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Category: Apps

  • Download MIUI 12 Stable Update Rolling Out to Xiaomi Phones:

    Download MIUI 12 Stable Update Rolling Out to Xiaomi Phones:

    MIUI 12 is the latest gala launch from the Xiaomi smartphones community, or maybe vaster than jump android version. MIUI 12 is a phenomenal happening. This post will act as a treasure house of download links of all Xiaomi phones that have attained their official MIUI 12 stable updates. MIUI 12 stable update:

    Features:

    • New animations
    • Alterations in navigation gestures
    • New live wallpapers
    • Privacy indicators for microphone
    • AOD designs
    • Camera
    • Location usage
    • Improvements to multi-window
    • Picture-in-picture
    • In-built sleep tracker.

    Many Xiaomi phones have already installed the MIUI 12 update or are on the way to getting MIUI 12 update.

    NOTE: Xiaomi follows a mere hair-line difference between “stable” updates and “beta stable” updates.

    READ | Totok Removed by Apple and Google After Caught Spying on Users

    Install OTA updates

    OTA
    https://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.0.0.11… DOWNLOAD LINKS https://www.xda-developers.com/downlo… Recovery ROM https://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.0.0.11… Xiaomi Mi 9T (davinci)- https://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.0.1.0.QFJMIXM/miui_DAVINCIGlobal_ V12.0.1.0.QFJMIXM_f09a4569f4_10.0.zip Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G (andromeda)- Europe (andromedaeeaglobal) 1.5. V12.0.7.0.PREMIUM (Recovery ROM) https://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.0.7.0.P… (Fastboot ROM) https://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.0.7.0.P… Global (andromedaglobal) 2.4. V12.0.4.0.PREMIUM (Recovery ROM)https://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.0.4.0.P… (Fastboot ROM) https://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.0.4.0.P… Xiaomi Mi 8 (dipper): Recovery ROM http://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.0.1.0.QEACNXM/miui_MI8_V12.0.1.0.QE ACNXM_a855357838_10.0.zip Fast boot ROM https://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.0.1.0.QEACNXM/dipper_images_V12.0. 1.0.QEACNXM_20200717.0000.00_10.0_cn_50985c2be9.tgz
    Xiaomi11 T(agate):
    https://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.5.1.0.RKWMIXM/miui_AGATEGlobal_V1 2.5.1.0.RKWMIXM_fcb5bac54c_11.0.zip https://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.5.3.0.RKWMIXM/miui_AGATEGlobal_V1 2.5.3.0.RKWMIXM_ce676a09db_11.0.zip
    Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro (Raphael) Global
    https://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.0.1.0.QFKMIXM/miui_RAPHAELGlobal_ V12.0.1.0.QFKMIXM_3909d01bab_10.0.zip Fast boot ROM https://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.0.1.0.QFKMIXM/raphael_global_images _V12.0.1.0.QFKMIXM_20200613.0000.00_10.0_global_7b154f275e.tgz Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Global: https://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.0.1.0.QFKMIXM/raphael_global_images _V12.0.1.0.QFKMIXM_20200613.0000.00_10.0_global_7b154f275e.tgz Xiaomi Mi 10 (umi) https://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.0.1.0.QJBMIXM/miui_UMIGlobal_V12.0. 1.0.QJBMIXM_127910e56e_10.0.zip Fast boot ROM https://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.0.1.0.QJBMIXM/umi_global_images_V1 2.0.1.0.QJBMIXM_20200709.0000.00_10.0_global_277de8c03d.tgz Xiaomi Mi 10 Youth Edition- (China) Recovery ROM https://hugeota.d.miui.com/V12.0.3.0.QJVCNXM/miui_VANGOGH_V12 .0.3.0.QJVCNXM_31d364887a_10.0.zip FLASHING INSTRUCTIONS FOR MIUI 12

    These general instructions should be applicable on most Xiaomi smartphones. If it is not applicable on your phone, we advise you to visit the device forum for device-specific instructions. Recovery ROM installation:

    (1)-Method:

    • Move the downloaded .zip file to the device. Make sure to place the file in your phone’s total memory (internal storage).
    • Now, go to settings then About phone. Click on the dots on the top right side of your screen, tap “choose update package.”
    • If the Update package is unavailable, click on the screen several times to activate the update package option.
    • Select the downloaded zip file.
    • Update is installed on your device.

    (2)-Method:

    • Rename the. Zip file and update. Move it to internal storage.
    • Reboot the phone into recovery mode.
    • Press the volume keys and select the option by holding the power button to visit the install
    • update zip.
    • Wait for the update to install and reboot.

    There you go!

    Enjoy your MIUI 12 stable update on your device.

  • Totok Removed by Apple and Google After Caught Spying on Users

    Totok Removed by Apple and Google After Caught Spying on Users

    Popular messaging app ToTok has been removed from the Play Store and App Store after reports emerged it was used the govt. spy tool by the United Arab Emirates.

    According to multiple sources, ToTok has been classified as a foreign spy tool used to collect personal data. The messaging app has the ability to monitor key information about its users, such as conversations, movements, appointments, relationships, appointments, sounds, as well as photos.

    Reports also added that while most of the app’s users are from the United Arab Emirates, it has become extremely popular in the US, especially among teenagers. Before ToTok was removed from online stores, it had already managed to rack up millions of downloads from smartphone users living in North America, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Meanwhile, the app has already witnessed over 110 million downloads in the US alone.

    Cyber experts believe that the app developer behind the said app has close ties with a cyber intelligence and hacking agency based in Abu Dhabi, which is already under investigation by the FBI. Both Google and Apple have removed the app from their respective app stores.

    Despite the fact that ToTok has been pulled from Play Store and App Store following reports of being used as a government surveillance tool, the app itself has not been shut down. Users of the messaging app can still carry on using the app for the foreseeable future. That said, ToTok will no longer get updates from the two largest applications stores on the planet. Hence, we advise our readers to remove the controversial app from their devices, given the fact ToTok is allegedly considered as a foreign spy tool used to collect personal data by government agencies.

  • Twitter Users on Android May Have Had Their Personal Data Compromised

    Twitter Users on Android May Have Had Their Personal Data Compromised

    Twitter and Facebook have announced that personal data of hundreds of users may have been compromised after they used their accounts to log in to certain third-party apps. This includes their names, gender, email addresses, usernames, and possibly their most recent tweets.

    Both companies received a report from security researchers who found that a software development kit called One Audience, allowed third party developers to access personal data.

    “We recently received a report about a malicious mobile software development kit (SDK) maintained by oneAudience. We are informing you about this today because we believe we have a responsibility to inform you of incidents that may impact the safety of your personal data or Twitter account,” Twitter wrote in a blog post on Monday.

    Apps usually ask for access to users’ social media accounts such as Facebook and Twitter to offer extra features such as the ability to share achievements and in-game leaderboards. However, apps using this SDK potentially allowed third-party developers to access much more data than users originally intended to.

    The company also notes that it might have been possible for someone to take control of someone else’s Twitter account using this vulnerability, however, no evidence in this regard has been found yet.

    “We think it’s important for people to be aware that this exists out there and that they review the apps that they use to connect to their accounts,” said Lindsay McCallum, a Twitter spokeswoman.

    For now, the vulnerability only seems to affect Twitter users on Android, as no evidence has been found yet that suggests iOS users were also impacted.

    Twitter said it has informed Google and Apple about the vulnerability so that they can take evasive measures. The company also said it will be informing Twitter users impacted by this vulnerability.

  • Google Duplex Now Lets You Buy Cinema Tickets in the UK and US

    Google Duplex Now Lets You Buy Cinema Tickets in the UK and US

    Google Duplex, the Google Assistant-powered service, can now be used to book movie tickets on the web. Initially teased during I/O 2019, the service combines the use of Google Assistant and the Duplex AI phone tool with online ticketing operations across 70 exhibitors and services in the UK and US.

    At launch, users get to choose from more than 70 cinemas and ticketing services which include the likes of AMC, Odeon, Movietickets.com, Fandango, and MJR Theatres.

    “Ask the Assistant something like, ‘Hey Google, showtimes for [movie] in Phoenix this weekend. Or, you can do a search for movie times from the Google app on Android,” Google product manager Dan Ritter explained the service in a blog post.

    The software then guides you through the ticket purchase process, with another key factor being payment information which can be saved in the Chrome web browser.

    Users can search or ask Google Assistant to find out movie listings in their vicinity, and once they’ve found what they’re looking for, simply tap the ‘Buy Tickets’ button to start the process. You can then pick your seats, and enter the payment information if stored in the Chrome web browser. The whole idea behind Duplex is to make the process of booking movie tickets, seats, then completing the purchase more efficient and effortless.

    Overall, it appears to be a welcome feature given how clunky the digital marketplace can be, leaving would-be movie ticket buyers often frustrated. The new system will certainly help bridge the gap between search movie tickets online to the final purchase decision.

  • Whatsapp Fixes Major Mp4 Security Vulnerability

    Whatsapp Fixes Major Mp4 Security Vulnerability

    WhatsApp has fixed a critical security flaw in the Android and iOS version of its app, which could give hackers access to messages and files stored on a vulnerable device using a specially-crafted MP4 file. WhatsApp confirmed that along with the consumer versions of its app, the issue affects the Enterprise client versions of its app, as well as Business for Android and Business for iOS versions of WhatsApp.

    While reports suggest that the vulnerability hasn’t been exploited so far, as there are no signs of attacks happening in the wild. That said, WhatsApp warns that a successful attack would have led to a denial of service or remote code execution.

    “A stack-based buffer overflow could be triggered in WhatsApp by sending a specially crafted MP4 file to a WhatsApp user. The issue was present in parsing the elementary stream metadata of an MP4 file and could result in a DoS or RCE. This affects Android versions prior to 2.19.274, iOS versions prior to 2.19.100, Enterprise Client versions prior to 2.25.3, Business for Android versions prior to 2.19.104 and Business for iOS versions prior to 2.19.100,” CVE-2019-11931 reads.

    Readers are advised to update to the latest version of WhatsApp to keep themselves protected against this vulnerability.

    Facebook-owned WhatsApp is currently the most popular messaging app on both iOS and Android. According to sources, the service currently has over 1.5 billion active users on all supported platforms.

    The news comes shortly after WhatsApp confirmed that spyware developed by NSO Group was used to target 1400 selected users globally and in India, which included human rights activists and journalists. That said, there’s no indication that the MP4 flaw was used in similar attacks. Besides, the Indian government clearly denied that it purchased or used the spyware in question to target its citizens.

  • Facebook Working on Fixing Bug That Activates Your Iphone’s Camera

    Facebook Working on Fixing Bug That Activates Your Iphone’s Camera

    Facebook is reportedly working on fixing a bug that automatically activates users’ iPhone camera while using its iOS app. The social networking giant is aware of the bug and has promised to roll out a fix for the same by today.

    The bug was discovered earlier this month when Facebook slang words users started noticing that their iPhone’s camera was automatically activated while viewing photos and videos. Sources suggest that the bug appears to be limited to iOS as no Android user has noticed the glitch so far.

    Users reported that while viewing videos in full screen, the camera was running in the background while scrolling Facebook. The company has acknowledged the issue and says the glitch was introduced while it fixed another bug in version 244 of the Facebook iOS app.

    “We recently discovered that version 244 of the Facebook iOS app would incorrectly launch in landscape mode. In fixing that issue last week in v246 (launched on November 8th) we inadvertently introduced a bug that caused the app to partially navigate to the camera screen adjacent to News Feed when users tapped on photos. We have seen no evidence of photos or videos being uploaded due to this bug. We’re submitting the fix for this to Apple today,” Facebook said in a statement.

    Until the bug fix arrives, users are recommenced to deny camera access for the Facebook app. Facebook’s reputation when it comes to user privacy has taken a hit in recent years. In 2018, a study revealed how Facebook exposed information about nearly 87 million users to a political analysis firm for Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. It was later found that the data was used for targeted political advertising.

    While earlier this year, a security firm also found out that hundreds of millions of Facebook records were exposed on Amazon cloud servers.

  • Google Maps Gives Users the Ability to Manage Their Profiles

    Google Maps Gives Users the Ability to Manage Their Profiles

    Google Maps finally allows users to manage their profiles straight from the mobile app, a feature that wasn’t available earlier. With the new update, Android users now add their name, profile photo, a short bio, along with the ability to manage account setting and privacy tools directly from the Google Maps app.

    Users can manage their public profile from their phone via the new ‘your profile’ tab in the side menu. Users also get the option to hide their public contributions on their profile. To do so, just head over to Menu/Your profile/More/Profile settings and turn off Show contributions on your profile. That said, anyone will still be able to see your name, photo, and bio on your profile.

    Besides, users also get the option to make their profile invisible for businesses for added privacy.

    The option to manage and edit public profiles is a welcome change given the fact that Google Maps is built upon user contributions to fill in details. Though readers are reminded that being a server-side update, having the latest Google Maps app won’t guarantee that you’ll get this feature.

    For now, users will have to wait until Google makes it available for their device. Besides, there’s also no information about whether iOS users will get this option, as it does not show up there at the time of writing.

    That said, the feature is likely to arrive on iOS as well as Google is committed to improving the experience of Google Maps on all platforms. Back in October, the company announced a bunch of new features for the iPhone version of Google Maps, giving users the ability to report accidents, traffic jams, and speed traps. The feature arrived on Android earlier this year, and now both iOS and Android users can report about incidents such as road accidents, lane closures, along with other driving hazards such as obstacles or abandoned vehicles on the road.

  • Android Auto App Now Available for Android 10 Users

    Android Auto App Now Available for Android 10 Users

    Back in September, Google promised that it would release a separate Android Auto app specifically for Android 10 users with a non-compatible head unit. Now, the app has finally arrived on the PlayStore so that Android 10 users can use the app on their smartphones.

    Dubbed as ‘Android Auto for Phone screens, the new app is designed to bring the full Android Auto experience on your phone’s screen, until Google Assistant Driving mode arrives.

    “This app lets you use Android Auto on your phone screen with a phone running Android 10. If you have Android 10 and an Android Auto compatible car, you can project to your car display without downloading this app. Simply plug in your phone to get started,” explained Google.

    With Android Auto, Android 10 users can deploy Google Assistant to route their next destination with real-time GPS navigation and traffic alerts using Waze and Google Maps. Users get real-time updates about their route such as hazards, roadblocks, jams, and ETA.

    Besides, users can also manage their infotainment system to listen to music, podcasts, and audiobooks on a wide range of apps such as Pandora, Spotify, Google Play Music, TIDAL, Deezer, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and more. Not to mention, Android Auto also features a Do Not Disturb Mode so drivers can concentrate on the road and to avoid any distractions.

    To recall, Google recently integrated Android Auto with Android 10 OS so as to remove the need to download a separate app. However, this implied that Android 10 users who own a car without a compatible head unit would not be able to use the app on their smartphones, which was possible earlier. To rectify the situation, Google has finally released a standalone Android app for Android 10 users.

    Initially, Google seemed completely fine with chucking the idea of a standalone Android Auto app, as it was supposed to be replaced by Google Assistant ‘driving mode’. However, Google Assistant ‘driving mode’ is still not available, so until it becomes available, Google seems to have come up with a temporary solution for Android 10 users without an Android Auto compatible head unit with the new standalone Android Auto app.

  • New Dropbox feature lets you easily share large-sized files

    New Dropbox feature lets you easily share large-sized files

    Earlier this summer, Dropbox announced a new feature called Transfer to make file sharing easier and efficient. That time, it was available in beta, however, Dropbox is rolling out the new feature to all users starting today. Dropbox Transfer aims to resolve a few hassles of file sharing by focussing on sending files, and not specifically collaboration. Until now, we’ve been able to share files, however, changes made to the file either by the sender or the receiver would automatically sync.

    With Transfer, you can send a copy of the file and changes made by either the receiver or sender won’t automatically sync, so you can send the same file to some other client or person. Put simply, you can edit the file and any changes you make won’t affect the original file. Another advantage of Transfer is that you can share the file with anyone, regardless of whether the recipient has a Dropbox account or not.

    “Transfer is our answer to a common problem: Sometimes you simply want to hand off files. No giving people edit access to your originals, no links that let people download updates you make later—just, “Here are your files!” While email might work for a JPEG or two, collections of large multimedia files easily go well beyond the typical 25 MB attachment limit. And Dropbox shared links are best for when recipients need access to always up-to-date files. explained Dropbox in a blog post.

    The company is also touting the file size you can share using Transfer – up to a 100GB of files in one go. However, it’ll depend on which Dropbox account you have. For instance, the basic account still offers only 100MB transfers. Though with a Plus or Business Standard account, you can transfer 2GB of files in one go. On the other hand, with an Enterprise, Professional, Business Advanced, or an Education account you can send up to 100GB of files in one shot with Transfer.

    “Transfer lets you send up to 100 GB of files in just a few clicks. Just select files from your hard drive or Dropbox account to create your transfer. You can even password protect it and set an expiration date to encourage recipients to download the files. You’ll get a link you can send to anyone—even if they aren’t on Dropbox. After you send it, viewership stats let you see how many times the transfer’s been accessed,” further added Dropbox.

    Dropbox says users can now make a transfer page via its desktop and iOS apps, as well as on Dropbox.com. You can also customize the background along with the logo that recipients will see when your file transfer is accepted by them.

  • Google Maps brings popular Waze-like features for iPhone users

    Google Maps brings popular Waze-like features for iPhone users

    Google is committed to improving the experience of Google Maps on all platforms. Hence, the company has announced a bunch of new features for the iPhone version of Google Maps, giving users the ability to report accidents, traffic jams, and speed traps. The feature arrived on Android earlier this year, and now both iOS and Android users can report about incidents such as road accidents, lane closures, along with other driving hazards such as obstacles or abandoned vehicles on the road.

    These all are the features that made Waze ever so popular among users, implying that Google wants to make Google apps more like Waze. Earlier, Google launched other Waze-like features on Google Maps such as speed limits, speed traps, as well as the ability to add a stop to a route and view nearby gas prices.

    Waze is a standalone navigation app also owned by Google. The company describes it as a “traffic navigation app,” which uses information submitted by users to avoid traffic jams, road construction sites, and other hazards that drivers must be notified of beforehand while en route towards a new destination.

    “We’re introducing the ability to report four new types of incidents–construction, lane closures, disabled vehicles, and objects on the road (like debris)–so you can quickly know if you’ll encounter one of these potential obstructions on your ride, and plan accordingly,” explained Google.

    iPhone users can now add a report by a simple tap while navigating a route in Google Maps. Once you tap on the screen, a pop-up will appear that lets users choose from a list of options such as Crash, Speed Trap, Slowdown, Construction, Lane Closure, Disabled vehicle and Object on Road.

    Google said that these new Google Maps features will begin rolling out globally this week. However, the feature is only limited to mobile, as support for these features hasn’t yet arrived on Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

  • Safari in iOS sends user browsing data to Chinese company Tencent

    Safari in iOS sends user browsing data to Chinese company Tencent

    Apple has seemingly found itself tangled in yet another controversy related to China, as reports indicate that Chinese tech giant Tencent gets user browsing data from its Safari browser. The data sent includes the IP address of the user along with websites visited by the user.

    In case you aren’t aware, such data sharing is done to help protect users from malicious websites. Apple has long been a part of Google’s Safe Browsing to help protect users from phishing scams using its fraudulent website warning feature. For instance, if a user tries to visit a website that has been flagged as fraudulent by Google, a warning is shown in Safari advising users not to visit the website. However, the fact that a Chinese company also receives such data has raised some eyebrows.

    Johns Hopkins University professor and cryptographer Matthew Green suggests this could have consequences as it may reveal both the webpage a user is trying to visit, as well as his IP address. Besides, it could also leave a cookie on a device, and the data could possibly be used to build up a profile of a user’s browsing behavior.

    However, evidence suggests that Apple sends browsing data to Tencent only when a user’s iOS region is set to China. That said, it’s still unclear as Green adds that the warning not only appears on Chinese-registered iPhones’, but also shows up on iPhones’ operating in the US.

    Apple is one of the companies along with a few others who’ve long been criticized for appearing to bend over backward to China’s demands. Industry experts and users are concerned about China’s bullish influence on tech companies.

    Apple came under fire last week when it removed the HKmap Live app from the App Store after pressure from Chinese authorities. Apple removed the app stating that it was violating local laws that targeted individuals and police. Besides, the company also removed the app of news outlet Quartz from China’s app store, on grounds that content found in the app is illegal in China.

    Several American organizations operating in China have come under immense scrutiny and criticism for yielding to China’s censorship demands. Recently, Blizzard came under immense scrutiny after it imposed a ban on a pro-Hearthstone player who showed up in an interview and appeared to shout a slogan associated with Hong Kong protesters: “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time”.

  • Instagram launches new ‘Threads’ messaging app for close friends

    Instagram launches new ‘Threads’ messaging app for close friends

    Instagram has announced a new standalone app called Threads, a messaging app designed to be used among close friends. The app allows users to share to quickly share photos, text, and videos with people they’ve added to their ‘close friends’ list.

    The main component of the app is the camera, which is the default screen when you open the app. That said, it doesn’t get the bells and whistles of Instagram stories as there are no filters in the selfie mode. As soon as you open Threads, you’re directly taken to the camera so you can quickly share photos and videos with people on your close friends’ list.

    “Threads is a standalone app designed with privacy, speed, and your close connections in mind. You can share photos, videos, messages, Stories, and more with your Instagram close friends list. You are in control of who can reach you on Threads, and you can customize the experience around the people who matter most,’ explained In Instagram in a blog post on Thursday.

    threads

    Ability to set auto-status

    The app also offers the ability to set a status message, or an auto status. Users can set their own status message as an emoji, while the auto status “automatically shares little bits of context on your whereabouts without giving away your coordinates.” For example, it could show when you’re at home, gym, at a cafe, or driving in a car. Though it doesn’t reveal the exact address or the name of the place you’re at to protect your privacy.

    Instagram also mentioned that despite the availability of Threads, users can continue using Instagram Direct as they normally would, as messages from your close friends’ list will appear in both Threads and Direct, so users have full control over how and with whom they’d want to interact. Threads, also a direct competitor to Snapchat, is rolling out today globally on iOS and Android.

  • YouTube TV finally arrives on Amazon Fire TV

    YouTube TV finally arrives on Amazon Fire TV

    Google’s paid TV streaming service, YouTube TV, is now officially available on Amazon’s Fire TV platform. Amazon confirmed the news in a blog post stating that  YouTube TV is now available on a wide range of devices such as n Fire TV devices including Fire TV Stick (2nd Gen), Fire TV Stick 4K, all-new Fire TV Cube, Toshiba and Insignia Fire TV Edition Smart TVs and more.

    “The YouTube TV app brings 70+ channels of live sports, breaking news, must-see shows and movies from major broadcast and popular cable networks to the big screen. We are excited to give Fire TV fans more choice than ever to watch live TV content on Fire TV,” wrote Amazon in a blog post.

    YouTube TV offers channels from networks like ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, as well as popular channels such as Discovery, TNT, CNN, ESPN, FX, as well as on-demand programming. Amazon also added that the app is compatible with Fire TV Stick (2nd Gen), Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube (1st and 2nd Gen), All Toshiba, Insignia, Element, and Westinghouse Fire TV Edition Smart TVs, Fire TV (2nd Gen), Fire TV (3rd Gen — Pendant Design).

    Besides, Amazon also said that the service is not compatible with first-generation Fire TV Stick or Fire TV. The YouTube TV app is now available on Amazon Appstore for users in the United States. The service now costs $50 a month after Google announced a price hike earlier this year.

    To recall, Amazon and Google ended their dispute in April this year, which saw the arrival of Fire TV and Amazon Prime Video on Chromecast. In return, Google allowed Amazon to release YouTube on its streaming platform.

  • Microsoft finds critical zero-day bug in Internet Explorer

    Microsoft finds critical zero-day bug in Internet Explorer

    Microsoft has alerted users about a new flaw found in its age-old Internet Explorer browser, citing a vulnerability which allows hackers to take control over a user’s entire PC. The vulnerability has been described as ‘scripting engine memory corruption’ by Clement Lecigne at the Threat Analysis Group.

    According to Microsoft, the vulnerability causes memory corruption in a way that allows attackers to hijack a user’s entire PC. For instance, it gives the hacker the same administrative rights as the legit owner who can perform tasks such as install or delete programs.

    “In a web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit the vulnerability through Internet Explorer and then convince a user to view the website, for example, by sending an email,” Microsoft explained.

    Besides, Microsoft also notes that the flaw is found in all versions of Internet Explorer, be it Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or even the latest Windows 10. To tackle the issue, the software giant has rolled out an emergency patch to fix the ‘critical’ bug. Microsoft is now urging users to install the patch immediately.

    Is it time to ditch Internet Explorer?

    Microsoft’s Edge is now the default browser in Windows, however, it doesn’t mean that IE is dead. The company would have axed IE a long time ago had it not been for compatibility reasons.

    The issue with Internet Explorer is that many apps are specifically designed and optimized for the browser, which means that Microsoft has no other choice but to keep it around for a little longer. Therefore, even though we have new Chromium-based browsers in Windows, IE is the only browser that is compatible with such apps.

    However, users not using such apps should refrain from using Internet Explorer and replace it with modern browsers such as Edge and Chrome, as they offer better security, privacy, cookie controls, and so much more.

    Put simply, Internet Explorer is just a piece of history, which’ll get axed sooner or later. Though for now, the sensible thing to do would be ditch IE and move on to a modern browser which offer better security, privacy, and customization.

    Besides, Microsoft’s security chief has also warned millions of users who still use Internet Explorer as their default web browser are putting themselves at a huge risk.

  • Twitter now lets iOS users add favorited lists to their Home timeline

    Twitter now lets iOS users add favorited lists to their Home timeline

    Twitter has rolled out a new feature that lets users pin up to five favorite lists in its iOS app. The feature essentially works like TweetDeck, allowing users to easily switch their timeline to view tweets directly from the Home screen.

    “On iOS starting September 23, we’ll be expanding this feature to people across the globe who will now get to pin up to five Lists directly to their Home timeline, and with a fancy new landing page,” Twitter shared in a press release.

    With the new feature, users can pin and unpin up to five lists, whose tweets they can view directly on their Home timeline. The whole idea is to give users a more curated experience compared to what chronological or top tweets can offer.

    Twitter has also added a new landing page for your pinned lists, which displays a header image and more information about your customizable timelines, such as the numbers of members and subscribers. iOS users can customize their lists by tapping on their profile picture. Then, in the home menu, just click on the lists tab.

    “This is just the beginning of our work to make Lists a way to discover and follow conversations about the things you care about. By the end of the year, Lists will be getting a revamp with new features including the ability to report, discover and share Lists created by the global Twitter community,” Twitter added in the press release.

    Meanwhile, Android users wondering whether the feature would arrive on their platform. Well, there’s good news as key sources confirm that Twitter plans to expand the feature outside of iOS. That said, there’s no word on the exact date yet.