INFOSEC and Cyber Security

A VPN, or virtual private network, is an application that creates a secure connection between your device and the internet. A good VPN will encrypt your web traffic, hide your IP address, and protect your privacy and security online. With data theft, geo-blocking, and internet censorship on the rise globally, more and more people are using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to protect themselves. A VPN allows you to hide your IP address, stay safe on public WiFi networks, and access region-restricted websites. Unfortunately, not every VPN is trustworthy or effective. You need to ensure the service you use does not leak your IP address, log your data, or put you at risk in any way. Using a bad VPN is often worse than using no VPN at all. What Is a VPN? Short for virtual private network, a VPN is a privacy tool that secures your internet connection in order to protect your privacy, anonymity, and freedom online. Microsoft engineer Gurdeep Singh-Pall originally invented the techn...

Just the other day I received an email from Google Maps with the subject “Google Maps Timeline.” Upon clicking the email what I found left my jaw drop…quite literally! My “March in Review” apparently, was every place I had ever visited, every day of the week. It also highlighted my most frequently visited locations, the number of miles I walked, drove and unique places I visited. The only thing that was missing was perhaps the number of calories I burnt! Speaking of calories, they knew how much I walked and had all the data from my smartwatch. They knew how long I was sleeping, My REM cycle and how many times a year I fell ill. If anything, this information was a treasure trove for someone like my ex. Plus, my email is not hard to get a hold of considering that it’s logged in on my phone, iPad, and my laptop at all times. But as I found out this was just the tip of the ice burg, there was a lot more they hand on me. And Google is not alone. Google knows where you’ve been every day sinc...

  To put it simply, a   Virtual Private Network   ( VPN ) is a service or program that allows a device to connect to a secure offsite server over a network using an encrypted, “tunnel-like” connection. It allows the user’s   IP address   to be masked, providing a layer of all-important privacy and anonymity. Besides, the   encryption   of the connection is generally of such a high-grade that any data transmitted can be considered perfectly safe. Originally used for businesses, companies offering VPN services to consumers started to form, realizing the immense   security   benefits that users can reap from the service. They are used by everyone from families at home who want to make sure no one can track their online habits to a journalist who doesn’t want people or governments to know where they are. Travelers love them in particular due to the safety they grant one on unknown networks. The underlying thread is protection, and running a quali...