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Rogue Chromium Browsers

Everyone is free to choose what web browser to use on their computer. Many people use Edge or Safari, because it came as part of the operating system on the computer. Others opt for Chrome or Firefox. But what is worrisome and worth warning about is the use of rogue Chromium browsers. I hope I can teach you what these are, so you can recognize and avoid these.

Let me clearly state: Google Chrome is a good browser to use. If you use Google Chrome, please continue to do so! Chromium browsers are different. A Chromium browser is essentially a modified version of Chrome that has different abilities or behaviors. Many of these tweaks can lead to harm.

Examples of Rogue Chromium Browsers

The first Chromium browser that spread to average computer users was labeled Chromium, and had a blue-tinted icon, very similar to the classic Google Chrome icon.

rogue chromium browsers

This open-source version of Chrome was meant to be used by developers, programmers and other technical experts. To my eye, it really stands out when I find it on a layperson’s computer, and is often my first clue that I’m going to find other unwanted software…

Wave Browser is an example of a modern-day rogue Chromium browser. It is polished, has a classy logo/icon, and appears to be professional and fast to open. Those who use this may feel right at home, because its menus and behavior closely resemble Google Chrome. I’ll get to the devil in the details, though, in the next section.

OneLaunch is another rogue to watch out for. But this one is easier to spot, as it comes with a special bar that permanently eats up the top half-inch of your screen. OneLaunch will function as well as any other browser, but let me describe more of what’s under the hood here:

Detriments of Using a Rogue Browser

Sketchy Search Engine: These browsers often steer their users into using a modified version of the Yahoo search engine. This engine is not anything I would ever use. It’s been altered to include more ads and paid placement than the usual Yahoo engine. Many of the top results you get from this are promotions, malicious links and phishing sites.

I searched for “Xfinity phone number” in a variety of search engines, just now. Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo all returned solid results and the safe trustworthy phone number for Comcast. Yahoo.com also gave me good info. But when I use Onelaunch and WaveBrowser to do the same search, the results were riddled with ads and websites I would never want to visit. I can see this behavior leading some users to scams and false information and phishing websites.

Modified Start Page: When I test these rogues out, I notice the Start Page has been customized, to show a lot of strange things. Some are salacious news articles. Others are gross advertorials about health conditions. And even others are lures to bogus antivirus messages.

Eating Up Screen Real-Estate: Some of these browsers take a lot of liberty with your computer. OneLaunch installs a bar of icons across the top of the computer, and it remains up there, even after you close the browser!

Empty Promises: In some of these browsers, I see them boast that they offer Camera Privacy and better ad-blocking. I just can’t even with this nonsense. People desiring camera privacy simply turn off their camera. Close the shutter on their camera. Disconnect their camera. Slap a Band-Aid over their camera! Whatever your concerns might be about webcam surveillance, you should not be turning to a mystery app to solve them.

Constant Nags: These browsers may have various popups, trying to convince you to set them as your Default Browser, try out their extra products and more.

Who Really Makes These Browsers?: It can be hard to tell who’s behind these programs. I went looking into Wave Browser’s pedigree. It’s created by a company called Wavesor. That turns out to be the trade name for Polarity Technologies. Which is a subsidiary for Genimous Technology, a Chinese firm that has been investigated and criticized by our government officials.

What Else Came With This Program?: These rogue browser are downloaded and installed, often without the computer user understanding how or even when it happened! They can be sneaky like that. And if this app showed up unexpectedly, chances are good that they came with other potentially unwanted programs. I often find other adware to remove when I service computers with rogue browsers on them.

Moving Back to a Mainstream Browser

The good news is that if you want to reverse course and go back to your previous browser, that should be easy. Uninstall the rogue app, and your other browser(s) should still be there. These rogues don’t harm or delete anything from your system.

After that, you may want to run a few scans on the system. There could be some junkware, separate from the browser, that needs to go. Your antivirus is just the first tool to consider. I like to run specific tools, like ADWCleaner or Norton Power Eraser, to look for hidden nasties.

If you are struggling with this cleanup and feel in-over-your-head, please know that I deal with this everyday, and can help you in restoring things. Reach out to me if you feel like your computer is still acting “off”, or if any computer task is “above your paygrade.”

The Bitcoin Purchase Scam

bitcoin purchase scam

The Bitcoin Purchase Scam is rather common right now, and I’d recommend you become familiar with it. It is just another Thank-You-For-Your-Purchase scam, and there is no truth to what’s in the message.

In short, this scam’s email announces a charge for a Bitcoin purchase you didn’t make. That’s because there was no purchase, but the scammers are hoping that you don’t know that. They want their victims to react quickly and reach out. Anyone calling the stated phone number will speak to a cybercriminal who is all too ready to lie lie lie and steal your money.

But here’s a longer, Too Many Words version, from a fresh incident that I just helped a client recover from:

From a Recent Service Call:

Today’s caller asked me to check over his computer, because he’d had some unauthorized transfers on his bank account. His bank couldn’t explain it to him, so they recommended he have his PC checked. I asked him a few questions about possible scams, but nothing rung a bell. So I dug in and eventually picked out the history and whole story of the scam.

About a month ago, he’d received this email, became concerned, and called who he thought was Paypal. It was not Paypal, it was instead some crook in Scamdinavia.

bitcoin purchase scam
Don’t ever call the numbers in these emails. No good can come of it!

The scammer on the phone told my client some convoluted story, in order to convince him to install Anydesk and DWAgent (remote control software) on the machine.

I don’t know the in and outs of the scammer’s claims, but browser history from the PC showed that they’d visited the Paypal website, as well as Western Union. Perhaps they attempted some money transfers, but I don’t think they succeeded. And then things went quiet for a few weeks. But the scammer was playing The Long Game. He retained his remote-access to the computer and bided his time….

And more sketchy activity began a couple of weeks later: New remote control software (Supremo & RealVNC) was added to the system last week. And then someone installed a covert keylogger as a Chrome extension. My client didn’t recall any new phone calls, so I had to conclude that they were accessing the computer without his knowledge. They were adding these programs and attempting more bank transactions using his computer, while he was away or asleep.

For my part, I removed all of these control apps and crimeware. The Supremo was a challenge, as they’d put a password on it, but I persevered. In less than an hour, we had answers and a safe-to-use computer again. But the client still has plenty of work to do. Following up with the bank, changing passwords, chasing after money to see what, if anything, can be clawed back… I wouldn’t wish this stress on anyone.


Please, if you’ve read this far, understand that these crooks will go to great lengths to steal your money. Be suspicious of anything unexpected that arrives on your computer or phone. Try to verify things independently from any call or email that has you worried. And if it gets too complicated or overwhelming, just shut everything down and go talk to a friend. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

If you’ve received an email you are concerned about, feel free to forward it to me! I will write you back with my professional opinion as to if it is fake or legitimate. And if you’ve been had, you may call me and hire me to clean your computer. But call your bank first, prioritize your financials over your technology!

Typical Facebook Scams

Scams continue to abound on Facebook, despite efforts and apologies from the man at the top. If you’re going to use this platform, please be aware of these typical Facebook scams, so that you don’t get taken:

Hair Stylist Scams

If you’re looking for a new ‘do, please be cautious you don’t get taken by “fake” hair stylists on Facebook. It’s a simple scam: Pose as a real stylist, collect a deposit or booking fee and then block the customer and disappear with the money.

This scam is a little harder to pick up on, though. First, these scammers (from Nigeria?) are willing to chat with you, using decent English and convincing slang. They may sound like cool, local people! Next, a pretend-hair-stylist may give you the name, address and phone number of a legitimate hair salon near you, when you ask. But they are not connected to that company — they just pulled it from a quick Google search to convince you to hand over your money.

Antivirus Offers

Some endorsements on Facebook won’t go to legitimate antivirus websites. They’ll go to a semi-phishing website, where they’ll try to get you signed up on spam lists, or entice you to download adware onto your computer.

Dental Care Assistance

I know that good dental care is expensive, but don’t fall for this nonsense. You won’t get anything but spam email and calls if you cooperate with this type of post.

Reduced-cost/free dental care is out there, though. Get off of Facebook and investigate what the trade schools and colleges in your area might offer!

Giveaway Groups

Scams are so prevalent on Facebook, that the scammers are creating closed groups for their schemes. These groups are essentially a place for their scams to collect and build up.

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than in one of these groups. Steer clear!

Paid Surveys

I imagine there’s a way to get paid for surveys, but a post on Facebook is not it. Instead, people who are duped by this will be handing over their PII to scammers. They will sign you up on countless spam lists, and possibly use your info in other scams or identity theft efforts.

typical facebook scams

Red Flags for Typical Facebook Scams

  • They show a URL to a GoDaddy or GoogleSite address.
  • Payment is through Venmo/CashApp while credit cards are discouraged.
  • A photo of American cash is shown.
  • They insist on texting or private messages, and don’t want to talk on the phone.

I’ll Pass on Copilot

Copilot is Microsoft’s take on the AI craze. If you use a Windows computer, you’ve probably noticed that Copilot has silently added itself to your taskbar and/or web browser. But not everyone appreciates or cares for this AI tool. If you’re saying, “I’ll pass on Copilot,” here are some steps you can take to get it off your plate.

Quick and Easy Methods

If Copilot is on your Windows Taskbar, you can remove its icon:

  • Right-click your taskbar and left-click Taskbar Settings.
  • Look for Copilot (Preview) and click its toggle switch Off.

If Copilot is barging in on your Microsoft Edge browser:

  • With Edge open, click the 3-dots button to the upper-right, and then click Settings.
  • On the Settings list to the left, click Sidebar.
  • On the right, under App Specific Settings, click Copilot.
  • Click the toggles next to the Copilot options to turn each Off.

You may have to repeat these steps in the future, as Windows Updates may re-enable Copilot, without warning.

More Advanced Tactics

Copilot is treated as a component of Windows, and as such, cannot be removed. But it can be strictly disabled, using stronger methods.

The Group Policy Editor can be used to hamstring Copilot, but that is only available to those running Educational or Professional versions of Windows. Sorry, Home users!

Power users can modify the Windows Registry to disable Copilot. But I discourage this for all but the most tech-savvy. Registry changes are not for the faint of heart and are risky.

If you’re open to using 3rd-party software, I’ve tested DoNotSpy11 and found it to be straightforward and malware-free. This app allows people to disable Copilot and other intrusive features in Windows. If you’re the tinkerer-sort, check this freebie out!

Lastly, you can always switch to a non-Microsoft browser to sidestep Copilot and similar Microsoft distraction. Besides Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, there are many solid options out there, including the Brave Browser and the almost-ready-for-primetime DuckDuckGo Browser.

Evite Phishing

There’s a phishing email going around that looks like an Evite. Here’s what you need to know about it:

Phishing Photos

The bogus message looks like this:

evite phishing

This email, if you receive one, may have one of your friend’s email at the top. But please don’t believe in this thing. This is all a sham.

I clicked through, though, because I accept the risk and have to dig into these things. The “View Invitation” link led me to a different phishing page:

This is not the real Dropbox, but it looks similar enough to fool some people. Please notice that the URL is nowhere close to the real address for Dropbox.

Next (please don’t you do this!), I clicked the Captcha and saw the next screen, which wanted to know which email I used:

And each of those email buttons leads to a different phishing panel, where they were trying to convince me to type in my email address and password. This whole scam, phishing upon more phishing, is all an effort to get people to hand over their email credentials to some cybercriminals.

Dos and Don’ts

If you receive this message:

  • Don’t reply to this message.
  • Don’t Block the Sender (because it really did come from one of your friends).
  • Don’t click on any links.
  • Don’t type in any passwords or other important info.
  • Call the sender, or contact them outside of email, to let them know about this.
  • Encourage the sender to change their email password or otherwise secure their account. They have likely been compromised, and someone bad is abusing their email address!
  • If problems persist, mention to the sender that they can reach out to BlueScreen for direct help!

Do You Need a VPN?

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a tool for creating a secure connection between your computer and the websites you visit with it. It sounds like a sensible piece of protection for your computer. But do you need a VPN?

do you need a vpn?

Most security companies would respond with an empathic Yes!, but keep in mind that they’re selling product. I should mention that I don’t use a VPN. I don’t foresee ever needing one, and I don’t recommend them for most people. Sure, there are legitimate reasons to use a VPN. But let me give you a lot of food for thought on this topic, and you may figure out that your VPN isn’t as necessary or helpful as the industry claims it is.

I Need Protection When I Travel

A common desire for using a VPN comes when people travel and go to use public Wi-Fi. There is a fear that jumping on a public internet connection will expose their data to nearby criminals, and that a VPN will shield them from harm.

This used to be true, many years ago. When surfing to insecure websites, all data passing from your computer to them would’ve been visible to others on the same network. But times have changed, (largely instigated by Edward Snowden).

In 2024, almost all websites are now Secure by default. When you click the icon to the left of the URL in your browser, it will tell you so. And that security means that your connection to that site is encrypted, and any nearby eavesdroppers will not be able to see what you are transmitting. All of this is to say: a VPN would not offer you any extra protection to you, as you surf the web from a Starbucks. Your browser already has you covered, and will warn you if you ever happen to visit an insecure website.

I Don’t Want Big Tech Snooping on Me!

I’m sorry. I don’t want them to snoop on me, either. Whether it’s Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Google, Salesforce, NVidia, Oracle… they’re all hoovering up our personal data and using it to make money. And ISPs also do this. I don’t condone this practice, and I think it stinks.

But a VPN doesn’t help much to stop this. Data collection on the internet has become very sophisticated and efficient and accurate. Who cares about cookies, when tracking can be done far better using Digital Fingerprinting?

Fingerprinting is essentially a fancy name for the way companies track you, using triangulation and unique information from your computers. As you visit a website, your advertising ID and other hardware tags may be collected from your PC. And one tech company, as they build a dossier on you, may share it and combine it with info from other companies. There are ways to interfere with digital fingerprinting, but a VPN is not effective at this.

It Will Protect My Computer from Hackers

This is simply not true. A VPN connection may change your internet connection, but it doesn’t make the computer impenetrable, from a remote-control standpoint. When clients have me service their computers remotely, my software allows me to “step into” their computers, wherever they are in the world. I can service a computer that is truly in Germany. I can also service a computer that appears to be in Ghana, due to a VPN program.

And if I can remotely-connect to a computer, that means all of the scammers can do the same. The good guys and the bad guys all use the same tools! They won’t care (or even notice) if you are running a VPN.

VPNs also have no effect on phishing attempts. A computer user can still be tricked by a deceptive email, which can take them to a website that steals their password. You’ll have to look elsewhere to safeguard against that kind of threat.

Other Detriments to Running a VPN

  • It has a recurring cost.
  • It may slow down your internet connection.
  • The VPN company may collect data on your activity, and profit from that data.
  • The VPN company may hand over your information and history, if they receive a subpoena, warrant or government request.
  • The VPN company may overstate how much they protect you, and may not support you if you suffer a security incident.

When Should You Use a VPN?

There are appropriate times to use a VPN. The biggest and best reason is: Your employer is telling you to. Of course, you want to listen to your boss! If they mandate the use of a VPN, they are going to tell you exactly which one to use, and how to use it. That VPN may be necessary for you to do your job and access parts of their network that aren’t available to the rest of the world.

Another semi-legitimate reason for VPN usage is to access something that isn’t normally available in your country. For example, if you want to watch an Italian news channel from your location in the USA, it might not be allowed for your American IP address. But a VPN can make it look like your computer is in Venice, and that might allow you to view that restricted content. However, be careful if you attempt this. If you are caught bypassing such barriers, you could be banned from using that service or worse!

Finally, I do see streamers and other internet personalities using VPN software. This is for their protection, because they might be specifically targeted by cybercriminals and people with high-level hacking skills. But this is for celebrities and famous people with a significant internet footprint. If you’re a regular person like me, you won’t have to worry in this direction.

Facebook Guest Chat

Update as of 2/13/2024:

Readers recently brought to my attention that they couldn’t follow the steps below. After I looked into it, I can see that Meta has changed their Settings Pages, and you may not be able to disable this feature.

But as it turns out, that’s OK. Because they’ve disabled the entire Chat Plug-in feature, for the entire site:

I have to guess that Meta could not fix this problem with the scammers, so they had to abandon this odd feature. If you continue to get other scammy Facebook messages, make sure to report them.

Original Post:

Facebook Guest Chat is a new and problematic feature that affects (so far) only Facebook Business Pages. This feature allows people to message a business over Facebook, without signing in to a Facebook account. Guest chat allows for anonymous messaging, and the chat only lasts for a short time. After a day or so, the messages self-destruct, like in a spy movie.

Problematic

I can’t say why Facebook decided to implement this feature, but it is a problem. Cybercriminals are already looking to use this tool to phish and scam people:

facebook guest chat

If your Facebook Business Page receives this sort of message, please do not believe it! It did not come from Meta, there is no crime or danger afoot for your Page, and you should not do what this says. It is simply a phishing attempt, and the bad guys are trying to trick you into giving them your Facebook logon credentials!

You are welcome to report suspicious Guest messages to Facebook, if you like, but I doubt it will do much good.

Disabling Guest Chat

If you have a Facebook Business Page, you may choose to allow or refuse Guest Chat messages. The steps for doing this, though, are hard to find, and even Facebook can’t tell you accurately how to do this. Here’s what worked for me:

  • Go to your FB Business Page at https://business.facebook.com/
  • On the left, click Inbox
  • To the upper-right, click the cogwheel (Settings) button
  • Under Inbox Settings, click Chat Plugin
  • Click where it says Customize Chat Plugin
  • Next to Guest Chat, click the Toggle to turn it off
  • To the lower-right, click the Publish button.

After you take these steps, you will still get regular FB messages, from people who are properly signed-in to Facebook. But no more Guest messages can get through to your Business Page.

Scam Electricity-Saving Devices

Scam Electricity-Saving Devices

This post is not really a computer tip, per se, but I’ll cover it anyway. Scam electricity-saving devices are rather tangential to what I write about here, and quite a few people are asking me about them. So heads up! Here’s what I can find and say about these things:

Power Saving Devices

These things go by a variety of names: Watt-Saver, StopWatt Energy Saving Device, Power-Save Box and more. If you notice these for sale on Amazon/TikTok/eBay/Facebook/etc., they will promise to greatly decrease your electricity bill! All you have to do is buy a bunch of them, plug them into your household outlets and wait.

But everything about these boxes is made up and the facts don’t matter.

  • Elon Musk and/or Tesla have had no hand in creating or selling these devices.
  • They do not reduce your electricity consumption in any meaningful way.
  • Fox News and other news media have not endorsed or covered this product.

Their marketing also states that it may take a few months for you to notice the reduction on your bills. This is just a tactic to convince purchasers to keep these devices longer than the purchase-return-window.

The Truth

If you really want to cut electricity costs in your home, don’t believe these con artists. Conserving electricity is a little more involved than buying some junk from Amazon and plugging it in. There are plenty of reputable resources out there with ideas for you, and your electric company probably is probably one of them.

But Jesse, I see these things on Amazon and they get great reviews!” Sorry, you can’t count on Amazon reviews these days. There are countless ways to game that system, so that a bogus product shows many 4- and 5-star reviews.

These devices contain almost nothing of value. YouTube has plenty of videos, where people take apart “power-saving boxes” and discuss their innards. Enjoy!

Avoid Using Registry Cleaners

avoid using registry cleaners

The Windows operating system has this central database that it uses constantly, while your computer is running. Better know as the Windows registry, it is essential for your PC’s operation. It’s hidden away where you won’t see it, and only advanced users ever meddle with it. And yet, some helpful apps offer to clean and maintain it. I need to warn you off of that sort of thing, right now. Please: Avoid using registry cleaners!

The Windows registry can take care of itself. Some cleaning software may purport to be able to improve your system performance, by tweaking your registry, but please be wary. Microsoft has long held the stance that you don’t need to “maintain” their registry. Running a registry cleaner can put your system at risk! Malwarebytes echoes this view, and also suggests that registry cleaners only appear to help, due to the placebo effect.

There are plenty of other warnings out there about the uselessness and dangers of registry cleaners, but let me be the latest: You can seriously harm your PC by using a registry cleaner. An explicit example: Joe Customer just called me about his computer that suddenly will not boot up. He presses the power button, the Windows Logo briefly appears, and then he gets a BlueScreen error. His system then restarts and loops back to the same message. As of now, he’s “dead in the water.” And the last thing he did, before this problem, was he ran his Registry Cleaner and then rebooted.

I can get him back on dry ground, with a System Restore, or a Windows Reset. With some luck, we won’t need a complete system wipe. But Joe is currently anguished and panicked, and very worried about his files. I don’t wish these kinds of feelings on anyone. Save yourself some stress and avoid using registry cleaners.

Flea Power

Computers and other tech devices retain small amounts of electricity even when turned off and unplugged. Some of it is deliberately stored in capacitors on circuit boards. Other energy is incidentally caught up as a static charge. In any case, this minute amount of electricity is called Flea Power.

flea power

It’s a Bug, Not a Feature

Sometimes you need to drain this residual power, to revive a device. Here are some scenarios where you should try a hard reset (or power drain) to deplete that stored power:

  • A laptop begins to boot, but shows nothing on the screen.
  • A desktop tower flashes its power button as if it were asleep, but it won’t easily wake up or turn all the way off.
  • A printer turns on, but the Wi-Fi just won’t work or connect.
  • Some component, like your audio port or all USB ports, aren’t working.

Draining the flea power is not a cure-all, but it is a crucial troubleshooting step, that should be used early on, before you invest time and patience into a hardware problem.

Getting Rid of Flea Power

For computers that are stuck or troublesome, you would:

  1. Disconnect the power cord from the back or side of the system.
    • Remove the battery, if possible.
  2. Disconnect other cables and devices attached to the computer.
  3. Press and hold the computer’s main power button for 15-30 seconds, and then release it.
  4. Reconnect only the power cable, and press the power button briefly, as you would to turn it on.
  5. If the system turns on, reconnect your other cables and devices. If the system does not turn on, try steps 1-4 again.

Some printers will benefit from this troubleshooting tactic, too. If you are trying to solve a problem with your ink cartridges or printer’s network connection, make sure to follow these steps at least once. Also keep this tactic in mind for any TVs and soundbars that give you difficulty.

Draining a device’s Flea Power is generally harmless, so feel free to do it at anytime. However, you should not have to do this often. If you find your device requires this procedure again and again, you may have a deeper problem worth discovering.

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