The key witness to a deadly prison beating was told in his first meeting with the lead detective that he was considered either a witness or a suspect. Read...

Email platforms in web browsers are very popular and easy to use. However, Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo each have their pitfalls. Many marketing messages, spam, or phishing attempts use tracking pixels, which are designed to spy on the user and send information back to the sender. With the Trocker browser extension for Google Chrome and compatible browsers (Edge, Brave, Opera, etc.), you can prevent spying and block any feedback. Once installed, the extension automatically scans your inbox and searches for emails containing tracking pixels. The Trocker browser extension offers protection against spying via tracking pixels. The T icons warn users and block access.Foundry When you open these emails, the tool marks the trackers with a T symbol on a grey background to the right of the sender’s address. If you move the mouse pointer over the icon, the extension displays the target address of the tracking pixel in a pop-up. Clicking on the icon deactivates the blocking of the link. Trocker also marks the position in the email with a purple T icon. Read...

The Context Menu in Windows 11 (also known as the right-click menu) is meant to be a convenient shortcut for common actions, making it much easier to do various things via just a few simple clicks. But over time, the Windows 11 Context Menu has grown cluttered and unusable. Microsoft isn’t just aware of this, but also committed to rectifying it. In a WinUI Community Call video stream that went live yesterday, one section covered improvements to the Context Menu that are currently being explored. The revamp is being called Split Context Menu. In Microsoft’s own words, the current MenuFlyoutItem control doesn’t allow for split actions, which is why the menu has grown so cluttered over the years. Furthermore, the Windows 11 Context Menu is—despite its name—not truly contextual, meaning it includes way too many items even in contexts where some of those items don’t make sense. The solution? A new control called SplitMenuFlyoutItem, which will support “context-aware groupings and customizations” that allow the Context Menu to adapt to user selections. WinUI developers will be able to define primary and secondary actions, paving the way for submenus that improve workflows and reduce main menu clutter. As of now, it’s unclear when the new Split Context Menu will be made available to the public. The API will first need to be developed, then presumably it will need to be tested by Windows Insiders. Further reading: Why you should become a Windows Insider Read...

Security expert Troy Hunt, who operates Have I Been Pwned, recently received 2 billion unique email addresses that were found across multiple malicious lists and internet sources, including 1.3 billion unique passwords. Like the 183 million breached email addresses from before, this data comes from an aggregated collection by security firm Synthient, which collates and summarizes from various data leaks. After processing, the data set now only contains unique credentials (i.e., no duplicate combinations) that were intercepted by Infostealer software. These were either freely available on the internet or could be collected via Telegram groups. You should definitely check the HIBP website to see if your accounts are compromised. How the data was checked In a blog post, Troy Hunt describes how he checked the data records for correctness and accuracy. Firstly, he entered his own name and found an old email address from the 90s that he had actually used. He also found several linked passwords, but only one actually belonged to his account. He then contacted several people who followed his email list, who were also asked to check their data. Some stated that they had found old passwords that were no longer used, while others also discovered current access data for their accounts. Some of the data therefore dated back several decades, while other data was new. Hackers also use this procedure of trying out different combinations. With “credential stuffing” (as this method is called), it doesn’t matter how old the data is. Since many people rarely change their passwords, attackers can test out various known credentials until they eventually succeed. Even insecure passwords (such as “12345”), dates of birth, or names can be cracked quickly. Check if your password is compromised Hunt uploaded the passwords to his Pwned Passwords database, where you can also check whether a particular password has already been cracked. The passwords are saved without an associated email address, so it’s only about the security of the password itself. For security purposes, it doesn’t matter whether you have already used an insecure password or someone else has: “If you have a password of ‘Fido123!’ and you find it’s been previously exposed (which it has), it doesn’t matter if it was exposed against your email address or someone else’s. It’s still a bad password because it’s named after your dog followed by a very predictable pattern. If you have a genuinely strong password and it’s in Pwned Passwords, then you can walk away with some confidence that it really was yours. Either way, you shouldn’t ever use that password again anywhere.” Hunt recommends regularly checking your own passwords and email accounts (even if they’re just throwaway email addresses). After all, you never know who else could get hold of your data. Further reading: How to check if your email address is compromised Read...

SanDisk is taking “the world’s smallest” USB flash drive, giving it a USB-C connector, and… that’s it. In fact, it’s small enough that this “removable” drive shouldn’t have to be removed, the company said. A representative appearing at the 2025 Pepcom Holiday Spectacular didn’t identify the model name, but it appeared as the SanDisk Extreme Fit on Amazon on November 4. The company previously introduced what it called the world’s smallest USB flash drive at CES 2018, called the Ultra Fit. At that show, it shipped with a USB-A connector but also showed off a prototype USB-C device. In any event, the new USB drive sits perpendicular to the connector, in a change from other USB flash drives of the past. It will ship with SanDisk’s Memory Zone backup software. On the other hand, the squat, almost flush form factor means that SanDisk doesn’t really think that users will actually remove the removable drive. “It doesn’t interrupt your daily lifestyle as you’re moving on the go,” a representative named Allison said. SanDisk shows off two examples of its new USB flash drive, one held in the hand and one inserted into the USB-C slot.Pepcom / SanDisk “It is a really good drive that plugs in and stays in and then lives with you, so you never have to take it out,” Allison said. Most USB flash drives are large enough that this isn’t supposed to happen. Leave a drive inserted and you risk having it snapped off by your bag, backpack, or purse. Apparently SanDisk feels those days are over. The USB-C connector means that the new USB flash drive could be used in both laptops as well as smartphones, since the two devices now share common USB-C interfaces. Still, the USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface translates to an I/O speed of just 5Gbps, which is slower than the normal 10Gbps interface on most laptops. The new SanDisk drive ranges from 128GB for $19.99 on up to 1 terabyte for $119.99. Editor’s note: This article originally ran on November 1, but was updated with additional info after the SanDisk Extreme Fit became available for sale. Read...

Last season all the attention was on Alex Paulsen in the New Zealand derbies. Now Callan Elliot is in the spotlight. Read...

It was a first for the show: a $1.7m project, to build a two storey round house, and the builder was just 32 years old. Read...

Restaurants across the country are struggling as patrons continue to tighten their purse strings. Read...

She grew up confident in the water, but one terrifying experience and a recent scare with her son have made Samantha Hayes a passionate voice for water safety in Aotearoa. Read...

Noise, broken glass and party goers on Castle St have caused issues for years, now authorities are looking at the nearest bottle store which is up for a licence renewal. Read...