Geekly Update - 21 November 2019

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

Still searching for the perfect Avocado Tree Growing Kit? You can find that, and other more traditional holiday gift ideas in Amazon's Holiday Gift Guide. You can browse for deals on Electronics, Holiday Toys, Stocking Stuffers, or shop Gifts by Price.

Sometimes crime does pay. Hope Olusegun Aroke, a Nigerian national, was convicted of online fraud and serving a 24-year sentence in a maximum security prison in Lagos. Somehow Aroke gained access to internet and mobile phone services in the prison, and was able to carry out an international scam that netted over a million dollars. In a non-related story, I have $150 million in an overseas account, and I'm having trouble transferring the money to my local bank. Can anyone help?

Drop the mouse and back away slowly... Watch out for rogue popup notices, urging you to download updates to Flash Player and fonts. The ThreatLabZ team at Zscaler says these campaigns take advantage of unpatched plugins, themes, and extensions on Wordpress-powered websites. Even if you click the "Update Later" button, you're hosed.

Stephanie Carruthers hacks people, not computers. She is an IBM social engineer, a white-hat hacker who is hired to test a company's cyber security defenses. See how she discovered 20 pages of sensitive information on two CBS reporters who volunteered to be hacked.

Perhaps you've heard about RCS messaging, and how it's supposed to replace SMS texting any day now. It's just another example of how some techies love to muddy the waters with jargon. Don't worry, it's still texting, just with a few new bells and whistles.

Are hackers using the camera on your Android smartphone to spy on you? Researchers at Checkmarx have discovered a flaw that could allow an attacker to take photos or record videos without a user's permission. Here's how to find out if your phone is vulnerable.

Home DNA test kits from AncestryDNA, 23andMe, and MyHeritage are hugely popular, but are they accurate? The tests claim they can determine a person’s ancestry, health risks, and other proclivities. But Gizmodo says much of the information in those reports is "complete bullsh*t."

If you have a Roku TV, you may find that during an "update" your television is locked until you provide a credit card, enter viewing preferences, and suffer through an attempt to trick you into a trial of paid services. There's a way out, but it's hard to find.

Sometimes you want to know before sending a text message if a phone number is a landline, VoIP, or mobile phone. Here are several tools to help you find out.

DoNotSign is a “robot lawyer” service that helps you decipher those interminable license agreements filled with legal jargon. Upload the text of the agreement, or provide the URL, and the app will highlight any potential "gotchas" and provide tips on how to opt out from data collection. DoNotPay is a related robo-lawyer service that helps people contest parking tickets and sue people in small claims court.

DIPLE is a portable kit that promises to turn your smartphone into a powerful microscope, capable of giving you 1000x magnification, and the ability to take pictures and videos of teeny tiny creepy crawlies.

Your thoughts on these topics are welcome. Post your comment or question below...