[Updated: Nov 17, 2022] Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote an article about why QR codes aren’t inherently dangerous. That’s still true. However, there’s a tricky new scam that will basically hold any QR codes you generate on their site for ransom. QR Codes: Let’s Review As I explained in the previous article, a …
For those of you who are not familiar with what I’m about to describe, you’re probably going to think I’m off my rocker. But I’m here to tell you: your smart TV is almost surely spying on you. I’m not just talking about the apps you’re running, which of course are spying on you. I’m …
Cold hard cash is becoming scarce these days. People just don’t carry it around any more. So how do you split a bill at a restaurant or buy from a street vendor? Many people today use mobile payment apps like Venmo, Apple Pay, PayPal, the Cash App, or a service promoted by many US banks …
Last Monday Apple released a big update to its flagship mobile operating system, iOS (the software that runs your iPhone). Today I’ll give you a run down of the new security and privacy features in iOS 16. (There are tons of other features, too – if you want to check out the full list, click …
I’m going to start accepting questions from podcast listeners, to be read on-air! I’ll pick out some of the best ones and answer them on the show. To make it more interesting, I’ve got some incentives, too! First of all, everyone who submits a valid question will be entered into a monthly giveaway! What I …
Just a quick note… I’m shifting my blog and newsletter timing by one week. It will start up again next week and repeat every two weeks from there, as usual. I keep my blog and newsletter in sync with my podcast news shows, and I’m shifting those by a week to accommodate a few things …
For some reason, men feel compelled to share pictures of their genitalia, somehow certain that others will be thankful for the gift. And if the settings on your Apple devices are too permissive, you may end up being an unwilling recipient. This hit the news headlines recently when a flight to Cabo was nearly grounded …
Security isn’t just about preventing bad things from happening. While it’s always better to avoid breaches and malware, you have to also be prepared to diminish damage when they happen. One of the best, time-tested strategies for mitigating the effects of a break-in is compartmentalization. Submarine compartments all have water-tight doors that can be sealed …
All software has bugs. Therefore, the less software you have, the fewer bugs you have. In other words, the fewer applications and plugins you have installed, the fewer the opportunities there are for your computer or smartphone to be hacked. It’s a mathematical certainty. In the cybersecurity realm, we call this “reducing your attack surface”. …
I’ve talked a lot about password managers, but I’ve mostly focused on generating and storing passwords. That frankly should be reason enough to use one. But there are many other great reasons for using a password vault. The key thing to understand is that password managers are just digital vaults. They can hold all sorts …
