Help me reassure my IT teacher..


Recommended Posts

Then how do you suggest I transfer the files? I don't own a floppy drive, they are by far outdated; I don't have any blank CD-R's, I have blank DVD+R's and DVD-R's but the machines in school don't have DVD-ROM drives, I have one pen drive which I have lent to my Dad, and all uploading sites are blocked (imageshack.us, rapidshare.de, everything). Oh, and why, may I ask, is the Gamma server insecure? ..Because CentOS isn't the latest version?

Just explain this analogy to her:

What is the difference between what I was doing earlier (accessing my home machine to retrieve a file) and bringing a floppy/burned cd with the same file to school if my home computer was already infected with a virus? It doesn't make the school any more secure using either method.

You should also tell her (nicely) that you didn't like the fact that she walked off when you were trying to explain something to her and that just because you are a student, doesn't mean she doesn't have to listen to you.

A teachers's duty is to the students. If a teacher doesn't trust their students, they shouldn't be teaching. ESPECIALLY as a teacher, she should understand that to learn, there has to be an exchange in knowledge, therefore communication. How she got her teaching degree is beyond me. I mean, listen to your students and then find out for yourself!

EDIT: Take the advice of the person a few posts back and just send the attachment to yourself through email. Saves you from idiocy like this.

EDIT: Take the advice of the person a few posts back and just send the attachment to yourself through email. Saves you from idiocy like this.

586830140[/snapback]

As he said, everything with the word mail is blocked so that's a non starter.

I too use such remote access solutions, but without any problems, but that's probably because I was at college and not school and they're usually fairly relaxed about these things.

I often use some VNC software to read my email/bank/do confidential things such as job applications at home from college, and I see no problem with that whatsoever, seeing as nothing gets deleted off the hard drives when you log off a computer (they do not use roaming profiles or employ logoff scripts which delete the temporary internet files from your user profile folder on the c: drive).

One thing I find rather silly is that they block FTP access. I see no point in blocking it, as it's an easy and relatively secure way of transferring files. No disks to break, no memory keys to lose, and you'll know that the files are there when you get back and openable. And only I will be able to access the files as the FTP/HTTPS site is passworded - and no stealing of data unless someone used a packet sniffer on the college machine or the network. Floppy disks and other media are so passe in my opinion.

OK, so not many people will have the technical capability to use it, but let those who do, use it. I also loathe mandatory profiles with a passion, but that's for another thread. Other stupid things they block here is the use of Task Manager. An application hang usually means a reboot to kill it. More wasted time, more productivity lost.

As for your school, they should be getting decent antivirus protection. Any antivirus software worth its weight should have on access scanning enabled and be able to pick up and/delete or quarantine virussed files upon creation/opening. If it's not able to do that at the very minimum, then perhaps it is time to re consider their choice for software?

IT teachers really do seem out of touch with the technical side of IT - they seem to think it's all about screenshots, word and writing about the friggin' screenshots. If she thinks you can simply get a virus from accessing your own site, then I do question her reliability as an IT teacher, somewhat. Yes, there is the potential to ingest a virus into the network, but if the AV software is up to its job then it will detect it and remove the virussed files. Such things are not limited to downloading content over the internet - viruses and malware can be brought in via numerous sources, including floppy disks, memory keys, CDs and even audio CDs (ref: Sony "Rootkit" scandal that broke recently)

I speak from experience here, I used to be an A Level ICT student. God do I wish that I never took that damn course; most of it has nothing to do with the practical side - and all we seemed to learn was to write extensive amounts of crap about screenshots that we took, and how to use the f.cking print screen key. Grr!!! :angry:

Teach her how the Internet and DNS works

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet...rastructure.htm

If not, refer her to the campus computer technician so he can vouch for you.

And copy all the good replies of this thread and paste into into a word document, and then add at the end of each quote (to the right and in italic) --"Quick Reply", Melbourne, Australia or "user name 2", The Internet and print out all the sensible quotes/replies

Edited by Quick Reply

I wouldn't even bother dude. She has her idea of how things are, and the fact she walked off half-way through a conversation is amazingly rude and shows she doesn't care to learn.

Rather go to her direct superior. Explain firstly what you wanted to achieve, secondly how you are achieving it, and then the attitude that was shown by the teacher when you were demonstrating, and trying to show her how things actually work.

Here is where you need to be careful... When she was talking to your head of year - I'll bet the words "virus", "hacker" and such came up. You need to make it clear that:

1) What you were doing is safe.

2) Your computer is virus free.

3) Moreover, what you were doing is a legitimate way of transfering files.

4) You have no interested in "hacking" or negating technologies and policies.

5) If there is a computer policy in place, talk through it and try to identify alternate ways of bringing work in.

Really, you need to come across as wanting to work within their rule system, yet not negating your own learning.

Before I tell you the outcome, sorry for the double post.

Anyways, the technicians as well as a senior member of staff seemed to agree with my teacher.. that access to a home machine is not allowed because things cannot be blocked when the site is accessed via it's IP. Said something they shouldn't have? :ninja:

Lmao, well this will sure be fun accessing all the blocked sites simply by pinging them and copying it's IP. :p ..at least for ones on a dedicated IP anyways.

As for being able to access my coursework, I have a spare domain or 2 in my NameCheap account which happens to offer a DynDNS service... i.e. I can use my home PC with one of my domains.. silly IT techies, they should think of these things. :p

Over and out,

Danny.

Think I have got a book around here somewhere with how the internet works for beginners, I'll dig it out and she can have it!

Danny I know what they can be like but they have to cover their backs nowadays. I have worked both in school and at the main council offices where alot of it was controlled locally, just doing it to be safe and I know what teachers can be like as I only left school earlier this year. Luckly they didnt question me because they knew what I was doing and got an work experience placement with the local team.

Tell her to go to collage and re train in IT!

Well, seeing as this has been bumped, just thought I'd update you guys on the situation. Well anyways, I was taken out of chemistry, last lesson on Wednesday and taken upto the main IT office, they said "take a seat", so I did and they pulled out a few sheets of print-outs - my records of sites visited and keypresses made including the logs of my IP address being visited, and even the URL I had linked it to using an 'A' address record. (http://home.fgt-tracker.com). So, one of the teachers I quite respect started talking.. saying how I was told not to access my coursework from my home machine in school and vice-versa and how I "Would have been sacked if this was in a business", to put it in her words. I had a long lecture anyways and at the end of it I was told that there would be a 'series of severe punishments' coming my way; they started off by saying that most of my rights on the network would be removed including internet access, some program access, VPN access (which I was previously told nobody had access to anyways), and so on, but they then hinted towards a suspension or even being expelled. Well, let's just say I got a cold at just the right time, lol. :p I think I'll be back in school on Monday, I'll let you guys know what my 'series of severe punishements is' then. ;)

Laters guys,

-Danny.

Before I tell you the outcome, sorry for the double post.

Anyways, the technicians as well as a senior member of staff seemed to agree with my teacher.. that access to a home machine is not allowed because things cannot be blocked when the site is accessed via it's IP. Said something they shouldn't have? :ninja:

Lmao, well this will sure be fun accessing all the blocked sites simply by pinging them and copying it's IP. :p ..at least for ones on a dedicated IP anyways.

As for being able to access my coursework, I have a spare domain or 2 in my NameCheap account which happens to offer a DynDNS service... i.e. I can use my home PC with one of my domains.. silly IT techies, they should think of these things. :p

Over and out,

Danny.

My school blocks IP traffic. Of course, there's ways around it (eg using ports above 6,500) to connect to VNC.

Right, seeing as they brought logs out on me, I think I'll do the same back hey?

Well, I got all my ZoneAlarm logs from H:\WINDOWS\Internet Logs, did a batch rename from *.txt to *.html, then got FrontPage to search for their IP (212.248.225.6). It found 3 results. Two on 16/11 and one on 29/11. So, I renamed the files from them 2 dates back to .txt and opened them up in WordPad.

Here are the access attempts:

FWIN,2005/11/17,12:07:24 +0:00 GMT,212.248.225.6:0,84.13.70.215:0,ICMP (type:8/subtype:0)

FWIN,2005/11/17,12:10:08 +0:00 GMT,212.248.225.6:0,84.13.70.215:0,ICMP (type:17/subtype:0)

PE,2005/11/29,19:50:16 +0:00 GMT,VNC Viewer Enterprise Edition for Win32,212.248.225.6:5900,N/A

You think I should use this against them? ..Maybe not the first 2 seeing as they could've been me, but definately the last one. VNC? ..at 7.50pm?

Right, seeing as they brought logs out on me, I think I'll do the same back hey?

Well, I got all my ZoneAlarm logs from H:\WINDOWS\Internet Logs, did a batch rename from *.txt to *.html, then got FrontPage to search for their IP (212.248.225.6). It found 3 results. Two on 16/11 and one on 29/11. So, I renamed the files from them 2 dates back to .txt and opened them up in WordPad.

Here are the access attempts:

FWIN,2005/11/17,12:07:24 +0:00 GMT,212.248.225.6:0,84.13.70.215:0,ICMP (type:8/subtype:0)

FWIN,2005/11/17,12:10:08 +0:00 GMT,212.248.225.6:0,84.13.70.215:0,ICMP (type:17/subtype:0)

PE,2005/11/29,19:50:16 +0:00 GMT,VNC Viewer Enterprise Edition for Win32,212.248.225.6:5900,N/A

You think I should use this against them? ..Maybe not the first 2 seeing as they could've been me, but definately the last one. VNC? ..at 7.50pm?

And what exactly do you plan do threaten them with? Those logs? What do you think they'd do?

Right, seeing as they brought logs out on me, I think I'll do the same back hey?

Well, I got all my ZoneAlarm logs from H:\WINDOWS\Internet Logs, did a batch rename from *.txt to *.html, then got FrontPage to search for their IP (212.248.225.6). It found 3 results. Two on 16/11 and one on 29/11. So, I renamed the files from them 2 dates back to .txt and opened them up in WordPad.

Here are the access attempts:

FWIN,2005/11/17,12:07:24 +0:00 GMT,212.248.225.6:0,84.13.70.215:0,ICMP (type:8/subtype:0)

FWIN,2005/11/17,12:10:08 +0:00 GMT,212.248.225.6:0,84.13.70.215:0,ICMP (type:17/subtype:0)

PE,2005/11/29,19:50:16 +0:00 GMT,VNC Viewer Enterprise Edition for Win32,212.248.225.6:5900,N/A

You think I should use this against them? ..Maybe not the first 2 seeing as they could've been me, but definately the last one. VNC? ..at 7.50pm?

dont push your legal rights. get a lawyer who knows what he's talking about and go offer them a out of court settlement.

Well, seeing as this has been bumped, just thought I'd update you guys on the situation. Well anyways, I was taken out of chemistry, last lesson on Wednesday and taken upto the main IT office, they said "take a seat", so I did and they pulled out a few sheets of print-outs - my records of sites visited and keypresses made including the logs of my IP address being visited, and even the URL I had linked it to using an 'A' address record. (http://home.fgt-tracker.com). So, one of the teachers I quite respect started talking.. saying how I was told not to access my coursework from my home machine in school and vice-versa and how I "Would have been sacked if this was in a business", to put it in her words. I had a long lecture anyways and at the end of it I was told that there would be a 'series of severe punishments' coming my way; they started off by saying that most of my rights on the network would be removed including internet access, some program access, VPN access (which I was previously told nobody had access to anyways), and so on, but they then hinted towards a suspension or even being expelled. Well, let's just say I got a cold at just the right time, lol. :p I think I'll be back in school on Monday, I'll let you guys know what my 'series of severe punishements is' then. ;)

Laters guys,

-Danny.

Firstly, let me say that I've never heard such crap in my entire life from a school. From your previous posts, I assume that you have not been doing anything illegal - such as attempting to hack the network, or downloading porn or playing games, just merely trying to get your coursework off your home machine, which I see no problem with - what difference does it make if you take it off your home machine or in on a floppy disk? A file's a file for god sake, and it doesn't matter which way it comes in. It can still have a virus or whatever on it, and there should be adequate antivirus protection on the network to negate that problem of viruses being brought in.

I think your school have been extremely harsh and anal about this, and there are worse things you could have done other than transfer your work from your home machine to the school, which in my opinion is a legit usage of the school's connection. If I were your network manager, I wouldn't have bollocked you for it in the slightest and in fact I would have encouraged such an inventive method of taking your work between A and B. However, if you were using the school's resources for stuff like downloading porn, music or playing games, then I wouldn't be so nice and I would have went down the route that they have done. :)

Do they still allow people to take stuff in on memory sticks, floppy disks and CDs? Do they still allow people to connect their MP3 players to the system to take files home on them? If so, then I really think they need to get their heads out of their arses, these are all methods in which virii can be transmitted.

Also, I would recommend you get IN WRITING, a copy of the school's usgae policy for the internet, and read through it carefully. I would also recommend you get IN WRITING what they have alleged you to have done "wrong" with all the details of your alleged offence. You should get your parents involved too - because it's inevitable they will find out that you've been suspended or whatever, and you should get them on side.

Good luck! :cool:

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Microsoft outs Windows 11 KB5095093 with long list of new features by Sayan Sen Microsoft today has released its newest preview update (C-release) for the month of June 2026 under KB5095093, builds 26200.8737 (for Windows 11 25H2) and 26100.8737 (on Windows 11 24H2). The update brings new features across various elements of the OS including the Windows update, the Recovery, Widgets, File Explorer, and more. The full changelog is given below: First up we have the features rolling out gradually: [Point-in-time restore for Windows] New! This flexible recovery feature helps you quickly roll back your PC, including apps, settings, and personal files, to a recent automatic restore point. It helps reduce downtime and simplifies troubleshooting when issues occur. To learn more, see Point-in-time restore for Windows. [Windows Update] New! A calendar experience in Windows Update Settings (Settings > Windows Update) lets you pause updates by choosing an end date, for up to 35 days. You can extend the pause by selecting a different end date and re‑pause updates as needed. For more information, see Pause updates in Windows. [Widgets] New! A quieter, more focused Widgets experience helps reduce interruptions and improves default settings and notification controls: Reduce distractions: Widgets no longer open on hover. Notifications and taskbar badges are minimized by default. Simpler: Open to the Widgets dashboard by default on first use. Customize: Configure Widgets how you want by selecting Settings in the navigation bar, then changing any of the default settings. Stay informed: Dashboard icons show the number of alerts, and badges clear automatically when you leave a dashboard. Adjusted defaults: Some default settings are preserved based on usage, while others adjust to reduce interruptions. Performance improvements: This update provides improved reliability, responsiveness, and visual quality across the Widget experience. [Accessibility] New! This update makes your screen easier to see and customizes your zoom experience: Screen tint: Apply a full-screen color overlay to help reduce eye strain and improve readability. Choose from preset tint options, adjust the intensity, or turn it on automatically. Find this feature in Settings > Accessibility. Magnifier: Enter a zoom percentage directly and change it in increments in the Magnifier window for more precise, flexible control. Magnifier settings menu: You can now also modify zoom increments directly from the magnifier bar instead of navigating to Windows Settings each time. [File Explorer] New! When you hover over a file in File Explorer Home, commands such as Open file location and Ask Copilot appear as quick actions. This experience is now supported for work and school accounts (Entra ID).1 Improves the speed and performance of File Explorer launch.2 Fixes an issue where the OneDrive shortcut in File Explorer stops working when File Explorer is run with administrative mode. The address bar now supports paths containing double backslashes and quotation marks (for example, C:\\Users\\user or "C:\Users\user"), improving compatibility with a wider range of inputs. The address bar suggestion dropdown is more reliable and now consistently closes after an item is selected. This update addresses an issue on File Explorer Home where OneDrive files could appear duplicated in the Favorites section. This update includes several refinements to the Rename experience: Addresses an issue where text was repeatedly selected when renaming items in folder views. Addresses an issue where case-only name changes were not immediately reflected in folder views for items stored locally or in the cloud. [Bluetooth] This update improves reliability and performance when connecting to and using Bluetooth devices: New! Windows now keeps the microphone mute state in sync between the audio mixer and the Hands-Free Profile (HFP) for a more consistent experience with Bluetooth headphones with mute buttons or indicators. Accessory compatibility workarounds: Improves compatibility with specific Bluetooth audio devices, helping AirPods appear faster in pairing mode and improving microphone reliability on Beats Studio Pro headphones. Bluetooth audio stability: Improves overall Windows stability with certain PC manufacturer drivers (error code 0x9F). Improves Bluetooth reliability for voice calls when using Classic Audio devices with the Hands-Free Profile (HFP). Reduces time for LE Audio accessories to start playing audio while using the microphone. Device management: Windows will no longer show a “Remove failed” message when attempting to remove Bluetooth devices if the Bluetooth radio is unavailable or has changed since pairing. Settings experience: Improves stability when using the Bluetooth & devices settings page for a smoother, more consistent experience. Connection reliability and responsiveness: Reduces the time it takes for classic Bluetooth audio devices to reconnect after Windows resumes from hibernation. Improves reliability when LE Audio accessories disconnect, such as when another device (for example, a phone) connects. Improves reliability of LE Audio streaming after a connection is lost and restored. [Bluetooth and Phone Link] This update improves audio routing for calls made through a connected phone: When an outgoing call is dialed from a paired phone, audio remains on the phone while ringing and transfers to the PC only when the call is answered from the PC. When Do Not Disturb is enabled on Windows, incoming call audio from a paired phone no longer rings on the PC. [Voice access and voice typing] New! You can now use voice access and voice typing in French, German, and Spanish. As you speak, your PC improves your text in real time. It corrects grammar, punctuation, and recognition errors, and helps improve clarity—even in the presence of background noise. This makes dictation smoother and reduces the need for manual edits.3 [Audio] This update improves the reliability of the inbox HD Audio driver. [Taskbar] This update improves the reliability of opening the Start menu when selecting the left edge of the taskbar when the icons in the taskbar are left-aligned. [Networking] This update includes networking improvements for virtualized environments. Confidential Virtual Machines (CVMs) now use SR-IOV hardware acceleration by default for improved network throughput, and a configuration issue in nested Hyper-V virtualization network setup has been corrected to ensure reliable VM network provisioning. This update improves the reliability of the Windows networking stack. It reduces bug checks (blue screen errors) related to Wi-Fi power and improves cellular (WWAN) connectivity, including support for IPv6 VPNs. Compatibility with third-party VPN software and SR-IOV configurations on server hardware is also improved. Network adapter settings and bindings are now preserved across OS upgrades. [Printing] New! New printer installations use Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) by default when supported, simplifying setup and improving reliability. For details about third-party driver deprecation, see End of Servicing Plan for Third-Party Printer Drivers on Windows. To control this behavior, use the toggle in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > Default install printers using Windows Ready Print. For more information, see Introducing Windows Ready Print and modernized driver selection. For more information, see Introducing Windows Ready Print and Modernized Driver Selection. [Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)] The update improves usage of WSL in mirrored networking mode with VPNs. [Display and graphics] Improves the reliability of rendering content while scrolling for certain apps spanning across multiple monitors. Improves the reliability and persistence of applying color profiles. [Location services] This update changes how some location settings are displayed in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location to help with clarity. When location services are turned off, settings like Default location and Allow location override don't immediately apply, since location information is not given to apps or services. These settings will now be greyed out when location services are off to reduce confusion over when they take effect. [Search] This update improves the reliability of setting Search related group policies. [Input] New! You can now customize the size of the right-click zone in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad. Choose from default, small, medium, or large to control how much of the bottom-right corner responds to a single-finger right-click. This setting is only available on touchpads with a pressable surface. If your device manufacturer provides customization through their own app, a Custom option will appear to reflect those settings. This update improves recognition of English characters when using Japanese handwriting. [General performance] Improves the time to shut down Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) when you turn off your PC. [General Reliability] ​​​​This update improves the reliability of explorer.exe. It addresses issues on the login and lock screens related to third-party credential providers, reduces the probability of taskbar icons appearing as blank gray placeholders, and improves navigation to Home in File Explorer during OneDrive sync. It also improves explorer.exe reliability when switching between desktops, enhances app launch with shell extensions, and using acrylic blur effects in the Start menu, Settings, and the lock screen. [Apps] Resolves an issue where some installers and applications could show unexpected elevation (UAC) prompts after installing KB5089549. [Remote Desktop] This update refreshes the dialog design when you enable Remote Desktop in Settings > System > Remote Desktop. [Graphics Kernel] Improves memory-management policy that allows PCs with more than 32GB of installed memory to run larger local AI models. Up next we have the features under normal rollout: [Secure Boot] With this update, Windows quality updates include additional high confidence device targeting data, increasing coverage of devices eligible to automatically receive new Secure Boot certificates. Devices receive the new certificates only after demonstrating sufficient successful update signals, maintaining a controlled and phased rollout. [Authentication] This update improves Netlogon secure channel connections between domain controllers, enabling successful connections from member servers to domain controllers set up before 2025. [Emoji Panel Update] The emoji panel (Windows key + period (.)) now uses GIPHY for GIF content following the deprecation of Google’s Tenor API. Starting June 30, 2026, install the latest Windows update to continue using GIFs in the Emoji panel. If you don’t update, you will see a "GIF service is not available" error in the panel. Installing the latest Windows update will restore access to GIFs. [Networking] This update improves how your device connects to shared network resources. Connections used by apps and system features, such as the NetUseAdd function, now work more reliably, including unauthenticated (null session) connections. [Recycle Bin (known issue)] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where the confirmation dialog might display an internal Recycle Bin file name instead of the original file name when permanently deleting a file. This issue might occur after installing the June 2026 security update (KB5094126). [Taskbar] This update improves notification badge display across your apps. Notification counts and badge visuals now update correctly, helping you stay up to date with new activity. You can choose to manually download the update from Microsoft's update catalog website at this link.
    • Hands-on with BOOX Tappy: cute little reading accessory by Taras Buria Page turners are quite popular accessories for e-readers, as they enable a hands-free reading experience, which is particularly useful with large readers featuring 10-inch or larger displays. The BOOX Tappy is a new accessory that was introduced earlier this year, and we took this cute-looking thingy for a spin. The Tappy comes in a small box, with two additional buttons and a user manual. The device is made of glossy green plastic and resembles old appliances from the nuclear age. Material quality is great, and each part feels quite premium. Plastic is high-quality, the switch is nice to flick, and the buttons are not rattly. At the bottom, four rubberized feet prevent slipping when used on a desk. Unfortunately, there are no color options, and the Tappy is only available in green. It looks good, but I wish there were other options as well. There are two removable buttons, an on/off switch, and an LED indicator that displays connection mode, charging status, and more. The buttons resemble those of an old typewriter, with quite a long travel distance and a pleasant clack. In the box, you have four buttons with different icons: heart, coffee, O, and X. You can easily swap buttons by simply pulling them upwards. Tip: buttons come with plastic covers, but they are quite tricky to remove. It is hard to call the Tappy the most ergonomic remote control, but after fiddling with it for a few hours, I managed to find a comfortable hand position. Attaching a lanyard to it can make it more comfortable in use without the fear of dropping it, but unfortunately, the Tappy does not come with one. The Tappy connects via Bluetooth 5.2, and it works in three modes, which you can toggle by pressing and holding both buttons for about five seconds: Reading Mode Multimedia Mode Browsing Mode Next / Previous page Next / Previous Track Up / Down scroll If you pair the Tappy with a BOOX device (I tested it with the BOOX Go 10.5 Gen 2 Lumi), you will get small pop-ups indicating the current mode. Plus, you can customize what each button does when pressed one time, two times, or held for a few seconds. The list of available actions and features you can use is massive, and I like that BOOX lets you map stuff like brightness adjustment, app launching, screenshot-taking, screen rotating, navigation, and more. Note, however, that while you can use the Tappy with other readers, its customization is only available on BOOX devices running firmware version 4.2 and newer. I could not connect the Tappy to my computer (Windows 11 claims a driver error when I try), but it worked with the DuRoBo Krono that I recently reviewed. My Kindle Paperwhite refused to work with the Tappy, though, just like my iPhone. The Tappy uses a non-removable Li-Ion battery, which can be recharged with a Type-C cable. BOOX rates the remote for "weeks of use," and I can say that it indeed has very good battery life. While there are no battery indicators on the remote, you can see the current level in the status bar or in Input settings in the BOOX firmware. After a few days of active use, mine still shows about 95%. Overall, the Tappy left a nice impression. It is well-made, and the integration with BOOX devices is great. I also like that BOOX decided to have some fun with its design and swappable buttons. I cannot say I am a fan of its odd shape, though. Still, I managed to find a way to use it comfortably. And when not in use, it just looks neat sitting on the table doing nothing or serving you as a small clacky fidget. Buy BOOX Tappy - $29.99 on Amazon US As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • AdGuard Family lifetime deal now only $14.97 by Steven Parker Today's highlighted Neowin Deal comes via our Apps + Software section, where you can get a lifetime subscription and save 91% on a lifetime AdGuard Family Plan. AdGuard is a unique program that has all the necessary features for what they claim to be "the best web experience." The software combines the an advanced ad blocker, a privacy protection module, and a parental control tool—all working in one app. This software deals with annoying ads, hides your data from a multitude of trackers, protects you from malware attacks, and even lets you restrict your kids from accessing inappropriate content. Install AdGuard and see the internet as it was supposed to be: clean and safe. Get rid of annoying banners, pop-ups & video ads once and for all Hide your data from the multitude of trackers & activity analyzers that swarm the web Avoid fraudulent and phishing website and malware attacks Protect your kids online by restricting them from accessing inappropriate & adult content Good to know Family Plan Length of access: lifetime This plan is only available to new users Redemption deadline: redeem your code within 30 days of purchase Max number of devices: 9 Access options: desktop & mobile Software version: AdGuard Family Updates included A lifetime subscription of AdGuard Family Plan normally costs $169.99, but this deal can be yours for just $14.97, that's a saving of $157.02. For full terms, specifications, and license info please click the link below. Get this AdGuard Family lifetime deal for just $14.97 (was $169.99) Although priced in U.S. dollars, this deal is available for digital purchase worldwide. As an online publication, Neowin too relies on ads for operating costs and, if you use an ad blocker, we'd appreciate being whitelisted. In addition, we have an ad-free subscription for $28 a year, which is another way to show support! Support queries If you have queries or need support for any of the Neowin Deals, please use the contact form here. Neowin Deals are managed and sold by StackCommerce who represent Neowin on an affiliate basis. Why we post these deals We post these because we earn commission on each sale so as not to rely solely on advertising, which many of our readers block. It all helps toward paying staff reporters, servers and hosting costs. So for those that keep moaning and complaining, be thankful we're still online for you to even do that. Other ways to support Neowin Whitelist Neowin by not blocking our ads Create a free member account to see fewer ads Make a donation to support our day to day running costs Subscribe to Neowin - for $14 a year, or $28 a year for an ad-free experience Disclosure: Neowin benefits from revenue of each sale made through our branded deals site powered by StackCommerce.
    • Sadly "beats Steam Machine" isn't much of a brag.
    • Passkeys: Think of them like a broken heart necklace. Imagine one of those heart necklaces that breaks into two matching pieces. One person keeps one half, and the other person keeps the other half. With passkeys, the website has one half, and you have the other half. If the website gets hacked and someone steals its half, that stolen piece is useless by itself. It cannot unlock your account without your matching half. This particular heart necklace is one of a kind, there is only one in existence. Your half of the necklace has to be stored somewhere. It might be stored on your phone, tablet, computer, security key, or a password manager that can sync it between all your devices. A security key is a small physical device that you keep with you, kind of like a house key, car key, or flash drive. I would not usually recommend a security key as the first option for the average person. For most people, it is easier to use their phone, computer, or a password manager that can sync passkeys between their devices. A security key is more like a spare key you keep in a safe place, just in case you lose access to your other devices or your password manager. Some security keys plug into your computer. Some plug into your phone or tablet. Some get tapped against your device. The idea is simple: a security key can hold another passkey for the same website. Think of it like creating a second one-of-a-kind heart necklace for the same account. One necklace could be paired with your password manager, while another necklace could be paired with your security key. That means the website has more than one matching half on file. One half matches the passkey in your password manager. Another half matches the passkey stored on your security key. So, if you lose access to your phone, computer, or password manager, you would still be able to log in using the passkey stored on your security key. Think of it like keeping an extra special necklace piece on a tiny keychain, stored somewhere safe. The website still has the matching half for that security key, but your half is safely stored inside the little key. A passkey does not automatically exist on every device you own. It lives wherever you save it. If your half is stored on one device, then that device is the one that has the matching piece. For example, if you create the passkey on your Windows computer and it is only saved to that computer, your iPhone does not automatically have that same half. If you create it on your iPhone and it only stays on that iPhone, your Android phone does not automatically have it either. That is where password managers come in. A password manager can act like a protected jewelry box for your passkeys. Instead of your half of the necklace being locked to only one device, the password manager can securely sync that half to your other approved devices. For example, Apple Passwords and iCloud Keychain can sync passkeys between your Apple devices. Google Password Manager can sync passkeys with your Google account. But password managers such as 1Password and Bitwarden can sync passkeys between everything, your phones, tablets and computers. Now, you might ask: “What happens if I lose access to the device that has my passkey?” That depends on where your passkey was saved and what recovery options the website gives you. If your passkey was synced through a password manager, you may be able to sign in from another device that has access to that same password manager. For example, if your passkey is saved in iCloud Keychain, Google Password Manager, 1Password, or Bitwarden, another approved device may still have access to it. If your passkey was saved only on one phone, computer, or security key, and you lose that device, then you may not have your half of the necklace anymore. In that case, you would usually need to use the website’s backup login or account recovery options. A lot of websites that support passkeys still let you fall back to your regular password. So if you lose access to your passkey, the site may still let you log in with your password, a code sent to your email, a text message, a recovery code, or some other account recovery process. That is convenient, but it is also important to understand: if the website still allows password login, then your password still matters. Passkeys are safer than passwords, but if your account still has a password as a backup, you should still use a strong, unique password and turn on two-factor authentication if the website offers it. This is why it is a good idea to have more than one safe way back into important accounts. For example, you might keep your passkey in a syncing password manager, add a second trusted device, save recovery codes somewhere safe, or set up a backup security key. A passkey is very secure, but just like a real key, you need a backup plan in case you lose access to it. Now, you might ask: “What stops a hacker from copying my half of the necklace?” That’s the important part: your half is protected. It is not something you type in, and it is not something the website gets to keep. Think of your half as being locked inside a tiny safe on your phone, computer, security key, or password manager. That safe only opens when you approve it with your fingerprint, face, PIN, or device password. When you log in, the website does not need to see your half. It only needs proof that your half matches its half. Your actual half is not handed over to the website. This is different from a password. With a password, you type the secret into the website. If you type it into a fake website, the hacker now has it. With a passkey, you are not typing your secret into the website. Your device is proving you have the matching half without giving the half away. That also helps protect you from fake websites. If someone makes a fake login page that looks like the real site, your device can tell it is not the real match. It will not use your passkey there. Now, could someone use your passkey if they stole your device, got into your password manager, or somehow unlocked the safe that holds your half? Yes, that is why your device password, PIN, fingerprint, face unlock, and password manager security still matter. But a hacker cannot just steal your passkey from the website or trick you into typing it into a fake page like they can with a password. That is why passkeys are safer than passwords. The two matching pieces have to come together, like two lovebirds who were once separated and are finally reunited.
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      timbobit earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      nates earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Almohandis earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Rookie
      dorf went up a rank
      Rookie
    • First Post
      mike_rumble earned a badge
      First Post
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      470
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      165
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      106
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      87
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      69
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!