General
Review of Quip's toothbrush as a service
This blog article is not advertising and is not a sponsored post. Quip is a new entrant in the competitive and packed electric toothbrush space. Unlike many of the larger bulkier electric toothbrushes, Quip is a sleek, shiny and well designed modern looking toothbrush. Like all modern electronic works of art, it comes in different colours, finishes and materials. It also has the seal of approval from the American Dental Association Seal of Acceptance. The ADA website explains it as "
Continuous authentication is the future
User authentication is one of the most important and fundamental building blocks of security. Authentication is built on username, password, token, biometrics or any combination of these. Regardless of the model, authentication is performed when the user starts his/her interaction with the target system. What do you do if you require a higher level of authentication? What if you need to make sure the user interacting with your system is always whom they say they are. This is where the concept of continuous authentication comes in.
Dramatic drop in the number of US Public Companies
Going public was considered the ultimate sign of success for any company in a capitalist market. It meant the company had succeeded and the founders and original investors could reap some of the benefits. Public stock also allows companies to raise money, use stocks as a means to acquire and much more. Would it surprise you to learn that the number of publicly listed American (USA) companies has declined dramatically? We are currently sitting at about half the number of public companies, compared to the 80s and 90s.
What is a Progressive Web App
Over the last 18 months, I have seen more and more sites prompting me to "Add to Home Screen" from websites I have been browsing. Then you add this site, it installs itself in the background and is now accessible like a native app from your smartphone. <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/0b9df6b222.jpg" alt=""> What I have just described is the wondrous workings of a fairly new technology called Progressive Web Apps. This technology (called PWA) works even when you are offline and behaves like a "
Tochka DarkNet Marketplace
It's been a while since I posted a Darknet website. I would like to introduce you to the Tochka Marketplace ( http://pointgg3pgee4gic.onion/ ) Tochka was launched in 2015 by Russian speaking devs. It offers the ability to conduct transaction without the buyers and sellers having to talk. Dead-drop transactions are available for more sensitive transactions. They also offer a "Buy It Now" option called "Instant Trade". This is a smaller marketplace and is less known that it's more popular (aka news-worthy) counterparts.
Ridge minimalist wallet review
<img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/6653596a06.jpg" alt=""> This is not an ad or sponsored post. This is an honest review. I have been a fan of minimalist wallets for many years, and my wallet of choice has been the HuMn Aluminium wallet. Ridge Wallet Specs Holds 1-12 cards without stretching out Blocks RFID (wireless theft) Replaceable elastic Backed by our lifetime warranty 6061-T6 aluminum | anodized black Weight: 2 oz | 86 x 54 x 6 mm
Tab complete on Linux
NOTE: Sorry if this is a more technical article and not for general consumption. Tab complete is the magic wand of any Linux magician and I am surprised every time I see users ignoring it. Shorthand for system commands Let’s say I want to type ifconfig, if I enter ifc and then press the TAB button, Linux will autocomplete the rest of the command for me <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/845b22731d.jpg" alt=""> This trick can work for any app or command.
Popular TOR site list
Previous related articles: Is TOR Private and Anonymous? Examples of Darknet (TOR) sites Why use Facebook over the TOR secure network Alternative ways to get the TOR browser What is Tor and should I use it The New York Times now available on TOR What is the dark web SecureDrop protects the anonymity of whistle-blowers The request I receive most often is from readers asking for links to “interesting” TOR (onion) sites.
Common hotel safety and security questions
When an operational security expert thinks about hotel risks, we typically group them in these buckets: physical security safety technological risk Travel security means you need to think about potential risks you may be exposed to and how you could mitigate them. What about room security? First, think you should do when you walk into any hotel room is walk around and identify all potential ingress points. Make sure that they are locked (windows, sliding doors, doors to adjoining rooms, etc).
How to make yourself an easier target for hackers
I've talked about different technologies to provide additional protection when working online (Chromebooks1, Chromebooks2, VPN1, VPN2, VPN3, etc.) The truth is that anything that is posted, shared, stored or connected online risks being hacked and leaked. Instead of telling you how to protect yourself, I want to share tips on how to make yourself a flashier and easier target for hackers. After all, why make their lives more difficult than it needs to be? Reuse the same passwords everywhere Reusing the same passwords everywhere is convenient for you and hackers.
Google's new Pixelbook ad is a hard jab at Windows
Windows is the most popular operating system in the world and Google will naturally target it, in an attempt to win new customers for its upmarket Pixelbook offering. Find more statistics at Statista January 2019, according to Statistica: Windows market share 75.47% MacOS market share 12.33% Linux market share 1.61% ChromeOS market share 1.17% Google released a one-minute promo video entitles “If you want a laptop you can count on. You Chromebook. “ .
Google One finally available to all US customers
I first wrote about Google One in May 2018, when it was still shrouded in secrecy. The new storage program with improved storage capacities was an invitation-only program until today (for US residents anyway). Per the original (Google Drive) model, storage is shared across all of the Google properties you use (GMAIL, Photos stored in full resolution, Drive, etc.) 100 GB for $1.99 200 GB for $2.99 (New) 2 TB for $9.99 (2TB for the price of 1TB on the old plan) 10 TB for $99.
US bans use of Huawei technology through Defense Authorization Act
US President Donald Trump has signed the Defense Authorization Act into law. Section 889 ( PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT) bans use by government agencies and contractors of Huawei or ZTE technologies. The language of the act is ambiguous and doesn't clearly list what technology is or isn't covered by the prohibition. “procure or obtain or extend or renew a contract to procure or obtain any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system” ZTE and Huawei should not be used to access government systems that display personal data, therefore it is safe to assume that most agencies and contractors will purge their networks of systems designed or that use these technologies.
OPSEC : What should I include in my bug-out bag
Search Google for "Bug-out bag," and you will get 137M results. YouTube has a 144K videos discussing it. A Bug-out bag (also called Go Bag, BOB, 72-hour kit, grab bag, a battle box, personal emergency relocation kit) is a small personal maintenance kit that would allow you to survive 72-hours when faced with an emergency. Most emergency agencies reconnect you prepare some kind of emergency kit. Emergency Preparedness Canada has a website dedicated to building basic bug-out kits. The US Department of Homeland security offers similar suggestions on their website.
How to fix issues at hotels, airports and other public WIFI hotspots
A captive portal is the intercept page you see when trying to log into most free public WIFI hotspots (e.g. airport, restaurant, hotel, etc.) You are normally shown a page that collects your email and then asks you to agree to the provider's terms of conditions. As browsers adopt more secure protocols by defaults (iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, iPad, etc.) there are situations when your device may not trigger the portal webpage correctly. The browser may block redirection to the portal page because it is typically transmitted using unsecured HTTP.
Find phishing and malware with a simple search
A very important function of any information security team is threat intelligence. Threat Intel can be a complicated and costly service in some cases but can be as simple a running a simple search in other cases. Here is a trick to get you started with the simple and cheap function. Did you know you can find lots of "fun" phishing and malware links using nothing more than a simple VirusTotal search? Search VirusTotal for Google Storage API (precooked link). Go down midway on the results page and voila.
2 secrets you need to know for Amazon Prime Day
Amazon Prime Day is here and expect millions of customers to go crazy buying things they don't need. At least those unneeded items are deeply discounted, right? Maybe! Thousands of items will be sold at their lowest price ever, but that isn't the case for everything. The internet is here to save the day again. A free online tool called CamelCamelCamel will show you the truth. You paste an Amazon link into the search bar at CamelCamelCamel and it will show you the item's price over time.
Google Chrome's Spectre Mitigation is consuming 10% more RAM
Google Chrome has always been a resource hog, but you may have noticed it's been consuming just a little bit more RAM lately (on your desktop). This new more demanding Chrome is because of the Google's Spectre mitigation efforts. The Google Chrome security team has enabled site isolation as a default (in Chrome v67 for desktops). Justin Schuh, head of Google Chrome Security, explained that site isolation separates each website process thereby preventing a malicious tab from stealing data from another.
Honest review or NordVPN
Recently I started seeing more ads for the NordVPN service. It seems some of you may be in the same position as I've received several emails asking me for my opinion about them. After a careful review, here it is. NordVPN is best described as a good "one size fits all" VPN service. You pay one fixed price and get full access to their network endpoints (1000+ servers in 57 countries) and the full available speed. TL;DR:NordVPN offers impressively fast VPN, good security and easy to use clients.
26 girls saved from exploitation by Twitter
The media is quick to publish reports about the "evils" of social media. Twitter is a favourite whipping target. Here is a little-told story about 26 young girls (aged 10-14) being saved from the clutches of human traffickers in India because of a simple tweet. Adarsh Shrivastava, a good samaritan, travelling on an Indian train noticed a group of young girls that seemed to be in distress. He twitted the train operator which was the start of their rescue. I am traveling in Avadh express(19040).