Tag Archive for: techie

Techie Tips: Hack-proof your family

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In this, my first column, I want to take a moment to talk about keeping our families safe.

When I was coming up, my parents had the “Stranger Danger” talk with me. Our kids are born into the world as digital natives, and just like in the “real” world, they need to understand the dangers the digital world can pose.

We’re in a unique place as a society, where even our youngest members are virtually fluent, yet potentially vulnerable to threats they barely comprehend.

The cybersecurity landscape has radically evolved over the last decade. It’s no longer confined to IT departments or specialist firms. Today, it stands at the threshold of every household. Our family homes are no longer just physical structures, they extend into the digital realm.

We speak in hushed tones about cyber threats like ransomware, data breaches, and identity theft. They seem abstract, distant, and more applicable to high-profile corporations than suburban households. But as our lives become more intertwined with digital technologies, the line blurs. Social media profiles, online banking, cloud storage, virtual classrooms—all these facets of our digitized lives contain personal information that could be exploited if left unprotected.

Families must understand that the internet, much like any public space, has its share of threats and risks. Parents would not let their children roam unsupervised in a city they’ve just moved to. Likewise, the same level of caution should be exercised online.

But how can families fortify their digital homes? First and foremost, education is key. Cybersecurity is not a labyrinthine concept reserved for tech aficionados—it is a practice that needs to be adopted by all users.  Simple, crystal-clear ground rules need to be set for our children to keep them S.A.F.E.

S.A.F.E. is a great acronym for cybersecurity.  Let’s go through it together!

Secure your information 

Make sure that you leverage two-factor authentication (2FA) on your digital services. 2FA is something you have (like a cell phone with a code) and something you know (like a password.) This approach will keep your accounts much more secure.

Avoid suspicious links or emails

Phishing attempts and social…

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8 Techie Gifts for the Security Expert in Your Life

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When you think someone might have hacked your social media or you hear that your email provider got breached, who do you turn to for advice? We all have somebody who keeps a finger on the security pulse, someone who knows whether you need to worry and what you should do if there’s a serious problem. Maybe it’s your neighbor, maybe it’s your niece, but they know vastly more than you about online security. Buying a present that plays into their interests is tough when you don’t really understand those interests.

That’s what we’re here for. Browse through our selection of gift possibilities for the security wonk in your life, and feel secure in knowing you’ve made a good choice.

Recommended by Our Editors

Total Network Domination

Every techies loves a gadget, and your security techie will adore this network security gadget. A shiny new Firewalla Purple will give your personal security maven a host of features to play with. They may have already chosen a favorite household router—that’s fine, Firewalla works alongside existing routers in several ways. It’s just as happy to take on the job of a router, except for its lack of a full-powered Wi-Fi hotspot. Hey, you can arrange for a mutual friend to gift them a powerful standalone hotspot.

From the associated mobile app, you can see and manage every device on the network and get notifications when a new device connects. If your neighbor starts mooching Wi-Fi, you can cut them off, and bam! You can even fine-tune controls, say, to turn off gaming on your child’s devices during homework hour. Firewalla tracks performance stats for your devices and your whole network. You can set it to block dangerous sites, suppress ads, act as a parental control content filter, and more.

Your techie friend will get a kick out of Firewalla’s advanced abilities. It can function as a VPN client, running traffic for some or all of your devices through a protected VPN server. More impressively, it can function as a VPN server, letting you tunnel back to your home network from wherever you are. When it blocks traffic from a dangerous site, it can display a map of where the attack came from. It’s a fantastic techie toy.

Firewalla Purple…

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How To Update a Windows 10 Computer / Security Updates Driver Updates Operating System Updates

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Techie turns security guard to steal CPU, RAM and hard disks

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A software engineer became a security guard in order to steal computer equipment and other valuables from CMR University and other places, police say.

Odisha native Raj Patra, 27, was arrested on August 21 by Bagalur police for stealing electronic equipment worth Rs 35 lakh between May 4 and May 11 this year during the lockdown. Among the things he stole were computer processors (CPUs), RAM and hard disks.

Police said Patra arrived in Bengaluru in 2018 and worked for various software companies. But he soon found that stealing was more lucrative and started working as a security guard. He would change jobs after every theft.

Patra joined the private-run CMR University in April and scoured each and every corner of its campus, including the security measures, within days.

In May, he used duplicate keys or sneaked through windows to enter the rooms where computers were stored. He dismantled important accessories and took them home. After the theft came to light, CMR University suspected Patra but he had vacated his rented home by then. The security agency that hired him didn’t have enough information about him either. But the police eventually tracked him down.

Police say they have recovered the computer equipment that Patra had sold off to service centres and online. He is also suspected to have been involved in at least one theft in Odisha.

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