According to the chief of the UK intelligence service MI5, the public should be wary of increased attempts by sophisticated foreign actors that are seeking to cause political interference, sow misinformation and even sabotage critical infrastructure via subversive cyber operations.

Smart Home products are all the rage, and have been for the past couple of years, and for good reasons. Forget about the functionality, the usability, or the safety of it for a moment, and simply consider how cool it is to be able to tell a hockey puck sized smart assistant to "lock the door, and turn on the front porch lights" without even having to touch the light switch? It's awesome, and we don't blame any one who gets caught up in the excitement of it all.

We've all had our run-ins with fraudulent spam emails. They're one aspect existing in our increasingly connected world that is as ubiquitous as it is frustrating, and despite their oftentimes shoddy design and obvious tells-- they're still pretty effective at doing what they're meant to do.

Apple has long benefitted from a misconception that makes it seem as though their devices and products are far more secure than that of Windows or Android devices. While one could certainly argue that the "Walled Garden" of the App Store and software environment, as well as meticulous quality assurance make Apple products safer from a cybersecurity standpoint-- all devices have their flaws, and iPhones, MacBooks, and iMacs are no strangers to that fact.

Everything in the Age of Information has to do with data. Your cellphones collect it, the things you watch, listen to, or consume are tracked, your location is monitored and even the words you say are stored and used to try and target you with advertisements or product offers that marketers think are the most likely to convert to actual sales.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak upended our lives last year, we've talked a number of times about the benefits of remote working and telecommuting. From additional time with family members, more flexibility in scheduling, the ability to keep up on work and personal tasks, improved moods, productivity, and morale-- it's hard to deny that remote work has perks.

The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack this month has opened people's eyes to a new, terrifying reality; which is that of cyberattacks against critical infrastructure. These attacks have been forewarned by security experts for years, but the attack on the Colonial Pipeline is perhaps the first truly mainstream incident that has given people pause, due in large part to the material impact it had on the gas prices of those living on the eastern side of the United States.

Over the last year, people have gotten wise to the wondrous, all powerful air fryer. Even now, people love to talk about how easy they are to use and praise the quality of the food that is cooked in an air fryer. As with any such appliance or gadget, the collective obsession drives sales, both for personal usage, as well as fryers purchased as gifts for family or friends.

We've talked about app permissions on this newsletter before, largely because they are incredibly important when considering your own security posture, and also because apps are one of the primary avenues by which companies are able to harvest copious amounts of your data-- including precise location data, which allows companies to deliver personalized ads based on your geographical location.

Earlier this month, the tech world was buzzing with news of yet another major security incident: hundreds of thousands of organizations running on-premises Microsoft Exchange servers (including 30,000 in the United States) were discovered to have been breached using a previously unknown exploit-- giving the attackers, suspected to be a state-sponsored threat group, access and complete control over the impacted systems.