Security
Online security and privacy, explained in plain English
Passwords, scams, malware, data breaches and privacy, explained for normal people and small businesses. What it is, why it matters, what to do next.
Almost nothing in online security is about being clever. It is about a small number of habits that remove whole categories of risk: different passwords everywhere, a second factor on the accounts that matter, and one rule about verifying anything that asks for money or a code. These pages explain the mechanism behind each habit, because a reader who knows why the advice works can handle the version of the scam that has not been invented yet.
Start with passwords if you still remember yours, and with signing in safely once you do not. The scams hub covers how the messages and calls actually work, including the two pages written for people in the middle of it: what to do after clicking a link and what to do after sending money.
Nothing here is written to frighten you. Fear makes people freeze, and frozen people do not change a password. Where a risk is overstated, these pages say so.
Passwords: how to make them strong and keep track of them
Everything you need to pick, store and stop worrying about your passwords.
- What makes a password strong: length beats complexity
- Passphrases: four random words and why they beat symbols
- Why reusing one password is the most expensive habit online
- Password managers explained: why one app holding everything is safer
- Passwords saved in your browser: good enough or a bad idea?
- All 7 articles in passwords: how to make them strong and keep track of them
Signing in safely: 2FA, passkeys and account recovery
How modern sign-in works, which second factor to pick, and how to avoid locking yourself out.
- Two-factor authentication explained in plain English
- Setting up an authenticator app properly, including backups
- Passkeys explained: signing in with no password at all
- Face and fingerprint unlock: safer than a PIN, with caveats
- Account recovery: set it up before you need it
- All 6 articles in signing in safely: 2FA, passkeys and account recovery
Scams: how they work and what to do if you fall for one
Spot the common scam patterns, and know exactly what to do in the first hour if one worked on you.
- Phishing explained: how fake messages get past smart people
- Scam texts and emails: the red flags that still work
- Bank impersonation: the safe account scam and how it works
- Phone scams: spoofed numbers, robocalls and pressure tactics
- Tech support scams: the fake virus warning and the fake refund
- All 9 articles in scams: how they work and what to do if you fall for one
Malware and cleanup: when a device starts misbehaving
What the different kinds of malicious software actually do, and the ordered cleanup that gets a machine back.
Data breaches and identity theft
What leaks, what it is worth to somebody else, and the response that limits the damage.
Scams that go straight for your money
Romance, investment, job and marketplace scams: how the long ones are built and how to check before you pay.