Account Security
A spare security key has to be enrolled before it can rescue a login
Buying a spare security key is not enough. Register and test it with each supported account, then store it separately from your everyday key.
ACCOUNTS · DEVICES · PRIVACY
Journal
Account Security
Encrypted DNS protects one part of a browser request, not every detail
DNS over HTTPS encrypts the lookup between a browser and its DNS resolver. Understand what that protects and what it does not hide about browsing.
Account Security
A DKIM signature does not make every email request trustworthy
DKIM authenticates a signing domain and protected message content. It does not prove that an email’s request is honest or that the named sender authorised it.
Practical Privacy
An encrypted archive can still reveal its filenames
Check whether an encrypted archive hides its filenames as well as its contents, and test the recipient’s experience before sending it.
Software and Security
What a digital signature on a software download actually verifies
A valid software signature helps establish publisher identity and file integrity. It does not replace checking the download source or trusting the software itself.
Everyday Digital Life
An email alias can organise messages without creating a separate account
An email alias can give you another address without a separate inbox or account. Check sending behaviour and account links before relying on it.
Everyday Technology
Check the time zone before accepting a shared calendar invitation
Check an invitation’s named time zone, calendar display and daylight-saving behaviour before manually changing a shared event’s time.
Device Privacy
Check who can discover your phone before leaving nearby file sharing open
Nearby file sharing has discovery settings as well as transfer prompts. Check who can find your device and restore the setting after a transfer.
Practical Computing
Show file extensions before trusting what a downloaded file appears to be
Make Windows file extensions visible, distinguish a filename from a file format, and avoid treating a familiar icon as proof that a download is safe.