Don’t re-use passwords (I mean it)

I strongly advise you not to re-use passwords This is probably the most important piece of cyber-security advice there is. This post explains how dangerous the practice of re-using passwords actually is, and how easy it is to stop doing it. Why is it dangerous to re-use passwords? Your account username and the password you …
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iPhone Passwords App

iPhone’s Passwords app could be a game-changer for password-phobes Password management is a headache. We’ve all been there – sticky notes plastered to monitors, easily guessed pet names, or the dreaded “password123.” In today’s digital landscape, these habits are a recipe for disaster. If you’re still relying on such methods, it’s time for a serious …
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The default search engine in Microsoft Edge

You can’t change Edge’s “new tab” search engine away from Microsoft’s Bing Well, that’s not completely true. You can change the default search engine that is invoked when you type your search term into the address bar, but you can’t change the default search engine that is invoked when you use the search box in …
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Variation on a theme of an email scam

It’s a good idea to be aware of this scam used by email hackers A couple of months ago I received an email from a client (apparently) that revealed a bit of a twist on a well-known email scam. This client had suffered an email hack about a year previously (through having a weak password). …
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Password checkers

Are password checkers safe, accurate, and useful? Many websites offer password checkers. You type in a password and the checker will tell you how long it would take to crack that password. Here are three reputable password checking sites: https://www.passwordmonster.com/ https://password.kaspersky.com/ https://bitwarden.com/password-strength/ I created a really rubbishy password (the sort you shouldn’t ever use). It …
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Version History in OneDrive

Since the end of 2022, OneDrive has supported version history for all file types Previously, only Microsoft Office files (eg Word documents and Excel spreadsheets) retained earlier versions in OneDrive, but that is no longer the case. We’ll come back to that later after considering some of OneDrive’s drawbacks. My experience of Microsoft’s cloud storage …
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What if your email service closes?

TalkTalk is ending its free email service to former customers It is becoming more common for email providers to cease providing free email. A while ago, John Lewis ended their association with Plusnet and stopped their email service to anyone with an email address @john-lewis.com, @greenbee.net or @waitrose.com. For more information, see this link. Now TalkTalk …
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Why you might not want to download images in emails

One man’s privacy is another man’s paranoia Email clients and webmail services allow you to choose whether to automatically download images in emails. If you don’t allow the downloading of images by default then you still have the choice to download them in each specific email that contains them. You can, of course, ignore the …
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