If you want to keep what happens on your laptop screen to yourself, you might need a screen protector. These specialized accessories block certain lines of sight, so that nearby people can’t see what’s happening. This is particularly useful for keeping usernames to yourself; it also lets you turn off automatic password scrambling, a feature […]

As the holidays approach, you might be thinking about buying a new laptop for a loved one. Or maybe they’re going to buy one for you! After all, computers make great presents, since most of us rely on them in our personal and professional lives. But laptops aren’t cheap. According to Consumer Reports, most of […]

When you start up your laptop, do you have to enter a password to reach the home screen?  It’s good to implement these types of protections, but biometric options (fingerprint or facial scan, usually) are even better. They can’t be stolen or guessed like a password can, making them more secure. Windows Hello and Apple […]

Hard disk drives eventually fail, especially if they’re heavily used. If you have been using the same drive for 4 or more years on a PC, consider replacing or moving on to another device to avoid any unexpected failure. Also be sure to backup everything before switching, either to an external drive or a cloud-based […]

Many public access points are not secured and the traffic they carry is not encrypted. This can put your sensitive communications or transactions at risk. Because your connection is being transmitted “in the clear,” malicious actors could use sniffing tools to obtain sensitive information such as passwords or credit card numbers. Ensure that all the […]

When you use a PC or Mac, you might have multiple user accounts set up. Try to use a normal non-admin account for your day-to-day activities. That way, it’s harder for anyone to do lasting harm to your system if it’s stolen or infected while logged in to an admin account with extensive permissions.