| 8M stolen records, fake Facebook murderer, AirTag stalker ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏  In partnership with hear.com | | Hey there on a techy Tuesday, friend. Jeff Bezos' space launch was called off again on Sunday, which brought to mind NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams still aboard the International Space Station. What started as an eight-day mission for the pair has turned into 224 days after their September flight home was delayed. They now keep busy studying how microbes mutate and adapt in space, and they stay fit by jogging in microgravity while strapped to a treadmill. They also take in a truly unique view — the 16 sunrises and sunsets visible every 24 hours as the ISS orbits Earth. If all goes well, they'll head home in February. 🧏♀️ Say what? Hearing aids aren't expensive and bulky like they used to be. If you or a loved one needs help, there's no reason not to hear loudly and clearly with today's discrete, affordable tech. More below. Now, let's get to it! — Kim 📣 Don't keep me a secret: Share the email with friends (or copy URL here) | TODAY'S TOP STORY It's time to replace your router  Most folks don't know their wireless router — that handy dandy device alongside the modem that connects your devices to the internet — has a shelf life. Once it hits the three-year mark, you're due for an upgrade. That's tough to swallow, I know. Routers aren't all that cheap (though I have affordable picks for you below), and it feels like you should be able to keep using yours until it breaks. Unfortunately, hackers bank on that. Your old model likely stopped getting most updates long ago and can't handle the latest security standards. 'But Kim, I just bought one!' Hey, good for you. Now, is that shiny new router a TP‑Link? Bad news: The federal government is considering a ban on Chinese-owned tech. Depending on which numbers you trust, about 65% of American homes and businesses use a TP‑Link router, along with the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal agencies. TP‑Link says this number is much lower, like 12% of U.S. homes. I doubt that. The company has been tied to Chinese cyberattacks and reportedly lets security flaws slide, making them a big target. And they may be selling their routers for less than it costs to make them — a monopoly no‑no. 3 more reasons you need to upgrade - You're living in the Stone Age: The latest security standard is WPA‑3, released in 2018. Any router that uses WPA‑2 encryption needs to be replaced. To check, go to your router's admin menu (steps here). Under the Wireless or Security menu, look for the encryption status.
- You're stuck in the slow lane: If your router doesn't support the latest and greatest Wi‑Fi standards, you can't reap the speedy benefits. Wi‑Fi 6 uses the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, while Wi‑Fi 6e operates on the 6 GHz band. The more devices you have, the more this matters.
- You have dead spots: Your home should have a consistent, speedy network. Rather than relying on one router, a mesh network adds satellite modules around your home, blanketing the entire area with coverage. I've used mesh for years.
Without further ado, our picks Komando's resident IT genius, John, happens to be a networking genius, too. He's picked a few solid options: ⚡ Fast: The Linksys Hydra Pro ($158) is a great base pick that covers up to 2,700 square feet and over 55 devices. The Linksys app helps with setup, so the installation isn't painful. Mesh systems are awesome for larger homes, and this is a good option if you're just browsing the web, working and scrolling. ⚡⚡ Faster: The Linksys Atlas 6 ($200) is good if your house has harder-to-reach areas, like a workshop or garage. It covers up to 8,100 square feet and speeds up to 5.4Gbps. Plus, it can handle over 90 devices. It's a nice upgrade if you spend a lot of time streaming or in video meetings. ⚡⚡⚡ Fastest: The Amazon eero Max 7 ($1,150) is super fast, handling speeds up to 10Gbps. Their routers are tiny and sleek, and just two can cover 5,000 square feet and more than 200 devices. This is the crème de la crème. 🌼 I accidentally sent a friend flowers over the internet. Whoops, e‑daisies! (I know, that was bad, even for me!) | KIM KOMANDO TODAY She poses as a teen girl to stop sexual predators Roo Powell goes undercover as a teen, complete with wigs, fake braces and a staged bedroom. She works with police to catch men targeting kids online. Tap or click below to play this podcast now. Use this link to listen on Komando.com → | DEALS OF THE DAY MVPs = Most Valuable Purchases - Jar openers ($10), because no one needs to know you're standing in front of the fridge at 2 a.m. eating pickles.
- Is there anything more rage-inducing than dropping your phone in between the car seats? Save your sanity with a car seat gap filler.
- A smart coffee warmer (25% off), so cold coffee never ruins your morning again.
- Let your nosy neighbors think you're hosting a rave with smart light bulbs (under $15).
- This bug bite relief tool sucks out all the stuff that makes bites so itchy. It's under $10, too.
Save money: Check this page to see if anything you've bought on Amazon is on sale. I love a good stock‑up. | WEB WATERCOOLER 🚌 Hackers will school you: Hackers broke into book publisher Scholastic's employee portal and stole 8 million records, including parent, teacher and school admin names, emails, phone numbers and addresses. Some data relates to kids, too. The hackers say they won't share the info publicly. Yeah, right. Talk about great coverage: The state of Texas sued Allstate. They say the insurance company paid app developers millions of dollars to sneak in their code, then tracked 45 million folks' locations. The apps the lawsuit names include Fuel Rewards, GasBuddy, Life360 and Allstate-owned Routely. I'm sure this happened in all states, not just Texas. More like Fakebook: If you see a Facebook post about an armed serial killer on the loose, specifically one with this guy's face, don't believe it. Right now, the hoax is spreading around Missouri, but posts just like this one have been shared in Facebook groups in California, Colorado, Georgia, Texas and Arizona. The guy whose face keeps getting reused? Already in jail. Disney's employee troubles: A former Disney employee will plead guilty to computer fraud and identity theft. The guy was fired and charged after hacking restaurant menus. He added fake allergy-safe labels to items that contained things like peanuts and dairy, and he snuck in a swastika and references to mass shootings. Jail's gonna be a whole new world for him. Fill 'er up: The free Upside app gives you cash back on gas, groceries and dining out. Download Upside* and use promo code Kim to get an extra $0.25 back for every gallon on your first tank of gas. ⏰ Wake up, Apple: The iPhone alarm clock function has been iffy since last April, when a bug fix didn't work for a lot of folks. The glitch has made thousands of alarms not ring or go off hours late. If you've overslept, just show this to your boss. Pro tip: Double-check your alarm volume under Settings > Sound and Haptic. Move the slider all the way to the right. Nothing's sacred: Hackers are targeting smartphone-controlled sex toys. Most aren't very secure, so someone with the right know-how can easily intercept the toy's unencrypted connection and change the intensity of the vibration, causing not-so-fun injuries. Ex marks the spot: Kevin and Sally Reid were civil after their 20-year relationship ended … until Sally started dating again. That's when Kevin secretly changed her phone's location settings to track her and stuck an AirTag on her car. She took the tracking device to the police, who found the guy's prints. Smart move, Sally. He'll be sentenced in April. "Thank you, God": After Casey Colvin's home burned down in the Pacific Palisades fire, he went looking for his rescue dogs. A firefighter found Tika Tika Tika, but little Oreo ran away. Luckily, Casey was smart and had an AirTag on his pup's collar. He tracked her down near the rubble of his home. Grab some tissues before you watch the heartwarming video. | | IN PARTNERSHIP WITH |  | 'Huh? What was that?' Are you struggling to catch every word or constantly asking people to repeat what they said? That's so isolating, but it doesn't have to be that way. The Horizon IX hearing aids are a game‑changer: 🌟 Crystal-clear sound: Two advanced computer chips separate speech from background noise and perfectly blend them for unmatched clarity. 🔋 All-day reliability: Rechargeable and comfortable, designed to keep up with your lifestyle, 📱 Seamless control: Manage your hearing aids easily with a smartphone app. Thanks to hear.com's network of audiologists and convenient online consultations, expert care is always close by. Join over 540,000 satisfied customers who've said goodbye to muffled conversations and hello to better hearing. Claim your free consultation today! → Please support our sponsors! | DAILY TECH UPDATE GoFundMe scams are already starting In the wake of Los Angeles' fires, acts of generosity — or a lack thereof — are revealing unexpected sides of Hollywood's stars. Tap or click below to play this podcast now. Use this link to listen on Komando.com → | TECH LIFE UPGRADES 🖼️ AI image remixing tool: Google's Whisk lets you create prompts with images instead of words. Open Whisk and drop in three photos for your subject, scene and style. Roll the dice (upper-right corner), and you'll have your creation. If it's not right, hover over your image and click Refine (upper-left corner) to edit it. Let me know what you create! Teleportation: Two monitors are a game-changer, but it's easy to lose track of your windows and feel a little disorganized. Here's a handy shortcut to instantly move an open window to another monitor. On Windows, press the Windows key + Shift + the left arrow or right arrow. Mac pals, sorry, but it's easy to just drag a window over with your mouse! One bad click is all it takes: Hackers have so many ways to weasel into your system. EndpointLock encrypts your keystrokes when you enter usernames, account numbers and passwords so no one can copy and steal them. It's genius. Hit this link for 10% off.* Too long; won't read: Eight sentences or longer, and 57% of people skim or ignore parts of your email. Pro tip: Put the most important info in the first line or write in bullet points to save time. 🔋 Battery-saving tip: Background App Refresh lets apps update in the background so they're always ready when you open them. Handy, right? But it drains your battery and data. If your older phone is chugging, try turning off this feature. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and switch it off for some apps or completely. On Android, head to Settings > Apps > [app name] > Battery > Background Activity and turn it off for specific apps. Travel hack: Sunday is the best day to book. The cheapest days of the week to fly are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday — we're talking 13% to 20% cheaper than if you fly on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Don't wait another day: I was reviewing my life insurance coverage and wanted to pass this along. With Fabric by Gerber Life, you can get term life insurance in minutes with no health exam required. There's no risk, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and you can cancel at any time. Plus, Fabric has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.* | BY THE NUMBERS $50 per month Starlink's cheaper internet service plan. The catch? You have to keep your data usage under 50GB, then you're cut off. The regular plan is $120 per month, so it's a good price if you use it as a backup and don't do much that's data-heavy. Starlink is my backup, and I'd be over 50GB way too fast with my show and podcast recordings! 60 new stores Opening this year for Barnes & Noble. You read that correctly — opening, not closing. Last year, they opened 57 stores in the U.S. Hey, even in the Kindle age, people love books they can hold. Now I want to go browse. Almost $1,600 a year What Gen Z adults pay on average for basic DIY tasks. A survey of 2,000 18- to 27-year-olds showed they'd rather pay someone to clean their car or hang a picture frame. About 30% can't even identify a flathead screwdriver. How many Gen Zers does it take to screw in a light bulb? Just one … to call the handyman. | WHAT THE TECH?  Oh, Wolf Blitzer, we need to talk. Your low-res TV, DVD player and VCR are howl‑arious. | UNTIL NEXT TIME ... Seeing social media posts of the LA wildfires is one thing. Here's LA seen from the International Space Station. Hit this link to find the ISS in the night sky where you are. Oh, and I've gotten requests, too, so here's a real-time map of where fires are burning in case you lost the link. Heads-up: It's Patch Tuesday, so if you have a Windows PC, it's worth updating. In Wednesday's edition, I'll let you know all the crazy security flaws this month's patch addresses, and you'll feel ahead of the game, not on Edge. You have my Word. On the Surface, it all Works. I Excel at this, I Azure you. Before you head into the rest of your Tuesday, do yourself or someone you love a favor. Hearing loss doesn't have to be something you live with for the rest of your life. See if you qualify for a risk-free trial, and start hearing every word. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow with another issue of the best tech newsletter in the USA! — Kim | How'd we do? What did you think of today's issue? | | |
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