LG monitors are using Windows 11 feature to serve adware

LG has come under fire over its Monitor App Installer, which is automatically and silently installed when plugging in some of the company's monitors.

In this case, the monitor in question is a new LG UltraGear. Upon first connection to a Windows 11 device, the OS can check the associated device metadata and automatically install the manufacturer's UWP device app.

For that to happen, Microsoft says the user must have opted into Recommended Settings during Windows setup, be signed in to the Microsoft Store, and be online.

UPDATE:  LG has agreed to stop its Monitor App Installer pestering users with a McAfee pop-up after Microsoft's Windows boss intervened.

Pavan Davuluri wrote on social media: "We've connected with the team at LG and as an immediate next step, they have agreed to disable the McAfee pop-up from their app.

www.theregister.com

"System Administrator Appreciation Day" is the 31st July. Show your love!

Your network is secure, your computer is up and running, and your printer is jam-free. Why? Because you’ve got an awesome System Administrator keeping your business up and running. So say IT loud; say IT proud …

Happy SysAdmin Day! Wait… what exactly is SysAdmin Day? Oh, it’s only the single greatest 24 hours on the planet… and pretty much the most important holiday of the year. It’s also the perfect opportunity to pay tribute to the heroic men and women who, come rain or shine, prevent disasters, keep IT secure and put out tech fires left and right.

At this point, you may be thinking, "Great. I get it. My sysadmin is a rock star 😂. But now what?" Glad you asked! Nice n' easy, & no cost to you at all: give Donline some feedback (please)...

As a valued Donline client, I would like to invite you to go to Trustpilot & offer honest feedback on my services. If you have previously submitted feedback - I thank you 💖.

www.sysadminday.com

What is the Christian definition of religion?

The word religion is extremely rare in the New Testament or the writings of mystics. The reason is simple. Those attitudes and practices to which we give the collective name of religion are themselves concerned with religion hardly at all. To be religious is to have one’s attention fixed on God and on one’s neighbor in relation to God. Therefore, almost by definition, a religious man, or a man when he is being religious, is not thinking about religion; he hasn’t the time. Religion is what we (or he himself at a later moment) call his activity from outside.

By C.S. Lewis
From The World's Last Night

Bear Grylls & the cast of The Chosen - what's not to like!

“The Chosen In The Wild” TV series with adventure superstar Bear Grylls.

Bear took five of the cast members and Dallas Jenkins - into the wild separately and put us to significant tests. But this isn’t just an adventure show; the challenges brought out insights and emotions and change we didn’t expect.

The series follows the cast of the groundbreaking historical drama The Chosen as they take on challenges across forests, deserts, and canyons. Cast members Jonathan Roumie (Jesus), Paras Patel (Matthew), Elizabeth Tabish (Mary Magdalene), Noah James (Andrew), and Luke Dimyan (Judas) join series creator and executive producer Dallas Jenkins as Bear leads them through Utah's treacherous Castle Valley, Canyonlands, the Ausable River, the Colorado River, the Great Basin Desert, and the Adirondack Forest.

The series premieres 9th August 2026, on Prime Video, with all six episodes available at launch in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, the UK, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

www.youtube.com

Rogue OpenAI bot escaped lab and hacked rival

A powerful version of ChatGPT went rogue and hacked another technology company during internal testing, OpenAI has admitted.

The Silicon Valley AI giant admitted last night that one of its AI bots escaped from a supposedly secure IT system during a trial-run of its hacking capabilities.

OpenAI, the $850bn (£630bn) AI lab, said the “unprecedented” hack had seen its AI bot infiltrate another AI and coding business called Hugging Face and attempt to steal information.

The hack will raise fears that AI labs could struggle to contain their most advanced creations and revive concerns that new tools could be repurposed for unstoppable cyber attacks.

www.telegraph.co.uk

Hackers are exploiting recently patched WordPress bugs, putting millions of websites at risk

Hackers are breaking into websites that run vulnerable versions of the popular blogging software WordPress, according to several cybersecurity firms. One estimate puts the number of vulnerable WordPress websites at tens of millions as of Monday.

Last week, WordPress patched two critical security flaws, urging people who run its software on their websites to update it “immediately.” The vulnerabilities are so severe that WordPress enabled forced updates where possible. Since then, cybersecurity companies Patchstack, Hexastrike, and WatchTowr have all warned that hackers are exploiting the vulnerabilities in the wild, meaning they are taking over websites that are still running susceptible versions of WordPress. 

It’s unclear how many WordPress-powered websites on the internet are at risk, but it’s possible to make some educated guesses. The vulnerable versions of WordPress are 6.9.0 through 6.9.4, and 7.0.0 to 7.0.1. According to WordPress’ official stats, there are more than 400 million websites that run those flawed versions, although these statistics likely don’t reflect websites that have recently been patched.

www.techcrunch.com

Metropolitan Police to scrap roads policing division

Scotland Yard is planning to scrap its entire roads policing unit, prompting fears London will become even more dangerous for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

The Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC) could be axed and the responsibilities spread across other teams as part of reforms across the Metropolitan Police to save money.

While the unit specialises in responding to and investigating road-traffic accidents, it also works alongside other departments to prevent and detect crime on the roads.

The unit is regarded as a first line of defence in the fight against serious and organised criminals who use the roads to transport illicit goods such as drugs and weapons around the capital. READ MORE...

www.telegraph.co.uk