Technology
How to protect your online privacy, security with VPN while using hotspot
Having a stable internet connection is vital in today’s always-online world. One way to stay connected while on the go is with a hotspot, which uses your cellphone’s cellular network to create its own Wi-Fi network that other devices can connect to.
However, hotspots aren’t the safest way to go online, and they suffer from the same risks that any public Wi-Fi connection does, such as data breaches or misuse by hackers and other nefarious actors.
Although there is an easy way to keep yourself protected when using a hotspot, though, and that’s by using a virtual private network or VPN. It adds an extra layer of security and can keep you safe online. If you do decide to create and use a personal hotspot, remember to always make sure it’s password-protected.
Now, we’ll take you through the benefits of using a VPN with a hotspot and show you step by step how to set up a VPN.
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Woman on a tablet using VPN (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
What is a hotspot?
A hotspot refers to a physical location where wireless internet access is available, typically using Wi-Fi technology. It could be a public location like a cafe, airport, hotel or library that offers internet access to its customers or visitors.
Additionally, you can create personal hotspots using your smartphone or other devices, allowing you to share your cellular data connection with nearby devices, such as laptops or tablets, via Wi-Fi. This enables these devices to connect to the internet even when they’re outside the range of a traditional Wi-Fi network.
Hotspots are useful for providing internet connectivity on the go and are commonly used in situations where accessing Wi-Fi networks or wired connections is not possible or convenient.
What is a VPN?
A virtual private network, or VPN, is a technology that creates a secure and encrypted connection between a device, typically a smartphone or laptop and another network over the internet. Here’s how they work.
Encryption
When you use a VPN, all your internet traffic will be encrypted. This means that all data sent and received will be scrambled and protected from any prying eyes.
Routing
All traffic sent through a VPN is routed through a server that is operated by the VPN provider. This server acts as a middleman between your device and all of the websites or online services you access.
Disguising your Identity
By connecting to a VPN server, all of your internet activity will appear to originate from the VPN provider’s server location. For example, if the VPN provider hosts their server in a different country, your traffic will appear in that country, even if you are connecting to the VPN from the United States. This can help you bypass certain geolocation restrictions on websites to access content that might otherwise be unavailable in a specific region.
Privacy on Public Wi-Fi
When connected to a public Wi-Fi network, which is always risky, a VPN will shield your browsing activity from potential hackers and snoopers. Here are some mistakes to avoid if you have to use public Wi-Fi.
Person on a laptop using a VPN (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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Choosing a VPN provider
Using a VPN with a mobile hotspot is a great way to keep yourself protected, as we’ve shown above. Fortunately, these days, there is a wide range of VPN providers. See my expert review of the best VPNs for browsing the web privately on your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices.
Luckily for users, setting up a VPN isn’t difficult at all. Once you’ve picked your provider, here’s what you will want to do next.
Install the VPN application
Once you’ve selected a VPN, you’ll want to install the application on your device. Always make sure you are downloading directly from the developer or a trusted intermediary such as the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Create an account
After you’ve installed your VPN application and opened it for the first time, it’s time to create your account. The majority of VPN services will require you to create a username and password with an email address.
Select server location
Now that you have an account, you can begin using your new VPN. The first step in any VPN application is to select your server location. While there are advantages to picking a location further away, such as bypassing geo-location locks on specific content, it’s best to pick a server location that’s close to you. This will allow you to experience the optimal speed while browsing securely with a VPN.
Laptop with Google search displayed (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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Test the connection
After the initial application, you can launch your VPN application anytime you want to create a secure network. However, it’s important to note that if you want to use your phone to create a mobile hotspot, and you want to access the internet from that hotspot on your laptop, you will need to have the VPN installed and operating on both devices. This is because security protocols of both iOS and Android do not allow multiple devices to share the same VPN IP address.
This process is simpler than it may sound, simply install whichever VPN service you prefer on both devices, log into your account and select the same VPN server location for a faster and more stable connection on both devices. After that, you just need to make sure the connection is working. Once you have a VPN actively running on any mobile device, it will encrypt the data between the network and you, you just need to simply open a browser and make sure you have an internet connection.
If you are able to access the website, then congratulations! You now have a VPN protecting your mobile hotspot data.
MORE: HOW TO STOP SOMEONE FROM TRACK YOU ON YOUR PHONE
Kurt’s key takeaways
A VPN is a great way to keep yourself protected while browsing the internet on a hotspot. We’ve shown you how easy it is to set up a VPN with a mobile hotspot, and we recommend using a VPN anytime you are using a public network. There’s a wide range of VPN providers out there these days, so it’s a good idea to always do a bit of research beforehand. You’ll want to pay close attention to pricing, services offered and trusted reviews of any VPN service you plan on downloading.
Have you ever experienced any security issues or concerns while using public Wi-Fi networks, and if so, how do you think using a VPN could mitigate those risks? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Technology
Here’s your first look at Kratos in Amazon’s God of War show
Amazon has slowly been teasing out casting details for its live-action adaptation of God of War, and now we have our first look at the show. It’s a single image but a notable one showing protagonist Kratos and his son Atreus. The characters are played by Ryan Hurst and Callum Vinson, respectively, and they look relatively close to their video game counterparts.
There aren’t a lot of other details about the show just yet, but this is Amazon’s official description:
The God of War series storyline follows father and son Kratos and Atreus as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.
That sounds a lot like the recent soft reboot of the franchise, which started with 2018’s God of War and continued through Ragnarök in 2022. For the Amazon series, Ronald D. Moore, best-known for his work on For All Mankind and Battlestar Galactica, will serve as showrunner. The rest of the cast includes: Mandy Patinkin (Odin), Ed Skrein (Baldur), Max Parker (Heimdall), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Thor), Teresa Palmer (Sif), Alastair Duncan (Mimir), Jeff Gulka (Sindri), and Danny Woodburn (Brok).
While production is underway on the God of War series, there’s no word on when it might start streaming.
Technology
300,000 Chrome users hit by fake AI extensions
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Your web browser may feel like a safe place, especially when you install helpful tools that promise to make your life easier. But security researchers have uncovered a dangerous campaign in which more than 300,000 people installed Chrome extensions pretending to be artificial intelligence (AI) assistants. Instead of helping, these fake tools secretly collect sensitive information like your emails, passwords and browsing activity.
They used familiar names like ChatGPT, Gemini and AI Assistant. If you use Chrome and have installed any AI-related extension, your personal information may already be exposed. Even worse, some of these malicious extensions are still available today, putting more people at risk without their knowing.
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More than 300,000 Chrome users installed fake AI extensions that secretly harvested sensitive data. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
What you need to know about fake AI extensions
Security researchers at browser security company LayerX discovered a large campaign involving 30 malicious Chrome extensions disguised as AI-powered assistants (via BleepingComputer). Together, these extensions were installed more than 300,000 times by unsuspecting users.
Some of the most popular extensions included names like AI Sidebar with 70,000 users, AI Assistant with 60,000 users, ChatGPT Translate with 30,000 users, and Google Gemini with 10,000 users. Another extension called Gemini AI Sidebar had 80,000 users before it was removed.
These extensions were distributed through the official Chrome Web Store, which made them appear legitimate and trustworthy. Even more concerning, researchers found that many of these extensions were connected to the same malicious server, showing they were part of a coordinated effort.
While some extensions have since been removed, others remain available. This means new users could still unknowingly install them and expose their personal data. Here’s the list of the affected extensions:
- AI Assistant
- Llama
- Gemini AI Sidebar
- AI Sidebar
- ChatGPT Sidebar
- Grok
- Asking ChatGPT
- ChatGBT
- Chat Bot GPT
- Grok Chatbot
- Chat With Gemini
- XAI
- Google Gemini
- Ask Gemini
- AI Letter Generator
- AI Message Generator
- AI Translator
- AI For Translation
- AI Cover Letter Generator
- AI Image Generator ChatGPT
- Ai Wallpaper Generator
- Ai Picture Generator
- DeepSeek Download
- AI Email Writer
- Email Generator AI
- DeepSeek Chat
- ChatGPT Picture Generator
- ChatGPT Translate
- AI GPT
- ChatGPT Translation
- ChatGPT for Gmail
FAKE AI CHAT RESULTS ARE SPREADING DANGEROUS MAC MALWARE
These malicious tools were listed in the official Chrome Web Store, making them appear legitimate and trustworthy. (LayerX)
How the fake AI Chrome extension attack works
These fake extensions pretend to offer helpful AI features, such as translating text, summarizing emails, or acting as an AI assistant. But behind the scenes, they quietly monitor what you are doing online.
Once installed, the extension gains permission to view and interact with the websites you visit. This allows it to read the contents of web pages, including login screens where you enter your username and password.
In some cases, the extensions specifically targeted Gmail. They could read your email messages directly from your browser, including emails you received and even drafts you were still writing. This means attackers could access private conversations, financial information and sensitive personal details.
The extensions then sent this information to servers controlled by the attackers. Because they loaded content remotely, the attackers could change their behavior at any time without needing to update the extension.
Some versions could also activate voice features through your browser. This could potentially capture spoken conversations near your device and send transcripts back to the attackers.
If you installed one of these extensions, attackers may already have access to extremely sensitive information. This includes your email content, login credentials, browsing habits and possibly even voice recordings.
We reached out to Google for comment, and a spokesperson told CyberGuy that the company “can confirm that the extensions from this report have all been removed from the Google Web Store.”
BROWSER EXTENSION MALWARE INFECTED 8.8M USERS IN DARKSPECTRE ATTACK
Once installed, the extensions could read emails, capture passwords, monitor browsing activity and send the data to attacker-controlled servers. (Bildquelle/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
7 ways you can protect yourself from malicious Chrome extensions
If you have ever installed an AI-related Chrome extension, taking a few simple precautions now can help protect your accounts and prevent further damage.
1) Remove any suspicious or unused browser extensions
On a Windows PC or Mac, open Chrome and type chrome://extensions into the address bar. Review every extension listed. If you see anything unfamiliar, especially AI assistants you don’t remember installing, click “Remove” immediately. Malicious extensions depend on going unnoticed. Removing them stops further data collection and cuts off the attacker’s access to your information.
2) Change your passwords
If you installed any suspicious extension, assume your passwords may be compromised. Start by changing your email password first, since email controls access to most other accounts. Then update passwords for banking, shopping and social media accounts. This prevents attackers from using stolen credentials to break into your accounts.
3) Use a password manager to create and protect strong passwords
A password manager generates unique, complex passwords for each account and stores them securely. This prevents attackers from accessing multiple accounts if one password is stolen. Password managers also alert you if your login credentials appear in known data breaches, helping you respond quickly and protect your identity. Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2026 at Cyberguy.com.
4) Install strong antivirus software and keep it active
Good antivirus software can detect malicious browser extensions, spyware, and other hidden threats. It scans your system for suspicious activity and blocks harmful programs before they can steal your information. This adds an important layer of protection that works continuously in the background to keep your device safe. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.
5) Use an identity theft protection service
Identity theft protection services monitor your personal data, including email addresses, financial accounts, and Social Security numbers, for signs of misuse. If criminals try to open accounts or commit fraud using your information, you receive alerts quickly. Early detection allows you to act fast and limit financial and personal damage. See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft at Cyberguy.com.
6) Keep your browser and computer fully updated
Software updates fix security vulnerabilities that attackers exploit. Enable automatic updates for Chrome and your operating system so you always have the latest protections. These updates strengthen your defenses against malicious extensions and prevent attackers from taking advantage of known weaknesses.
7) Use a personal data removal service
Personal data removal services scan data broker websites that collect and sell your personal information. They help remove your data from these sites, reducing what attackers can find and use against you. Less exposed information means fewer opportunities for criminals to target you with scams, identity theft or phishing attacks.
Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.
Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.
Kurt’s key takeaway
Even tools designed to make your life easier can become tools for cybercriminals. Malicious extensions often hide behind trusted names and convincing features, making them difficult to spot. You can significantly reduce your risk by reviewing your browser extensions regularly, removing anything suspicious and using protective tools like password managers and strong antivirus software.
Have you checked your browser extensions recently? Let us know your thoughts by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Technology
Anthropic refuses Pentagon’s new terms, standing firm on lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance
Less than 24 hours before the deadline in an ultimatum issued by the Pentagon, Anthropic has refused the Department of Defense’s demands for unrestricted access to its AI.
It’s the culmination of a dramatic exchange of public statements, social media posts, and behind-the-scenes negotiations, coming down to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s desire to renegotiate all AI labs’ current contracts with the military. But Anthropic, so far, has refused to back down from its two current red lines: no mass surveillance of Americans, and no lethal autonomous weapons (or weapons with license to kill targets with no human oversight whatsoever). OpenAI and xAI had reportedly already agreed to the new terms, while Anthropic’s refusal had led to CEO Dario Amodei being summoned to the White House this week for a meeting with Hegseth himself, in which the Secretary reportedly issued an ultimatum to the CEO to back down by the end of business day on Friday or else.
In a statement late Thursday, Amodei wrote, “I believe deeply in the existential importance of using AI to defend the United States and other democracies, and to defeat our autocratic adversaries. Anthropic has therefore worked proactively to deploy our models to the Department of War and the intelligence community.”
He added that the company has “never raised objections to particular military operations nor attempted to limit use of our technology in an ad hoc manner” but that in a “narrow set of cases, we believe AI can undermine, rather than defend, democratic values” — going on to specifically mention mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. (Amodei mentioned that “partial autonomous weapons … are vital to the defense of democracy” and that fully autonomous weapons may eventually “prove critical for our national defense,” but that “today, frontier AI systems are simply not reliable enough to power fully autonomous weapons.” He did not rule out Anthropic acquiescing to the military’s use of fully autonomous weapons in the future but mentioned that they were not ready now.)
The Pentagon had already reportedly asked major defense contractors to assess their dependence on Anthropic’s Claude, which could be seen as the first step to designating the company a “supply chain risk” – a public threat that the Pentagon had made recently (and a classification usually reserved for threats to national security). The Pentagon was also reportedly considering invoking the Defense Production Act to make Anthropic comply.
Amodei wrote in his statement that the Pentagon’s “threats do not change our position: we cannot in good conscience accede to their request.” He also wrote that “should the Department choose to offboard Anthropic, we will work to enable a smooth transition to another provider, avoiding any disruption to ongoing military planning, operations, or other critical missions. Our models will be available on the expansive terms we have proposed for as long as required.”
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