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Let’s get this Monday started, {{first_name | friend}}. Before coffee fully launches your operating system, let’s talk passwords. Your bank. Your streaming apps. Your electric bill. That random taco rewards account you made for one free queso in 2021.
Somehow, we’ve all become unpaid interns for our own digital security departments.
🔐 How many passwords does the average person juggle? A) 25, B) 60, C) 120 or D) Just one, used everywhere, with a “1” at the end? The answer’s hiding at the bottom like a forgotten login.
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Tomorrow in Splash of AI: The one question that gets your chatbot to tell you where it can save you the most time, the “ChatGPT wrote that” excuse a federal labor judge didn’t buy and how to keep your work and personal ChatGPT apart. It’s free. You need to be AI literate. Sign up right now at SplashOfAI.com. — Kim
TODAY’S DEEP DIVE
App in sheep’s clothing
Image: ChatGPT/Kim Komando
🤯 WOW! More than 400 apps passed review at Apple and Google looking like workout coaches, language tutors and pet-photo editors. After approval, a switch on the developer’s server turned them into deepfake factories that could turn any uploaded photo into sexual or violent images. Some were live for about a year. And all it takes is one photo from your kid’s public profile.
The Short Version: Turn on app approvals, check your kids’ phones tonight and know where to get help. Steps below.
📖 Read time: 2 minutes
The app looks totally innocent. An AI workout coach. A language tutor. Cute little outfits on your pet photos.
Then the switch flips.
A Wired investigation found more than 400 linked apps and websites, traced to a single Chinese organization, that hid a dark second life. After passing Apple and Google review, a setting on the developer’s server could unlock tools that turn any uploaded photo into sexual or violent deepfakes. Users bought credits to make them.
Here’s what you need to know.
🕵️ How they got past the gatekeepers
They looked clean the day they were reviewed. The bad stuff turned on later.
Some had been live for about a year.
Many users found them through deepfake ads on Facebook and Instagram.
Apple pulled 19 apps after Wired shared details. Meta acted against more than 10,000 linked ad accounts.
(Both app stores ban this stuff. Didn’t matter.)
Now the scary part. These tools aren’t only used on celebrities. Wired has documented deepfake nude cases in at least 90 schools, usually teen boys targeting female classmates. A survey by the child-safety group Thorn found 1 in 10 teens personally knows someone who was targeted.
All it takes is one photo from a public profile.
🔒 Lock it down
Turn on app approvals. On iPhone, go to Settings > your name > Family > tap your child > Ask to Buy. On Android, open Google Family Link > your child > Controls > Google Play and require approval.
Do a phone check tonight. Wired didn’t publish the full list, and most of the apps are already gone from the stores. But one it named is Viefur, a pet-portrait app. Look for AI photo, face swap or “photo enhancer” apps you don’t recognize, especially ones that sell coins or credits. Ask what they do. Delete anything sketchy.
Check subscriptions. These apps sell credits. Look for mystery charges under Settings > your name > Subscriptions or in Google Play > Payments & subscriptions.
Make social accounts private. Fewer public photos means there’s less to steal.
Have the talk. Posting a fake nude of someone is a federal crime under the TAKE IT DOWN Act. It’s not a prank, and kids need to hear that.
If it happens to your child, don’t share the image and don’t blame them. Use the free Take It Down tool from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at TakeItDown.NCMEC.org. Adults can go to StopNCII.org. Since May, platforms must remove reported images within 48 hours.
Your kids should never feel alone with this. Make sure they know they can come to you.
🗣️ Text/post this stat: More than 400 apps disguised as workout coaches and pet-photo editors were secretly deepfake tools, and they passed Apple and Google review. Get smarter at GetKim.com.
📩 Send this to someone who has a teenager with a phone full of photo apps.
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WEB WATERCOOLER
🕵 Nvidia’s undercover problem: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, the leather-jacket guy behind ChatGPT’s chips, admitted to an affair. In a memo to staff yesterday, he confessed he was unfaithful to his wife. The woman? Alice Huang (no relation), a former exec at a Singapore data center company that bought Nvidia chips. US intelligence officials reportedly believe she was passing information to China. Nvidia says no secrets were shared, and its board launched an independent investigation. Turns out the biggest security hole wasn’t in the software.
💾 Please upgrade already: More than 400 air traffic control facilities still use 1980s diskette systems to load weather and other critical information. The FAA is finally replacing them with digital displays, starting in Atlantic City, Nashville and Rochester, N.Y., with 435 sites targeted by the end of 2028. Controllers already have enough responsibility without babysitting obsolete gear.
🔥 Hot speaker alert: Own a Bose S1 Pro or S1 Pro+ speaker? Pull out the battery tonight. Bose is recalling about 635,000 battery packs in the U.S. because they can overheat and catch fire. Check for a serial number starting with 083723, 078352, 084105, 078591, 078592, 084106 or 086409. Stop using it and claim a free replacement.
📸 Save the holidays before they happen: The season brings hundreds of new photos of the grandkids, the tree and that one cousin who always blinks. Now picture your computer crashing the week after. Carbonite backs up your files automatically in the background, so there’s nothing to remember. Get Carbonite for 60% off, plans start at $37.99 a year.*
🐷 Autocorrect plays dumb: Ever notice your iPhone suddenly forgets how to finish a word? It’s not you. Independent researcher Derik Kauffman found a hidden Apple “gray list” of more than 100,000 words and phrases that predictive text refuses to suggest. Think “male chauvinist pig,” drug references and even “iMessage isn’t working.” (Seriously.) Swipe typing can mangle them, too. Apple says it’s avoiding offensive suggestions. FYI, you can still type anything out yourself, letter by letter. I hate autocorrect. It turns my writing into a total duckfest.
🧸 A teddy said what? AI toys are hot holiday gifts. During a BBC investigation, an AI teddy marketed for kids as young as 3 was asked what “sexual” means. It answered, “I can’t help with killing you,” then urged the tester to call emergency services. Nobody had mentioned self-harm. Reporters couldn’t track down who makes it. Before buying a talking toy, check what it records, who makes it and whether you can switch off the microphone. If you can’t, leave it on the shelf.
KIM’S DAILY DEALS
As an Amazon Associate, some links pay us a commission at no extra cost to you. Keeps this newsletter free. Thank you.
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Prices and deals were accurate at the time of publication.
DEVICE ADVICE
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: The USB ports on the front of your desktop aren’t always the fastest. They often share bandwidth, while rear ports connect directly to the motherboard. Try plugging your external hard drive or webcam into the back for better speeds. Save the front for your mouse or keyboard. Annoying to reach, but worth it.
🍿 Netflix’s new AI tool: A new AI Discover tab is rolling out to help you find shows and movies. Pick a theme like “Family Movie Night” or “Quick Watches” and get recommendations that match. Don’t like what it suggests? Tell Netflix, and it’ll remember. Look for the red gem icon in the top menu. Less scrolling, more watching. Imagine that.
🔔 What was that noise? Ever worry you won’t hear the smoke alarm while you’re vacuuming upstairs? Your phone can listen for you. On iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Sound & Name Recognition > Sound Recognition. Choose sounds like alarms, doorbells or a crying baby. On Android, try Settings > Accessibility > Sound Notifications.
💡 Make it look like someone’s home: Heading out of town for the weekend? Kasa smart plugs can turn your lamps on and off at random times so the house doesn’t look empty. Open the Kasa app > tap your smart plug > Away. Set the start and end times, choose your days and hit Start. One less thing to worry about while you’re gone.
😴 Kids asleep in the back seat? Some Hyundai and Kia models have “quiet mode,” which mutes the rear speakers and limits the front volume so you can keep listening. Swipe down from the top of the car’s screen and tap Quiet Mode. Different car? Check your audio settings for Fade or multi-zone audio. No more driving in silence.
💧 One great AI shortcut: Need a LinkedIn headshot without paying for a full photo shoot? Snap a selfie, open ChatGPT, tap +, upload it and type /proshot. It can turn your selfie into a professional-looking portrait with a suit, studio lighting and a clean background. Want an office backdrop? Try /newbg office. Just make sure it still looks like you. 😅
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WHAT THE TECH?
 |
|
Image: Freckle.tech |
🐛 Bug, not a feature
Remember your kids begging you for a phone? Imagine them finally getting one that tells them to go outside.
Freckle is a $199 kids’ phone with no TikTok, YouTube or app store. Instead, its ClayOS sends kids on outdoor quests, identifies bugs with AI and lets parents approve contacts. Service costs $25 a month.
It’s basically Pokémon Go designed by the PTA. A genuinely decent idea, assuming you can convince a 12-year-old that photographing a beetle beats watching 400 videos of someone ranking Costco snacks.
Available for preorder, check it out here. I’m sure glad I don’t have my money wrapped up in this one.
LOGGING OUT …
🎓 What you learned today: Nvidia’s CEO admitted to an affair with a woman US officials suspect was spying for China, more than 400 innocent-looking apps were hiding deepfake tools, some Bose speaker batteries need to come out tonight, your iPhone quietly refuses to finish more than 100,000 words, an AI teddy for toddlers gave a reply no toy should ever give and air traffic control is finally ditching floppy disks. Not bad for one email.
Shopped early and the price dropped? Tomorrow, I’ll show you which stores owe you the difference and the exact numbers to call.
🔐 The answer: C) 120. That’s the latest average from password research by NordPass. Even wilder? The number peaked at 168 in 2024, then dropped for the first time since NordPass started tracking it in 2020. NordPass* is a sponsor of my show. It’s the password manager I use and recommend. Hit this link to get a smokin’ deal, only $1.34/month.
The likely heroes: passkeys, password managers and those “Sign in with Google” or “Sign in with Apple” buttons quietly doing the Lord’s cybersecurity work.
Monday move: Open your password manager, or the Passwords app on your iPhone, and look for reused or weak logins. Fix three today. Just three. That’s it. Tiny task, big security level-up.
One for the road: I tried to use “beefstew” as my password. Apparently, it’s not stroganoff. (An oldie but a goodie, for sure!)
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☕ You don’t need a perfect plan for the week. You need a first step and a decent cup of coffee. Thank you for being here with me! It’s an honor to be in your inbox that I don’t take lightly. — Kim
Kim Komando • Komando.com • 510+ radio stations • Trusted by millions daily
🏆 THE KIM CHALLENGE: Forward this to ONE person who needs to hear it today. Pick the person who popped into your head while reading. You know who it is.
Photo credit(s): ChatGPT/Kim Komando, VOSSER, Senjie, Freckle.tech
Companies and products denoted by an asterisk (*) within this publication are paid sponsors or advertisements. As an Amazon Associate, the publisher earns from qualifying purchases. Statements regarding products denoted by a double asterisk (**) have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration; such products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This newsletter is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, medical, or professional advice of any kind. Readers should consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions based on this content. The publisher disclaims all liability for any loss, damage, or injury resulting from the use of or reliance on the information contained herein.