Skip to main content

Microsoft "Biggest Hacker In China"

Microsoft "Biggest Hacker In China"

Microsoft definitely isn’t popular in China at the moment. In a country where counterfeit software is rife (around 90% by many estimates), it’s launched a new antipiracy tool.

The Windows Genuine Advantage program turns on-screen backgrounds black every hour if it can’t validate the software, the Guardian reports, rather than just notifying the user, as had been the case before. And that’s what has the Chinese up in arms.

Beijing lawyer Dong Zhengwei has not only complained to the Security Ministry calling Microsoft the “biggest hacker in China,” he’s also written to China Daily:

"I respect the right of Microsoft to protect its intellectual property, but it is taking on the wrong target with wrong measures. They should target producers and sellers of fake software, not users."

Even the China Software Industry Association is planning action against Microsoft.

Digital Trends Staff
Digital Trends has a simple mission: to help readers easily understand how tech affects the way they live. We are your…
Hackers are pretending to be cybersecurity firm to lock your entire PC
A hacker typing on an Apple MacBook laptop while holding a phone. Both devices show code on their screens.

As hackers come up with new ways to attack, not even trustworthy names can be taken at face value. This time, a ransom-as-a-service (RaaS) attack is being used to impersonate a cybersecurity vendor called Sophos.

The RaaS, referred to as SophosEncrypt, can take hold of your files -- or even your whole PC -- and requires payment to have them decrypted.

Read more
This HP laptop with Microsoft Office is $179 at Walmart, and selling fast
HP Stream 13

Walmart has one of the better laptop deals for anyone on a tight budget. Right now, you can buy the HP Stream 14-inch laptop with a year of Office 365 for just $179. That's a saving of $30 on the usual price of $209. Crucially, it's the perfect price for students wanting to keep costs down and still have access to valuable cloud-based services. It looks pretty good too. Let's see what else it offers.

Why you should buy the HP Stream 14-inch laptop
The HP Stream 14-inch laptop isn't a powerful laptop by any means but it does come from one of the best laptop brands so you can rely on it. It has a basic Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of memory and 64GB of eMMC storage. That means there isn't much room for apps or files, but that's also why it comes with Microsoft Office 365 so you can easily use cloud-based services like Word and Excel, as well as store your files online. Because of its low specs, it runs Windows 11 in S mode but that still means you get most of the Windows experience without missing out.

Read more
The 6 biggest mistakes in recent Star Wars movies and TV shows we can all agree on
A behind the scenes shot of the cast and director Ron Howard for Solo: A Star Wars Story.

There's no question that the past eigh years of Star Wars have been divisive. No one's going to debate that. Some fans hate the Sequel Trilogy but love The Mandalorian and Rogue One. Some adore The Last Jedi but hate Rise of Skywalker. And then there are plenty that only like Andor. And then there are people like me, who find plenty to enjoy in all of the above.

There are some decisions, though, that we can all agree didn't play out how Lucasfilm may have hoped -- creatively or financially. These are all things I hope the studio can learn from, to hopefully ensure that we continue to get more expansion of the Star Wars franchise for many years to come. So, let's count them down from the most harmless to the most egregious.
6. The shoddy production values of Obi-Wan Kenobi

Read more