Mozilla’s Firefox web browser maintains its own root certificate store by default. The browser uses these as “trust anchors” and the functionality is essential for making sure that only trusted SSL/TLS certificates are used by the browser. Starting in Firefox 120, Firefox will automatically trust operating sysdtem certificates installed by the user or an administrators….
Category: Security & Privacy
O&O ShutUp10++ review: tame Windows’ data hunger
O&O ShutUp10++ is a free tool for Microsoft’s Windows operating system to improve privacy. Designed initially for Windows 10, the program is now also available for Windows 11. While its main focus is on blocking the operating system’s data hunger, it is also a helpful tool for managing other Windows settings. First, the basics. You…
Everyone wants your browsing data
On today’s Internet, data is as precious as gold was in the Ancient world. Browsing data is data that is created automatically when you browse the Internet. Whenever you visit a website, lots of things happen in the background. Requests are made, cookies and site data may be saved to the local system, and the…
Password Managers that restrict passwords should not exist
Password service Dashlane announced restrictions for free account users this week that limit passwords to 25. Starting November 7, 2023, all Dashlane Free users are restricted to 25 passwords instead of unlimited passwords, the previous limit. Those with more than 25 passwords keep access to them but they face the same restrictions in regards to…
This uBlock Origin filter blocks IDN attacks in browsers
IDN attacks are a common threat on today’s Internet. IDN stands for Internationalized Domain Name. It refers to domain names that contain one or multiple characters in “non-Latin script or alphabet, or in the Latin alphabet-based characters with diacritics or ligatures”. This enables support for domain names in all languages. German-speaking organizations and users may…
Don’t wait for Google to end third-party cookies
Google plans to eliminate third-party cookies in its Chrome web browser. An updated schedule, published on Wednesday, confirms that testing begins in the first quarter of 2024. A total of 1% of Chrome users will join the test, which disables third-party cookies in their browsers. Google plans to push the change to the entire Chrome…
Firefox 120 will block cookie banners, but only in Germany
Mozilla plans to enable cookie banner blocking in Firefox 120, but initially only in Germany. Other regions will follow at later point in time. Firefox users may, however, enable the blocking already. Many websites display cookie consent banners to users. These banners give website visitors a choice regarding the use of cookies. Cookies are data…
Why you should make use of Virtual LAN (Guest Wi-Fi)
Guest Wi-Fi, or more precisely virtual LAN, is a feature of many Internet routers. It adds another wireless networking option, which is fully separated from the main local network. The term Guest Wi-Fi refers to one of its primary purposes: to allow guests to connect their devices to the Internet using a wireless connection. There…
Stream-jacking Attacks are on the rise
Stream-jacking attacks have gained some traction this year. These attacks hijack streaming accounts on popular sites to impersonate known brands and push crypto-scams. BitDefender published an analysis of one of the larger attacks on its blog this week. The security company discovered a large operation that hijacked more than 1100 streaming video channels. The hijacked…