Happy #WorldPasswordDay! Don't forget your security is only as strong as the weakest link. We have several resources to help you understand how passwords can be compromised and what you should do to protect them.
First of all, should you use a "password" or a "passphrase"? The answer is that it depends. Learn about the password vs. passphrase debate: protonmail.com/blog/protonmai…
Next, explore the considerations behind how long your password should be. It turns out, even some long passwords can be hacked, so "length" is not synonymous with "secure." protonmail.com/blog/how-long-…
And finally, here are our three steps to create a strong password: 1. Use a password manager. 2. Generate unique, random passwords for all your accounts. 3. Use a long passphrase for passwords you must memorize.
More details: protonmail.com/blog/how-to-cr…
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If like many across the world you'll soon be off and looking for something to do, here’s your annual privacy & security tune-up.
Cue a looooong thread to bookmark for when you’re ready to lock it down.
If you've already done all of this, you dropped this: 👑
1/15
Audit your browser extensions
Why?
People add extensions to their browsers for many different reasons.
They will often have wide-ranging permissions, meaning they could access and track your online activity.
Not useful? bin it!
Even if it is, proceed with caution.
2/15
Enable 2FA for anything that matters
Why?
Authenticating with 1 factor, like a password, leaves you vulnerable.
Why would you just use one key to get into your house when you can have the security of two? Especially when that 2nd can be hard-to-fake like biometrics.
The GrapheneOS team has said that “France isn’t a safe country for open source privacy projects,” pointing to what it describes as the expectations of encryption backdoors.
Last week, it announced it has removed all servers from France.
This raises some questions: what is GrapheneOS, why do people use it, and what's up with France? 🇫🇷
For the first question: GrapheneOS is a nonprofit, open-source, and Android-based operating system used by many people seeking better privacy, security, & control.
2/5
It offers no bloatware, Google lock-in, forced apps, or background data collection, as well as advanced privacy & security.
GrapheneOS has also begun to end its relationship with hosting provider, OVHCloud.
There are open questions on if OVH can guarantee data sovereignty.
3/5
Security researchers say a design flaw in WhatsApp’s contact-lookup feature has enabled what they call the “largest data leak in history”, exposing billions of phone numbers without breaking encryption.
Normally the lookup process would incur rate limits, normally...
1/5
But in this case, they were able to run through 7k phone numbers /second (and session), using 63bn numbers generated by their tool.
None of this required decrypting a single message.
They confirmed 3.5bn phone numbers, more than the number officially stated by WhatsApp.
2/5
More than 57% of the active accounts they grabbed had a profile picture; two thirds of this group had images containing human faces.
~29% had text in their profile which could be used to discover more about them, such as their sexuality, political views, or drug use.
3/5
How much do you know about the most advanced censorship system in the world?
Framed as protection against "Western influence", China's Great Firewall controls the political + economic narrative for China's 700M+ users (a quarter of all internet users).
1/8
But it doesn't stop there...
A massive leak of 100,000+ documents has revealed that a Chinese company, Geedge Networks, is exporting GFW-style tech to authoritarian regimes worldwide.
Recipients include Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Myanmar, & others.
2/8
Leaked job ads from them seek English speakers to work in Pakistan, Malaysia, Bahrain, Algeria, and India, all of which have track records of censorship.
One co-founder of Geedge Networks is Fang Binxing - known as the “Father of the Great Firewall.”
3/8