General Tech Topics, News & Emerging Trends
Computers around the world are infected. What happened? On Friday, May 12, 2017, a massive cyber attack called WannaCry took place globally, affecting millions of computers, thousands of companies and agencies, and catching most of the world totally off guard. This brand of hack falls under the category of ransomware, which you can learn more…
There’s a difference between smart devices and idiotic smart gadgets, isn’t there? There’s no doubt that the Internet of Things (IoT) has changed our daily lives in ways we didn’t think possible. And while some of these smart devices have improved our quality of life and work, others are idiotic smart gadgets trying to solve…
We learn at a young age that what’s popular isn’t always right. In a technological world with millions of featured apps, it’s tough to know what’s safe to download and what’s an app that will behave badly. Are all popular apps well-behaved? Should we base our decision to download an app on the number of total downloads…
Technology is meant to make our lives better. And yet, some technological advancements have actually made the world worse. It could be the environmental toll, a shift in the industry or economy, or a plain old epic fail. Some technology can forever change how we see the world. But what are developments in technology that…
Are you ready to sell or give away your iPhone so you can get a new one or switch to Android? If you can find the right buyer, you’re typically able to get much more than your phone’s trade-in value. Or perhaps you know of someone who needs a new phone and you’re willing to…
After the past two years, the work world has changed tremendously. Looking for work and employees has changed a lot too. How can you find reliable employees and properly screen them if you’re already tired from countless Zoom meetings? How do you look for jobs when you’re competing against people from all over the world? …
Online dating has provided many the opportunity to find the love of your life. Location is no longer a restriction, and you could meet the person of your dreams. However, scammers are also abundant online. They’ll try to grab your attention, reel you in, and steal your life savings. They call this form of scam…
Google is a tool that most of us use every day, or close to it. Whether it’s to check the score of your game, get information you need, verify a fact, or win an argument, we all know the quickest way to learn the facts – just Google it! But there are some things you…
Personal information about you is probably publicly available online, right now. Sites known as data brokers gather up info about you and build a profile with your name, address, phone number, and other details. Sometimes they even have photos of you. Sounds like a major invasion of privacy, right? Technically, it’s legal for data brokers…
We’ve all experienced annoying viral requests that seem to crop out of nowhere on Facebook. The kid you sat next to in 8th grade Spanish sends you a friend request. He seems innocuous enough, but you haven’t spoken to him in decades. Within days, you’re flooded by his posts asking his page visitors for money…
Phones are a major part of our lives. New devices can cost over a thousand dollars so it’s not unheard of to sell, trade in, or upgrade your phone. They’re becoming a major investment like cars. Phone carriers have built in programs where they take significant amounts off the cost if you turn in your…
Do you still get emails from people, companies and websites that you have no interest in and that you never asked for? If yes, then you’re still being hounded by one of the Internet’s oldest problems: spam. You’d think that by now spam would have been outlawed or something. And you’re right: Because it is…
We all know someone who has accidentally uploaded the wrong photo or set a private message as a public post on Facebook. When this happens to you it can be mortifying, but for the rest of us, it’s pretty hilarious. Below are 8 epic Facebook fails, when people misunderstood where they were “searching” and revealed…
Your mobile apps are collecting data about you: it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. With major stories in the media in recent years, like the 2020 Norwegian Consumer Council study or the 2019 exposé by the Washington Post, stories about apps tracking and saving your data are everywhere. For some of the apps in…
In the digital age, the amount of information at our fingertips is staggering. Between newspaper and magazine articles, newsletters, social media posts, and articles shared on social media, it’s easy to have an overload of information by the time you eat breakfast. This can make it challenging to know what’s legit and what isn’t. Here…
Cryptocurrency is more than just a new hot investment or an overly complicated way to make money. It’s a completely new way of looking at how we spend, save, and invest. Rather than relying on banks to secure your funds, letting them whittle away your savings with fees, surcharges, and minuscule interest rates, you can…
If you’ve ever seen Social Network, there is a memorable scene where Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg asks his friend, Eduardo Saverin, played by Andrew Garfield, for the algorithm he needs to code Facemash (later named Facebook). Eduardo then writes the algorithm on their Harvard dorm room window. It turns out that the algorithm Eduardo,…
In the earliest days of surfing the web, pop-up ads haunted us all. If we clicked on the wrong website, we might find the content suffocated by a million pop-ups–mostly ads–that sought to gain our consumer dollars or were a cloak that hackers hid behind. Pop-ups became synonymous with the worst of the internet, and…
Here’s an alarming iPhone theft trend that police are learning about, and victims too. It has to do with your iPhone’s passcode…the numbers you key in to unlock the phone.Here are some invaluable safety tips for those who have an iPhone, and who are active and actively on their phones: Here’s why. Criminals are noticing…
American consumers have adapted quickly to contactless payment options, especially as apps like Google Wallet and Apple Pay became accessible in the mid-2000s. Recent polls show that half of Americans use tap-to-pay technology, which is great for convenience but not necessarily for security. The Better Business Bureau issued a warning to consumers: If you use…
Scammers love gift cards. They’re instant, practically untraceable, and have no protections against fraudulent transactions. And it’s a lot easier to walk someone through going to a store and getting a gift card than it is to walk them through buying and sending cryptocurrency or creating a Venmo account. So it makes sense that one…
Madonna was a Material Girl living in a material world. All these years later, we’re living in a digital world but we’re still human beings. We are moving towards an Internet of Things so all of our devices are synched. We have developed such an intense reliance on the Internet, jumping from device to device…
If you have ever been a student or a teacher, you know how big of a deal plagiarism can be. But school isn’t the only place where plagiarism matters. In creative, professional, and academic settings, plagiarism can have serious consequences for the perpetrator. Online plagiarism tools have become more and more common in these settings.…
During the 2025 Super Bowl, Meta recruited some big names to promote their new Ray-Ban Metas: Movie superstars Chris Pratt and Chris Hemsworth, plus reality TV icon Kris Jenner. Celebrities and influencers alike are promoting Augmented Reality (AR) devices like the Ray-Ban Metas, as these devices promise exciting features like live AI-enabled translation and video…
When you think of artificial intelligence (AI) your mind might rush to the paranoid fantasies of the dark future of The Terminator franchise or Hal 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey. When will super-smart machines destroy us all? Countless movies have explored the perils of machines developing self-awareness. How safe is AI in reality, and…
Have you used artificial intelligence today? You most likely have, whether you realized it or not. AI-powered tools, platforms, and technologies have become so common that you can’t escape it even if you tried—unless you go seriously off-grid and take up residence in a forest somewhere. If you’ve never stopped to think about the effects…
Phone call-based scams are nothing new. But it seems like scammers are working overtime to find new ways to cheat and steal from their victims. The latest phone scams involve AI voice cloning to trick people into thinking that they are being contacted by a loved one. Protecting yourself from AI phone scams requires an…
People are finding a lot of uses for Apple’s AirTags, including tracking pets, luggage, and camping gear. With assistance from an Apple AirTag, Aunny Grace shockingly discovered that her lost luggage wound up in a homeless encampment with all its contents missing. Her Apple AirTag led the way. As tech devices in our lives become…
A Wall Street Journal article from 2025 reported that cybersecurity experts had an important message for email users (just about everyone): Be wary of clicking “unsubscribe” links or buttons in emails. Doing that could “do more harm than good,” the Journal article said.
AI is changing predictive analytics, but before we discuss the ways that happens, let’s get on the same page about what this field entails. Predictive analytics, at its core, is the practice of using historical data, statistics, algorithms, and machine learning to make informed predictions about future events or outcomes. It is used across multiple…
Amazon is the largest online retailer in the world. Millions of people shop there, and over 200 million people have an Amazon Prime subscription, giving Amazon over $500 billion in revenue every year. And we all know that scammers like to be where the money is. So many people use the company and so much…
If you’ve looked at an iPod, iPhone, or other smartphones, if you’ve used the Firefox, Chrome, or Opera browsers, or if you’ve used Google in the past couple of years, you’ve probably seen something that points out your location. Indeed, Google has long been able to target local results to your searches based on where…
Certain brands have achieved that rare golden ring of customer loyalty–some would say blind loyalty–to the point that people are so attached to their phone brand they remain in denial about the growing dysfunction in their relationship (hello R-Patz and K-Stew) and they stay together because they feel it has become part of their identity.…
Summary Status: Active Terms: Free Zones: 2 Website: www.apews.org Lookup www.apews.org FAQ: www.apews.org/?page=faq Background Most spam advisory and blocking systems work after the fact. There is a time lag between the spammer setting up shop, spamming millions, and getting netblocks listed by these systems. APEWS identifies known spammers and spam operations, listing them as soon…
With the releases of macOS Ventura and iOS 16 in 2022, Apple rolled out a new feature called lockdown mode. It’s an excellent additional layer of protection, however balancing security with usability is something Apple users are going to have to evaluate. Some people may find it works well while others are frustrated with the…
AirTags, a tracking technology designed by Apple, are one of those things that feel like futuristic tech. Lost your wallet, your backpack, or your keys? If you’ve put an AirTag on them, your iPhone can now lead you directly to the lost item. That’s an incredibly useful tool. But every piece of technology comes with…
The cookies that we all know and love are tasty little morsels with chocolate chips (usually) that go will with milk or coffee. There also cookies in the computer world, but you don’t get to eat them, and in fact you never see them. They are hidden from us and most of time we don’t…
GPS tracking on kids’ phones isn’t new. Apps like Family Tracker and Find My Kids allow parents to see the GPS location of their children’s smartphones at all times. Many parents consider this kind of tracking necessary, so they can be sure of their child’s whereabouts. Some kids are fine with being tracked as well.…
Professionally and personally, most of us spend a lot of our time online. We use our smartphones and our personal computers for everything from work to social connections to our primary source for entertainment and news, the Internet is unavoidable. Even our grandparents or parents who lack tech savvy religiously use email or have learned…
Augmented reality (AR) once seemed like a fantastical future, but the groundbreaking technology has become an exciting reality with the potential to integrate with and transform multiple industries. AR can change the way we interact with everything from gaming to education to cybersecurity. Augmented reality in cybersecurity, especially, presents a new frontier with numerous benefits…
Finally, FBI, Others Stop the Avalanche Network If you follow stories about online thieves and cyberterrorism, the news is almost always about hackers getting away with a huge, damaging attack. But in early December of 2016, the FBI and the United States Department of Justice released good news to the citizens of the U.S. and…
It’s too bad phone carriers don’t inform us about the safety features they offer to help us avoid cellphone attacks, because they do have them. For instance, AT&T has an app called Active Armor. It actively blocks incoming messages it knows are fraudulent, plus it also spots and tags possible spam.
Whether you’re a fashion designer, video editor, writer, or graphic designer, sites like Upwork and Fiverr have opened up a world of possibilities for remote gig workers. By providing an ecosystem of clients, talent, as well as a built-in operational structure and payment system, these platforms are great opportunities for gig workers to land legitimate…
Timeshares can be a really great opportunity for some people. If you find one that fits with your vacation habits and doesn’t break the bank, some appreciate the convenience of having an automatic vacation space that they don’t have to worry about maintaining when they’re not using it. But there are also plenty of reasons…
If you were to count how many times a day you used some kind of technology, how many do you think it would be? Depending on how you define technology (does a car count? What about a microwave?) the answer could be in the thousands. And most of the time we don’t think much about…
Back-to-school season is in full swing. Students and parents are busy buying books, technology, school uniforms, and college dorm supplies. If you have a school- or college-aged child, you know how crazy this time of year can be. With everything you have going on, you’re probably not thinking about scams. But just like any occasion…
Scammers, fraudsters, and cybercriminals have all kinds of tricky tactics designed to steal from you. But first, they have to get access to you. Sometimes, they hack into your router or printer, crack your password with AI or brute force, or just buy your information from a data breach. Other times, they get more hands-on.…
When First Republic Bank of San Francisco failed in early May, 2023, it was less than two months after the failures of both Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. These newsworthy failures are the first banks to fail since 2020. Additionally, according to the FDIC, there have been 566 bank failures since 2000. Although Signature…
Summary Status: Active Terms: Free by request Zones: 1 Website: www.barracudacentral.org/rbl Lookup: www.barracudacentral.org/lookups Removal: www.barracudacentral.org/rbl/removal-request Contact: www.barracudacentral.org/contact/feedback Background The Barracuda Reputation Block List, also known as The BRBL, has been in public deployment since 2008. Barracuda Networks is a manufacturer of a hardware anti-spam appliances. Reports have been made that The BRBL is highly accurate,…
Computer virus. It’s a scary phrase, conjuring images of hackers in hoodies cracking encryptions, stealing data, and performing great feats of technology that do huge amounts of damage to individuals, businesses, and governments. Though most of our ideas of hackers come from Hollywood blockbusters, computer viruses are unfortunately not fiction. They are everywhere, and they…
Selecting the Best Phone Service Selecting your first cell phone plan or looking to upgrade your current one? When choosing a mobile carrier, you have several factors to consider, beyond just price. You can choose one of the three main providers in the U.S., or you can look into smaller companies. The best phone service…
When your kid reaches a certain age, they need a phone. Whether it’s because they need to be able to tell you when to pick them up, so they can reach you in an emergency, or because not having one when all their friends do is harming their social life, at some point they will…
Rumors are swirling that Apple might be releasing a long-awaited update to their AppleTV box unit in 2024. Whether you are using an older generation model or plan to get a new one, you likely enjoy streaming the latest shows, movies, and sports on your AppleTV. You also probably know how frustrating it is when…
Pokémon Go enthusiasts come in every shape and size, from every walk of life, and from all corners of the globe. The mobile app gives gamers a chance to escape their gaming dens and explore the outdoors, and promotes social connection and fitness. It’s no wonder that its popularity hasn’t waned since its release in…
Credit card companies, which are actually banks, frequently offer creditworthy consumers zero-interest credit cards or zero-interest financing. The offers come in the regular mail to prospective customers all the time. It will announce loudly 0% for 12 months! Sounds great. After all, a zero-interest credit card is so much better than the typical 24% annual percentage rate on credit cards and loans.
As the digital landscape evolves, the quest for robust cybersecurity solutions has led us to blockchain, a technology that’s redefining the parameters of digital safety and trust. Imagine a world where keeping records doesn’t depend on one big, central keeper. That’s blockchain for you – a distributed network that says goodbye to the single point…
There’s a group of people who have your email address and may bombard you with spam. Somehow and somewhere, they captured your email address, along with millions of others, and fill your inbox with all types of messages, none of which you probably want. That doesn’t matter to the spammers. Because they’re not even real people.
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) apps and services are getting more and more popular. They have plenty of uses, whether you want the flexibility to not have to pay all at once or need to make a big purchase right away but don’t have the money up front. You can find BNPL options among the…
Summary Status: Active Terms: Free Zones: 3 Website: www.team-cymru.org/bogon-reference.html Background bogons.cymru.com is several things, one of which is a DNS based blacklist. Before you can use bogons.cymru.com as a DNS blacklist, it is important to understand what a “bogon” actually is. A bogon is in internet address prefix that should never appear in an IP…
Crossing the U.S. border with a phone or laptop isn’t as simple as packing your bag and showing your passport. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers have the authority to search your devices—and they don’t always need a warrant to do it. That means your private messages, photos, or even work files could be subject…
If you’re getting online, you’re using a browser. Whether you’re a Firefox fan, a Chrome devotee, or are happy with whatever came default on your device, your browser affects your online experience. And it also affects your safety and security while you’re online. All browsers have default settings, and they may not necessarily be what…
Whether you call it a bug out bag, a survival kit, or an emergency go-bag, the idea is simple: be ready when life suddenly stops cooperating. Accidents and disasters happen, which makes, as humans, feel anxious. Nothing freaks us out more than realizing how little control we ultimately have over the natural world, human-made critical…
If you want to do something right, you need to have the right tools. That’s true for pretty much everything in life. After all, it’s pretty challenging to build a birdhouse with flour and a mixing spoon, or to bake a cake with a hammer and a screwdriver. Protecting yourself online also requires the right…
One of the most popular dating apps that people like to use is Bumble. This is because it is one of the easiest apps to use and allows women to message first. However, this app is also a place that people sneak on to cheat on their significant other, or to hide that they are…
In today’s digital world, when you never know who could be watching your activity online. You may wonder how to best keep your information safe. One way to stay relatively anonymous is with a temporary phone number or burner number. When you consider how often you use your phone number to sign up for online…
It’s frustrating for victims of scams and fraud who have taken what they believe are the right steps and reached out to the right people to resolve their problems. Sadly, sometimes the resources they turn to for help just don’t move as fast as they could…or should. But now, many scam victims in a no-win situation these days turn to an unexpected and “unofficial” resource for help—their local news station.
Even though there is a lot of talk about the rapid advancements in AI technology, most people have not yet tried out these Large Language Models (LLMs) for themselves. In 2023, after the public introduction of ChatGPT, there was a huge surge in the number of people who had used the site. Even so, the…
With so many people working from home now, one big question employees have started asking is: Can my boss spy on my Internet usage? Simply put, it depends. Each company is different and has its own security and privacy needs. Some businesses deal with a great deal of customer data and others don’t. It depends…
The term “catfished” is often used when a stranger reaches out to you and isn’t entirely forthcoming about their personal details. However, most catfish create an entirely false persona–nothing they share with online friends ultimately proves real. According to Review 42, 53% of online dating profiles contain lies, 83% of Facebook profiles are fake (that’s…
Cryptocurrency is a new digital way to make and use money. And like with paper money, it requires a wallet. Cryptocurrency was created to help offer an alternative to banks. After all, banks manage your debt and your savings. How likely are they to offer you ways to pay off your debt faster when they…
AI continues to be a bigger and bigger part of our world. It is changing countless industries, creating new career types and practically eliminating others. AI is the subject of ecological debates (AI uses massive amounts of water to cool its data centers), ethical concerns, and legal discussions. If you’ve decided to use AI, whether for personal…
Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are two of the most popular web browsers available today. Although Chrome has a greater market share (a whopping 69.28% compared to Firefox’s 7.48%), Firefox has more going for it when it comes to privacy. Let’s take a look at how these two browsers stack up concerning privacy and security.…
Procedural crime dramas like CSI and NCIS have us convinced hackers are on staff at most law enforcement agencies and ballistic experts look like models. Movies franchises like James Bond and Mission: Impossible have left us salivating for new technology. While some of these story elements are far-fetched there are technological advancements helping to solve…
It wasn’t an April Fool’s joke or the usual cute media stunt pulled by tech companies every April 1st. Cloudflare’s launch of its first consumer product — 1.1.1.1 – is real, and claims to be the “Internet’s fastest, privacy-first consumer DNS service”. The decision to launch on April 1 was a geeky play on the…
HTTP status codes are a communication tool between servers and browsers. The status code is what allows both the server and the browser to know exactly what is going on when it comes to requests and responses. If you have ever noticed a “404 Error” on a website you’re trying to load, then you have…
In today’s age of disinformation and fake news, conspiracy theories are running rampant. Some are small and dismissed almost as soon as they pop up. Others are so ludicrous that we can’t help but laugh. Still, some conspiracy theories turn out to be true. There’s nothing more shocking than finding out that some wild theory…
Connecting Like the Big Boys As many working adults have learned, the technology and resources available at work are usually different—and more substantial—than what most of us have at home. That only makes sense. At home, the largest network we have is usually a few family members. At work, a network might have to accommodate…
Are VPNs Legal? The Global Legal Status Overview The short answer: yes—VPNs are legal in most places. If you’re in the U.S., Canada, the UK, or most of Europe, you can use one without worrying about breaking the law. VPNs actually started as a pretty boring business tool, helping employees log in safely from home.…
If you use your credit or debit card at a gas pump, it’s possible that one day you’ll get a surprise. Why? Because your card’s details could be stolen, captured and sold on the internet. Not by the gas company or the friendly person working inside. But by criminals who put credit card skimmers (or shimmers) right at the gas pump’s card reader.
Crypto rug pulls cause billions of dollars of losses for unsuspecting investors. Unfortunately, they’re a common occurrence in the cryptocurrency space. They involve attracting investors to a crypto project, then stealing their funds or leaving them with worthless assets. It can be tough to know when a new crypto project is worth investing in or…
Cryptocurrency: is it the next great boon to investing, the future of finance, or the inevitable downfall of capitalism? Only time will tell. But it’s clear that millions of people are shifting their focus to crypto. Terms like NFT, Ethereum, and Dogecoin are popping up in the news and social media feeds. Credit card companies…
We’re living in a digital world where almost everything, including our personal messages, medical records, banking details, and even national security, relies on encryption to stay safe. Traditional cryptography has held up well for decades, using complex math to lock away sensitive information. But a new player is entering the game: quantum computing. Quantum computers…
If you think about it, it takes a great deal of trust, even courage, to go on the Internet, especially if you’re sending credit card information, personal history, medical information and more. On its own, the network is simply a highway for data—a super highway, as it’s always been called. But on its own, it…
From your Instagram DMs to your online banking app, a secret code is working behind the scenes to keep your digital information secure. Cryptography, the ancient art of secret writing, continues to evolve into one of the most vital tools for modern cybersecurity. However, bad actors continue to find opportunities to exploit cyber threats and…
The term cyber attack may cause your palms to sweat and your body to shake in fear. Cyber attacks sound as malevolent as terrorist attacks, and in some ways they can prove just as harmful. Many of us assume we’ll never have to deal with this threat — we have Internet security and firewall protection…
Cyberattacks on individuals and companies have evolved to such an extent that good cybersecurity has become a fundamental part of daily life. Even as experts develop ways to thwart cybercriminals, hackers keep getting around their defenses. That means that all the sensitive information about you or your company is at risk of being stolen, sold,…
The COVID-19 pandemic has touched nearly every aspect of our lives and caused ripple effects that will continue for years to come. Many consider the economic damage as one of these knock-on effects, but it may not be the biggest threat to come out of the pandemic. What could concern us the most in the…
Most of us spend the majority of our waking hours digitally connected. Even when we aren’t scanning social media, researching online, or checking email, our smart devices (including our phones, cars, TVs, and possibly home appliances) keep us plugged into the Internet. When we’re online, we have access to infinite information about a multitude of…
Need to know the latest on viruses, malware, privacy, data breaches, IoT, threat intelligence, etc in 280 characters or less? WhatIsMyIPAddress.com is here to help! Twittersphere is full of security experts, researchers, and hobbyists who are more than eager to share their thoughts, news, and researches on information security, industry best practices and latest threats.…
Identity theft, scams, fraud, viruses, malware, tracking, data breaches, and more – there are all sorts of things in the digital world that can compromise our safety and our privacy. Even seemingly innocent things like browser extensions and trustworthy companies like Google can actually be spying on you and harvesting your data. These issues affect…
Today, more than ever, cyber attacks are a very real threat. This remains true for websites and online services of all sizes and traffic levels. One of the most common threats websites are seeing these days are known as DDoS attacks, which is why it’s become increasingly important for every website owner to be aware…
How many apps do you have installed on your smartphone? Ten? Twenty? A hundred? A 2022 study found that the average smartphone user has 40 apps installed on their phone. If you use your phone a lot or use it for work, you probably have more. And each of those apps has its own developer,…
Scammers love making people emotional. Whether you’re scared, excited, or in love, feeling strong emotions makes it harder for our brains to be logical. That means it’s harder for us to spot the signs that they’re scamming us. So they keep coming up with new ways to make targets feel strong emotions. Their newest tactic…
Your state’s DMV might be offering you an interesting new identification option: store your driver’s license on your smartphone instead of carrying around that familiar plastic ID card. As of December 2025, nearly two dozen states and territories have launched mobile driver’s license programs. Several more states have digital IDs that are in active development.…
Apple’s recent iOS updates included several features that share your personal data by default or raise concerns from privacy advocates. These privacy-invading settings may quietly collect information about your messages, photos, location, and app usage. If you’re wondering what you should do, the answer is easy: Simply turn them all off. Here’s exactly how to…
Every time you visit a website, you are interacting with the largest distributed database in the world. This massive database is collectively known as the DNS, or the Domain Name System. Without it, the Internet as we know it would be unable to function. The work that the DNS does happens so seamlessly and instantaneously…
Instagram, a playground of fleeting moments and lasting impressions, is the perfect spot to catch up on the adventures of your favorite people and discover all sorts of eye-catching visuals. But social media often has us playing the detective – especially when it comes to the mysteries of screenshot notifications. Let’s crack the code on…
Google offers various services that allow users to upload images, including Google Photos, Google Reverse Image Search, and Google Lens. While these platforms make our lives incredibly convenient, questions often arise regarding the ownership and rights of the uploaded images. One of the most commonly asked questions regarding these services is whether or not you…
Remember when drones were just cool gadgets that hobbyists flew around parks? Those days are long gone. Today, drones are everywhere—from FBI surveillance aircraft to helpful “poop drones” inspecting sewers beneath your feet. And if you missed the news about mysterious drone swarms buzzing over New Jersey military bases recently, well, let’s just say it…
DuckDuckGo has always emphasized the importance of your online privacy. In fact, here’s how the search engine describes itself: “DuckDuckGo is an independent Google alternative that also lets you search and browse the web, but we don’t track your searches or browsing history, and our browsers and extensions help you block other companies from trying…
The tragic 2023 earthquakes in Syria and Turkey were absolutely devastating. All around the globe, people watched heart wrenching video footage of collapsed buildings, desperate searches for survivors, and grieving families. Many of us feel the need to do something–anything!–when disaster strikes. When it is far away, we often turn to our wallets to offer…
eHarmony has become a popular dating website that people use to meet the person of their dreams. However, it can also be used by unfaithful spouses trying to talk to people behind their partner’s back. Or your ex-partner could use it to move on from you, even when you aren’t ready to let them go.…
Summary Status: Offline Terms: Free by request Zones: 1 Website: Removal: Reporting: Background bl.emailbasura.org appears to be very similar to other DNS based blacklists, with one exception. bl.emailbasura.org allows any end user to report spam directly to their website. The website does not list if that report will immediately generate the listing of the offending…
Every once in a while you’ll read something about computer data that’s sent over the Internet being “encrypted,” which is a good thing, we assume. But what exactly does that mean, and more importantly, what in the world does encryption do? Well, to start with, encrypting data is very important because it can help prevent…
One of the benefits of a virtual private network (VPN), experts will tell you, is that any messages or data transmitted through a VPN are encrypted, which makes it all secure and unreadable. On a larger scale, all bank and credit card websites use encryption for transmitting their customers’ data. But just what does encryption…
When you book a trip to travel overseas, you feel excited for the adventures that await you. But there’s risk involved with travel, especially when leaving your home country. To help mitigate that risk, it’s important to bring the right documents with you. For most overseas trips, you will need a variety of physical and…
Facial recognition software is no longer just the fodder of movies like the Mission:Impossible franchise and Minority Report. Today, it’s used in a wide variety of workspaces, academic institutions, and even as authentication to unlock smartphones. The technology has multiple benefits and can enhance your cybersecurity. However, as facial recognition capabilities evolve, ethical questions about…
Spyware may sound like something James Bond or another secret agent might use in the latest spy thriller movie. But it’s very real, and it’s way more common than most people think. Part of spyware’s method is to be hard to detect, so you may not even realize your device is infected – especially if…
Imagine, if you will, that you’re hooked on a soap opera. For years, your favorite character has been Wiley Finlay — a dashing, handsome, and reliable hero. However, he begins to act out of character. He looks like Finlay, he sounds the same, but Wiley Finlay now has a mustache to twirl and takes part…
You rarely encounter an ad for a phone provider that doesn’t list 5G connectivity as an option. Most of today’s phones–even many budget-friendly options–come with 5G capabilities. Not everyone chooses to activate their 5G service, but it’s something that almost everyone shopping for a new phone will encounter. So what is the story with 5G?…
Facebook Marketplace is a great way to both get rid of items you don’t need and make a little extra money in the process, with the added convenience of everything being connected to your Facebook account. But because Facebook is first and foremost a social media network, not an online marketplace, some of its consumer…
We might feel queasy about that new match we got on a dating app, or something just doesn’t sit right about that new job offer. We wish so badly for it to be real, but that feeling of distrust isn’t letting us rest easy. And it’s not misplaced, either. In today’s world, it’s incredibly easy to…
If you’re a freelancer, do independent creative work, or otherwise work with clients, you’re often in charge of a lot of different aspects of your work. That includes keeping yourself safe from scams and fraud. It can feel great when someone contacts you out of the blue because they want to work with you. But…
If you browse the internet, chances are good that at some point, you’ve come across a CAPTCHA quiz or similar check asking you verify you’re human before you can proceed. Sometimes they want you to type words or solve a little puzzle. Cloudflare has a version asking you to click a checkbox. These “humanity checks”…
We all know malicious websites are out there. Scammers and fraudsters want to steal our information and our money. Creating fake websites to trick us into giving them our information is just one strategy they have. But when we’re aware fake sites are out there, we watch out for them. We can look for signs…
Although it hasn’t always been called hacking, breaking into systems that you aren’t supposed to have access to is as old as humans themselves. When we think of hacking in a modern sense, we can trace its roots back to the beginning of the twentieth century. What are some of the most well-known hacks throughout…
Those who wait until tax time to file their return (the deadline is April 15) not only need to avoid mistakes but also need to beware of tax scammers preying on their worries and anxiety.
People use Kik to stay updated with their friends or to chat with strangers that they have met online. A lot of people like Kik due to it being free and that you can be “anonymous” on the app if you choose to do so. This could make it easier to use Kik secretly to…
You’re swiping on an online dating site when you come across someone attractive. You immediately swipe right, thinking that they’re super cute. However, the picture seems familiar to you and you don’t know why. By performing a reverse image search, you figure out that the picture is familiar because you actually follow the official social…
Have you been suspicious of your significant other’s increased phone use lately as they hide what they are doing from you? Maybe your child is reluctant to let you see their phone and you want to know why. Or maybe you’re using the app and your finger slipped, swiping left on someone that could’ve been…
Summary Status: Offline as of 1/1/2013 Terms: Free Zones: 13 Website: www.five-ten-sg.com/blackhole.php Background Information on blackholes.five-ten-sg.com is slightly sparse. According to independent research, blackholes.five-ten-sg.com has been run by the 510 Software Group since February of 2001. This DNS blacklist is a culmination of 13 total sub lists, all operating under the same zone, each returning…
To avoid paying high fees for landline phone service, many people are switching to VoIP. VoIP, or Voice over IP, lets you make and receive calls over the Internet. Households are dropping their landlines because they already pay for high-speed Internet and using an Internet-based phone service can cut costs. Businesses are switching to VoIP,…
Summer is prime time for people to come knocking on your door for a variety of reasons. But it’s not just sketchy salespeople you need to be wary of. Not every scammer hides behind a computer or a phone. Some have the audacity to knock and try to rip you off in person. And since…
Mass layoffs, talk of recession, all the people talking online about how hard it is to get a job these days – now is not a great time to be a job seeker! But it is a great time to be a scammer. If you’re searching for your next employer, scammers have tons of fraudulent…
Summary of user-reported accuracy of geolocation services over the past 90 days. Distance W3C Quova MaxMind IP2Location 0-2 km 49% 58% 33% 26% 2-10 km 8% 13% 10% 8% 10-25 km 4% 4% 7% 5% 25-50 km 3% 3% 5% 8% 50-100 km 3% 3% 5% 5% 100-250 km 3% 3% 7% 7% 250-500 km…
Email is a tool that most of us use every day – sometimes all day. And while most people use common features like forwarding, downloading attachments, and moving emails to folders regularly, there are a lot of other features that many email users don’t know about. If you use Google’s email services Gmail, Confidential Mode…
When you hear “Google Takeout,” you might start to conjure up the celebrity-laden “Uber Eats” commercials promoting food deliveries and think Google is having its turn. But not so fast. Google’s “takeout” has nothing to do with pizza, Kung Pao chicken, or sushi rolls. The only thing they’re delivering is the convenience of transferable data.…
When you think of AI (Artificial Intelligence) models, you may automatically think of generative AI like OpenAI’s ChatGPT (a Generative Pre-training Transformer) and Dall-E-2 (the tech startup’s Ai image generator). However, AI models have been used in technology and other fields since the 1950s. In some capacity, you’ve probably unwittingly used a form of AI…
One day at your new job for a good-sized organization, your new boss tells you that the company’s employee policy and all the information you need about your employee benefits are on the intranet. She adds, “You’ll need a password and username to log on.” You’re a bit confused. You never needed a password just…
Over the past few years, online dating has become huge. It comes with its own challenges and problems, but we’ve all found it useful at one point or another when we needed to meet someone or felt a little lonely. These days, apps like Hinge are one of the most popular ways for people to find…
When South Korea and the United States became the first countries in the world to introduce 5G networking capabilities in 2019, cybersecurity professionals were already working hard to develop new security protocols for businesses, governments, and individual users. Widespread implementation was still several years away, but the implications of this advancement in internet connectivity were…
A scam works (for the con artist) when all the elements come together just right.
Cybersecurity is vital to our online lives. From grade school kids to professionals to retired grandparents, most of us spend a significant amount of time on the Internet. Unfortunately, cybercriminals lurk in the most innocent corners of our online activity, waiting to strike. Cybersecurity measures are utilized on our smart devices, many organizations have a…
In studios and rehearsal rooms, across blank pages and storyboards, something new is happening. A designer types a vague idea—“a city made of coral, floating in the sky”—and watches it appear in vivid detail. A musician layers harmonies using a voice that sounds like their own, but was never recorded. A writer stares at the…
AI is changing education. The question is how AI is changing education, and are these changes positive, negative, or somewhere in between? In some ways, AI has been in classrooms and on campuses for years. However, with the recent developments of generative AI, things are changing fast. Administrators, teachers, and students have very different reasons…
In recent years, Apple’s worked hard to gain a reputation for protecting your privacy. The company’s forthcoming feature, Private Relay, which will be released for iOS 15 and macOS Monterey, is the latest attempt to secure your personal data. For the most part, Private Relay seems like a positive addition to iOS/macOS devices and adds…
AI is changing every industry, and that certainly includes healthcare. Doctors, nurses, administrators, medical credentialing specialists, and more—they’re all experiencing changes in their day-to-day routines because of innovations in artificial intelligence. Although AI comes with ethical implications that need to be addressed in healthcare, it is also providing many exciting changes for patients and providers…
As technology continues to advance and have practical implications in every facet of our lives, it feels like we’re watching the most fantastical science fiction imaginings of “the future” come to fruition. For example, our home appliances and devices are interconnected in ways that seemed impossible even a decade ago. From smart thermostats and fridges…
From cryptocurrency transactions to secure supply chain tracking, blockchain technology has evolved far beyond its early days as the backbone of bitcoin. However, its most intriguing potential lies in the personal privacy protections it can offer everyday Internet users. Cyber threats seem to increase daily and lurk in every corner of our online lives. Personal…
Most people are trusting types, and they also don’t expect to be tricked by others…and those two reasons are precisely why a lot of people actually do get tricked into spreading computer viruses. One way computer viruses find their way onto computers is through emails or, specifically, attachments that are sent with an email. A…
Who should be liable if an individual is radicalized by what they encounter on the internet? If a user of X, TikTok, Truth Social, or a WordPress-hosted blog encounters extreme ideas on the platform and is inspired to violently attack a person or group of people, who is responsible? In criminal and civil law, it…
It seems like kids are always on devices these days. Studies agree – over half of kids under 4 engage with smartphones or tablets on a regular basis. Tweens spend, on average, 4-6 hours per day on screens, and teens can spend more. It’s easy to complain that they should be on them less because…
There are a few ways to handle spam—all that unwanted, unrequested email you always seem to have in your inbox: You can click on it to see what it’s about, but that’s a bad idea. It’s an even a worse idea to click on any links in the spam message. You can report it on…
In recent years, once fantastical biometric authentication tools have become a reality. For example, fingerprint scans, facial recognition, and iris detection offer unique and virtually tamper-free identity authentication. You might enjoy peace of mind and assume your biometric-protected devices and data cannot be hacked. However, as biometric technology becomes more widespread, increasingly sophisticated cybercriminals continue…
AI continues to evolve and become integrated with every facet of modern life. We’re not at the brink of sentient AI taking over the world, and there are still kinks to overcome in some AI training. Nevertheless, AI has numerous benefits that can help make your life easier. Managing and budgeting finances is a struggle…
As Artificial Intelligence technology continues to evolve, the multitude of ways in which it can help us appears endless. From building brand recognition to customer service support to image generation, when used correctly, AI can be an extremely helpful tool. Present and future legal regulations can help prevent AI from being used for nefarious reasons,…
You wouldn’t let a stranger have unlimited time alone with your kid. But if your child has a tablet, smartphone, or any device with a communication feature, predators may be able to get that kind of access to your child. This is especially a risk if your kid spends time on social media. As a…
Unfortunately, global, national, and local humanitarian crises are mostly out of our control. A hurricane or a tornado hits and wipes out an entire town. A pandemic strikes worldwide and millions are left suffering. Often, this brings out the best in humanity — common people band together to help those in need. However, crises also…
Every time a new technology comes onto the scene, society has to decide what to do with it. New technologies can be exciting, but a healthy sense of skepticism is important. Wholeheartedly embracing a new technology just because it has a lot of potential for good is a risky way to interact with developments in…
The Internet seemingly provides endless exploration for people across the globe. However, millions of people are blocked by national digital walls that limit how they can access and utilize online spaces. For example, people in North Korea, Russia, and China don’t have access to the same information as everyday Internet users in Europe or the…
Less than 30 years ago, biometric security seemed like something out of science fiction—reserved for futuristic thriller films like The Bourne Identity or Mission: Impossible. The idea of using fingerprints, facial recognition, or retinal scans for everyday identity verification felt like a distant, improbable dream. Today, biometrics are everywhere. Governments, financial institutions, and tech companies…
Back in 2021, we found out just how commonplace it was for Facebook to ban accounts. In just three months from October to December 2020, 1.3 BILLION accounts were banned from Facebook because of what Meta described as “false” and “harmful” content. And that doesn’t take into consideration any account banning that happened for other…
The browsing history on your computer holds a ton of information. Your search history shows all the things you don’t know that you quickly Google. It can reveal the things that worry you about your health, the law, or politics. Your browsing history can expose the things you look up at 3 am when you…
Does your company receive a flood of questionable, solicitous emails and you need to discover where they originated? Do you host a business website and need data on where your local, regional, and global traffic comes from? Database providers of IP Address geolocation services can help. Small, medium, and large-sized businesses increasingly rely on IP…
How Do I Clear My Cookies? To delete/clear your cookies follow the instructions for your specific browser. Internet Explorer FireFox Netscape Opera Chrome Settings Menu Privacy Section Select “Clear browsing data…” Button Select “Clear browsing data” Button FireFox Tools Menu Select Options Select “Cookies” Tab Select “Delete Cookies Now” Button Safari Preferences Menu Select “Privacy”…
For many of us, our smartphones become an extra appendage — we need these devices by our sides to fully function. We can’t imagine living without their consistent benefits, and we keep them on us at all times. When a smartphone battery dies, or we leave our iPhones and Androids at home, we feel lost…
When you’re on the road, few things are more stressful than suddenly seeing flashing lights in your rear-view mirror and realizing that you are being pulled over. The first thing that usually pops into your head is, why? Were you speeding? Are you going to get a ticket for a moving violation of some sort? Probably…
Social media platforms have become popular amongst users since it’s the most convenient way to stay updated with what loved ones are doing. Long lost friends can also find one another again and communicate with each other about what has been going on in their lives. However, social media platforms also contain catfish, cheaters, and…
To find out who owns an IP address, you can use a WHOIS lookup tool. They’re easy to use, and most let you look up an unlimited number of IP addresses for free. Whether you’re simply curious about an IP address’s owner or need to know more for security reasons, this is the guide for…
It’s been six years since the infamous Ashley Madison hack, the one that published the information of users using the affair dating service. However, the website has increased in popularity once more following the spread of coronavirus. While people are staying at home during these times, it has not stopped people from trying out a…
Although unheard of 25 years ago, we now collectively depend on our smartphones. Americans use smartphones to make and receive fewer than five calls per day, but we still spend a daily average of 4.5 hours on our phones. We religiously use our smart devices to access texts, GPS directions, photos, restaurant reviews, social media,…
On November 30, 2022, OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT to huge buzz and great fanfare. Although many tech professionals predicted this new interface, its potential has exploded and seems limitless. ChatGPT, a GPT-4 (Generated Pre-trained Transformer 4) AI conversational language processor, may prove to transform the face of technology and many other professional sectors. Thus, staying in…
Free WiFi is everywhere, but not all connections are created equal. Whether you’re a digital nomad, remote worker, or just trying to save on data, understanding the security trade-offs of different WiFi options can protect you from identity theft, data breaches, and worse. This guide ranks free WiFi sources from safest to riskiest, so you…
It’s smart to think about the security of the photos you store on your phone, whether that’s just on your device or on the cloud. Even if your phone is password protected and you have Multi-Factor Authentication on the app that stores your photos, it’s a great idea to spend some time thinking about how…
Here is a quick, short list of what you need to know about hosting safe Zoom meetings that won’t get joined, ruined and “hacked” by video intruders.
Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to worry about the security of our data online? As soon as you start to learn about how many threats there are to your personal data and safety on the internet (especially with smartphones!), the days of worry-free scrolling and clicking disappear. The unfortunate reality is that…
We’ve all been there. When bad break-ups go worse. Someone flies off the handle and decides to do something rash. This could be an ex-girlfriend throwing your clothes in the street, or a husband throwing his wife’s make-up in the toilet in a fit of rage. But thanks to the Internet this spiteful behavior can…
From your medical history to your social security number and insurance details, your medical records contain sensitive and confidential data. Unfortunately, that data makes healthcare organizations prime targets for cybercriminals. Bad actors look for vulnerabilities in healthcare cybersecurity to exploit, and they may infiltrate a healthcare system to cause data breaches, steal identities, and launch…
Online dating has been around since the mid-1990s, when Match.com officially became the first website for dating online. We’ve come a long way since then. Not only can you use a website like Match.com to meet potential dating partners, but you can also download an app where simply swiping left or right on your smartphone…
URLs are one of the building blocks of the internet as we know it. They’re how websites build their pages and how your browser takes you to see them. But scammers and cybercriminals can also use them for trickery and fraud. If you don’t know what to look for, you might be taken in by…
Here’s an important piece of advice: You need to learn what Find My and iCloud.com can do for you BEFORE you misplace or forget your phone somewhere.
With modern technology and services, it’s pretty easy to make a website. That’s great for those of us who need or want to create one. But that also means scammers can make websites really easily, too. And since so much of our lives – work, school, banking, shopping, and more – is done online, if…
For decades, popular science fiction movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Terminator have warned us of the dangers of unregulated AI. However, current AI technology has enormous benefits and can be helpful in every type of busines. AI models like ChatGPT can even help us to become more efficient in our daily lives.…
As humans who live in societies with other humans, we have to be aware of the fact that someone else might try to hurt us. That doesn’t mean you should be afraid of everyone; it just means that you should learn how to be more aware. Being able to stay safe in the physical world…
The convenience of ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft has made it easier than ever to get from point A to point B. But just because it’s convenient doesn’t mean it’s 100% safe. If you’re not careful, your Uber ride can take a turn for the worse, and you might find yourself in a troubling…
We’ve all experienced that Homer Simpson DOH! feeling after hitting send on a message we did not mean to send. Maybe you noticed a typo that makes your message confusing or even offensive. Perhaps auto-correct wildly changed the meaning of your text. via GIPHY For too long now, iPhone users have been out of luck…
Are you speaking to an online stranger claiming to be a service member? Are you certain they’re the real deal? You might just be the latest victim in an online scam. If you’re one of many wondering how to check if a soldier is real, we have some questions for you to consider: Are They…
In an era where digital platforms dominate the travel industry, fake travel agencies have found fertile ground to deploy various scams, tricking unsuspecting travelers with seemingly irresistible deals and offerings. So, how do you avoid falling into these snares? Learn how to verify a legitimate travel agent! We’ve done the heavy lifting to research guidelines here…
Online dating can be a fun way to pass the time. It can also be a way to meet potential partners. But it’s also full of catfishers, scams, and people you just don’t connect with. Maybe it gets as far as a first date and you discover the person doesn’t look at all like their…
How does your email travel from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Orlando, Florida? How does it find its way electronically, in fractions of a second…and wind up exactly in front of the only person you want to see it? We take all of our technological marvels for granted, but they are all quite sophisticated. As it…
Thousands of usable computers are tossed into Iandfills or closets every week. There’s a way to donate your computer without a trace of who owned it first.
As our lives have become increasingly digital, and more of our data is handled on the Internet, protecting personal and confidential data has become an entire industry. Which industry? InfoSec. If you work in IT or consider yourself a tech person in general, you’ve probably heard of InfoSec. “InfoSec” is an abbreviation of Information Security.…
Your access to the Internet is determined by many factors. Your school or your local library can put limits on websites you can see. However, beyond that, most of us are used to accessing pretty much what we want on the Internet. Some households even put Internet filters on their networks, voluntarily, to prevent access…
The Internet is the biggest example of a TCP/IP network. It is both technologically complex and incredibly “simple” in what it does for you. Think about it. When you send an email for example—let’s say it’s a note to a friend with a picture embedded—without a lot of fanfare and without causing a lot of…
The Chinese IPO wasn’t an obvious scheme that lured wide-eyed investors with an “too-good-to-be-true” promise; however, it had just enough allure to fuel the hopes of Americans seeking to make “easy money.” After all, most investors are always looking for the next best thing that’s going to give them a great return or even make them wealthy.
How to Update Your IP Address for Accurate Location This page requires you to approve the usage of browser location services. This page performs a comparison of several geolocation service providers: W3C Geolocation, Quova, Maxmind, and IP2Location. The W3C Geolocation service determins location by the browser providing GPS location (if available) and signal strengths of…
Sending an email at the wrong time or to the wrong party (or both) can be a painful scenario. We’ve all been there. You might have a less-than-professional message meant for your best friend, whose name is unfortunately right next to your boss’s in your address list. Or perhaps a humorous note meant for another…
If you’ve ever wanted to avoid shelling out your cash for a proprietary software like Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop, then you’ve no doubt considered downloading an open-source alternative. Depending on your needs, open-source software can be a better choice for you than a proprietary software — the quality and development may both be on…
Let’s say you’re scrolling on social media and you see an ad for a product you would love to have. Maybe it’s a sweater or a pair of shoes, perhaps a household item, or even something you need for work. The item itself looks great, but when you take a look at that price, it’s…
If, like most people, you’re a law-abiding citizen, getting a call from law enforcement saying you’re in trouble is probably one of your worst nightmares. It’s even worse when they tell you there’s a warrant for your arrest because you didn’t do something you don’t recall being told to do. For some people, this worst…
Confirm military status by requesting to view a form of ID
October 3rd is World Romance Scam Prevention Day. Though the officially recognized day is new, the need is not. Romance scams and their losses have only been increasing over the past few years. In this article, we report on the romance scam statistics from the data we have right now – and some ways you…
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is law created by the European Union (EU) that says organizations need to follow certain privacy and security standards when they collect online information related to people in the EU. Organizations that handle user data – including EU and non-EU organizations – must comply with GDPR restrictions or face…
What’s one gadget or accessory that almost everyone is sure to have on them when they’re out? A phone—most likely a smartphone. Cell phones became popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s because they made people feel safer. You could call anyone from anywhere in an emergency. Today’s smartphones go one step further, though,…
There’s new stuff happening with technology all the time. Sometimes the results are really ridiculous gadgets. But sometimes they can make your life easier, let you play with cool features, or even save your life. One particular new technology, LiFi, is trying to make your life simpler. It wants to replace your clunky, complicated WiFi…
What is likeness theft? Likeness theft is taking another person’s name and image and pretending to be them, usually online. It happens on the Internet all the time, as you may know from news stories. “Catfishing” is a common term for scamming someone online by representing yourself as someone else. It’s easy to scrape a…
You’re sitting in a cafe with your phone on the table as you work on your laptop, and before you can blink, your phone is gone. Someone swiped it right from the table while you weren’t paying attention. Or, you’re on vacation, standing on a train platform in London. You’re looking up directions on your…
The popularity of genealogy and DNA testing services like 23andme, Ancestry.com, and MyHeritage are helping people learn more about themselves. You can have your DNA tested for diseases and genetic conditions, your full ethnicity, and in some cases, your genealogy can help you meet long-lost relatives. Or, maybe these DNA companies are just logging your…
What would you do if you won the lottery? Whether your answer is practical, fun, or a little bit of both, just about everybody would be excited to have a few million spare dollars. Scammers know that, too. So they use lottery scams and other variations of sweepstakes and giveaway scams to capitalize on that.…
If you’re like most people, you’re probably aware of the concept of identity theft. A criminal gets access to enough of your personal information to pretend to be you. They use that information to open new credit cards, get new loans, or even buy a new car or house in your name. Since it’s in…
Summary Status: Offline as of 2016 Terms: Free Zones: 1 Website: www.megarbl.net Lookup www.megarbl.net/check Removal www.megarbl.net/account/inscription.php FAQ: www.megarbl.net/faq.php Background MegaRBL is a DNS based blacklist. It’s a French website whose goal is to offer its service for free to filter the spam that can be received every day. It proposes an RBL (Real-time Blackhole List)…
Twitter has had a pretty rough year. Regardless of what you think about Elon Musk, it’s pretty clear that his changes to Twitter have made a lot of users consider jumping ship. If you’re one of them, you may be looking at the dozens of alternatives out there. Some are new, some have been around…
The 2015 Net Neutrality Rule passed during the Obama administration was repealed last December 14, 2017 through a 3-2 party-line vote under Trump’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Three weeks later, the FCC published the repeal order dubbed Restoring Internet Freedom. I know what some of you might be thinking. “What’s the big deal? Net Neutrality…
Summary Status: Offline as of 3/1/2013 Terms: Free with no charge mailing list membership. Zones: 4 Website: www.njabl.org [Offline] Lookup: www.njabl.org/lookup.html [Offline] Removal: www.njabl.org/remove.html [Offline] Contact: www.njabl.org/faq.html [Offline] Background NJABL, or Not Just Another Bogus List is a DNS based blacklist. NJABL.org started out of frustration with the amount of spam coming into the networks…
Recently, you’ve probably heard OpenAI mentioned frequently on news channels and in high profile publications. The advent of the OpenAI technology, GPT 3.5 (and, more recently, GPT 4), debuted and rapidly changed the tech landscape. Many of the tech giants have since unveiled their own versions of ChatGPT and used GPT technology to debut a…
There’s tons of information floating around on the Internet. There’s the information we know: our documents, emails, and photos. But there’s also information about those documents, emails, and photos hidden within. Welcome to the matrix… This information hidden within our documents and photos is called metadata, and it tracks when files are created, when they…
Having an internet connection has become a basic necessity for modern life, but it’s not always enough in itself. For some of us, we need to not only be connected but to have a fast connection. Think about how frustrated you get when there’s lag while you’re trying to work, stream a video, or play…
If you’re making plans to travel internationally, there’s a lot of things to think about. Are your travel documents in order? Is your hotel or vacation rental booked? What’s your plan to stay safe? Are you going to have fun and see everything you wanted to see? If you think about someone stealing from you,…
Plenty of Fish (POF) is a popular Canadian dating site. Until the last update, you could go on the site and look up any person you wanted to find, as long as you had their username. Now, it’s not as easy to find someone on POF. Things have gotten a little tricky. You can’t look…
A Ponzi scheme in investment fraud characterized by using money from new “investors” to pay off original investors…with no real investments to speak of.
SIM swapping is a growing crime you need to be aware of because if a thief takes over your phone number and has a way to gain access to your accounts, your finances could be severely damaged—not to mention your personal life and peace of mind.
An open proxy is a proxy server that will accept client connections from any IP address and make connections to any Internet resource. Abuse of open proxies is currently implicated in a significant portion of e-mail spam delivery. Spammers frequently install open proxies on unwitting end-users’ Microsoft Windows computers by means of computer viruses designed…
Professional computer technicians are incredibly useful for a range of computer issues, whether you’re battling malware, having hardware issues, running into software errors, or just reached the limit of your troubleshooting abilities. But a lot of repairs require the technician to have access to your device. If you have private or sensitive information on your…
Chances are you aren’t aware that you can take steps to change how you connect to the Internet—without changing your Internet Service Provider. It has to do with deciding to switch the “DNS” service that you use to help you connect to the Internet. But why would anyone want to do this? Along the way,…
What Does Pump and Dump Mean? Pump and dump schemes are a deceptive form of investment fraud that have found new life in the digital age. But what is a pump-and-dump scam, exactly? At its core, a pump-and-dump scheme involves artificially inflating the price of a stock (often a penny stock) through false or misleading…
The Best Defense Is a Good Offense… and Thinking Way Ahead Quantum Computing: The Future of Technology It shouldn’t surprise you to learn that computers are constantly becoming more and more sophisticated. That’s been the case from the very beginning—there are always computer software and hardware developers creating the Next Big Thing. That’s exciting. But…
There’s a lot of money involved in real estate. So scammers definitely want a piece of the pie. If you own or live in a house or apartment of any kind, there’s a real estate scam out there that can target you. It doesn’t matter if you own a house, rent an apartment, are hoping…
When online dating or on social media, sometimes we get involved with someone online who we have never met in person. While sometimes this works out okay, there are other times where the person is catfishing you. If you suspect that someone that you met online might be pretending to be someone they aren’t, here…
So you’ve been scammed. It’s a terrible experience with far-lasting consequences, both material and emotional. And if you lost a lot of money – or if you didn’t have much money to lose in the first place – the financial consequences could be devastating. So when you hear about a service or expert who can…
Summary Status: Active Terms: Free Zones: 1 Website: wiki.junkemailfilter.com/index.php/Spam_DNS_Lists Removal: ipadmin.junkemailfilter.com/remove.php Lookup: ipadmin.junkemailfilter.com/remove.php Background Different lists have different criteria for listing that to a large extent reflects the personality of the people behind the list. Some lists are angry lists where they list everything and if you got on their list it’s your fault. There…
Our professional and personal reputations — good or bad — inform every aspect of our lives. When you launch a website or a new online brand, explosive growth and reputation building can be exciting. However, a cyber attack or an inundation of negative customer reviews could swiftly destroy the business you worked hard to build.…
Summary Status: Active Terms: Free Zones: 1 Website: www.usenix.org.uk/content/rbl.html Lookup or Removal: www.usenix.org.uk/content/rblremove Contact: www.usenix.org.uk/content/rblremovehelp Background The list is an aggregate of abusive hosts and spam sources. We take the view that de-listing should be a simple matter once the activity ceases and rely on the end users to notify us once the activity has…
Storing your files in the cloud is one of the easiest ways to back up your computer. Cloud services are ubiquitous these days, and many offer free storage up to a certain amount. Most cloud storage apps are user-friendly and sync across multiple devices as well. While being free and easy to use are significant…
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is the FBI’s program for reporting, investigating, and dealing with cybercrimes. It’s a legitimate program run but the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation, and every time we talk about reporting scams, it’s one of the places we recommend reporting it. But scammers are full of unscrupulous tricks. They…
Scammers are criminals, and criminals don’t want to be caught. That’s common sense. They have all sorts of sneaky methods to hide their activities and fly under the radar. One of those many methods involves stealing innocent individuals’ information to look like their criminal activity is coming from that person instead. Their victims don’t lose…
Someone has just stolen your box full of gold, which contained your entire fortune. It sounds liek something that would happen to a Victorian nobleman or a traveler during the golden age of piracy. But it could happen to you, too. Except these days, it’s not pirates or bandits robbing you of your gold. It’s…
If you’re reading this article, you use the internet at least a little bit. And if you use the internet, you use a web browser to do it. Whether you’re happy with the default Safari on your iPhone, you’re a die-hard Mozilla Firefox fan, or you’re still mourning the demise of Internet Explorer (or Netscape…
In 2014, researchers at the University of Michigan demonstrated they could hijack 100 traffic lights using ordinary laptops. They exploited unsecured wireless networks and default passwords in a system deployed across 40 U.S. states. The incident revealed something most urban residents never consider. The infrastructure managing daily commutes, emergency services, and utilities operates on networks…
Cybersecurity can be overwhelming. There are so many things to keep track of and so many ways an attacker can get to you – many of which you have very little control over. And the criminals always seem to have the upper hand. Whether you’re trying to secure a business or just keep yourself safe…
Personal safety wearables used to be marketed almost exclusively to elderly populations. Remember the old, “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” commercials for Life Alert? Today, the wearables industry has completely changed. Instead of focusing on senior citizens, today’s personal safety devices are marketed towards people of all ages. Even babies are wearing…
We are living in strange times. There’s countless information available on the Internet. But only some of it is verified news and has reputable sources. Many of the websites that check facts and follow journalistic ethics have their content behind a paywall. They need money to keep their sites running, of course. After all, servers…
Technology is always changing to meet our needs and solve problems. In 1968, the first-ever 911 call was placed, making it easier for anyone to quickly contact emergency services. In the years since, more technologies have emerged, including the possibility of texting 911 in many areas. Today’s newer iPhones have an Emergency SOS feature that…
Sextortion scams are on the rise and increasing exponentially. And they target everyone at any age. But that doesn’t mean everyone is equally at risk. The biggest sextortion targets right now are younger adults and teenagers. Here’s what you need to know about this crime and what you can do about it. What Is Sextortion?…
Social media has become all about algorithms. Whether you’re chasing followers, likes, swipes, or fame you can end up under the thumb of the algorithm. The issue is: what if the algorithm decides not to share your posts? What if people can’t find your profile, see your photos or read your posts? When something like…
There’s been a lot of discussions in recent years about the dangers of social media and the internet for kids. And children definitely face risks online. But most of the conversation has focused on kids’ use of the internet – whether or not you should monitor their online activities, what kinds of phones are safest,…
The internet is a scary place, especially for kids. There’s all sorts of dangers for young people online. They could end up being manipulated, getting their account taken over, or having their identity stolen. They could be groomed by a child predator or convinced to meet up with a stranger who could then harm or…
Fraudsters are taking over cellphones using a trick called SIM swapping. It happens behind back and you won’t even know when it happens. Beware.
You’ve probably witnessed the little invasions of privacy that come with smart devices, but you may not have realized what they were. Maybe your smart doorbell recorded your neighbor falling down, or perhaps your virtual assistant was accidentally activated while you were having a private conversation with a friend. Your apps track your location, your…
Snapchat is the app many teenagers and young adults rely on to communicate with friends. With their popular filters, many people flock to this app to share silly messages and post on their stories. This app is also filled with many scammers, premium girls, and cheaters who don’t want to be found on this app.…
Social media is being censored more than ever…and people have strong opinions about this controversial topic. Some believe platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have the responsibility to stop the spread of misinformation and hate speech, while others fear that these platforms are mainly censoring political views and putting a stop to free speech. According…
Spam is the bane of electronic communication. Everything from erotic advertisements to “unbelievable” free offers, spam clutters inboxes, and wastes time. Spam is generated from accounts that seek to procure as many email addresses as possible and then send mass messages. With the use of increasingly refined technology, spammers have gotten quite good at what…
Romance scammers have come up with clever tactics to scam their victims out of their hard-earned cash. They make their victims fall in love with them through catfish profiles, and come up with emergency stories as to why they need money. They also come up with careers that allow them to pretend they are far…
These days, almost everybody has a Facebook account. For some of us, it’s a huge part of where we spend our time online and an essential tool for keeping in contact with friends and family. But a Facebook copyright infringement scam has been targeting users, and now it’s happening more frequently. This scam can see…
Due to flooding from heavy rainfall and insanely fierce winds, hurricanes can wreak devastation on entire cities and states. Entire city blocks can experience destruction, downed trees, floods, and beach erosion can ruin a multitude of properties, the power grid can suffer costly damage, and tragically, lives can be lost. In the wake of these…
A Secured Socket Layer, or SSL, is the usual way that a website creates a secure connection with a web browser. Whenever a web surfer visits a secure site that uses SSL technology, it creates an encrypted link between their browser session and the webserver. SSL is the industry standard for secure web communication and…
If you know anything about the dark web then you know having your information published there is bad news. What exactly is the dark web, and how does your information end up there? What should you do when you find out your info is on the dark web? Are you safe from an MitM attack…
On August 24, President Biden announced a three-part plan to help middle- and working-class people with student loan debt. The part that most people have focused on is up to $20,000 of student loan forgiveness. Everyone wants to know what they have to do to get their loans forgiven. Since the initiative is so new,…
Student loans came out of their forbearance period and payments resumed towards the end of last year. Nobody likes getting an extra bill added to the things they have to pay each month – especially when it’s a bill you haven’t had to worry about for the past few years. Unfortunately, scammers know this too.…
No matter how careful you are, you can still fall victim to an online scam. Scammers have upped their game and can spoof even the most trusted websites, making it difficult to tell the difference between a trusted site like Amazon or Paypal and a scam site, developed to mine for sensitive information. The financial…
Symantec PC Anywhere is a software program that allows for the remote access of a computer. Like in any connection there is a client and a host, and both must have the software installed for the remote access to be possible. The connection is made by the client computer to the host computer via the…
IP networking is at the center of how today’s smart devices communicate with each other over networks, including the internet. IP stands for “Internet Protocol,” and it is part of the TCP/IP protocol suite that defines common standards for computer networks to exchange data. In particular, IP governs how unique addresses are assigned to each…
Imagine you’re in your favorite slasher flick. You are on the run from Michael Myers or Jason. What do you do? We all think we have what it takes to survive a horror movie. We yell at the screen. We share our strategies. We think we’d totally make it to the end. But when the…
James Bond movies first hit the silver screen in 1962 with the release of Dr. No. Based on the Ian Fleming novels of the same name, the James Bond films instantly ingrained themselves in the pop culture zeitgeist. Multiple generations have oohed and aahed as they’ve watched the British spy use cool technology to nab…
We’ve all gotten used to the apps and websites that help us run our lives. While they do make things more convenient, they’re also collecting huge amounts of our data. You may have accepted the fact that you have to give up some personal info to use your favorite apps and services. But you should…
Spotify had a bad year in 2020. Despite experiencing growth in total users, the company operated at a loss and experienced two different security incidents in a matter of weeks. These security breaches affected up to half a million accounts. Celebrity profiles were vandalized with political messages. December 2020 was a rough month for the…
Summary Status: Active Terms: Free Zones: 1 Website: www.backscatterer.org Lookup: www.backscatterer.org/?target=test Removal: www.backscatterer.org/?target=test Contact: www.backscatterer.org/?target=contact Background The Backscatterer List at ips.backscatter.org, working in cooperation with uceprotect.net is different than most DNS based blacklists. The Backscatterer List does not maintain a list of IP addresses that have been seen spamming, sending email to honeypots, spamtraps, or…
The Better Business Bureau is on YOUR side, helping consumers with real-time scam tracking, which you can explore whenever you want. More than that, they offer everyone exclusive, BBB Scam resources.
If you’re tired of using products from Microsoft, Google, or other big names in tech because you’re worried about privacy and security, then it may be time for you to switch to open-source. The most popular proprietary software and applications usually have open-source alternatives. Why open source? Why should you consider using open-source software if…
Here are some details. Brick is a combined software and hardware app that helps temporarily “remove” distracting apps from your phone. It also removes any notifications that you’d get from those apps. While the software resides on your phone, the hardware component is small, square magnetic brick. That’s what keeps the apps and notifications turned off. The Brick is “NFC-powered,” which stands for Near Field Communication. It controls your phone but from a distance. So, if I forget I have Brick on and try to open one of my blocked apps, I get a “this is a distraction” message, one I can’t override from my phone.
The invention of blockchain technology has entirely shifted the way that we think about currency. Multiple forms of cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin, Dogecoin and Ethereum, have creeped up utilizing this technology to create decentralized financial systems. Instead of being reliant on supercomputers or banks to protect our money, the collective crypto community works together to manage…
Most AI users probably don’t think about the environment every time they interact with a chatbot or other AI tool. If you talk to some conscientious environmentalists, however, you’ll hear a lot about the impact of AI on the environment. The data centers that support the complex algorithmic and data handling loads of today’s AI…
What Is AI Privacy Protection and Why Should You Care? Online privacy is under siege, and the threats aren’t slowing down. Every click, login, and search leaves a trail that can be tracked, sold, or stolen. Traditional privacy tools like VPNs and cookie blockers still help, but they were built for a simpler internet. Today’s…
In the modern world, we need the internet for daily life. Work, school, banking, shopping, social connection, and more are done either fully online or with online components. Regular internet use is both common and necessary. But it can become a problem when it crosses the line from regular use to addiction. And the effects…
If you’ve ever felt like your smart devices are “spying” on you and silently collecting your personal data to feed the almighty algorithm or control your actions, you’re not alone. Thankfully though, our smartphones and television sets aren’t nefarious spies, gathering information to use against us. Nevertheless, AI surveillance through video cameras used by governments,…
The sophisticated state of malware in 2024 can be intimidating. But smart thinking, caution, and technology can defeat it. To understand what malware is capable of today, it’s worth exploring the history of this kind of cybersecurity vulnerability. Understanding the evolution of malware will help you know how to protect yourself from whatever comes next. What…
Do you remember the movie Catch Me If You Can? The story centers on real-life con artist Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio), who forges checks, impersonates pilots, and outsmarts the FBI—all without using a computer. He uses manipulative tactics to gain the trust of and defraud unlikely victims. Now imagine Abagnale uses those same tactics, but…
We all seem to love the Internet so much. Aand it is so intertwined with our lives now that we pretty much take it for granted. And yet chances are very few of us have an idea of the history of the internet, where it came from, or when and where it was started. What…
3D printing is transforming the way we design, manufacture, and innovate, but it’s also opening a massive hole in the fence of intellectual property protection. At the heart of the problem is the digital nature of 3D printing: it runs on files that are easy to create, easy to copy, and incredibly hard to protect.…
As the most popular web browser in the world, Google Chrome needs to keep up its security standards by providing constant updates. The release of Google Chrome 92 a few months ago includes many new privacy features that are designed to keep you safer online. Subsequent Chrome updates will include these features as well. If…
AI in Security: Revolutionizing Threat Detection Picture this: somewhere on the planet, a cyberattack happens every 39 seconds. That’s over 2,200 attacks a day—targeting everything from your neighborhood coffee shop’s POS system to government defense infrastructure. Traditional security tools? Think flashlight at a rave—technically useful, but wildly outmatched by the noise, speed, and unpredictability around…
Summary Status: Active Terms: Free Zones: 1 Website: psbl.org Lookup: psbl.org/listing Removal: psbl.org/remove FAQ: psbl.org/faq/ Background psbl.surriel.com, also known as The Passive Spam Block List, is a relatively new blacklist to the DNSBL scene. Like most other blacklists, pbsl.surriel.com uses spamtraps and honeypots to gather it’s listing criteria. pbsl.surriel.com is an IP address based block…
Imagine having a high-tech twin—not the evil kind from sci-fi movies, but a super-smart digital version of a machine, building, or even a human body. That’s the magic of digital twins: they’re virtual models that mirror real-world objects and processes in real time, powered by sensors, data, and the ever-growing web of the Internet of…
When it comes to losing your phone or having your personal data stolen, you probably think, “That’s never going to happen to me.” This conviction might be driving your phone security habits. The problem is this: once it does happen, it’s too late to do anything to protect yourself. While it may seem like backing…
Online scams can target anyone and come from anywhere, but organized scams are particularly insidious. Organized scammers are relentless, daily targeting millions of social media and email accounts through phishing and other cyberattack techniques. The chances are that you or someone you love has been targeted by a group of scammers before. The fraudsters who…
Think of your Chime spending power as your credit limit. When you open your Chime Credit Card, you also set up a Credit Builder secured deposit account that’s linked to it. It’s where you deposit money that backs up your credit card and secures it. In essence, Chime is simply helping you set up a credit card account, backed by your own money.
Summary Status: Active Terms: Free Zones: 1 Website: www.spamcop.net Lookup: www.spamcop.net/bl.shtml Removal: www.spamcop.net/fom-serve/cache/298.html Contact: www.spamcop.net/fom-serve/cache/401.html Background Spamcop.net is one of the oldest DNSBL’s of the many that are offered today. Their services were first publicly offered in 1992, and continue on to this day. On January 4, 2007 IronPort agreed to become a division of…
Summary Status: Active Terms: Free Zones: 6 Website: www.spamhaus.org Lookup and Removal: www.spamhaus.org/lookup/ About: www.spamhaus.org/organization/ FAQ: www.spamhaus.org/faq/ Contact: www.spamhaus.org/organization/contacts/ Background The Spamhaus Project is one of the largest anti-spam DNS blacklist services known. Founded in 1998, Spamhaus has operations in Geneva, Switzerland, and London in addition to the 28 investigators and forensic specialists located in…
Free information is part of what makes America a free country. But in 2022, the free press doesn’t necessarily mean free. The press can report unfavorably on political figures and celebrities — but what if that information is hidden behind a paywall? Not to mention the pandemic has launched an Infodemic of conflicting reports of…
In the early rise of the online age, website and Internet developers were flying blind. The amazing world of possibilities the Internet opened needed regulations, but the tech gurus behind its evolution didn’t want to stifle creativity and free speech, and wanted to ensure the world wide web was free and open to all. In…
Cloud computing and content delivery services often work behind the scenes to make your online life easier and more secure. For businesses, these tools can prove to be vital keys for seamless productivity. Nevertheless, when they don’t function properly or block organizations from accessing their services, setbacks and business losses can abound. If your business…
Some aren’t only victims of scams, there also victims of circumstance. They may lose their job and income and become desperate to find work…and vulnerable to a scam.
The holidays are rapidly approaching – which means it’s time to think about holiday shopping. If you have someone on your list who is concerned about their privacy, it could be hard to figure out what to get them. After all, you’ll want to get them something they’ll like – and that they won’t consider…
VPNs are an essential resource for keeping your data secure and improving your privacy online. However, there is a lot to learn about these important tools. They have great benefits, but not all VPN providers are the same. Depending on how you want to use your VPN, the best option for you might not be…
Scammers are always innovating with new ways to make you afraid and steal your money. Sextortion is one of those ways. It’s already a devastating scam with huge consequences. But a variation on sextortion called the underage scam (or sometimes the “underage girl scam”) has the same consequences – and the scammer’s story sounds much…
You get a call from your bank’s fraud department. There’s been fraud on your account – a criminal has gotten in and is currently in the process of stealing every penny you have. If you don’t act now, you’ll be left with nothing. But the person on the phone tells you there is a solution.…
Here’s a look at some cool AI financially focused apps that you probably don’t know about but that you’ll want to learn more about for a simple reason: They may have a positive impact on your life by helping you save, grow, and manage your money far better than you can do without them.
Our kids are using screens all the time. No matter how we as parents feel about it, there’s only so much we can do. After all, when even school requires devices to successfully complete homework, becoming a screen-free household just isn’t an option. (Not that we would want to give up our phones and computers…
Losing a loved one is a terrible experience in any situation. There’s often legal paperwork to take care of, a will to execute, an estate to settle, and a funeral to arrange. And that’s all on top of all the grief and pain of the loss. It’s a painful, exhausting time in your life. The…
TikTok has quickly become a social media craze. Even Cher’s on TikTok. This popular app lets you create, edit, and share videos across multiple social media platforms. Given the app’s reach, with 62 million installs in January 2021 alone, you can reach people all over the world. Some hashtags are reaching billions of users. TikTok…
Every parent knows that eventually, their kids will need to have The Talk. It’s an important part of their development from child to adult, and knowing the facts can help them stay safe. But many parents don’t think about that fact that in this tech-forward modern world, there’s another “Talk” they need to be having,…
If you’re new to the cryptocurrency terrain, it can undoubtedly be confusing! There are thousands of cryptocurrencies. As the technology grows in popularity, more people are entering the space both as users and creators. And judging by the trend, there are likely to be exponentially more people entering the space. But how can you tell…
Oftentimes when we go to the movies, it’s sheer escapism. The ’80s gave us so many amazing films–Chariots of Fire, Aliens, The Color Purple, Raiders of the Lost Ark, (and those John Hughes’ soundtracks!). People loved them when they came out–especially the far-out sci-fi films of Ridley Scott, Stanley Kubrick, and Terry Gilliam, to name…
Movies take fantastical leaps in logic all the time. They can’t always remain realistic and still tell a compelling story. There needs to be drama, the raising of stakes, and a few choice moments of ‘deus ex machina’ to push the story forward. But even the most grounded, true-to-life stories can make major missteps when…
If your spouse, a relative, or a good friend are constantly talking about safety, cybercrime and being spied on, a new pair of socks or a toaster isn’t going to calm them down. Give them what they need—the gift of peace of mind and security. One of these privacy and security gift ideas might cheer…
We normally associate the word “charities” and “causes” with children, cancer, poverty, animals, education, and even world peace. The word “privacy” doesn’t even come to mind. But believe it or not, there are organizations dedicated to protecting our freedom and right to privacy in this digital age and supporting them matters more to our way…
Connecting the Dots In the nineties, a large percentage of online companies trying to make millions on the Internet went out of business, and a lot of investors lost a lot of money. That time in business history is referred to as the “dotcom” bust. Why? Because their domain name suffix ended with the suffix…
Summary Status: Active Terms: Free Zones: 3 Website: www.uceprotect.net Removal: www.uceprotect.net/en/index.php?m=7&s=0 Lookup: www.uceprotect.net/en/rblcheck.php Contact: www.uceprotect.net/en/index.php?m=8&s=0 Background uceprotect.net is a DNS blacklisting service that is comprised of three distinct zones: dnsbl-1.uceprotect.net, dnsbl-2.uceprotect.net, and dnsbl-3.uceprotect.net. Each zone has different listing criteria, all of which are extremely important to understand before using any zone within the service. While…
New computer users often confuse domain names with universal resource locators, or URLs, and Internet Protocol, or IP, addresses. This confusion is understandable. It is worth learning the differences between them because these terms are ubiquitous. It is also helpful to be able to use terms correctly when communicating to technicians or other people within…
A firewall is a security device that can be a software program or a dedicated network appliance. The main purpose of a firewall is to separate a secure area from a less secure area and to control communications between the two. Firewalls can perform a variety of other functions, but are chiefly responsible for controlling…
Better question: Why would you use a proxy at all? The topic of proxies can get confusing fast, making it hard to figure out what they are, what they do and why anyone would use one. Just so you know, using a proxy revolves around you taking steps on your computer to help you either:…
Summary Status: Shut down Background S.O.R.B.S., also known as The Spam and Open Relay Blocking System (SORBS), has been providing DNS based spam blocking services since 1992. In it’s infancy, it served as a small daemon that parsed through emails send via open relays and proxy’s, which in turn would add those IP addresses to…
Have you ever pulled your smartphone out of your pocket after a conversation about, say, a trip to Italy, and when you open social media, suddenly you’re inundated with ads about vacations in Tuscany? As a result, you may feel like your phone is “spying” on you. Thankfully, your phone isn’t clandestinely betraying you, and…
The State of Washington says it has lost hundreds of millions of dollars to unemployment fraud. The Federal Trade Commission, the Secret Service and state government agencies are well aware of the large-scale fraud that’s taking place.
CAPTCHA: It’s a Way to Distinguish Machines from Men… and Women Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart is quite a mouthful to say isn’t it? So let’s stick with the acronym: CAPTCHA (pronounced “KAPT-chuh”). CAPTCHA, as the explanation of the acronym implies, determines whether an online request or submission is…
DeFi (short for “decentralized finance”) is having a big impact on the global financial system. As DeFi gains traction as a global alternative to traditional banking, it has the potential to disrupt how people access, save, invest, and spend their money. The traditional banking system will have to adapt if it wants to compete against…
Like an iceberg, the internet has hidden depths lurking below the surface that most people see. The part we interact with everyday through Google, social media, online shopping, and more is just the tip. But underneath lies the vast deep web and the mysterious dark web – secretive layers with both useful intrigue and sinister…
Sometimes, getting the best use out of technology requires some workarounds. These workarounds can help you with things like switching your dating profile to a new location when you’re in a new state or looking up restaurants in the city you will be vacationing in next year. Sometimes, these simple requests can be really easy…
It’s possible you’ve heard of virtualization or using virtual machines (VMs) before, but have you ever tried to use a VM yourself? Isn’t virtualization some sophisticated process that only enterprise businesses need, and only IT experts know how to do? Not necessarily. Virtual machines have several practical applications for individuals. They’re especially useful for people…
When ChatGPT exploded onto the scene in 2022, you could immediately see the ripples that went through just about every industry. Teachers had to figure out how to tell the difference between student work and AI-generated assignments. Companies across all industries started putting ChatGPT to work writing articles, blog posts, and handbooks. Attorneys asked various…
Would you want all the transactions in your bank account to be publicly available to anyone who cared to look? Probably not. Our bank accounts contain private, sensitive information. That transaction information reveals a lot about our financial situation, who we buy from, and who sends us money. But if the thought of your bank…
How do I find email headers? This page provides instructions on how to find email headers in various email clients and websites. We are working to add as many entries as possible. However, if you cannot find instructions for your email client or you have instructions for an email client not listed here please contact…
Imagine being able to use your computer to make phone calls with the help of special software and a microphone—and bypassing your phone company and their charges. Wouldn’t that be cool? Imagine no more. Making calls with your computer is here. In fact, it’s been here for many years. But not that many people know…
You don’t have to worry about VPN protocols if you’re researching VPNs for basic safety and security. The default protocol should work perfectly fine for you.
As a parent, you want what’s best for your child. But if they’re being bullied in school or online, they may not want to tell you about it. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to protect them, though. By watching for signs of bullying, you can intervene and help them deal with the…
Many people are hesitant to answer the phone these days. Whether it’s because of all the phone scams out there or because young people tend not to like phone calls, on average people are calling less and texting more. And scammers go where the people are, because that’s where the money is. Scam text messages…
The rise of technology has changed our day-to-day lives – including how we date. Due to the countless dating sites and apps available today, it’s easy for us to meet and date new people all over the world. However, this can cause problems – and not just of the dating scam variety. For people who…
You’ve probably seen them somewhere. A sign by the road, an ad on a billboard, or even a postcard mailed to your house declares that they buy houses. They promise that they’ll take your house no matter its condition. And usually they throw in guarantees that they’ll pay cash and the process will be fast.…
Ever feel like your smartwatch is quietly judging whether you’ve taken enough steps…or sneaking a peek at your heartbeat while you binge-watch? Wearable tech undeniably handy; tracking everything from steps and sleep to stress, blood oxygen, and even your location. But here’s the twist: as these devices get smarter, they collect incredibly personal data. Your…
Every computer that goes on the Internet needs its own IP address, whether it’s in America or Africa. That presents an extreme challenge. How does a computer user in Africa or Asia or Albuquerque get an IP address…on demand? Can one system handle it all for everyone around the world? The answer is “no,” and…
Friendly Reminder: This article discusses legal terminology, but should in no way be considered legal advice. America is the land of the free and the home of the brave. We all are familiar with the concept of free speech. But very few people fully understand what that means. People throw around the first amendment, but…
As the proliferation and necessity of Internet hosting continues to increase in this technology age, large and small businesses must keep up with the demands of staying relevant and available online. The difficulty in handling this technical need for most businesses, especially small ones, is establishing a server with a strong enough bandwidth to handle…
Content delivery networks use multiple servers in many geographic locations that improve deliveries of static and streaming content. Global content requests automatically get routed to the closest servers, speeding up page loads, maximizing bandwidth and providing identical content regardless of Internet- or site-traffic spikes. Depending on traffic and number of nodes, the network’s algorithms select…
Cryptocurrency has fluctuated wildly this year, but its relevance and popularity have only gained momentum. And yet, despite how far technology has come, you still need a wallet… even if your money is digital. How does it work? You don’t literally store your cryptocurrency in this wallet. Cryptocurrency wallets are used to keep the public…
Domain Name System Blacklists, also known as DNSBL’s or DNS Blacklists, are spam blocking lists. They allow a website administrator to block messages from specific systems that have a history of sending spam. These lists are based on the Internet’s Domain Name System, or DNS. It converts numerical IP addresses such as 140.239.191.10 into domain…
A wireless network makes it easy for everyone in the same house to use the Internet, even simultaneously. Most people store all their pictures, music, documents and other files on their own computer. And in a lot of homes where there are several computers, one computer becomes the primary one for uploading photos. But almost…
With the click of a mouse button, you can send an email from one point of the globe to another in a matter of seconds. Most of us take this process for granted, giving little thought to how it actually works. It’s easy to understand how standard snail-mail gets from point A to point B…
As most voting-age adults in the United States have heard, someone running for the highest office in the land has made the news in a big way for arranging a unique way to receive their emails. This person set up a private email server. Politically, it has been one of the biggest news stories of…
Many people know how to drive a car, but have little or no knowledge about how the car actually works. So, too, are many people familiar with how to view and navigate web pages, but have limited knowledge of how those web pages do what they do. Here we will answer the question: “What is…
Summary Status: Offline as of late 2014 Terms: Free Zones: 1 Website: ahbl.org Lookup or Removal: ahbl.org/lktool FAQ: ahbl.org/documents Contact: ahbl.org/aboutus Background dnsbl.ahbl.org, otherwise known as The Abusive Hosts Blocking List is a DNS based blacklist. The AHBL started in 2003, and is a division of the Summit Open Source Development Group. According to The…
An email consists of three vital components: the envelope, the header(s), and the body of the message. The envelope is something that an email user will never see since it is part of the internal process by which an email is routed. The body is the part that we always see as it is the…
Learn what an internet service provider is and how to shop for the right one for your home or office.
Identity security is a necessary part of life as criminals use the information they retrieve to benefit themselves and often cost their victims countless amounts of time and money. Individuals are constantly advised to exercise caution when divulging personal information to any source. In many instances, it is necessary to provide the information to complete…
Most people, it seems, don’t want anything to do with AI (Artificial Intelligence), and don’t want to know the answer to, “What is ChatGPT?” They seem to know it’s an AI program or platform, but that’s as much as they know—or say they want to know.
Dialup internet service is a service that allows connectivity to the internet through a standard telephone line. By connecting the telephone line to the modem in your computer and inserting the other end into the phone jack, and configuring the computer to dial a specific number provided by your internet service provider (ISP) you are…
Domain name system security extensions (DNSSEC) are a set of protocols that add a layer of security to the domain name system (DNS) lookup and exchange processes, which have become integral in accessing websites through the Internet. While DNSSEC cannot protect how data is distributed or who can access it, the extensions can authenticate the…
Do you know anyone who doesn’t use email? It’s not likely. Email is as common as having a telephone for just about all of us. There are about two billion email users around the world. In 2012, Google said it had 425 million email users worldwide, and Microsoft said it had more than 360 million…
If you can remember the last time you had to set up an email account, you may recall being asked to choose between POP or IMAP. And if you’re like most people, you had no idea what a POP or an IMAP was, much less why you would prefer one to the other. POP vs.…
Integrated Service Digital Network, or ISDN, is the original high-speed internet service. It sparked the high-speed internet development between service providers during the 1990s and, of course, revolutionized internet use. Much like its predecessor, the dial-up internet service, ISDN utilizes a phone line. In fact, it set the standard for telephone data service. ISDN internet…
Could you learn privacy tips from them? There are some people out there who would not risk, at least in certain instances, sending emails using an ordinary, everyday email account like Gmail, Outlook, or their company’s email. We pinpoint here the email basics. Who might they be? Hackers People on the run from the law…
POP3 is an abbreviation for Post Office Protocol 3, and it is the third version of a widespread method of receiving email. An email protocol is the programmed system of defined rules that govern the exchange of emails between servers and email clients. The reason that your emails arrive with consistency is because of your…
Almost all of your online activity is made possible through the help of protocols—the special networking-software rules and guidelines that allow your computer to link up to networks everywhere so you can shop, read news, send email and more. (Your IP address, which stands for Internet Protocol, is just one of many.) The protocols are…
An SSID is a Service Set Identifier. Simply put, your SSID is the name of your network. It helps to think of an SSID as a label people see, while your IP address acts as a deeper network identifier that devices use to route data. When you look at a list of available Wi-Fi connections…
You may have heard of Telegram before, for a lot of reasons. If you’re concerned about security or know someone who is, you may have come across it or had it recommended to you. Or if you read about cybercrime investigations or how cybercriminals operate, you may have seen Telegram come up in those articles,…
Summary Status: Active Terms: Free Zones: 1 Website: cbl.abuseat.org Removal: cbl.abuseat.org/lookup.cgi Lookup: cbl.abuseat.org/lookup.cgi Background The CBL, otherwise known as The Composite Blocking List is a DNS based blacklist similar to the majority of other DNS based blacklists. The CBL does not list URL’s or URI’s, and like other DNSBL’s lists large quantities of IP addresses.…
When your cell phone rings and it’s an unfamiliar number, do you pick up the call? According to the Pew Research Center, 80% of Americans don’t answer the phone if the number is unknown to them. There are plenty of reasons for this, including the fact that Americans receive 33 million robocalls a day, not…
Even though most people aren’t going to need to know the difference between a URL and a URI, it really matters in a few specific situations! Understanding the difference between URL vs. URI is important in a number of contexts, especially for web developers, IT professionals, and anyone working with internet technologies. URL vs. URI:…
As a content sharing platform, YouTube has rules that its users must follow. Videos have to follow YouTube’s Community Guidelines, which cover everything from spam and external links to misinformation and hate speech. YouTube is a massive platform, though, with 2 billion monthly active users and more than 500 hours of content added every minute.…
Scams and scammers are everywhere. Even if you haven’t personally been caught in a scam, you probably know someone who has. A recent report on fraud and identity theft found that 30% of Americans have been victims of a scam in the past twelve months. Which means that statistically, if you know more than two…
So you fell for a scam. It can happen to anybody. No matter how smart, capable, aware, or educated you are, everyone has things they’re vulnerable to and times then they’re more vulnerable. Many people want to sweep the experience under the rug and move on with their lives. But when you realize you’ve been…
Have you received a notice that you’re guilty of copyright infringement? Don’t panic. Here’s what to do instead. Dear Business Owner, We regret to inform you that we are unable to find a license for an image displayed on your website. We request immediate removal of this image. You are also required to provide payment…
There are a lot of grey areas of the Internet, as it is a relatively new, ever-evolving entity. But the movie industry, in reaction to the shock that hit the music industry the day Napster launched, is cracking down on illegal downloading, which they see very much as a black-and-white issue. At the height of…
Getty images is a media giant. From exclusive celebrity photos to stock images, they have established themselves as the name in licensing photos for the Internet. But that’s not the only part of their business model. If you happen to accidentally, or purposefully, use one of their images without paying for it – beware. You’ll…
Our online lives are controlled by invisible AI (Artificial Intelligence) algorithms that prompt our search results, social media posts, and the articles that pop up in our newsfeeds. The inherent bias in AI algorithms can dictate what we see, what information we consume, and the research we utilize. The content we produce, too, lives in…
AI and U.S. copyright law are like your Facebook relationship status from 2011 — it’s complicated. For now, works created with generative AI cannot be copyrighted. Things created partially by AI can have a copyright, but only for the part the AI didn’t create. But as humans and machines continue working together the lines will…
Technology advances so rapidly, that it’s difficult for us to keep up with every new tech product introduced to make our lives easier. As we integrate these advances into our daily lives, is our cybersecurity protected? Can we trust that our internet providers won’t violate our privacy or overcharge us? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)…
Have you ever deleted data from your search history or trashed files from your computer and wondered if traces of this information still exist somewhere? Unfortunately, traces of data often go unnoticed, and someone with the right tools can recover your deleted files. However, the good news is that you can take steps to permanently…
Broadband internet service is the most used form of internet access because of its high access speeds. Broadband comes in four different forms: These are simply different ways the internet is delivered to your home. The old dial-up connection (which does still exist) is the only non-broadband internet service available. While it is cheaper, most…
If we were to broadcast our individual search history, the results could prove confusing, if not downright embarrassing. We may not be searching for anything particularly scandalous, but even still, the heat of shame may redden our cheeks. A scroll through a week of one person’s internet searches could reveal “Fusion Theory” and “How to…
There are tons of ways for hackers and cybercriminals to do damage. But sadly, this often happens by simple mistakes people make to give hackers access. While, yes, they can find their way onto your network or device… they’re most often let in. One of the easiest ways for cybercriminals to get onto your network…
Who’s Serving Up the Spam? With apologies to the Hormel Company (the company that long ago created the canned meat dish called “Spam”), it’s a simple fact that spam is the one and only term used to describe any type of unwanted messages in your mailbox. (Read on to find out how that came about.)…
Have you even seen a tech genius in a TV show use a computer to locate someone? Or used an app like Apple Maps or Google Maps to get directions somewhere? Or felt like ads somehow know which stores or restaurants you’re near, even when you’re somewhere new? The technology in use in all of…
Online dating can be a bit of a drag. There’s the waiting for replies, answering the same questions over and over, and screening out duds. But it can evolve into a real nightmare if you don’t take proper precautions. While many people dating online are just looking for love, there are plenty of safety concerns.…
Our devices – phones, tablets, and computers – are important to us. But when you think about it, it’s not really the device we care about, it’s the data we store on it. Essential work documents, important photos, our (or our children’s) homework, the information for how to actually pay our less-frequent bills, contact information…
You’ve probably heard the buzz around blockchain, maybe in the context of Bitcoin, NFTs, or the latest crypto craze. But beyond the hype, blockchain is a powerful technology that’s changing the way we think about digital security. At its core, it’s a new kind of recordkeeping system because it’s decentralized, incredibly difficult to tamper with,…
Tuesday, October 3rd, is the first annual World Romance Scam Prevention Day. Though the officially recognized day is new, the need is not. Romance scams and their losses have only been increasing over the past few years. In this article, we report on the romance scam statistics from the data we have right now –…
Technology makes our lives increasingly easier, and every imaginable task becomes more efficient. In recent years, tech tools have even helped to connect and streamline smart devices in our homes and offices. The Internet of Things is one such tool quietly becoming an integral part of modern life. From voice assistants and smart thermostats to…
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have existed since the dawn of the Internet. However, you probably didn’t hear about these secure portals to your web activity until 2005. Almost all of the well-known VPN providers began in or after 2005, including StrongVPN (one of the most widely used and highly-rated VPNs, NordVPN wasn’t released until 2012). …
So much of the modern world is digital. We pay bills online, watch TV online, save photos online, and shop online. Nearly three-quarters of Americans are active on social media. But none of us will live forever. Research estimates that in less than 50 years, there will be more deceased people on Facebook than living…
How does your cybersecurity knowledge compare to other people in the world? Are you practicing proper online safety? Are you aware of the risks you face daily and how to avoid them? These are all questions you’ll answer when you take the National Privacy Test. Created by NordVPN, the National Privacy Test measures your knowledge…
Since its unveiling in December 2023, ChatGPT has become the face of new, revolutionary technology. The cutting-edge AI has numerous benefits for personal and corporate users. However, bright red flags flame around the chatbot as its glitches still need to be ironed out. The technology has gained rapid popularity, and over 1 billion people have…
If you’re a TikTok user — and let’s face it, who isn’t these days? — you might be wondering if you’ll be allowed to use the app in the coming years. TikTok has gotten heavy criticism over privacy and security issues since 2020, when the Trump administration threatened it with a ban if the Chinese…
If your website is built with WordPress, it probably has a few plugins installed. Plugins can add useful features and extra functionality to any website. But unfortunately, plugins can also be a risk to your website’s security. If you use WordPress, you need to be aware of WordPress plugin security and the risks involved. If…
In a world where your digital footprint can be as significant as your real-world impact, the power of Google Maps is undeniable. Introduced in 2007, Google Maps Street View offers a ground-level perspective of countless urban and rural areas globally. This service, brought to life through vehicles and photographers donning cameras on backpacks, sparked debates…
TL;DR: We know you may have your own reasons for wanting to know whether someone in your life has a dating profile. You may be a significant other, spouse, or partner who suspects that someone is not being loyal or honest. You may be a concerned parent of a minor and want to know whether…
We’re getting into the holiday shopping season, and that means that you’re probably buying at least some things online. Online shopping can be great for many reasons. It’s convenient if you’re not able or don’t have time to go to stores. It’s a great way to find things that aren’t easy to get in stores.…
It’s a nightmare scenario: You’re away from home and have an accident or a medical emergency. We all have important medical information that first responders and doctors need to know. Even if you have no allergies, medications, or medical conditions, you at least need to be able to share your blood type! If you’re unconscious…
Cybersecurity is everyone’s concern, not just big corporations or IT experts. Practicing good personal cybersecurity in your daily life isn’t difficult either. And it’s becoming more and more necessary. Read these articles on wide-ranging topics to improve your knowledge of cybersecurity.