The FBI is recommending that we stop using text messages. After last week’s reports that Chinese hackers have infiltrated at least eight American telecommunications companies, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued recommendations to telcoms to help them secure their infrastructures. For the rest of us, the FBI “warned iPhone and Android users to stop texting and to use an encrypted messaging platform instead.” According … Continue reading Sorta Secure
The US congress is considering legislation that would ban TikTok in the United States. TikTok is an app that lets people create and share short videos. It’s used almost exclusively on mobile phones, and it includes filters, stickers, sound effects, and lots of other candy to help people easily create and share creative content. In other words, it’s very similar to dozens of other apps. … Continue reading Spies Like Us
Several years ago, we were upgrading our phone system at school. This work involved a much-needed voicemail upgrade, and I was holding up the process. The voicemail software was expensive. I don’t remember the exact cost, but I think it was around $30,000. We needed to sign off on the terms of service — basically click “I agree” to all the legal gobbledygook — so … Continue reading This Software is Provided As-Is
Sometimes, the world isn’t a very nice place. When the Internet was invented, it was a space for collaboration. The technical challenge of connecting disparate computer systems in remote locations was daunting. The goal was to allow researchers at the various locations to work together, sharing data, analyses, and perspectives. The idea that some members of the community would try to exploit the system to … Continue reading Insecurities
We’ve been a little more proactive lately about suggesting that people change their passwords from time to time. Usually, passwords are the annoying step standing between us and our data. We use them so often, and they’re so familiar, that we can become careless about them. Here are five recommendations for better passwords. Email passwords are really important. In most cases, password resets can be … Continue reading 5 Password Recommendations
Taste of Tech 