If you can’t come up with a secure password by yourself — and don’t use a password manager for that task (which most should) — then you may have come up with the idea of asking AI to give you a hand in generating secure passwords.
Cybersecurity firm Irregular published research on how that turned out for them during tests, and the result is anything but pretty.
When it asked large language models such as Claude, Gemini or GPT to generate secure passwords, it found “predictable patterns in password characters, repeated passwords, and passwords that are much weaker than they seem”.
While individual 16 character passwords looked strong, the researchers soon discovered that generating passwords multiple times would reveal the weaknesses of the approach.
Take Claude Opus 4.6 for example. When asked to generate 50 passwords, the researchers discovered several noticeable patterns:
Of the 50 passwords, only 30 were unique. One password was repeated 18 times.
All passwords started with a latter, usually uppercase G,, almost always followed by the digit 7.
Character choice was very uneven, with some appearing in nearly all passwords and others rarely.
No repeating passwords in any of the generated passwords.
ChatGPT did not fare much better. It created passwords with strong similarities. Most passwords started with the uppercase letter V, almost half continued with an uppercase Q.
Passwords generated by Gemini showed clear patterns as well. Almost half the passwords started with uppercase K or lowercase k,, usually followed by one of the characters #,, P or 9.
All AIs tested generated predictable passwords, which make it easier for attackers to brute force them. The researchers conclude that “people and coding agents shouild not rely on LLMs to generate passwords”.
Passwords generated through direct LLM output are fundamentally weak, and this is unfixable by prompting or temperature adjustments: LLMs are optimized to produce predictable, plausible outputs, which is incompatible with secure password generation.
Conclusion
Most computer users may want to stick to password managers as the go-to apps when it comes to generating strong passwords. There are free and paid solutions, local and cloud-based, something for every use case out there.
Have you ever heard of the Userchoice Protection Driver (UCPD.sys) that Microsoft added to its Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems in 2024? It is a protective driver designed to prevent third-party applications or scripts from making changes to Registry keys that fall into the UserChoice category. This includes system defaults, such as the web browser, PDF viewer, or widgets.
Before the introduction, apps or scripts could make changes to default settings on Windows by editing certain keys in the Registry directly. With UCPD active, Microsoft implemented a check that allows or disallows changes to these keys.
If the change comes from a legitimate Microsoft process, it is allowed. If the change comes from a non-Microsoft process,, it is not allowed.
So, using the Settings application works, while using a script to make the changes does not.
While Microsoft has not revealed much about the motivation behind the introduction of the driver, it was at least partially introduced to make hijacking of important user settings difficult.
Granted, this had the added effect that it would be harder for competitors to change the defaults, even when users wanted it to happen.
The Impact
Most users may never notice that Microsoft introduced the feature in the first place. Changing defaults via the Settings app is not prevented and so is not a direct edit to the Registry using the Registry Editor.
However, for system administrators and some advanced users, UCDP has been a major headache as it broke command line tools and scripts.
How to check if the driver is running
Here is one easy method to check if the driver is active on your Windows PC:
Open the Start menu.
Type cmd and press the Enter-key to load the Command Prompt.
Type sc query ucpd.
If you see running next to state, then you have confirmation that the service is active.
Can you do something about it? (Should you?)
The short answer: yes, you can turn this off, but it is not as straightforward as you might want it to be.
Here are the required steps:
Run sc config UCPD start= disabled from an elevated command prompt window.
Open Task Scheduler, navigate to \Microsoft\Windows\AppxDeploymentClient, and disable the UCDP velocity task so that it does not turn the driver back on.
Reboot the system.
I suggest you check whether UCDP is running using the command prompt again to make sure.
Should you disable the feature? My advice: if you did not notice any issues so far, you might not need to disable it. If you have run into problems recently running scripts or apps, then you could consider it, especially if you run them regularly.
Keep in mind though that this is also blocking malicious scripts and apps from making those changes.
Google announced three new features for its Chrome web browser on its official The Keyword blog recently. The new features — split view, save to Drive, and annotate — improve the productivity of Chrome users according to Google.
Users of several other browsers may not find the features as exciting as Google, as at least some of the features have been supported by other browsers for some time.
Split View is coming to Chrome
Split View is a typical example of such a feature. It allows you to display two websites next to each other in a single tab. Instead of displaying the two sites in two browser windows next to each other, you may display them in a single window.
This has some advantages, like easier handling as you interact with a single window only. However, there are also some disadvantages, including that only one address is shown in the address bar at a time.
Split View is not a new feature. In fact, Google is late to the party. Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, Opera or Brave Browser support the mode already. Mozilla has also launched the feature in its Firefox web browser, but it is experimental at the time of writing.
How to use Split View in Chrome
Simply right-click on a tab in the web browser and select “Add tab to new Split View”. Chrome splits the space in half, with the right side empty in the beginning. Just select an open tab, which Chrome displays, type an address or pick a bookmark to load it in the second half.
Chrome displays both open websites in the same tab, but only the URL of the active tab in the address bar.
PDF annotations
If you open PDF documents in Chrome, you can now “highlight text and add notes” to it right in the browser. Google says that this eliminates the need to use a separate application for that.
This is not exactly a new feature either, as both Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox have supported the feature for quite some time.
To use it, open a PDF document in Chrome and click on the draw icon in the toolbar once it is displayed. Here you find the new options to annotate directly to the PDF file.
Save to Drive
This is probably the strangest edition in this feature update. Google is reaching feature parity with Split View and PDF annotations, which is a good reason to introduce the features.
However, Save to Drive is the outlier. It enables you to save PDF documents that you view in Chrome to Google Drive. Google says this keeps important documents backed up in the cloud.
It is not as if this was not possible before already, at least in many cases. If you run Google Drive on your system, you could simply put the file into the Drive folder to store it locally and online. I guess it helps if you do not run the software and want to save PDFs to Drive directly. Saves the step of saving the document locally first before uploading it.
Now You: what is your take on the new features? Something that would make you switch to Google’s browser?
If you have used Google Maps until now without a Google account, then you may have noticed that something is off in the past couple of days.
When I launched Google Maps today in Firefox, I immediately noticed that Google was limiting information. Listings did not include user reviews anymore among other things, and Google displayed a disheartening “You’re seeing a limited view of Google Maps” and “Get the most out of Google Maps. Sign In” message at the bottom of each listing I opened.
It appears that Google is limited access for anonymous users. While you can still look up listings, use route planning, and get ads, you won’t get what some what say is the most vital information on Google Maps: user reviews.
While you could sign-in to a Google account to restore full access, some may prefer switching to a different service entirely.
Here are five good alternatives that you could try:
Organic Maps — Organic Maps is widely considered the “gold standard” for privacy-conscious users. It is a fork of the original Maps.me, created by the original developers who wanted to strip out all the trackers and bloatware.
Magic Earth — If you miss Google Maps’ real-time traffic alerts and lane guidance, Magic Earth is your best bet. It manages to offer advanced “smart” features while remaining strictly no-profile.
OsmAnd — OsmAnd is the most feature-dense mapping app available. It’s not just a map; it’s a professional-grade geographic tool.
Apple Maps — In mid-2024, Apple finally brought Apple Maps to the web (currently in beta). Unlike Google, Apple’s web version actually functions better without a login, as it currently doesn’t even support signing in to an Apple ID on the browser.
DuckDuckGo Maps — If you are looking for the most seamless “Google Maps-like” experience in a web browser without ever being asked to sign in, DuckDuckGo is the winner. It uses Apple Maps’ MapKit JS framework, giving you high-quality visuals without the data-tracking baggage.
There are also regional apps and maps that sometimes offer better information and services than Google Maps. Kakaomap, for example, is seen as the superior app in almost any area, if you are in Korea.
Now You: do you use a map app or service? Any app that you can recommend?
The digital clock has finally run out for holdouts clinging to the past, forcing a critical decision for millions of PC users worldwide.
Mozilla has confirmed that it will officially terminate security updates for Firefox on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 by the end of February 2026.
The organization is the last major browser maker that still supports the discontinued Windows operating systems.
Windows 7 support ended in January 2020 officially, but Microsoft introduced Extended Security Updates for business customers. These allowed businesses to extend support for up to three years, for a price.
Windows 8 and 8.1 support ended in January 2023, which is also the month that Windows 7 ESU support ended officially.
Mozilla has now confirmed that it won’t release new updates for Firefox 115 ESR, the last version to support Windows 7 and 8/8.1, after February 2026.
Firefox 115 is now the last version supported on Windows 7, 8 and 8.1.
Updates will be delivered through the ESR channel until the end of February 2026.
The organization recommends that users upgrade the operating system to a supported version to “continue receiving Firefox security and feature updates”.
However, this could be problematic for a number of reasons, at least when upgrades to newer versions of Windows are considered:
Windows 11 is supported, but it has stricter system requirements. Systems that do not meet the requirements can’t be upgraded as easily, if at all (there are some that can’t be bypassed).
Affected users might consider switching to Linux. It is a daunting task, but things have improved significantly in this regard over the years. Yes, some apps or games are not available directly, others may not run, but the vast majority of apps and games should run on Linux.
Firefox 115 ESR will continue to work after February 2026, but Mozilla won’t release any new updates for the version of the open source browser.
Google has issued an urgent security update for the Chrome desktop browser following the discovery of a high-severity vulnerability being actively exploited in the wild.
The update, which brings the Stable channel to version 145.0.7632.75 or 145.0.7632.76 for Windows and Mac, and 144.0.7559.75 for Linux, specifically addresses a “use after free” flaw within the browser’s CSS engine.
Identified as CVE-2026-2441, the bug was reported by security researcher Shaheen Fazim just days prior, prompting an accelerated rollout to protect users from potential attacks that leverage this exploit to compromise system memory.
Here are the key points from the update:
New Versions: The Stable channel has been updated to 145.0.7632.75/76 for Windows and macOS, and 144.0.7559.75 for Linux.
Zero-Day Patch: The update addresses CVE-2026-2441, a high-severity security flaw classified as a “Use after free” vulnerability in CSS.
Active Threat: Google has confirmed that they are aware of an exploit for this specific vulnerability existing in the wild.
Rapid Response: The bug was reported by researcher Shaheen Fazim on February 11, 2026, just two days before the release of this patch.
Rollout: The update will continue to become available to all users over the coming days and weeks.
How to install the Chrome update
Most unmanaged Chrome installations should receive the update automatically. The browser is configured to install updates automatically by default. Since this does not happen immediately, it is recommended to run a manual check for updates to speed up the process.
Open Google Chrome and select Menu > Help > About Google Chrome to do so. The browser should begin downloading and installing the security update immediately.
Windows users may also run winget upgrade google.chrome.exe to install the update from the command line without opening Chrome at all.
Note that it is highly recommended to upgrade the browser, even if it is not the main browser on the system. In short, if the browser is installed, upgrade it to protect it from potential exploits.
Ah, the never ending battle between YouTube and adblock users. If you lost the round-count then you are not alone. This time, users report that Google is hiding comments and video descriptions on YouTube, if a content blocker is used.
One such report comes from Reddit. The user writes that YouTube is not showing descriptions and comments anymore, if an adblocker is turned on.
It would be a new strategy, as Google focused on disabling video streaming entirely for users with content blockers in the past.
While many users might not miss the comments that much, it is another story for the video description, as it may include vital information or links. If you, for example, watch a cooking video, you may find the recipe in the description.
Tests on my own systems using different browsers returned no such blocking. It seems likely that Google is once again testing the waters or rolling out the change over time.
Some users affected by the change noted that reloading the webpage restored access to the description and the comment section. It is probably only a matter of time before filter lists will be updated to reflect the changes.
For now, it is recommended to refresh the page. If that does not work, I suggest using a different browser and / or content blocker. If all of that fails, try playing videos on third-party sites such as Bing Video.
I ran tests with Brave and uBlock Origin in several browsers, and did not run into any of the described issues.
There are few feelings better than unboxing a brand-new smartphone, but that excitement can turn to frustration quickly if your trade-in gets rejected weeks later.
While most people remember to wipe their photos and messages, many overlook the invisible ‘digital locks’—like Factory Reset Protection—that can render a phone useless to a recycler and instantly drop your trade-in value to zero.
Before you seal that shipping box or head to the store, you need to do more than just a quick reset; you need to ensure your Android phone is completely unlocked, secure, and legitimately ready for its next owner.
The Pros and Cons of Trading in your old Android phone
The main benefit of trading in an old smartphone is that you get money for it. This is especially useful if you don’t need the old device anymore. Sometimes, merchants pay you extra when you trade in a device, even if the device is not worth as much anymore.
The downside is that you are giving away a device that you used in the past. Unless you are careful, it may be possible to access personal data or accounts.
Another issue is that you need to make sure that the device is not protected from being reset by the processing company or the new owner. If the trade-in company realizes that the phone is locked, it will reject it.
Here is a quick overview of the pros and cons:
Pros
Cons
Convenience and safety
“Bill Credit” Trap
Inflated prices (sometimes)
Low value without special promotions
Instant discounts
Grading may sometimes disagree with your assessment
Environmental responsible
Delayed gratification
Note that I assume that you have moved the data from the old device to the new already. A good option for that is to connect both devices via an USB cable and start the transfer process this way.
The mandatory steps before sending the old device in
First, make sure that you back up all important data. This includes photos and videos, files, and anything else. It is a good idea to create a full phone backup, but you can also use internal features to create this backup. This ensures that you can restore the data, if the need arises.
Go to Settings > Google > Backup on the device. Note that this backs up essentials, such as contacts or device settings. The location may be different depending on the device manufacturer. Samsung device owners go to Settings > Accounts and backup, and select “back up data” there.
Backing up photos and videos is another story. You could back them up in the cloud, and Google is very pushy about this, or, and this is what I prefer, store them on a local computer instead.
Second, removing the Google account is essential. If you do not, you won’t disable Factory Reset Protection. This is designed to prevent the theft of devices, as the new owner needs the password of the previous owner to start using it.
Go to Settings > Passwords & accounts (or Users & accounts, or Manage accounts). Locate the Google account there and select the remove option. I suggest you do the same for any other account on the device, as this removes them all. The accounts on the new device are not affected by this.
Third, run a factory reset. This restores the original state of the Android device and removes all personal data from it. Go to Settings > System > Reset Options > Erase all Data. On Samsung, you find the setting under Settings > General management > Reset > Factory data reset.
Finally, remove any SIM-cards, eSIMs, or SD cards from the device.
Recommended Steps (good practice, but not mandatory for trading in)
Here is a quick list of tasks that you might want to consider as well:
Unpair any Bluetooth devices.
Remove any network connections.
De-register from chat services.
Save the phone’s IMEI number (dial *#06# to see it on the screen).
Charge the battery to at least 50 percent.
Document the phone’s condition with photos or video, also write down the information).
Ultimately, the difference between a successful trade-in and a rejected one often comes down to these few minutes of preparation. By ensuring your data is backed up and your Google account is fully removed, you’re not just protecting your privacy—you’re securing your payout.
If you thought holding your cyan ink cartridge hostage was the absolute peak of HP’s audacity, think again—they have finally found a way to bring that same “subscribe or suffer” energy to your actual PC.
This month, the tech giant launched its new gaming laptop subscription, a “hardware-as-a-service” pilot program that invites US gamers to lease gaming laptops for a monthly fee rather than buying the devices outright.
But before you get seduced by the low upfront cost, you need to see the numbers HP left off the slide deck: a pricing structure where you pay nearly the full retail price, carry the liability, and ultimately return the laptop with absolutely zero equity to show for it.
“Gaming as a Service”: The program at a glance
Let’s take a look at what subscribers get when they subscribe.
HP offers several gaming laptop tiers to choose from, starting with entry level laptops like the Victus 15 for about $50 per month and going up to the top tier Omen brand for about $130 per month.
To justify the cost, HP is offering the following services: 24/7 support, next-day replacements, full guarantee throughout the subscription period.
Upgrades are allowed after 12 consecutive months of payments for a laptop. In other words, subscribers can upgrade to other models each year.
HP pitches this as a cure for “upgrade anxiety”, claiming that gamers will never again have to worry about their computers becoming obsolete.
The financial reality: the math behind the offer
HP’s marking slides look great, because they compare small monthly numbers against the full retail price for the laptops. For just $130, gamers can start playing the latest and greatest games on a laptop with an Nvidia RTX 5080 video card.
However, if you run the math over the mandatory subscription period, which is 12 months, or beyond, you will notice that HP is the only beneficiary here.
The “Subscriber” vs. The “Owner” comparison
Time
Subscription ($130/mo)
Purchase ($2500)
Remark
Day 1
$130
$2500
Year 1
$1560
$2500
Year 2
$3120
$2500
Break-even in the second year.
Year 3
$4680
$2500
Overpaying.
The trap: The subscription premium kicks in around month 19 and it gets worse from then on. It is also worth noting that owning a device also means resell rights. While you won’t get the paid $2500 for the gaming laptop, you might get $1000 or even more for it after two years.
Total costs are even more in favor of buying over subscribing because of that. If that would not all be bad-deal-worthy enough, there are cancellation fees.
The “Gotcha” Clause: Cancellation Fees
It might actually make sense to subscribe for a month or two, maybe to continue gaming while your main PC or laptop is being repaired or to bridge a short period of months.
However, the subscription does not allow short term rentals. You can only cancel for free in the first 30 days. Afterwards, you pay hefty fines if you want to get out early. Starting with day 31, you pay a termination fee.
How much? As much as you would have paid anyway for the entire year. That is a more than $1400 for the premium gaming laptop, if you decide to cancel in the second month. Cancelling is only free after the initial year. If a subscriber would have that much money lying around, it would even make less sense to rent and not buy a laptop outright.
Conclusion
HP’s OMEN Gaming Subscription is a fascinating experiment in the “Netflix-ification” of hardware, but for the vast majority of gamers, the math simply refuses to behave. It solves a problem—upfront cost—that traditional 0 percent financing already solved years ago, but it does so by stripping you of the only thing that makes a $3,000 purchase palatable: ownership.
When you subscribe to Spotify, you accept that you own no music because the library is infinite. When you subscribe to an HP laptop, the library is one single machine that sits on your desk, depreciating while you pay full price for it every two years.
The allure of an annual upgrade is undeniable. Who doesn’t want the newest RTX card the moment it launches? But HP is banking on you valuing that convenience at a 100 percent markup. They are betting that you will look at the monthly payment, ignore the long-term total, and sign away your right to resell, modify, or keep your hardware.
My advice: Don’t do it, unless you need the services that HP is offering, especially the next-day replacement deal. If you need a gaming rig but can’t afford one outright, consider buying used or looking for a system in a more suitable price range.
Don’t let your gaming rig become another monthly bill that you pay forever but never own.
When Windows 11 launched in 2021, it was defined as much by what was missing as by what was new, with a redesign that inexplicably stripped away the deep customization options power users had relied on for decades.
Microsoft locked and limited the taskbar in Windows 11 to the bottom of the screen. A big downgrade to how things were on the predecessor Windows 10.
Now, nearly five years after that controversial debut, Microsoft is finally preparing to right that wrong. According to new internal reports, the company is actively developing a fully movable and resizable taskbar that will allow users to dock their start menu to the top, left, or right of the screen once again, with the feature slated to arrive in a major update later in 2026.
Windows Central reports that Microsoft is working on bringing the functionality back, citing sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans.
If that sounds familiar, you may think of Mozilla. The Firefox maker started to bring back features and introduce features that Firefox enthusiasts wanted for years recently.
It could reflect how serious the situation is for Microsoft. Mozilla faces a declining user base, as it tries to juggle a user-first approach with the necessity of having the world’s largest advertising company finance operations.
Microsoft’s situation is different. Windows is still the dominating desktop operating system. Yes, there is Apple with macOS, but it does not really seem to be a focus of the company. Linux is gaining, but recent gains come down to a large degree on Valve’s Steam Deck, which runs Linux.
Still, Microsoft’s bet on AI and the first rush of integrating AI into everything seems to have backfired somewhat. It did not help that features such as Recall were not designed properly and seen as threats by many users instead of useful tools to help them in their day-to-day activities when using Windows.
Whether it is able to regain the trust of Windows users remains to be seen. A very good start would be to deal with the looming Windows 10 end of support situation for home users. Come October 2026, millions of Windows 10 devices that can’t be upgraded to Windows 11 officially won’t get any updates anymore.
Extending this to the three years that corporate customers get would show plenty of good will and would certainly help paint Microsoft’s image in a better light.
