It’s the first week of December, and the end of the year is coming in fast and with a lot to look forward to at theaters this month. That very cool-looking Lord of the Rings anime hits US theaters on the 13th; Sonic the Hedgehog 3 follows on the 20th; and I’m deeply excited to see Nosferatu on December 25th. (If you’re not with me on that last one, give Matt Zoller Seitz’s RogerEbert.com review of it a read and get back to me.)
Technology
Alarming rise of fake legal requests: What it means for your privacy
Phishing emails are one of the most common tricks scammers use, but they’re usually easy to catch if you pay attention. Awkward grammar, random details and, most importantly, an unofficial email address are dead giveaways. For example, you might get an email saying your Apple ID’s been disabled, but the sender’s email won’t actually be from Apple. Now, though, scammers are finding ways to get around this.
According to the FBI, there’s been a recent rise in cybercriminal services using hacked police and government email accounts to send fake subpoenas and data requests to U.S.-based tech companies.
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Illustration of a scammer at work (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
What you need to know
The FBI has seen a spike in criminal forum posts about emergency data requests and stolen email credentials from police departments and government agencies. Cybercriminals are getting into compromised U.S. and foreign government email accounts and using them to send fake emergency data requests to U.S.-based companies, which exposes customer data for further misuse in other crimes.
In August 2024, a popular cybercriminal on an online forum advertised “high-quality .gov emails” for sale, meant for espionage, social engineering, data extortion, emergency data requests and more. The listing even included U.S. credentials, and the seller claimed they could guide buyers on making emergency data requests and even sell real stolen subpoena documents to help them pose as law enforcement.
Another cybercriminal boasted about owning government emails from over 25 countries. They claimed anyone can use these emails to send a subpoena to a tech company and get access to usernames, emails, phone numbers and other personal client info. Some con artists are even hosting a “masterclass” on how to create and submit their own emergency data requests to pull data on any social media account, charging $100 for the full rundown.
Illustration of a scammer at work (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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How this phishing scam works
When law enforcement, whether federal, state or local, wants information about someone’s account at a tech company, like their email address or other account details, they typically need a warrant, subpoena or court order. When a tech company receives one of these requests from an official email address, they’re required to comply. So, if a scammer gets access to a government email, they can fake a subpoena and get information on just about anyone.
To bypass verification, scammers often send emergency data requests, claiming that someone’s life is at risk and that the data is needed urgently. Because companies don’t want to delay in case of an actual emergency, they may hand over the information, even if the request turns out to be fake. By portraying it as a life-or-death situation, scammers make it harder for companies to take time to verify the request.
For example, the FBI reported that earlier this year, a known cybercriminal posted pictures on an online forum of a fake emergency data request they’d sent to PayPal. The scammer tried to make it look legitimate by using a fraudulent mutual legal assistance treaty, claiming it was part of a local investigation into child trafficking, complete with a case number and legal code for verification. However, PayPal recognized that it wasn’t a real law enforcement request and denied it.
Illustration of a person receiving a phishing email (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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What can companies do to avoid falling for these phishing scams?
1) Verify all data requests: Before sharing sensitive information, companies should verify every data request, even those that look legitimate. Establish a protocol for confirming requests directly with the agency or organization that supposedly sent them.
2) Strengthen email security: Use email authentication protocols like DMARC, SPF and DKIM to block emails from unauthorized sources. Implement anti-phishing filters to detect suspicious content in messages.
3) Train employees on phishing awareness: Regular training sessions on phishing scams can help employees recognize red flags, such as urgent language, unusual requests or emails from unknown addresses. Employees should be encouraged to report suspicious emails.
4) Limit access to sensitive data: Restrict who can view or share sensitive customer data. Fewer people with access means fewer chances for accidental or intentional data leaks.
5) Implement emergency verification procedures: Have a clear verification process in place for “emergency” data requests, including steps for double-checking with higher management or legal teams before responding to any urgent request for customer information.
Illustration of a scammer at work (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Is there something you need to do?
This particular phishing scam mostly targets big tech companies, so there’s not much you can do directly. However, it’s a reminder that you shouldn’t automatically trust an email, even if it comes from a .gov address. Here are some steps you can take to stay safe.
1) Double-check email addresses and links: Even if an email looks official, take a moment to check the sender’s email address and hover over any links to see where they actually lead. Be cautious if anything looks off. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
2) Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): Use 2FA for all sensitive accounts. This extra layer of security helps protect you even if your login credentials are compromised.
3) Stay updated on phishing scams: Keep an eye on the latest phishing tactics, so you know what to look out for. Regular updates help you spot new types of scams before they affect you.
4) Verify suspicious requests: If you get an unexpected email asking for sensitive info, contact the sender directly through an official channel to confirm the request.
Illustration of a scammer at work (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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Kurt’s key takeaway
Scammers are taking phishing emails to a whole new level. I often recommend checking the email carefully when you receive anything suspicious to see if it’s legit. But now, since scammers can even access government emails, you need to be extra cautious. This phishing scam seems to target mostly big tech companies, so it’s on them to strengthen their security and verify every request thoroughly before sharing any user information. It’s also up to governments worldwide to protect their digital assets from being compromised.
What’s your stance on how governments are handling cybersecurity? Are they doing enough to protect sensitive data? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.
Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover.
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Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25781069/itch.jpeg "Itch.io is currently offline due to a “trash AI-powered” phishing report")
Indie game storefront Itch.io is currently offline because of what it describes as a bogus phishing report. While the game store’s servers are still online, the domain for the website is currently pointing towards IP addresses that itch.io doesn’t own — making it inaccessible for most people.
Itch.io blames pop culture collectibles company Funko for the issues in a post on X, “because they use some trash ‘AI-powered’ Brand Protection Software called Brand Shield that created some bogus Phishing report to our registrar.”
While the disputed page has been taken down, itch.io’s domain registrar, iwantmyname, still disabled the domain likely due to automated systems. According to a post on X, the indie game marketplace is now waiting on the domain registrar to respond and re-enable its domain.
If you know how to tweak your hosts file that maps hostnames to IP addresses then you can use the 45.33.107.166 IP address in the meantime, but you’ll need to remove the entry once the domain is restored. Itch.io is hoping the problems will be resolved in a matter of hours so it doesn’t have to deploy a new domain name instead.
The domain issues come just days after itch.io started allowing its users to use its domain name for Bluesky accounts. If you have spent $10 on the platform then you have the option to use your itch.io profile URL on Bluesky, but the current domain issues mean anyone who switched to the custom itch.io URLs has an “invalid handle” error on Bluesky until the main itch.io domain is back online.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25780581/Section_31_Michelle_Yeoh.png "Trailers of the week: Star Trek, Severance, and Gundam")
While I’m waiting to go be unnerved by Robert Eggers’ new spooky vampire movie, let’s take a look at some good trailers from the last week.
I’ll admit that the biggest appeal for me about this straight-to-streaming spy movie spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery is Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou. She’s just having so much fun in this trailer. The trailers haven’t revealed yet what threat she’ll be facing, other than being forced to do teamwork, but it seems like it’ll be pretty heavy on the rag-tag team of antiheroes action thing.
The Olatunde Osunsanmi-directed movie also stars Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl, Sven Ruygrok, Humberly Gonzalez, Rob Kazinsky, and Sam Richardson. It premieres on Paramount Plus starting January 24th.
I was late to the Severance party, having finally finished it a few months ago, so I can only imagine how eager people who saw its cliffhanger ending have been to see the story continue. Well, the second season of creator Dan Erickson’s bizarro sci-fi drama is almost here, and it looks like it’s probably going to bring answers, with even more mystery heaped on top of it.
All of the first season’s main characters, including Mark (Adam Scott), Dylan (Zach Cherry), Helly (Britt Lower), and Irving (John Turturro) are returning, and they’ll be joined by characters played by the likes of Alia Shawkat, Gwendoline Christie, and Bob Balaban. Season two of Severance premieres January 17th on Apple TV Plus.
The third season of Invincible will see a stronger, older Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) tell off GDA director Cecil Stedman (Walton Goggins) and episodes that show creator Robert Kirkman hopes will each feel like a finale. And there’s no season break this time around.
The show debuts with three episodes February 6th on Amazon Prime, with new episodes releasing every Thursday after until March 13th.
The Wheel of Time continues its retelling of the Robert Jordan fantasy epic on March 13th next year. In its third season, the show follows Joshua Stradowski’s Rand al’Thor — the “Dragon Reborn” — and Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike) as they go into the Aiel Waste. It’s been more than two decades since I read the book series, so I couldn’t spoil what happens there for you if I wanted to, but I seem to recall this was a fairly dark time in the series.
Who knows what evil is in The Gorge’s, uh, gorge, but it’s apparently contained well enough that humanity only needs two snipers — who aren’t allowed to interact with each other — stationed on either side of it to make sure it stays there. The snipers, Levi (Miles Teller) and Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy), do interact and fall for eachother, then end up in the gorge. Oops!
Scott Derrickson directs the movie, which also stars Sigourney Weaver, Sope Dirisu, and William Houston. It premieres February 14th on Apple TV Plus.
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
Giant robot anime fans rejoice: there’s a new Mobile Suit Gundam coming next year. It’s called Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, and it’s produced by Khara, the studio behind the Rebuild of Evangelion films.
The weird name references a Gundam called the gMS-Ω GQuuuuuuX. The show will follow a highschooler — named Yuzuriha “Machu” Amate (Tomoyo Kurosawa) — who learns to co-pilot the building-sized, sword-wielding robot with pilot Shuji Ito (Shimba Tsuchiya). Some of its episodes will head to Japanese theaters on January 17th.
Are you dealing with a Windows PC or laptop that won’t stop crashing? Maybe your PC is constantly freezing or displaying error messages.
We know how frustrating a PC that won’t work right can be. Luckily, there are some easy ways to fix a Windows PC that is consistently crashing.
Today, we’ll review nine easy fixes you can do at home if you have a Windows PC that won’t stop crashing on you. Let’s get into it.
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A man working on a PC (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
1. Check all of your cable connections
While it might sound obvious, the first step to troubleshooting a computer that constantly crashes is ensuring everything is firmly plugged in. It’s often the most overlooked step, so if you’re using a desktop, you’ll want to look behind your PC and ensure everything is plugged in. It would be best to try using a different electrical outlet to first rule out any electrical issues in your home.
If you feel comfortable opening up your desktop PC, you can also go inside the case and ensure all your PCI connections are firmly plugged in. You’ll want to ensure all your cables going to the power supply are firmly connected, and the same is true with the PCI power cables that supply electricity to the GPU and CPU.
Wires coming out of a desktop PC tower (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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2. Make sure your computer isn’t overheating
Computer overheating is a common cause of intermittent shutdowns and crashes. If your CPU (central processing unit), essentially the brain of your computer, or graphics card gets too hot, your computer might shut down to ensure the components aren’t damaged. If you notice that your laptop or desktop is giving off a lot of heat, or in the case of a laptop, it is hot to the touch, or if you notice your fans running louder than usual, these are all signs of overheating.
If your computer is overheating, the first step is to clean it thoroughly. I recommend blowing dust out of the interior fans with compressed air and keeping your PC in an area where it can receive proper airflow. If you have a desktop PC, try not to keep it under your desk. Keeping a PC under a desk can cause issues with dust build-up and lack of airflow. It’s best to keep your desktop in a part of your home or office where it can receive a decent amount of airflow.
A man working on a PC (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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3. Boot your PC into safe mode
If your cables are all plugged in correctly and your computer isn’t overheating, it’s time to boot your Windows PC into safe mode. Booting into safe mode allows you to run your PC with the necessary files and drivers turned on to make the PC run. That way, you can determine if new software or hardware conflicts with your PC, causing it to crash. While in safe mode, you can access Windows error logs and run other diagnostics to figure out what is causing your PC to crash.
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How to boot into safe mode (Windows 10)
There are a few different ways to boot into Windows safe mode, and it is a bit different depending on whether you are using Windows 10 or 11. To start, here’s how you can boot into safe mode on Windows 10 from the settings panel:
- Press the Windows key
- Click Settings
Steps to boot into safe mode (Windows 10) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Click System
Steps to boot into safe mode (Windows 10) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
- Scroll down and click Recovery
- Click Advanced Startup – Restart Now
Steps to boot into safe mode (Windows 10) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
- Once your computer restarts, you’ll click Troubleshoot
- Click Advanced options
- Click Startup settings
- Click Restart again
Your computer will restart again, and this time, your computer will boot into safe mode.
How to boot into safe mode (Windows 11)
The process is slightly different if you use a Windows 11 PC instead of a Windows 10 machine. Here’s what to do if you are using a Windows 11 PC:
- Press the Windows key or click on the Start button
- While holding the Shift key, click the power icon in the bottom left corner
- While continuing to hold the shift key, press restart
Steps to boot into safe mode (Windows 11) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Once your computer restarts, it will automatically boot into safe mode.
4. Check the Windows logs for errors
Now that you’re in safe mode, you should look at the Windows logs. You can access the Windows error logs through the Event Viewer. Here’s how to access the Windows Event Viewer:
- Press the Windows icon in the start bar
- Search for Event Viewer
Steps to boot into safe mode (Windows 11) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
- Open the Event Viewer app
- In the left panel, double-click Windows logs
- Click either Application or SystemApplication will show you Windows logs and errors related to applicationsSystem will show you Windows logs and errors related to the operating system
- Application will show you Windows logs and errors related to applications
- System will show you Windows logs and errors related to the operating system
Steps to boot into safe mode (Windows 11) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
- In both the Application and System, read through and write down the error code for any errors when your PC last crashed.
- You can access the error code by double-clicking any error in the log.
- Run a Google search for any error codes that come up.
5. Perform an OS update
An outdated version of Windows can cause conflicts with both your software and even hardware components in your PC. This is a major cause of PC crashes, so you’ll want to ensure your Windows operating system is entirely up to date. Here’s how to run a system update on Windows:
- Click the Windows icon in the taskbar
- Click the Gear (Settings) icon in the start menu
- Click Windows Update
- Press the Check for Updates button
Steps to perform an OS update Steps to perform an OS update (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
- Download and install any new updates available for your PC
6. Run an antivirus scan
Even if you don’t own any antivirus software, you should at least run a scan with the built-in Windows Defender. Here’s how to access Windows Defender and run an antivirus scan:
- Click the Windows icon in the taskbar
- Click the Gear (settings) icon in the start menu
- Click Privacy & Security
Steps to run an antivirus scan (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
- At the top, click Windows Security
- Click Virus & Threat protection
- Click the Scan options button underneath Quick scan
Steps to run an antivirus scan (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
- Select Full scan
- Quarantine any threats detected during the virus scan.
Is Windows Defender enough to protect you?
While Windows Defender offers robust, built-in security for Windows users, it has limitations in areas like phishing and spam protection and may not update as swiftly as some premium solutions. To stay protected from malicious links, phishing scams and ransomware, consider investing in strong antivirus software. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.
Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
7. Check the hard drive for errors
You can use the Windows Command Prompt to check your hard drive for errors. If your hard drive has an error, you might need to perform a system restore, which we’ll discuss later. For now, here’s how to use the command prompt to check for hard drive errors:
- Click the Windows icon in the taskbar
- Type CMD and open the Command Prompt
Steps to check the hard drive for errors (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
- Right-click on the Command Prompt box and click Run as administrator
- Type sfc/scannow and press enter
Steps to check the hard drive for errors (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
The command prompt will now check your hard drive for corrupt files and replace them. This may take some time. Once the process is complete, and you have errors that cannot be automatically replaced, you will unfortunately need to replace your hard drive and reinstall Windows.
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8. Check for issues with your RAM
Issues with your PC’s RAM can also cause your Windows PC to crash randomly. More often than not, if you have an issue with your RAM, you’ll need to replace the RAM modules on the motherboard. This can be done at home quickly if you have the technical knowledge, but you can also go into any computer shop to get your RAM replaced for a small fee. Here’s how to check for issues with your RAM on your Windows PC:
- At the same time, press the Windows Key + R on your keyboard
- This will execute the Run application in Windows
- Type Mdsched.exe and press enter; this will launch the Window Memory Diagnostics repair tool
Steps to check for issues with your RAM (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
- Click Restart now and check for memory problems
Now, your computer will run through a memory check, and if you encounter an issue, beware that you might have to replace your RAM.
9. Perform a system restore
If your PC just started crashing, you might be able to fix the issue by performing a system restore. A system restore will restore your Windows operating system to a specific date and time of your choosing. This way, you can restore your OS to a point before the crash begins and troubleshoot from there. It’s important to note that when you perform a system restore, your computer will be restored as it was on the date and time you chose. This means you will lose any recent files or settings, so this should be a last-step solution in your troubleshooting process.
How to perform a system restore
- Click the Windows icon in the taskbar
- Type system restore
- Click Create a Restore Point
Steps to perform a system restore (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
- Once the system restore wizard opens, you will see a notification telling you what the system restore will do, click next
- Select a time and date for the system restore and click next
- Click Finish
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Kurt’s key takeaways
Having a Windows PC that won’t stop crashing can be a massive headache. Luckily, there’s a lot of information out there on how to troubleshoot a PC that just won’t stop crashing. I’ve gone over nine of the most commonly used tips to fix a crashing Windows PC, but there’s other reset options out there, many of which require a higher degree of technical ability than what we’ve gone through today.
What do you find most challenging about using a Windows PC today? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact
For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter
Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover
Follow Kurt on his social channels
Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:
New from Kurt:
Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
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