Independent lab testing is infrequent, but Malwarebytes has received an AVLab 'Product of the Year' award and demonstrated strong performance in MRG Effitas assessments. In practical tests, Malwarebytes effectively detected known malware but struggled with behavioral detection against custom ransomware. It includes anti-phishing features, initially blocking 16% of phishing sites, which improved to 62% with the BrowserGuard extension. The unlimited VPN offers encryption and privacy but has limitations in unblocking streaming services. The identity protection feature scans for breaches associated with user email addresses and Social Security Numbers for U.S. users.

Tech Optimizer

April 2, 2025

Improve PostgreSQL performance using the pgstattuple extension

PostgreSQL is an open-source relational database management system known for its extensibility, which allows developers to enhance its capabilities through various extensions and plugins. The pgstattuple extension provides detailed statistics at the tuple level from PostgreSQL tables and indexes, revealing key metrics such as the number of live tuples, dead tuples, average length of live tuples, total free space, and percentages of free space and dead tuples. These metrics help database administrators identify potential health and performance issues, such as excessive table bloat or index fragmentation. Both Amazon Aurora and Amazon RDS support the pgstattuple extension, which can be activated using the command CREATE EXTENSION pgstattuple;. Functions like pgstattuple(relation) and pgstatindex(index) can be used to analyze physical storage and index statistics. Bloat occurs when unused space is left behind after UPDATE and DELETE operations, and the autovacuum process in PostgreSQL automates the cleanup of dead tuples. However, if autovacuum fails, manual intervention may be necessary. Regular monitoring of bloat is essential for maintaining performance, and metrics from pgstattuple can help optimize autovacuum settings. The pg_cron extension can automate VACUUM operations to manage bloat proactively. Index bloat can also be detected using pgstatindex, and significantly bloated indexes can be rebuilt using REINDEX or pg_repack. Best practices for using pgstattuple include estimating bloat with check_postgres, analyzing physical storage, monitoring dead_tuple_percent, and avoiding interference on highly active tables.

AppWizard

April 1, 2025

Beware new Google ‘yellow warning’ that saves you from costly nightmare

Google has introduced a yellow warning banner in the Google Play Store to alert Android users about apps that are frequently uninstalled. This banner indicates that an app may not be meeting user expectations and could be due to poor functionality, excessive advertisements, or inflated costs. Additionally, Google has implemented two other notifications: one indicating lower user engagement with an app and another showing fewer users compared to other apps. These features aim to help users make more informed app choices and avoid potentially harmful applications. Google Play Protect is also available to scan downloaded apps for security, including those from outside the Play Store. Users can enable settings to improve harmful app detection, enhancing overall safety in the app ecosystem.