It’s a bright and shiny Sunday, tech friend. Let’s begin with a brainbuster trivia question that might just take you back. What was the first toy advertised on television? Was it … A.) Barbie, B.) Hula-Hoop, C.) Mr. Potato Head or D.) Slinky? Answer at the end!

🛑 Today’s top story is an important one. I can’t tell you how many notes I get from folks dealing with malware. It’s frightening when this stuff takes over. — Kim

Ah, the wide world of tech myths. I’ve heard ‘em all:

Macs are immune to viruses. Stick a wet phone in rice and it’ll be as good as new. Always run your battery down to 0% before you charge.

Another that persists? You can’t get a virus on your phone.

You’re reading this newsletter, so I hope by now you realize your phone is a huge target. Think about it — it’s just a mini computer.

Let’s dig deeper into what this stuff looks like and where it comes from.

Red flags your phone is infected

The signs vary depending on what your device is infected with, of course. But all these symptoms spell trouble:

OK, how’d that happen?

Malware, adware, spyware and all the other types of malicious software generally come from a few places.

🔗 You clicked on a malicious link that arrived through a phishing email, text, messaging or social media app, or spoofed website. Security 101: Never click on links or open attachments in unsolicited messages.

📲 You downloaded a bad app. Scammers are good at creating fraudulent apps that look like the real thing. While these can end up in the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, they’re most often distributed through third-party app sites. Only download apps from official app stores, please and thank you!

📶 You connected to public Wi‑Fi. This is a recipe for disaster. Cybercriminals use public Wi‑Fi to spy on unsuspecting users. They could steal your bank password, credit card details or Social Security number and infect your device with malware.

So, do you need antivirus software?

The answer is clear: Yes! While your phone has some built-in safeguards to protect you, the more help you can get, the better. If your phone isn’t protected by antivirus software, or if you’re depending on a free antivirus solution, or the price for your current antivirus has crept up, get the antivirus software I use and recommend: TotalAV.

You can get this five-star protection for a steep discount. Right now, get TotalAV’s real-time antivirus protection across five devices for $100 off. An entire year of protection is just $19. I know you won’t find a better deal. I asked!

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🕵️ AI’s where the money’s at: A leaked salary spreadsheet is causing HR nightmares at Microsoft. Software engineers in the AI division make an average total compensation of $377,611. That’s at least $120,000 higher than averages across Microsoft’s other departments. Gotta go where the money is, folks.

The Echo is a resounding success: Amazon is yanking the main feature of the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition: Showing your photos endlessly. Starting Sept. 23, it will display ads after three hours. Btw, this model costs $10 extra, plus there’s a $2 monthly subscription. I’d be mad, too.

Ford’s new EV strategy has a $1.9B price tag: The automaker is shifting its focus from huge trucks and SUVs to smaller, more affordable EVs to compete with Chinese rivals. A commercial van is coming in 2026, followed by a midsized pickup and the T3 full-sized pickup.

Wyoming’s No. 1: It's the first state with its own U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin. The goal? Faster, cheaper transactions and more revenue for the state. Next year, public audits will show how many tokens are in circulation and the exact amount in the bank. Translation: There’s a real dollar in the bank for every crypto coin.

Another reason to RTO: Remote workers are turning to apps like The Breakfast to make new friends IRL, get a bite to eat and leave the house (paywall link). Turns out, WFH is pretty lonely. Share this with someone who does.

Jeff Bezos isn’t one to wing it: His fourth private jet, a Gulfstream G700, just set him back a cool $80 million. It’s one of the biggest and most advanced jets out there, reaching speeds up to 710 mph. For my nerds, that’s about 92.5% of the speed of sound. And to think, he started by selling used books from a garage!

🧠 You have a dirty mind: Brain samples from corpses found nearly 0.05% were made up of microplastics, double the amount in 2016. It’s coming from bottled water, sugar and even the air we breathe. The next time your doctor says you’re overweight, reply, “I want to say one word to you. Just one word. Plastics.” (Yes, that’s a throwback to “The Graduate.”)

Free AI test drive: Nothing has changed our lives quite like AI has — and will. That’s why you need to start using AI in your business before it’s too late. Take a free test drive of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure now at Oracle.com/kim. No one does data better than Oracle.*

Quick privacy tip: Task Manager on a Windows PC and Activity Monitor on a Mac can give you an overview of everything happening on your machine. On a PC, hit Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Click the Processes tab. On a Mac, hit Cmd + spacebar to open Spotlight Search. Then, type Activity Monitor and press Enter. See anything weird? Google it before you panic.

🤑 Amazon’s secret 25% discount: Send your old tech to Amazon through its Trade-in Program and get a gift card for the value. They’ll take just about anything, but if you trade in Amazon gear like a Kindle, eero router system or Fire TV Stick, you get 25% off a new qualifying device. Nice.

Still using Facebook Messenger? Might as well have fun. Tap the + (plus sign) in the bottom left during a chat, then hit the icon that looks like a game controller. Hello‑o‑o, timewasters! Play classics like Snake, Pac-Man, Solitaire and Tomb Runner without any extra downloads.

✅ Unlock perfect hearing: If you’re tired of missing out on conversations, don’t miss this — the new, nearly invisible hearing aids everyone is raving about. With dual processors for crystal-clear sound, these are changing lives. Act now to see if you qualify for a risk-free trial and start hearing every word!*

Plus, David’s curious about Starlink, Jay wonders if his friend is hacked, Daryl wants a cam for his barn, Ben needs Amazon Echo tips, Marie asks about a temp phone number and many more!

📕 Read: With the right prompts (what you type in), AI can make life a heck of a lot easier. I have 50 smart ideas here. Your support helps me send this free newsletter, so thanks!

Say goodbye: To that random spot on your skin. Whoever said pimples stop after your teen years lied.

🎨 Create: Your own AI art. Midjourney now gives you 25 free images to play around with.

Eat: 8 foods that will help you live to 100, according to centenarians. Phew, I eat all these!

👚 Pretty in pink: Check out a new YouTube video we did the other day about scams, trackers and hackers. Shoutout to @kacicapurro1501, who commented, “You look great, Kim! Pink is a good color on you. 🙂” Thank you!

Grok‑2 is the AI image generator available in X. If I owned it, I’d tell the AI to remember who can pull the plug anytime.

🥔 The answer: C.) Mr. Potato Head. The ads ran during “The Howdy Doody Show” in 1952. Today, Mr. Potato Head has a smartphone in case Mr. Onion rings. (Oof, I know. I had to.)

Help keep this newsletter free and protect yourself in the process. The award-winning TotalAV is only $19 a year, works across all your devices and runs in the background to catch anything fishy.

💰 How do you sell the pictures in your phone for cash? A fun thing to do today.

I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow with a mystery solved: The source of all those “missed delivery” scam texts. Until then, pat yourself on the back for getting more tech smarts to keep you ahead in life with the best newsletter in the USA! — Kim