Category: Security

Matters bordering on security and safety of technology and the web.

5 ways to back up your data securely
Security Tips

5 ways to back up your data securely

Gabby 19th February 2019

Photos, documents, saved video games, and old emails: We accumulate a lot of data throughout our lives. And just like our parents’ attic, our digital bags are getting fuller and fuller. Luckily, there are multiple options to store data, and it’s getting cheaper and cheaper never to throw anything away. Where should we keep our data though, and how do we protect it? What threats are we worried about the most? 1. Make sure your data is encrypted Your operating system should by default encrypt all data on your hard drive without you worrying about how to handle this process. You can check your drives encryption status in BitLocker (Windows) or…

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How to properly dispose off your hard drives
Security

How to properly dispose off your hard drives

Gabby 16th February 2019

Data is valuable. Your pictures, legal documents, chat logs, and even saved video games are all things you wouldn’t want to be public. Today, people generally go to great lengths to protect data, but devices age and don’t last forever. When we need to replace them, we often don’t think about what happens to the data that is still on the drive, and how people might be able to access it. Most computers have a hard disk drive, or HDD, which are disks coated with a magnetic metal layer. They rotate similar to a CD or vinyl record and read by a sensor at the tip of an arm. HDDs are…

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RSA Encryption Cracked
Security

RSA Encryption Cracked

Gabby 24th January 2019

It has long been known that even the best encryption system can be broken more easily if its users don’t do a good job. Sometimes what constitutes a good job can be difficult to work out. In World War II the cracking of the German Enigma code was made easier by the way messages always started in the same way – providing some known plain text to compare against the encrypted text.

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Can my router catch a virus?
Security

Can my router catch a virus?

Gabby 22nd October 2018

A router works like a small computer and runs customized software designed for a particular purpose. Routers have operating systems, often a graphical interface, and are usually connected to the Internet. Just like all computers, routers can be infected by malware, though the attack vectors and the potential harm can be very different to a computer hack. Routers Have Security Problems Big price differences between routers are often confusing to consumers as, unlike with personal computers, the quality difference is not always obvious. As routers are normally tied to a physical location, it is also rather difficult to test their reliability in different environments, unlike with highly mobile laptops or smartphones.…

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