Category: Risk

How to mitigate the threat of being a victim of ransom ware

Ransom ware seems to have gotten the better of many ordinary users. However, it is not a threat that has no mitigation measures available to the ordinary user, but is more of following good basic security and hygiene practices, to not fall prey to a ransom ware threat. Do the following: If you use Linux, … Continue reading How to mitigate the threat of being a victim of ransom ware →

How to calculate MD5 or SHA256 sums in Linux and Android

Many of us use Linux Distributions like Ubuntu, Fedora, available for free on the Internet. To install these distributions on our computers, we need to down their ISO files. Recently, the Linux Mint ISO was hacked and malware inserted into some of it's files. It was then repacked and put up on an external website. … Continue reading How to calculate MD5 or SHA256 sums in Linux and Android →

Ubuntu Boot Manager Partition entry overwritten after Windows 8.1 patch update

I recently applied the latest Windows 8.1 patches. To my dismay, I found that the core Ubuntu 14.04 entries at boot time were missing and by default, the laptop always booted into Windows 8.1. This meant that my Ubuntu EFI boot partition had been corrupted or taken over by Windows 8.1 patches that probably updated … Continue reading Ubuntu Boot Manager Partition entry overwritten after Windows 8.1 patch update →

Xiaomi or Xperia type security issues and how to detect them on any Android device

Anything that is too good to be true and available at dirt-cheap prices like the Xiaomi phones sold in flash sales on http://www.flipkart.com, always has a catch. It is like the Trojan horse. The security issue with Xiaomi phones is that the phone allegedly transmits user sensitive data like IMEI, contacts, numbers etc to servers … Continue reading Xiaomi or Xperia type security issues and how to detect them on any Android device →

Keepass Droid password manager on Android

Today, many services have gone online. The ease and convenience of accessing these services online has led to a major issue for all users - that of remembering passwords to all the web sites to log in to access those services. Many users use diaries or books to write down user IDs and passwords and … Continue reading Keepass Droid password manager on Android →

Web sites track users with invisible canvas fingerprint rather than cookies or flash cookies

There are several websites world over that track users. Originally, tracking mechanisms included Cookies, Flash Cookies. Historically too, I have written about Firefox add-ons in the articles below: Firefox add-ons you should never surf without Watching you silently – Flash Cookies / LSOs As mitigation measures were developed to counter cookies and flash cookies, old … Continue reading Web sites track users with invisible canvas fingerprint rather than cookies or flash cookies →

Create VLAN on TP-Link WDR4300 wireless router with isolation

The TP-Link WDR4300 wireless router has an Atheros Chip. Due to this, it is not easy to set up VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks) on it. Below explains how this can be done with the kind of problem that was overcome. Problem: I had a guest computer on my home wireless network that kept sending … Continue reading Create VLAN on TP-Link WDR4300 wireless router with isolation →

How to remove linkedin android app imported contacts from linkedin site

Linkedin is a very good tool for networking. It can be used by logging into Linkedin or you can also use their mobile app for Android. When I installed the Android app, the first thing it likes to do is to grab all my Android phone address book contact list and dump it to the … Continue reading How to remove linkedin android app imported contacts from linkedin site →

Disable Google Chrome and install Opera Browser on Sony Xperia

There are times when we need more privacy. Fortunately for users of Sony Xperia phones, it is possible to Disable pre-installed stock applications in Settings -> Apps -> Running -> Google Chrome and press on the Disable button. Next you can install the Opera Browser from the Google Play Store. Do not choose the Opera … Continue reading Disable Google Chrome and install Opera Browser on Sony Xperia →