Enormous trove of Avast-gathered data being sold

Joseph Cox at Vice/Motherboard just published an eye-opener:

Leaked Documents Expose the Secretive Market for Your Web Browsing Data

An Avast antivirus subsidiary sells ‘Every search. Every click. Every buy. On every site.’ Its clients have included Home Depot, Google, Microsoft, Pepsi, and McKinsey.

Our report relies on leaked user data, contracts, and other company documents that show the sale of this data is both highly sensitive and is in many cases supposed to remain confidential between the company selling the data and the clients purchasing it.

Looks like PCMag.com joined in the investigation.

Are you using Avast Free?

Microsoft blinks again, promises to clean up after its Win7 mess

Remember the bug in the latest Win7 patch — the one that turns “Stretch”ed wallpapers into black screens?

Microsoft originally said (after waiting a week to acknowledge the obvious bug) that it would fix the problem on machines running Extended Security Updates — you had to pay to get your wallpaper back.

Now it seems cooler heads have prevailed. We’re all going to get the fix. But how?

Details in Computerworld Woody on Windows.

Another January casualty: Windows Media Center

LANGALIST

By Fred Langa

Support for Windows Media Center on Win8.1 and Win7 ended this year — and it’s never been available on Win10.

But a free upgrade and some third-party apps may let you access/export your Media Center recordings to keep your collection alive.

Plus: Still more Android-on-Windows options.

Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.4.0 (2020-01-27).

Freeware Spotlight — ForensiT Transwiz

BEST UTILITIES

By Deanna McElveen

For many Windows 7 users, the easier path forward is not to upgrade their machine to a supported OS but simply to purchase a new Win10 PC.

That’s great: you’re starting off with a fresh operating-system installation. But now you’re faced with moving years and years of your stuff to the new machine. It’s sort of like moving to a new house … though without the surly movers.

Transferring data, and reinstalling apps, is relatively easy — transferring your personal settings, not so much. Never fear! One of our favorite software companies, ForensiT, has you covered! I’ll show you how to get some much-needed assistance with moving personal data and settings via the Transwiz utility.

Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.4.0 (2020-01-27).

Remedies for common password pains

SECURITY

By Michael Lasky

Security company SplashData recently published its yearly list of the most abused passwords.

The bad news? “123456” still tops the list.

Pop quiz: How many websites do you sign in to with the same password?

If it is more than one, count yourself as a member of a very large crowd — computer users who have left themselves wide open to malicious hacks.

Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.4.0 (2020-01-27).

Good night, sweet seven prince

and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest…

Happy New Year!

恭喜發財

MS-DEFCON 3: No rush, but you should get the January Patch Tuesday patches installed

Usually I wait until near the end of the month before giving the all-clear to install Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday patches.

This month’s different.

On the one hand, this month’s patches look pretty darn clean. Part of the reason for our good fortune, I’m convinced, is that we haven’t had any non-security patches since October.

On the other hand, there’s the looming threat of CurveBall — the CVE-2020-0601 security hole advertised by the NSA. I don’t think CurveBall will hit the mainstream any time soon, but ya never know.

Putting those together, and I figure now’s a good time for normal folks to get their machines patched.

I’m only moving to MS-DEFCON 3 this month because it’s still very early in the crowdsourced bug catching phase. If you hit a problem with a patch, let us know loud and clear! But get patched.

Full step-by-step details in Computerworld Woody on Windows.

UPDATE: If you’re having installation problems with the Win10 1903 and 1909 cumulative updates, it may be caused by a missing Connect app. See Günter Born’s post.