This might seem like a pain, but hard drives don’t lose their data very easily. If you want the information on a hard drive to be permanently eliminated, make sure the parts that house the data are destroyed before discarding it. This means destroying the platters and circuit board inside the hard drive completely beyond […]

Virtually all modern routers support WPA2 encryption, which is far more secure than WPA or WEP encryption. Make sure the encryption you’re using on the router is WPA2 so you know the information it’s broadcasting is safe. If your router doesn’t support WPA2, it might be wise to get a new device that does.

Most network routers have default credentials such as “admin” for a username and “password” for a password, neither of which requires much work to guess. Whatever the default credentials, they’re always the same on any given router model, making it a good idea to change these credentials as soon as you set up your router. […]

While it’s vital to have a strong Wi-Fi password, hiding your Wi-Fi network’s name adds an extra layer of security. This can help conceal its existence entirely, providing access only to users who know it’s there. The option to do this in a router’s configuration page is listed as “Disable SSID broadcasting” or similar.  

Lots of the latest smart TVs include automatic content recognition (ACR), which studies everything you view on the device – whether it’s streamed over the internet, cable, or via broadcast television – and uploads this information to a server for use in a recommendation engine. To guard your privacy, turn off this setting; its name […]

Cybercriminals can potentially access the feeds from your webcam and microphone without your permission. Turn both of these off when you’re not using them, or even better, disconnect them entirely. Also, if you work from home and need to join conference video calls for work, think about keeping your private home protected by using background […]