Your SOHO Router is a Juicy Target for Hackers
Your home or small office (SOHO router) is likely being targeted by cybercriminals, malware, and nation-state actors alike. Though this targeting often has nothing to do with wanting to spy on you, your SOHO router can be a valuable resource for threat actors looking to conceal their malicious traffic and ... Read More
How Using a VPN May Benefit Your Privacy
In the title of this post, keep in mind the keyword is may; as a forewarning, this is not a post that definitively says you must use a VPN regardless of the circumstances… because that is simply not true. From a privacy lens, VPNs are niche tools - once some ... Read More
DNS and Your Privacy: Should you use encrypted DNS?
DNS enables the easy navigation from website to website as you currently know it. However, the system wasn’t exactly designed with your privacy and security in mind. Many DNS resolvers - such as your internet service provider's (ISP) - do not encrypt queries and may log data and metadata surrounding ... Read More
Mental Health Apps are Likely Collecting and Sharing Your Data
May is mental health awareness month! In pursuing help or advice for mental health struggles (beyond just this month, of course), users may download and use mental health apps. Mental health apps are convenient and may be cost effective for many people. However, while these apps may provide mental health ... Read More
How to Use the Private Browser Comparison Tool
This post is the official guide for using the Private Browser Comparison Tool. It includes what it is, its limitations, and how to use the tool. TABLE OF CONTENTS What is the Browser Comparison Tool? Limitations Navigating the tool Browser Details pages The main table Defining the table header (columns) ... Read More
Getting Started: A Beginner’s Guide for Improving Privacy
Welcome to the world of online/digital privacy! Like its sister guide for cybersecurity, this privacy guide was written for complete privacy novices in mind. It is designed to be a starting point for anyone new to the world of online privacy. It also contains actionable advice for getting started on ... Read More
Targeted Ads are a Cybersecurity Risk
You’re justified in blocking targeted ads. Malvertising is alive and well and poses a too-big-to-ignore risk to the end user. For your security (and privacy) you should block ads by default. Here's why. TABLE OF CONTENTS Malvertising Malicious search ads campaigns Paid ads are at the top of the results ... Read More
Avoid The Hack: 5 Best Password Managers For Security (and Privacy)
Password management is essential to the security of your passwords and thus the security of your online accounts. You probably know not to reuse passwords or to use weak passwords. You also probably know that you should use a password manager (or currently use one)... Ideally, you'd use a password ... Read More
Avoid The Hack: 7 Best Private Search Engine Recommendations
This post was originally published on 27 APR 2021; it has since been updated and revised. Are you using Google, Bing, or Yandex? Tired of "biased" search results? Tired of seeing re-targeting ads that follow you around because you've searched for one term just once? Then perhaps you should look ... Read More
Avoid The Hack: 11 Best Privacy Friendly Operating Systems (Desktops)
This post was originally published on 3 NOV 2021; it has since been updated and revised. Just about any closed-source, proprietary operating system - such as Windows or macOS - is likely not going to be beneficial for your privacy. Many closed-source operating systems are not totally transparent in their ... Read More
