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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 10 - 15 FEBRUARY 2025
Hello and Welcome,
Meeting This Week
2025/02/15 — 14:00-16:00 — February, Sat — Web Design
SPCTUG Zoom Web Design Meeting
Time: Saturday, 15th February, 2025, 14:00 Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86141133224
Meeting ID: 861 4113 3224
Passcode: WebDesign
Meeting Next week
2025/02/18 — 10:00-12:00 — February, Tue — Tuesday Group
Schedule of Current & Upcoming Meetings
First Tuesday 18:00-20:00 — Main Meeting
Third Tuesday 10:00-12:00 — Tuesday Group
Third Saturday 14:00-16:00 — Web Design
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Go to the official Sydney PC Calendar for this month's meeting details.
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ASCCA News:Tech News:
Mastercard plans to eliminate credit card numbers, so we could be heading towards the end of the cards
See the ABC News article by Gary Mortimer and Cassandra Cross | Feb 5, 2025.
Mastercard to Eliminate Credit Card Numbers
Mastercard has announced plans to remove the 16-digit number from its credit and debit cards by 2030, a move designed to combat identity theft and fraudulent card use.
The numbers used to identify cards will be replaced with tokenisation and biometric authentication.
In 2022, Mastercard added biometric options, enabling payments to be made with a smile or hand wave.
Tokenisation converts the 16-digit card number into a different number — or token — stored on your device, so card information is never shared when you tap your card or phone or make payments online.
The first rollout of these numberless cards will be through a partnership with AMP Bank, but other banks are expected to follow in the coming 12 months.
Why card security is important
There is nothing quite like the sinking feeling after receiving a call or text from your bank asking about the legitimacy of a card transaction.
In 2023-2024, the total value of card fraud in Australia was $868 million, up from $677.5 million in the previous financial year.
Credit card numbers and payment details are often exposed in significant data breaches affecting large and small businesses.
Late last year, the US Federal Trade Commission took action against Marriott and Starwood Hotels for lax data security. More than 300 million customers worldwide were affected.
Event ticketing company Ticketmaster was also hacked last year. The details of several hundred million customers, including names, addresses, credit card numbers, phone numbers and payment details, were illegally accessed.
So-called "card-not-present fraud," where an offender processes an unauthorised transaction without having the card in their physical possession, accounts for 92 percent of all card fraud in Australia. This number rose 29 percent in the last financial year.
The Card Verification Value (CVV) (or three-digit number on the back of a credit card) was intended to ensure the person making the transaction had the physical card in their hands. However, it is clearly ineffective.
Benefits of removing credit card numbers
Removing the credit card number is the latest attempt to curb fraud. Removing numbers stops fraudsters from processing unauthorised card-not-present transactions.
If organisations can no longer store these payment details, it also reduces the potential for financial damage of victims exposed to data breaches.
The storage of personal information is a contested issue. For example, the 2022 Optus data breach exposed information from customers who had previously held accounts with the telco in 2018.
Removing organisations' ability to store payment details in the first place removes the risk of this information being exposed in any future attack.
While efforts to reduce fraud are welcome, this new approach raises some new issues.
Potential problems with the new system
Mastercard has said customers will use tokens generated by the customer's banking app or biometric authentication instead of card numbers.
This will likely be an easy transition for mobile banking customers.
However, digital banking is not universal. Many senior consumers and those with disabilities don't use digital banking services, and they would be excluded from the new protections.
While strengthening the security attached to credit cards, removing numbers shifts the vulnerability to mobile phones and telecommunication providers.
Offenders already access victims' phones through mobile porting and impersonation scams. These attacks are likely to escalate as new ways are found to exploit potential vulnerabilities.
Concerns also exist about biometrics. Unlike credit card details, which can be replaced when exposed to a data breach, biometrics are fixed. Shifting a focus to biometrics will increase the attractiveness of this data and potentially expose victims to ongoing, irreversible damage.
While not as common, breaches of biometric data do occur.
For example, the web-based security platform BioStar 2 in the UK exposed more than a million people's fingerprints and facial recognition details. Closer to home, Outabox, an IT provider to entertainment companies, is alleged to have exposed the facial recognition data of more than a million Australians.
Will we need cards in the future?
While removing the numbers may reduce credit card fraud, emerging smart retail technologies may eliminate the need for cards altogether.
Smartphone payments are already becoming the norm, removing the need for physical cards. GlobalData revealed a 58 percent growth in mobile wallet payments in Australia in 2023, to $146.9 billion. In October 2024, 44 percent of payments were "device-present" transactions.
Amazon's innovative "Just-Walk-Out" technology also eliminates the need for consumers to carry a physical credit or debit card.
This technology is available at over 70 Amazon-owned stores and more than 85 third-party locations across the US, UK, and Australia. These include sports stadiums, airports, grocery stores, convenience stores and college campuses.
The technology uses cameras, weight sensors and a combination of advanced AI technologies to enable shoppers in physical stores to make purchases without having to swipe or tap their cards at the checkout line.
Such technology is now being offered by various other vendors, including Trigo, Cognizant, and Grabango. It is also being trialled across other international retailers, including supermarket chains Tesco and ALDI.
While Just-Walk-Out removes the need to carry a physical card, consumers still need to enter their card details into an app at some point. So, to avoid cards and numbers completely, smart retail tech providers are moving to biometric alternatives, like facial recognition payments.
Considering the speed at which smart retail and payment technology is entering the marketplace, physical credit cards, numberless or not, will likely soon become redundant and be replaced by biometric payment options.
Gary Mortimer is a professor of marketing and consumer behaviour. Cassandra Cross is Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching at the Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice at the Queensland University of Technology. This piece first appeared on The Conversation.
Google Search Market Share at Ten-Year Low
See the InfoPackets article by John Lister on January 31, 2025, at 01:01 pm EST.
Search Engine Market Share
According to one estimate, Google's global search market share has dropped below 90 percent. This is the first time it has consistently been below that threshold in a decade.
Some analysts have suggested the drop may be due to users preferring large AI language model chatbots such as ChatGPT to search for information. However, that's not factored directly into these figures.
They come from Statcounter, a respected online activity-tracking company. While it only gathers data from a sample of users, the sample is generally accepted as representative of the Internet. Its archive of data going back a quarter of a century allows for accurate tracking of long-term trends.
Three Month Pattern
The precise figures over the past three months show Google was used for 89.34% of searches in October, 89.99% in November, and 89.73% in December. While it once dropped below 90% in April, it appeared to be a one-off blip. This is the first time this low has been consistently low since 2015. (Source: searchengineland.com)
One prominent theory is that people are likelier to use tools like ChatGPT to get quick answers to questions rather than wade through suggestions for websites that could provide answers. However, these figures only count the proportions of users on different traditional search engines.
That means either that former Google users are switching to other services or that Google users are more likely to use non-search engine approaches, leaving rivals increasing market share despite not increasing the number of users.
Asia in Decline
Another insight may come from the fact that while Google's market share has held relatively steady in most regions, it's had a significant drop in Asia. The sheer size of the online population there means this drop had a noticeable effect on the worldwide figure. (Source: msn.com)
In theory, this is bad news for Google as it makes the site a little less attractive to advertisers, particularly those most interested in the sheer size of a potential audience. It also means slightly fewer data points for providing accurate results and targeting ads.
One possible upside is that it reduces the strength of regulators' and governments' arguments that Google has a monopoly and may have acted unlawfully in maintaining and exploiting that strength.
Do You Really Need to Safely Eject External Drives?
See the How-To Geek article by Kipp Burroughs | Published Feb 1, 2025.
Ejecting USB Drives
Summary
On Windows, Quick Removal allows safe drive removal without ejecting, but the feature isn't perfect.
Mac systems rely on safe ejection due to background tasks like Time Machine backups, while Linux systems still make heavy use of write caching so removing drives without ejecting can result in incomplete transfers and corruption.
The reality is that in order to avoid data loss, you should continue to safely remove your drives (and take steps to avoid sudden disconnections).
We've all seen those "Safely Remove Hardware" prompts when unplugging external drives. But in modern computing, do they still matter? It depends on your OS, file system, and write caching. Let's break down when it's necessary and when you can safely skip it.
Safe Eject Practices on Windows
Windows has evolved in its handling of external storage devices. In earlier versions, safely ejecting was essential due to write caching — a process where data is temporarily stored before being written to the drive. Removing a device without ejecting could interrupt this process, leading to data corruption.
However, starting with Windows 10, Microsoft introduced a policy called "Quick Removal" as the default for external drives. This policy disables write caching, allowing users to remove devices without using the "Safely Remove Hardware" option. While this reduces the risk of data loss, it can impact performance since write operations occur immediately. Therefore, if you're prioritizing performance and have enabled write caching, it's advisable to safely eject your drive to ensure all data is properly written.
That isn't to say that write caching has ceased to exist. It is still an option if you happen to be in need of writing data fast. When working with HDDs, the uptick in speed can be quite noticeable. This isn't as much the case with SSDs as modern ones perform read/write tasks incredibly fast. That wicked speed comes at a cost though. SSDs can wear down quickly if they're performing excessive reading and writing of data. Write caching actually serves to mitigate this pronounced rate of degradation.
In scenarios where the drive is actively in use — such as during file transfers or when applications are accessing data — removing it without ejecting can still pose risks. It's always good practice to ensure that all operations are complete and that no files are open before disconnecting.
Safe Eject Practices on Mac
macOS places a strong emphasis on safely ejecting external drives. If you're slow to clear out your notification centre like I am, you might have a few warnings sitting there waiting for you right now, almost mocking you with that passive-aggressive smiling Finder icon.
The operating system often engages in background processes, like Spotlight indexing, which can access external storage without explicit user actions. Disconnecting a drive without ejecting can interrupt these processes, potentially leading to data corruption or loss.
If you use Time Machine on an external drive, it is configured by default to run a little backup operation each hour, so there is a very good chance of interrupting that process. Since Time Machine involves some delicate indexing, I've found it to be notably susceptible to damaged data in the event of getting interrupted.
To safely eject from a Mac, you can drag the drive icon to the Trash, which transforms into an Eject symbol, or select the drive and hit Command+E. Waiting for the drive's icon to disappear from the desktop ensures that all read and write operations have ceased, making it safe to unplug the device.
I personally find this to be counterintuitive and, even after years, it evokes a certain cognitive dissonance dragging a drive with all sorts of my stuff to the trash bin. Still, it's a neat little trick!
Safe Eject Practices on Linux
Linux systems handle external drives with a focus on flexibility and performance. Many distributions employ write caching to enhance speed, meaning data may not be immediately written to the disk. Removing a drive without ejecting can result in incomplete data transfers and potential corruption.
The process to safely eject varies depending on the desktop environment. Typically, you can right-click on the drive icon and select "Unmount" or "Eject." Alternatively, command-line tools like umount can be used to safely unmount drives.
It's particularly important to ensure safe ejection on Linux, especially in customized setups where specific configurations might affect how drives are managed.
What Happens When You Skip Safe Eject?
Intentionally removing external drives without ejecting can yield varying outcomes across operating systems. On Windows systems with "Quick Removal" enabled, the risk is minimized, but not eliminated. Users have reported instances where failing to eject led to corrupted files or the need for disk repairs.
On macOS, skipping the eject process can disrupt background tasks, leading to error messages upon reconnecting the drive or, in worse cases, data loss. Linux users might encounter incomplete file transfers or corrupted data, particularly if write caching is active.
The type of drive also plays a role. Traditional hard drives (HDDs) are more susceptible to issues from sudden disconnection due to their mechanical components. Solid-state drives (SSDs) and USB flash drives, while more resilient, can still experience data corruption if removed during active write operations.
When It's Safe to Skip Ejecting
There are scenarios where safely ejecting might be deemed unnecessary. For instance, if you're using a Windows system with "Quick Removal" enabled and the drive isn't actively in use, unplugging it is generally safe. Similarly, if a drive is formatted with a file system that doesn't utilize write caching, the risks are reduced.
Some modern external drives come equipped with features that protect against sudden removal, such as built-in power loss protection. However, these features aren't foolproof and shouldn't be solely relied upon.
Regardless of these safeguards, it's essential to ensure that no data is being written or read before disconnecting. That may be easier said than done on Windows as it has the tendency to deny ejection, claiming that the drive is being used when it clearly is not.
To address that age-old issue, I suggest grabbing PowerToys for free and checking out the File Locksmith tool contained therein.
Observing drive activity indicators, like LED lights, can provide a visual cue — if the light is flashing, it's best to wait. That said, as drives become more miniature, it's all too easy to just yank it out in a moment of forgetfulness.
This is especially true if you use a hub at your home desk, where all peripherals and external drives may be tucked away out of site and out of mind. While you're probably not going to brick your drive or corrupt your data beyond recourse, try to keep it in your line of sight and consider getting a drive that is brightly colored, obnoxious even.
The necessity of safely ejecting external drives largely depends on the operating system, the specific settings in place, and the nature of the tasks being performed. While modern systems have implemented measures to mitigate the risks associated with sudden drive removal, the safest approach remains to eject your drives properly.
Fun Facts:
How to download and install Linux in Windows 10 or 11
See the Microsoft method of installing Linux Article | Published on Jan 22, 2024.
In this article
Step 1 - Choose a method to install Linux
Step 2 - Choose a Linux distribution
Step 3 - Follow the install method instructions
Step 4 - After installing Linux
Linux is an operating system similar to Windows, but it has many different versions due to its open-source and fully customizable nature. To install Linux, you must choose an install method and choose a Linux distribution.
To install Linux:
Choose an install method: Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), Bare metal Linux, or create a Virtual Machine (VM) to run Linux locally or in the cloud.
Choose a Linux distribution: Ubuntu, Debian, Kali Linux, openSUSE, etc.
Follow the steps for your preferred install method:
• Use the install Linux command with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
• Create a Linux Virtual Machine (VM) in the cloud
• Create a Linux Virtual Machine (VM) on your local machine
• Create a bootable USB to install bare-metal Linux
After installing Linux: Get familiar with your distribution's package manager, update and upgrade the packages available, and get familiar with the other Linux resources at Microsoft, such as training courses, Linux versions of popular tools, news, and Open Source events.
Step 1 - Choose a method to install Linux
The choice of which method to install Linux depends on your needs and preferences.
• New to using Linux? We recommend starting with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) as it's the easiest way to get up and running.
• Work in a business environment with more complex needs related to scale or security? We recommend running Linux as a Virtual Machine (VM) in the cloud and checking out the support that Azure offers. This also applies if you want to run Linux as a server.
• Did you only want to run Linux as your primary operating system? If you are okay with a slightly more complicated install process and don't need access to Windows tools (like Outlook, Teams, Word, PowerPoint, etc.), you can run Linux on bare metal to access the full potential of your hardware without any overhead from virtualization or emulation.
Learn more about these options below.
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
This is the simplest way to install Linux on a Windows machine. Just run the Linux install command wsl --install to install the Ubuntu distribution.
This method uses virtualization to integrate the Windows operating system (OS) with the Linux OS (running on an actual Linux kernel). You can add as many different Linux distributions as possible and run your favourite Linux tools, including GUI apps, alongside your favourite Windows tools. Mix and match Bash and PowerShell commands in the same command line.
A Linux file system hosts your project files, while a separate Windows file system hosts any developer tools that you'd like to work on the files with, such as VS Code. This method of running Linux is highly efficient and performant. Once you choose a Linux distribution or use the default Ubuntu distro, follow the instructions to install the Linux command with Windows Subsystem for Linux or learn more in the WSL documentation.
Installing Windows Subsystem for Linux
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