{"id":29774,"date":"2025-02-06T09:54:43","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T14:54:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/?p=29774"},"modified":"2025-02-06T09:54:43","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T14:54:43","slug":"microsoft-erases-tip-for-installing-windows-11-on-older-pcs-chatgpt-search-now-free-for-all-google-warns-users-of-ai-fueled-attacks-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/microsoft-erases-tip-for-installing-windows-11-on-older-pcs-chatgpt-search-now-free-for-all-google-warns-users-of-ai-fueled-attacks-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft Erases Tip for Installing Windows 11 on Older PCs; ChatGPT Search Now Free For All; Google Warns Users of AI-Fueled Attacks.. and more!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24pt;\"><strong>Microsoft Erases Tip for Installing Windows 11 on Older PCs; ChatGPT Search Now Free For All; Google Warns Users of AI-Fueled Attacks<\/strong><\/span><strong><span style=\"font-size: 24pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">.. and more!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Every day, we scan the tech world for interesting news, sometimes from outside the tech world. Every Thursday, we feature news articles that grabbed our attention over the past week. We hope you find this week&#8217;s &#8216;Thursday Newsbytes&#8217; informative and interesting!<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/article\/2596306\/microsoft-silently-erases-tip-for-installing-windows-11-on-older-pcs.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 24pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Microsoft silently erases tip for installing Windows 11 on older PCs<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">A popular method for bypassing the Windows 11 TPM\/CPU hardware lock has been removed from official support pages<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">s the end of support for Windows 10 draws ever closer, Microsoft is taking subtle steps to convince users to buy new hardware. For example, one entry about bypassing the Windows 11 TPM 2.0 hardware lock was quietly removed from a support page (spotted by Neowin).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Microsoft once explained a popular workaround that allowed older PCs that didn\u2019t meet Windows 11 requirements to install it anyway by tweaking the registry. The method helped get around the strict TPM 2.0 and CPU requirements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">The company expressly warned against using this trick to upgrade incompatible PCs because \u201cserious problems can occur\u201d if the method wasn\u2019t employed properly. They\u2019ve been saying this for a long time, and they reiterated it again at the end of last year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">The registry method still works, though, even if Microsoft no longer provides official tips on how to do it&#8230;<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/article\/2596306\/microsoft-silently-erases-tip-for-installing-windows-11-on-older-pcs.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">Read more at PC World.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.neowin.net\/news\/openai-opens-chatgpt-search-to-all-no-account-needed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 24pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">OpenAI opens ChatGPT search to all, no account needed<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">OpenAI says ChatGPT users no longer have to log in to use the model&#8217;s search engine feature, setting it directly up against the likes of Google and Bing. The search engine feature, launched for paid subscribers of ChatGPT last October before being extended to all users in December, is now live for anyone without an account.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">In December, OpenAI says it has improved the general speed of the search experience based on user feedback. Previously, users had to explicitly click the web search icon to invoke the ability to search. ChatGPT now automatically decides whether to invoke a web search or just rely on the AI for the response. You can still force ChatGPT to use the web search experience by using the web search icon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Besides giving answers, one of the main features of the ChatGPT search is that it can show a list of sources from which it was informed. This aims to be transparent with users, providing a better understanding of where the information is coming from and how reliable it is&#8230;.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.neowin.net\/news\/openai-opens-chatgpt-search-to-all-no-account-needed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">Read More at Neowin.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/01\/30\/tech\/gmail-warns-users-to-secure-accounts-after-malicious-ai-hack-confirmed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 24pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Gmail warns users to secure accounts after \u2018malicious\u2019 AI hack confirmed<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Sophisticated scams fueled by artificial intelligence are threatening the security of billions of Gmail users. security warning issued<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">As AI-powered phone calls mimicking human voices have become incredibly realistic, a new report from Forbes warned that the email service\u2019s 2.5 billion users could be targeted by \u201cmalicious\u201d actors that are employing AI to dupe customers into handing over credentials.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">The outlet reported that the cybercriminals deploy phone calls posing as Google support \u2014 complete with a caller ID that looks convincingly legitimate. The technician might say the person\u2019s account has been compromised in some way, or that they are attempting an account recovery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">The so-called support agent will then send an email to the user\u2019s Gmail account from what appears to be a legitimate Google email address to confirm the account was compromised and receive a code to recover the account&#8230;.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/01\/30\/tech\/gmail-warns-users-to-secure-accounts-after-malicious-ai-hack-confirmed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Read more at New York Post<\/span><\/span><\/strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\"><strong>.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/computing\/online-security\/new-macos-malware-uses-apples-own-code-to-quietly-steal-credentials-and-personal-data-how-to-stay-safe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 24pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">New macOS malware uses Apple&#8217;s own code to quietly steal credentials and personal data \u2014 how to stay safe<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">A new strain of Banshee macOS Stealer puts 100 million Apple users at risk<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">While Apple&#8217;s Macs aren&#8217;t targeted by hackers as often as Windows PCs, they&#8217;re far from impenetrable. Security researchers at Check Point Research recently pushed out an alert warning 100 million Apple users that a new variant of the infamous Banshee malware has been detected, capable of stealing browser credentials, cryptocurrency wallets, and other personal data.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Check Point first uncovered the Banshee macOS Stealer, a malware-as-a-service targeting macOS users, in mid-2024, and has been monitoring this latest strain since September. The malware managed to remain undetected for over two months by cleverly incorporating the same encryption methods as Mac\u2019s XProtect antivirus detection suite, with the hackers having \u201cstolen a string encryption algorithm from Apple\u2019s own XProtect antivirus engine, which replaced the plain text strings used in the original version,&#8221; Check Point explained. Since antivirus programs expect to see this kind of encryption from Apple\u2019s legitimate security tools, they weren&#8217;t flagged as suspicious, allowing the Banshee macOS Stealer to quietly siphon data from targeted devices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">This strategy proved devastatingly effective at avoiding detection until the Banshee macOS Stealer source code was leaked on underground forums in November 2024. Though the service was shut down, Check Point warned at the time that new variants would emerge developed by other threat actors&#8230;<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/computing\/online-security\/new-macos-malware-uses-apples-own-code-to-quietly-steal-credentials-and-personal-data-how-to-stay-safe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">Read more at Tom&#8217;s Guide.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/software-apps\/windows-11\/7-new-windows-11-features-and-more-big-changes-coming-in-2025-that-youll-actually-care-about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 24pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">You&#8217;ll care about these 7 big changes coming to Windows 11 in 2025 \u2014 here&#8217;s what to expect<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Start menu upgrades, battery icon improvements, and file sharing changes are all on the cards for Windows 11 PCs in 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">It&#8217;s a new year for Windows 11, one that Microsoft is proudly calling the year of the Copilot+ PC. As Windows 10&#8217;s end of support date nears, millions of users will need to consider an upgrade to Windows 11 this year. So, I thought it would be a good idea to take a peek behind the curtain at what Microsoft is currently working on for Windows 11 in 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Some of the features we&#8217;re taking a look at are yet to be announced. Improvements to the Start menu, System Tray, Battery Icon, and File Sharing are all on the cards, and we can take an early look at them today thanks to the latest Windows 11 preview builds and @phantomofearth on X, who has discovered pretty much all of the unannounced features in development so far.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">So, let&#8217;s take a look at the 7 most interesting changes and features that are currently in the works for Windows 11&#8230;<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/software-apps\/windows-11\/7-new-windows-11-features-and-more-big-changes-coming-in-2025-that-youll-actually-care-about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Read more at Windows Central.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; color: #ff0000;\"><strong><em>Thanks for reading this week&#8217;s Thursday Newbytes. We hope these articles were informative, interesting, fun, and helpful. <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/donation.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2017\/goodfight2017.png\" alt=\"Help us help you!\" width=\"573\" height=\"136\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Microsoft Erases Tip for Installing Windows 11 on Older PCs; ChatGPT Search Now Free For All; Google Warns Users of AI-Fueled Attacks.. and more! Every day, we scan the tech world for interesting news, sometimes from outside the tech world. Every Thursday, we feature news articles that grabbed our attention over the past week. We hope you\u2026 <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/microsoft-erases-tip-for-installing-windows-11-on-older-pcs-chatgpt-search-now-free-for-all-google-warns-users-of-ai-fueled-attacks-and-more\/\">Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29224,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4421,4431,1426,1680,1656,1674,4523,4221,2366],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29774"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29774"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29775,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29774\/revisions\/29775"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}