Security

When developing iOS apps, or when doing things you’d rather keep under wraps, you may need to capture packets. For capturing packets on a computer, Wireshark is the top choice. But what if you want to capture packets on your iOS device (iPhone, iPad)? You could set up a proxy and have the iOS device connect through it, or jailbreak and run tcpdump on the device. But both approaches are too troublesome. Here I recommend the rvictl command included in the Xcode Command Line Tools. It requires no complicated setup or jailbreak, and with just one command you can capture packets on your computer using any software. ...

When you need to send sensitive data through Facebook or email, such as a Google API token or a company’s annual accounts, do you really trust those online services? Personally, I don’t. There are too many possibilities, from hacker attacks to poor internal controls at a company that let employees view customer data. Because of these possibilities, I’m not really willing to send confidential data over the internet. But in this day and age, sending data without using services like email or Facebook Messenger is almost impossible. In that case, you can use AES to encrypt the file, and then share the password through a channel you trust, such as a phone call or in person. Or at the very least, send the password through a different channel than the file, to reduce the risk of everything being compromised at once. ...

Are you sure there are no Trojans or viruses on your computer? Can you say your computer is completely safe? Are you worried that your Facebook account might be hijacked? Here I’m going to show you how to turn on Facebook’s free service, Account Security. It gives your account more protection, such as encrypted connections, login notifications, and login approvals. ...

Some people who play online games may have heard of the “communication lock.” It’s an anti-theft measure that game companies came up with. Before you can log in to your game account, you have to call a dedicated line from the phone number you registered with the game company, and only after the call connects can you log in. This method prevents a lot of gamers from having their accounts stolen. After all, hackers can easily get your username and password, but they surely can’t take your phone too, right? The Google 2-Step Verification I’m introducing today is actually a lot like that communication lock. ...

When you buy a new computer, I think the most troublesome part is choosing antivirus software. For ordinary people, a computer without antivirus is genuinely dangerous. But many antivirus programs cost money, pirated copies are unsafe, and free ones might not be strong enough and leave room for viruses and trojans. Here I want to introduce a “free” antivirus called Avast. It’s one of the best free antivirus programs out there, and in my opinion, it’s number one! It even beats some paid antivirus programs. So if you want to save the money you’d spend on antivirus software, give Avast a try. ...

Microsoft Security Essentials is a “free” antivirus program offered by Microsoft. Its biggest feature is that it’s free! It’s also from the company that people affectionately call M$. Microsoft Security Essentials performs reasonably well, and its virus protection is decent. If you’ve just set up a new computer and you’re a fan of Microsoft products, I suggest you take a look at this antivirus. ...

A “malicious link” is an attack method that is especially well suited to social networking sites. It’s relatively easy to pull off, and its success rate is quite high. For example, the recent Facebook scam “How to see who viewed your profile!!” is a malicious link attack. A malicious link can be explained in one simple sentence: it’s a URL that contains a Trojan, a virus, or something that can take control of your computer. When you click on such a link, your computer has probably already been infected. ...

Does setting up your privacy settings really keep your personal data from leaking? ↑↑ Not long ago, many bloggers and news outlets wrote at length about the privacy risks of Facebook itself. So many users went and set up their "privacy settings," thinking that as long as they did, nothing would go wrong. In reality, though, the huge number of games and personality quizzes on Facebook can also cause your personal data to leak. Many users don't know this, so let's analyze it below. ...

Many people today advocate for privacy, saying you should share as little personal information online as possible, or none at all, because posting it online carries many dangers, the most common being harassment. But I think many people simply don’t pay attention to privacy (at least, that’s what I’ve observed). Plenty of people generously make their phone numbers, addresses, and other details public, and some even dare to upload intimate photos online. Others are more aware and understand the dangers of making personal information public, so they don’t openly post their data online. Instead, they set up some protections, such as passwords and Facebook privacy settings. Honestly, these measures barely work. The most fundamental and safest approach is simply not to put anything online at all. ...

What is a mail bomb? You've probably never heard this term before... In the past, people were more likely to hear about "instant messenger bombs." These are programs that keep sending messages to an instant messenger contact, until the other person gets disconnected from receiving too many messages in a short time. A Mail Bomb is similar. Translated directly into Chinese, Mail Bomb is called "mailbox bomb." Like instant messenger bombs, it sends lots of messages to someone else. But the difference is that a Mail Bomb is really just a prank... it has no real function, and it can't actually fill up someone's mailbox, because with today's mailbox sizes, that's very hard to do. And don't even think about using my Mail Bomb system to send spam, because this program sends many emails to a single mailbox, not one email to many mailboxes. Now let me show you how to use Mail Bomb~...