12 posts
What is a backup? It is a second copy of your files, kept somewhere other than the original, so you can get them back after a loss. A dead drive, a stolen laptop, a deleted folder or a ransomware attack can each wipe out…
How does encryption work? It takes readable data, mixes it with a secret value called a key, and turns it into something that looks like random noise. Anyone who holds the right key can turn the noise back into the…
Most updates end the same way: save your work, close everything, restart. For one laptop that costs a few minutes. For a server that many people depend on, a restart means downtime, so updates get put off, and a known…
Your phone wants to restart for an update. Your laptop has a list of them waiting. It is tempting to click "later" every time. So what is a software patch, and does it matter if you wait? A patch is a fix the maker sends…
Your laptop is hot, the fan will not stop, and everything feels slow, even with only a browser open. One possible cause has a strange name. So what is cryptojacking? It is when someone secretly uses your device's…
Your email, bank and games all ask you to "turn on 2FA" or "two-step verification" at some point. What is two-factor authentication? It is a sign-in that asks for two different kinds of proof that you are you, usually…
One morning the files on a computer will not open, and a note on the screen demands payment to get them back. That is ransomware at work. So what is ransomware, exactly? It is malicious software that scrambles the files…
"Open it in a sandbox" is common advice for a file you do not trust. But what is a sandbox in cybersecurity? It is a closed-off space where a program can run without being able to reach the rest of your computer. If the…
Every computer guide says to keep your firewall turned on. But what is a firewall, and what is it actually doing? A firewall is a gatekeeper for network traffic. It sits between your computer or home network and the…
News stories say a botnet knocked a website offline, or that thousands of home cameras were hijacked at once. So what is a botnet? It is a network of computers and other devices that criminals have taken over without the…
"Attackers used a zero-day." You see that line in security news all the time, usually without an explanation. So what is a zero-day? It is a flaw in software or hardware that the people who make it do not know about yet,…
Worm, trojan, spyware, rootkit: people use these words as if they all meant "a virus". They do not. The types of malware differ in three ways that matter: how they spread, how they hide, and what they are after. Once you…