Like public Wi-Fi, public USB ports in cafes and airports can’t be trusted. Connecting your device to one of them could result in a virus infection. Bring your own external battery pack, or find a standard wall socket instead.

You might have tried viewing a video on Facebook or another social site, only to be prompted to download a special codec or plugin to actually watch it. These requests are almost always spurious, given the wide compatibility of video formats between browsers and operating systems. Basically, if you did not go looking for a […]

Links can’t always be trusted to go where they say they do. To avoid falling into a trap, hover your mouse over a link you’re not sure of to see where it actually leads. If you’re on a mobile device, you can usually do a light tap and hold on a link to preview where […]

It’s usually a good idea to create at least two local accounts on your Mac or PC – one that has administrator privileges, and another that doesn’t. You’ll want to use the latter most of the time, except when performing admin-only tasks like installing apps or making updates. This setup can help protect you by […]

Some smart speakers are set to always listen for certain keywords. That makes them highly responsive, but it can also create privacy concerns. If you’re not using them, or are conducting a sensitive conversation, consider unplugging them or powering them off to stay safe.

Lockscreen alerts are useful for conveying at-a-glance information. They’re also possibly risky if your device falls into the wrong hands, as they might give away sensitive details. You can either turn them off and stick to badges and the pull-down alert menu (available on both iOS and Android) or use a phone with facial recognition, […]