A Field Guide To Malware In 2016

Malware is used for a wide variety purposes from sleazy business practices to blatant crime. Discussions of malware often mix up the technology of malware and their uses. You will see below that the same technology can be used to direct ads to you that normally you would not see, or steal your credentials to your online banking account. It’s …

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A Guide To Avoiding Ransomware (Part 1)

Ransomware is malicious software that allows a hacker to access an individual or company computer, encrypt your data resident on it and then demand some form of payment to decrypt it. This lets hackers hold your data hostage – and hence the term “ransom”. Victims can regain access to their files only by paying the ransom, or by restoring from a backup that was hopefully not on a network that was accessible to the compromised computer.

U.K. Government Monitors Taxpayers’ Online Activity

Why do government authorities want to monitor Internet users’ online activity? In the United Kingdom, one big reason is to find tax evaders by tracking social media accounts. The Belfast Telegraph reports that HM Revenue & Customs — the agency that collects taxes in the U.K. — has deployed a tool called Connect to monitor citizens’ social media activity. It …

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How Your Browser Fingerprint Affects Online Privacy

Sometimes, the harder you work to stay private online, the easier it is for people to track you. That’s because of the phenomenon called browser fingerprinting. Here’s what it means, and how to deal with it. When you visit websites, they collect information about your computer configuration. Some of this information is part of your Web browser’s user agent string, …

Thai Government Proposes A “Great Firewall” For Internet Censorship

Thailand may soon introduce Internet censorship on a grand scale and make online privacy very difficult. That’s according to a statement from the military government calling for a single Internet gateway. The statement orders the Ministry of Information and Communication, along with other government agencies, to establish a single gateway for Internet connections in Thailand. The gateway is to be …

Report: Most Free Proxies Spy On Your Activities

Many people use “free” and “open” web proxies to access Netflix and other streaming services when traveling outside the U.S. However, new research suggests that most of these services attempt to spy on your internet activities.

TretFlix Released: Pre-Installed Usenet Tools

Tretflix is a pre-installed and pre-configured application and OS environment that runs on any standard x86 desktop or server. It runs inside a virtual machine (such as the free VMWare ESXi v5.0+). It contains popular Usenet tools configured for an easy “out of the box” user experience. When combined with the built-in Plex Media Server, Tretflix is a great way …

Calibre: A Free eBook Converter and Manager

Calibre is a free and open source ebook manager. It is a great tool for converting ebooks into other formats, and sending ebooks to devices like Kindles, Nooks and iPads. It allows you to bypass the time-consuming methods of ebook tranfers that Amazon and Apple support. For example, if I download a book in the open EPUB format, Calibre allows …

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The Fake Name Generator: Create A Name, Address, Telephone Number & Email Address

The Fake Name Generator is tool that instantly creates a set of fake credentials, for dealing with companies that request unnecessary personal information. The Generator will create a completely fictitious identity that includes a fake name, telephone number, email address, street address and credit card number. All of the information generated will match correctly — for example the telephone number will …

How To Unblock Gambling and Adult Websites

Adult website and gambling websites are blocked in many countries, especially in the Middle East. One easy way to get full access to blocked sites is to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network). A VPN will encrypt and redirect all your internet traffic, to that you appear to be in another country. A VPN also makes your internet activities private …

Freedom Box: A Computer Built From The Ground Up With Privacy In Mind

The FreedomBox is basically a router loaded up with privacy-ensuring software. Once plugged into your home network, it will “protect your security, your privacy and your anonymity while you use the internet,” according to James Vasile, the executive director of the FreedomBox Foundation, the nonprofit which was formed to develop the technology using more than $85,000 raised on Kickstarter. The …