How to access GodMode hidden feature in Windows 10

How to guide for accessing GodMode hidden Windows system tweaks in Windows 10

Now you can easily access the far flung features and customization options of Windows with its secret GodMode feature, which works in its latest version as well.

Users who love to give a more customized touch to your PCs might already be aware of the GodMode feature of Windows.

Well, GodMode is not a new thing to the IT professionals and they often prefer to create the GodMode folder whenever they want an easy access to the far flung tweaks and customization options of Windows on their desktop.

However, very few non IT professionals and everyday users of PC are actually aware of this legendary hidden feature of Windows and the good news is that the feature works in Windows 10 as well.

What is GodMode:

Basically, GodMode draws all the Windows system tweaks and customization options of Windows’ together into a single interface and sorts them into different categories such as Administrative Tools, Display and many more. For instance, if a user wants to adjust the resolution of monitor or make changes to any folder options or say customize the notification area in task bar then all this can be easily accomplished through God Mode folder.

In short user can easily access all windows settings from one place.

You can take control of all secret settings of your OS with just a few clicks.

The amazing beauty of this secret tool is that GodMode works on the current Microsoft offering, the new launched Windows just as beautifully 

Follow the below steps to enter GodMode:

• Create a ‘New folder’ in your local drive (C drive). In the desktop, right click and select New>Folder.

• Once you create the New folder, right click on the folder, you will get “Rename” option.
• Copy and paste the following text as the new name of the folder:  GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
• Now hit Enter.
• The folder will convert into a icon which would mimic the look of a Control Panel.This icon has all Windows settings.

• Click this icon and you will see different tweaks types such as Administrative tools, Auto Play etc.
• You can easily move the GodMode folder into any other folder for your convenience, in case you feel the GodMode folder creates a mess on your local drive.
• One can even pin the GodMode folder to their File Explorer in the taskbar or just put it in the Documents Folder or can even pin it to Windows 8’s modern Start Screen if you are too tech savvy.

This video would help Windows 10 users to enter the GodMode

Explore GodMode: 

Just like any other normal folder, Windows 10 user can open the GodMode folder and customize all the PC settings pretty similar to the “small icons” options provided in the Control Panel.

For example, say you want to change the screen saver of your desktop. Just open the GodMode folder, go to the Personalization section and there you will find an option which says Change screen saver, just click this option.

Certain features of GodMode appearing in Windows 10 are slightly different from the elements in Windows 8.1, which in turn varies from that in Windows 7; however the overall end effect is same. For instance, when AutoPlay option is accessed through GodMode,  it brings up the old Windows 7/8 AutoPlay dialog which are much more advanced when compared to those in the Windows 10 version.

Rename GodMode folder:

Suppose one does not like the name ‘GodMode’, then you can even change the name of the folder as per your liking, the only requirement here is that one cannot remove the period placed just before the brackets, or change the string of letters and numbers inside the curly braces. So you can just alter the “GodMode” portion of the string as per your liking because its the letters and numbers within the brackets which give the command to Windows and tells it what the user actually wants to see within the folder.

So choose a name which you want instead of GodMode and bask into the glory of this wonderful tool.

Sadly, Windows 10 Is Stealing Your Bandwidth 'By Default' — Disable It Immediately

After installing Windows 10, Feeling like your Internet Bandwidth is dropping away? Windows 10 is stealing your network bandwidth.

Along with the privacy features related to Wi-Fi Sense, Windows 10 users should check for another hidden by default feature that uses your network bandwidth to share updates with other Windows 10 users across the Internet.

Microsoft launched Windows 10 on July 29 and offered a free upgrade to Windows 7,8 and 8.1 users, and for anyone who wants to download it. But, handling millions of simultaneous 3.5GB downloads is quite difficult for the company.

So, in order to cope up with the issue, Microsoft has baked a new feature into its latest desktop operating system that uses the torrent-style approach to obtain software updates, allowing Windows 10 users to download updates from other users.

Windows 10 is Stealing your Internet Bandwidth

The feature, known as Windows Update Delivery Optimization (WUDO), is initially designed to help users get faster software updates, which is quite a good idea to handle massive internet traffic of up to 40 Terabits per second (TBps).

WUDO works a lot like torrents work. Your computer running Windows 10 is used as part of a peer-to-peer network to deliver software updates faster to others, each person distributing a little bit of the files across multiple computers and helping everyone download updates quickly.

But, this peer-to-peer sharing method offered by Windows 10 is using your precious Internet bandwidth, without hinting you about it, because the feature is enabled by default in Windows 10Home and Pro edition. WUDO is also enabled in Windows 10 Enterprise and Education, but only for the local network.

How to Disable Windows Update Delivery Optimization (WUDO)?

You can disable the feature, but the option is buried deep in the Settings menu for Windows Update.

To turn this feature OFF, follow these given steps:

• Go to Settings in the Start menu
• Search for Update & Security
• Under Windows Update, open Advanced Options
• Under Choose How Updates are Installed, select Choose how updates are delivered
• Disable the toggle under Updated from More than One Place

The feature is a good idea to speed up software updates, but enabling it by default without the knowledge of users is probably not at all a great idea.

In a statement, a Microsoft said that the feature "helps people get updates and apps more quickly if they have a limited or unreliable internet connection" and that it "doesn't slow down your internet connection" because it uses a "limited portion" of idle upload bandwidth.

Windows 10 to deliver updates and App downloads via Peer-to-Peer Technology

Does downloading Windows updates from Microsoft's servers and waiting too long really annoy you? It might not be with the arrival of Windows 10. Microsoft seems to make a major change in Windows 10 to the way it delivers updates for the software.

The leaked version of Windows 10 build 10036 (the current version is build 9926) allows you to grab OS updates from Microsoft as well as other computers, whether they're on your local network or on the Internet.

Yeah, it's a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) technology Microsoft is going to use in order to deliver both app and operating system updates.

Peer-to-Peer, or P2P Technology is usually associated with file sharing services like BitTorrent to download illicit copies of movies and albums, and of course, those endless Linux ISOs you've been downloading.

However, Redmond is embracing the technology as an efficient means to deliver software updates to its users around the globe.

Peer-to-Peer downloads will be optional in Windows 10. The new dialog box titled "Choose how you download updates" offers Windows users an option to "Download apps and OS updates from multiple sources to get them more quickly".

Once turned ON, the option delivers you choices to

• Download apps and OS updates from Microsoft and PCs on my local network
• Download apps and OS updates from Microsoft, PCs on my local network, and PCs on the Internet

Besides accelerating the upgrade process, P2P feature could save precious bandwidth if you have a multiple PCs in your house. 

Redmond's move is not at all surprising, as the software maker bought Pando Networks in 2013, which is the maker of a peer-to-peer file sharing technology, similar to BitTorrent.

So far, the leaked screenshot is not confirmed by the company neither it released any official announcement, but you can expect the new release of an official Windows 10 preview shortly that will likely include the new changes.

However, if Microsoft really includes P2P technology for updating its software, it will be an interesting option for enabling distributed updates, rather than updating through Windows Server Update Services. Home users might appreciate the faster downloads that will come with peer-to-peer downloads.

Windows 10 Wi-Fi Sense Explained: Actual Security Threat You Need to Know

Just one day after Microsoft released its new operating system, over 14 Million Windows users upgraded their PCs to Windows 10.

Of course, if you are one of the Millions, you should aware of Windows 10's Wi-Fi Sense feature that lets your friends automatically connects to your wireless network without providing the Wi-Fi password.

Smells like a horrible Security Risk! It even triggered a firestorm among some security experts, who warned that Wi-Fi Sense is a terrible and dangerous feature and that you should disable it right away.

Even some researchers advised Windows 10 users to rename their Wi-Fi access points.

Before discussing the risks of Wi-Fi Sense, let's first know how it works.

How Windows 10 Wi-Fi Sense works?

Windows 10 Wi-Fi Sense feature allows you to share your Wi-Fi password with your friends or contacts, as well as lets you automatically connect to networks that your friends and acquaintances have connected to in past, even if you don't know the password.

Now, when those friends are within the range of your Wi-Fi network, Windows 10 automatically joins the network with that saved password you just shared with your friends and logs them in, without prompting them for a password.

Enabled by Default, but It's not the actual Security Threat, Here's Why:

Wi-Fi Sense feature is enabled by default in Windows 10 to make it easier for users to receive instant access to the Shared Networks by their Friends or Contacts.

But, But, But… did you notice that the feature says "For networks I select..."?

"Enabled by default" doesn't mean your Wi-Fi passwords are automatically going to be shared with your Facebook or Skype contacts by default, unless you won’t manually configure your Wi-Fi Sense settings to share selected network access with any contact group.

Under "For networks I select..." option, you can explicitly control which group of contacts from which social networks get access to which Wi-Fi Network.

Until or unless you do not offer your Wi-Fi password to Wi-Fi Sense, it will not let selected contact group to connect to your network.

This means Wi-Fi password sharing option is OFF for every social network by default.

And of course even if you choose to share your Wi-Fi network with your contacts, Wi-Fi Sense only shares Internet access and not your actual Wi-Fi password.

Why You Should be Scared of Wi-Fi Sense (Actual Security Threat)

Microsoft promoted Wi-Fi sense as:

In simple words, now you don't need to read out loud your Wi-Fi password, character by character when your friends are at your home and want to use The Internet. So similarly, you don’t need to shout across the office or your friend’s house "What’s the Wi-Fi password?"

However:

"If you choose to share with your Facebook friends, any of your Facebook friends who are using Wi-Fi Sense on a Windows Phone will be able to connect to the network you shared when it's in range, You can't pick and choose individual contacts." -- Microsoft FAQ says.

As a general Internet user, I used to accept almost every friend request on the Facebook and also communicate with lots of people on Skype or Outlook. In short, the majority of people in my contact list are whom I don't know personally or trust.

So, If I can't choose any individual contact from my list, then enabling "Network password sharing feature" will share my network access with all my contacts in the selected social network.

Microsoft also Argued:

Neither it allows anyone to access your local resources so that nobody can hunt through your personal files.

However, We know that...

The biggest threat of sharing your Wi-Fi access with everyone on a list is just like you are allowing hackers to position themselves between you and the connection point i.e. Man-in-the-Middle attack.

In such attack scenarios, the hacker can access every piece of information you're sending out on the Internet, including important emails, account passwords or credit card information.

Sitting on the same network, an attacker can also target your machine directly using Metasploit or any other hacking tool.

Ultimately, Windows 10 Wi-Fi Sense probably is not the most secure feature in the world, but it is not that bad either, if in future, Microsoft could allow Windows 10 users to choose individual contacts from a group.

For Now… Should You Stop Using It?

Like many things in life, we have to make a choice between things that make our life comfortable and that provide us absolute security.

AND, if you are concerned more about security, just turn Wi-Fi Sense OFF.

How to Turn Windows 10 Wi-Fi Sense OFF?

To disable Wi-Fi Sense, go to Windows Settings, then Network & Internet and then click "Change Wi-Fi settings," and then "Manage Wi-Fi settings."

From there, you can change a variety of settings. Turn OFF everything under the Wi-Fi Sense heading; disable WI-Fi password sharing with Facebook, Outlook, or Skype; and have Wi-Fi Sense forget the list of known Wi-Fi networks.

The Hacker Search Engine “Shodan” is the Scariest Search Engine on Internet

Launched in 2009, Shodan is more of a prying eye across the world through the IoT rather than just a simple search engine. John Matherly, its creator, named his project after the villainous computer in the video game System Shock. As in present, Shodan is living up to his name. Already designated as ‘world’s scariest search engine’, it is commonly called the hacker search engine.

Shodan shows you what Google doesn’t. Designed with an aim to link all the devices connected to the Internet, it took no time to become a play zone for hackers and experimenters. Shodan works by collecting and stacking HTTP addresses from various devices linked over the Internet across the world. The indexing is done on the basis such as country, OS and brand.

Shodan’s scanning power can be assumed from the fact that it can detect the traffic lights, security cameras, control systems for gas stations, power grids, and even nuclear power plants. Most of these public services use little measures for online security and once exposed to hackers or terrorist organizations, the results could be disastrous.

If you have installed telnet enabled security cameras in your home for “security”, then you might want to put them away. Hackers can breach into your system if your IoT hub is exposed on the Internet using this hacker search engine. It won’t be easy, however, it is not impossible either.

Also Read: Hack.chat Makes Private and Disappearing Chatrooms in 5 Seconds

There are a number of devices out there that still run on their default passwords or no passwords at all. Shodan crawls through the Internet for such accessible devices and you are shown 50 of those if you have an account on Shodan. If you could give the website the reason to check these devices with their fees, you would get information of all the devices.

Though, even if you can,  we highly recommend you to not misuse Shodan, the hacker search engine.

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