Guides

Virtual private networks, or VPNs, are a special tool that allow computers to talk on specific networks over the Internet. For some context, it’s important to understand some basics how the Internet works. The Internet isn’t just one “thing.” It’s a network of networks, each of which has computers on it. The Internet facilitates the communication from a computer on one network to a computer on another network. Not all…

Imagine you want to send a secret message to your best friend. You could write it on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope. That’s safe because only your friend can open it. But if you wrote that message on a postcard and mailed it, anyone who handled the mail could read it. That’s basically what happens on the internet without encryption. The postcard-era Internet In the…

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When you create an account on a website, the website should not actually store your password! But how can they say “we don’t store your password” while still being able to verify your password? With a little bit of math, we can do two things to your password that make it possible to store a “signature” of your password without storing the password itself. Hashing: a one-way function You can…

Phishing is a type of social engineering attack where a threat actor tries to send an email, purportedly from a legitimate company requesting personal, financial, and/or login credentials. What are some of the red flags of phishing? Threat actors try to use a combination of persuasive appeals across different dopics, but there are a few common threads: Urgency: the attacker tries to get you to act quickly Sensitivity: the attacker…

Passwords are everywhere, securing our digital identities, but what’s the best way to make a good one? What’s the difference? A passphrase, similar to a password, is simply a memorable phrase or arrangement of words. Because they are lengthy by virtue of what they are, they are much harder to crack, making them a logical use as a password. For example, a password looks like angel08, while a passphrase might…

If you haven’t already read our post on what phishing is, we suggest reading that one first. Now that you’re caught up, let’s look at how attackers might use those phished credentials in an attack known as multi-stage phishing or multi-step phishing. But how’s it different? Multi-stage phishing is basically a “slow burn” scam. It’s generally not one of those obvious pop-ups that say “CONGRATS YOU WON $1,000,000!!! (which is…

Multi-factor authentication, or MFA, is a very powerful tool that helps keep your digital accounts safe. But, what does it actually mean? The problem: passwords aren’t enough In the old days, you just needed a password to get into an account. In the early days of the Internet, passwords were fine. The Internet was small, and the amount of information was pretty small. But as the Internet grew, we started…

If you haven’t already read our post on what phishing is, we suggest reading that one first. Lateral phishing is a technique where an attacker compromises multiple accounts within a domain. It’s a growing issue, especially within higher education. So, identifying a lateral phishing attack is important to staying safe and keeping your peers and colleagues safe, too. Have you watched a spy movie, where the sly spy breaks into…