Privacy & Security Articles

How to Delete Your Alexa Recordings by Voice

Amazon is rolling out new privacy features today for Alexa. In addition to an educational “privacy hub,” the company lets you delete your stored recordings by voice. But it’s off by default; you’ll nee...

Josh Hendrickson May 29th

What Are Internet Worms, and Why Are They So Dangerous?

We don’t hear much about internet worms anymore, but they’re still an important part of the malware ecosystem. But what are worms, how do they spread, and how are they used by hackers?

How to Stop All the Voice Assistants from Storing Your Voice

Voice assistants, like Google Assistant and Alexa, record what you say after the wake word to send off to company servers. The companies keep your recordings until you delete them. Some companies let you turn that behavior of...

Do iPhone “Security” Apps Actually Do Anything?

Apple won’t allow “antivirus” apps in the App Store, but there are many “security” apps available. For example, Norton Mobile Security costs $14.99 per year, and Lookout Premium costs $29.99 per ...

What Is a Throwaway Reddit Account, and How Do I Create One?

On Reddit, every post and comment you leave is tied to your user account. That’s usually fine, but what if you want to post anonymously? That’s what a throwaway account is for.

Oliver Haslam May 17th

Tired of Robocalls? Stop Answering Your Phone

The robocall problem keeps getting worse. Nearly half of all calls come from automated systems, and that number is increasing. Tired of answering your phone and talking to robots, scammers, or scammer robots? Just stop answer...

Only New CPUs Can Truly Fix ZombieLoad and Spectre

Current CPUs have design flaws. Spectre exposed them, but attacks like Foreshadow and now ZombieLoad exploit similar weaknesses. These “speculative execution” flaws can only truly be fixed by buying a new CPU wit...

How Your Echo’s “Alexa Guard” Can Protect Your Home

Amazon just rolled out Alexa Guard to all Echo users. Your Echo can now listen for breaking glass, alert you to smoke alarms, and randomly turn your lights on and off. But it’s not a full security system....

How to Stop Your Google Home From Recording All Your Conversations

Google may be storing everything you say to your Google Home and keeping the recordings forever, just as Alexa does. Google recently changed the default behavior not to keep the recordings. But that change only affected new u...

Is it Safe To Preview Your Email?

In the early 2000s, many security professionals advised disabling your email client’s preview function. Simply previewing an email could be dangerous! This is no longer good advice. With a modern email client, you can p...

Rob Woodgate May 10th

How to Browse as a Guest in Chrome and on a Chromebook

Guest mode for Google Chrome and on Chromebooks is perfect if you need to lend your computer to a friend without giving them complete access to all your personal information stored inside your browser. Here’s how to bro...

Brady Gavin May 2nd

How to Delete Synced Information in Chrome

When you sign in to Chrome using your Google Account, a whole bunch of your personal information gets saved and synced across all your devices, but what if you want to delete everything stored in the cloud? Here’s how t...

Brady Gavin Apr 29th

How Email Bombing Uses Spam to Hide an Attack

If you suddenly start receiving an endless stream of junk email, perhaps asking for confirmation of a subscription, you’re the victim of email bombing. The perpetrator is probably trying to hide their real goal, so here...

How to Choose What Information to Sync in Chrome

Google recently changed the way you view your synced data in Chrome, but you’re still able to save and sync bookmarks, passwords, themes, extensions, and more wherever you are, using your Google Account. Here’s ho...

Brady Gavin Apr 26th

How to Export or Delete Your Outlook.com Search History

If you use the online version of Outlook, you can delete your email search history (useful if you’ve got privacy concerns) or export it (useful for finding old searches or data analysis). Here’s how to do it....

Rob Woodgate Apr 24th

How to Configure the Windows Sandbox

Windows 10’s new Sandbox feature lets you safely test programs and files downloaded from the internet by running them in a secure container. It’s easy to use, but its settings are buried in a text-based configur...

Josh Hendrickson Apr 24th

How to Allow or Block Pop-ups in Chrome

Google Chrome does a great job at blocking pop-up windows out of the box, but sometimes it prevents them even if you’re expecting one from a trusted site. Here’s how you can take control and allow or block pop-ups...

Brady Gavin Apr 23rd

What is RAT Malware, and Why Is It So Dangerous?

A Remote Access Trojan (RAT) is a type of malware that allows hackers to monitor and control your computer or network. But how does a RAT work, why do hackers use them, and how do you avoid them?

How to Detect Hidden Surveillance Cameras With Your Phone

A family recently discovered a rude surprise at their Airbnb: a hidden camera disguised as a smoke detector in the living room. Here are two ways to check for cameras—in an Airbnb or elsewhere—using only an iPhone...

Windows Updates Are Breaking PCs With These Antivirus Programs

On April 9, Microsoft issued a Windows patch that broke PCs with certain antivirus programs installed. This affects PCs running Windows 7, 8.1, Server 2008 R2, Server 2012, and Server 2012 R2—not Windows 10, this time....

Chris Hoffman Apr 19th

How the UK’s New Internet “Porn Block” Will Work

On July 15, 2019, the UK government will enforce an age-verification requirement for online pornography websites. Websites that don’t comply with the UK’s rules will be blocked in the country. Here’s how thi...

How to Change a Site’s Camera and Microphone Permissions in Chrome

Google Chrome lets you manage which individual sites can have access to your microphone and camera. If you don’t see any video or the mic isn’t picking up voice, you might need to change the permissions Chrome is ...

Brady Gavin Apr 17th

How to Stop Google’s Sensorvault From Sharing Your Location With Law Enforcement

Google’s Sensorvault is a location history database that police can query to see phones near the location of a crime. Google is the only company with such a database—and innocent people have been arrested because ...

How to See All of the Data Instagram Has on You

Instagram is the place to share your photos, and just like most social networks, it keeps tabs on some weird and wonderful things. Have you ever wondered what kinds of things it tracks? Here’s how to see it all....

Oliver Haslam Apr 15th