For many of us, the bog-standard, default router supplied by our Internet Service Provider (ISP) at the time we signed up for broadband was once enough.

However, in the past decade, the widespread adoption of mobile technology including smartphones and tablets, Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as smart lighting and security cameras, and the popularity of streaming services -- Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Spotify, to name a few -- are now causing our old routers to creak under the strain.

Each device we connect to our router demands bandwidth. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the need for speed, capacity, and reliability in the home router space now we are faced with the added burdens of working from home and teaching our kids remotely -- not to mention using the Internet for entertainment rather than venturing out of doors.

To keep our homes and remote work setups running smoothly now is the time to consider what type of router you need, for now, and in the future.

When you search for different options online, a plethora of features are available: Wi-Fi 5 / 6, mesh, voice-assistant supported, Ethernet and wired, mobile and LTE support, and more. While many features could be superfluous to your purposes, there are two main types of product to consider: a traditional router, or mesh network.

Also:Best mesh Wi-Fi system for the office or home in 2021 |Netgear Orbi 4G LTE (LBR20), hands-on: A versatile router with mesh Wi-Fi, mobile broadband and wired connectivity |Hands on with the Rock Space home mesh system: for anyone with poor Wi-Fi coverage indoors |TP-Link Deco M4 review: A reliable mesh Wi-Fi system on a budget

Mesh networking is a relatively new entry into the consumer market, so you would be forgiven to think it would automatically be 'better' than a standard router. However, a mesh network is an overkill for some.

A standard router acts as a central hub for Internet connectivity. Traffic and requests from devices granted permission to connect to the router -- usually through a password -- are funneled through one access point.

The benefits:

The disadvantages:

Also:Working from home has revealed tech's biggest failures. Here's what needs to change |Working from home: The future of business is remote |Remote work: 10 ways to upgrade your working from home setup

It is worth mentioning Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax. This is the next standard in wireless technologies and is designed to increase wireless device performance in comparison to 802.11ac. Some modern routers support this standard, and so could be considered when future-proofing your home office.

MU-MIMO (Multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output), too, should be kept in mind. Some routers use this technology to improve the speed of data transfer when multiple devices are connected simultaneously -- but not all.

While traditional routers are singular, centralized access points, mesh networking devices are decentralized. Instead of a device connecting to a single gateway to the Internet, mesh networks are created from multiple nodes that all provide web connectivity. For example, you could have a central 'hub' in the kitchen and then have satellite nodes in the home office, kitchen, or bedroom.

When you are trying to access the web while in the kitchen, you would automatically connect to the hub, whereas you would jump on the node while you're in your home office, and so on.

The benefits:

The disadvantages:

You need to decide whether or not the outlay for a full mesh network is worth it. In larger homes with dead spots, mesh networking can provide a way to immediately improve signal strength and coverage.

However, it can be expensive to overhaul your existing router setup, and going for a full mesh may simply be described as overkill unless you consistently have multiple users and devices competing for bandwidth.

There are some mesh network systems out there, such as Google WiFi, Nest WiFi, and eero which are relatively cheap to set up -- as long as you don't need too many satellites.

Also:Best Wi-Fi router in 2021 |Working from home 101: Every remote worker's guide to the essential tools for telecommuting

Before changing your setup, you should also consider your ISP package. If you're subscribed to a low-speed offering, new equipment is not going to necessarily help. Instead, package upgrades could be a better option.

If you are a sole user and need a stable, powerful connection -- such as for resource-hungry work applications or gaming -- a traditional router may be all you need. Wired should be quicker than wireless, and so investment in a simple Ethernet cable, easily picked up for $10 to $15, could be enough.

Wi-Fi range extenders, too, could be considered as an alternative to mesh if you just need to boost coverage in some areas, and will likely be less expensive than purchasing individual mesh nodes. Some vendors also offer mesh 'bolt-ons' such as Asus' AiMesh, which can connect up existing routers to create a mesh-like coverage network without ripping everything out and starting again.

However, mesh networking is here to stay and at a time when many of us are now in the home rather than traditional home offices, a mesh setup could be a future-proof investment. It's not suitable for you if you rely on wired connectivity and speed, but if you need to make sure dead zones and drops do not impact your working day -- and you don't mind the potential expense -- mesh systems are a worthwhile upgrade to your home equipment.

Have a tip? Get in touch securely via WhatsApp | Signal at +447713 025 499, or over at Keybase: charlie0

Link:
Mesh networking vs. traditional Wi-Fi routers: What is best for your home office? - ZDNet

Security researchers of the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a new method to track Internet users that is persistent across sessions, even if users clear cookies and the browsing cache.

The research paper Tales of F A V I C O N S and Caches: Persistent Tracking in Modern Browsers highlights that favicons may be used in conjunction with fingerprinting techniques to track users.

Favicons are used by site to display a small site icon, e.g. in the address bar of browsers that support it but also elsewhere, e.g. in the bookmarks or tabs. Favicons are cached by the browser, but are stored independently from other cached items such as HTML files or site images.

Users who use built-in functionality to clear the cache will have these cached files removed from storage but not favicons. In other words: favicons persist over browsing sessions even if the user clears the cache, and they are accessible even in private browsing or Incognito mode sessions.

Browsers detect and cache favicons of sites automatically, and sites may use a single line of code to specify their favicon.

A single favicon is not enough to identify users based on it, but the researchers discovered a way to plant multiple favicons in the favicon cache. The site does a series of redirects through several subdomains to save multiple different favicons in the cache. Each saved favicon creates its own entry in the cache, and all of them together can be used to identify users provided that enough favicons are saved using the methodology.

Redirects happen without any user interaction as everything is controlled by the site in question.

The researchers tested the attack against the Chromium-based browsers Google Chrome, Brave, Safari and Microsoft Edge, and found them all vulnerable to the attack. They did try the attack on Firefox but found a bug that prevented the browser from reading cached favicon entries. Once fixed, Firefox would likely be vulnerable to the attack as well.

The attack takes a bit of time according to the research paper, but it should be possible to improve the performance with optimizations.

We find that combining our favicon based tracking technique with immutable browser-fingerprinting attributes that do not change over time allows a website to reconstruct a 32-bit tracking identifier in 2 seconds.

The researchers suggest several mitigation and counter-measure options, all of which require that browser makers change favicon-related functionality.

Now You: What is your take on this new tracking method?

Summary

Article Name

Favicons may be used to track users

Description

Security researchers of the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a new method to track Internet users that is persistent across sessions, even if users clear cookies and the browsing cache.

Author

Martin Brinkmann

Publisher

Ghacks Technology News

Logo

Read the original here:
Favicons may be used to track users - Ghacks Technology News

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) Ugandas electoral commission announced Saturday that longtime President Yoweri Museveni has won a sixth five-year term, while top opposition challenger Bobi Wine alleges rigging and officials struggle to explain how polling results were compiled amid an internet blackout.

In a generational clash widely watched across the African continent with a booming young population and a host of aging leaders, the 38-year-old singer-turned-lawmaker Wine posed arguably Musevenis greatest challenge yet. The self-described ghetto president had strong support in urban centers where frustration with unemployment and corruption is high.

The electoral commission said Museveni received 58% of ballots and Wine 34%, and voter turnout was 52%. The commission advised anyone celebrating to remember COVID-19 precautions, but immediate reaction in the capital, Kampala, appeared muted. The military remained in the streets.

The top United States diplomat to Africa has called the electoral process fundamentally flawed.

Associated Press journalists who tried to reach Wines home on the outskirts of Kampala were turned away by police at a roadblock about 500 meters away. Wine has said he was alone with his wife and a single security guard.

Thursdays vote followed the East African countrys worst pre-election violence since the 76-year-old Museveni took office in 1986. Wine and other opposition candidates were often beaten or harassed, and more than 50 people were killed when security forces put down riots in November over Wines arrest.

This month, Wine petitioned the International Criminal Court over alleged torture and other abuses by security forces and named several officials including Museveni.

Wine claimed victory Friday, asserting that he had video evidence of vote-rigging and saying every legal option is on the table to challenge the official election results, including peaceful protests. Candidates can challenge election results at the Supreme Court.

Hours later, he tweeted that the military had entered his home compound and we are in serious trouble, which a military spokeswoman denied. Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, was arrested several times while campaigning but was never convicted, and eventually he campaigned wearing a flak jacket and said he feared for his life. Many on his campaign team are in detention.

While Ugandas president holds on to power, at least 15 of his Cabinet ministers, including the vice president, were voted out, with many losing to candidates from Wines party, local media reported.

Ugandas electoral commission has said Wine should prove his allegations of rigging, and it has deflected questions about how countrywide voting results were transmitted during the internet blackout by saying we designed our own system.

Monitoring of the vote was further complicated by the arrests of independent monitors and the denial of accreditation to so many members of the U.S. observer mission that the U.S. called it off. Another major observer, the European Union, said its offer to deploy electoral experts was not taken up.

Ugandas electoral process has been fundamentally flawed, the top U.S. diplomat for Africa, Tibor Nagy, tweeted Saturday, calling for the immediate and full restoration of internet access and warning that the U.S. response hinges on what the Ugandan government does now.

Museveni, once praised as part of a new generation of African leaders, still has support among some in Uganda for bringing stability. A longtime U.S. security ally, he once criticized African leaders who refused to step aside but has since overseen the removal of term limits and an age limit on the presidency.

He alleged repeatedly that foreign groups are trying to meddle in this election, without providing evidence. He also accused Wine of being an agent of foreign interests. Wine denies it.

The head of the African Union observer team, Samuel Azuu Fonkam, told reporters he could not say whether the election had been free and fair, noting the limited AU mission which largely focused on the capital, Kampala. Asked about Wines allegations of rigging, he said he could not speak about things we did not see or observe.

The East African Community observer team in its preliminary statement noted issues including disproportionate use of force in some instances by security forces, the internet shutdown, some late-opening polling stations and isolated cases of failure in biometric kits to verify voters. But it called the vote largely peaceful and said it demonstrated the level of maturity expected of a democracy.

Ugandas elections are often marred by allegations of fraud and abuses by security forces. The previous election saw sporadic post-election riots.

Excerpt from:
Uganda says president wins 6th term as vote-rigging alleged - The Associated Press

Many people are making the switch from WhatsApp to Signal. Many are switching because of the increased privacy and security that Signal offers.

But with a few simple tweaks, did you know that you can make Signal even more secure?

Must read: WhatsApp vs. Signal vs. Telegram vs. Facebook: What data do they have about you?

There are a few settings I suggest you enable. There are some cosmetic differences between the iOS and Android versions of Signal, but these tips apply to both platforms.

The first place you should head over to is the Settings screen. To get there, tap on your initials in the top-left corner of the screen (on Android you can also tap the three dots on the top-left and then Settings).

There are three settings on iOS and four on Android I recommend turning on, and a few others worth taking a look at.

While you're here, Always Relay Calls, a feature which takes all your calls through a Signal server, thus hiding your IP address from the recipient, might be worth enabling, but it does degrade call quality.

On top of this, I suggest that you tame notifications, especially if you are worried about shoulder surfers seeing your messages.

To do this, head back to the main Settings screen and go to Notifications. For Show, change to No Name or Content for iOS and No name or message for Android.

The iOS version of Signal also has a feature called Censorship Circumvention under Advanced, which is handy if you live in an area where there is active internet censorship happening which blocks Signal. If this does not apply to you, leave this off.

More here:
Switching to Signal? Turn on these settings now for greater privacy and security - ZDNet

Latest update on January 14, 2021 at 06:54 AM by Elisa Fierro.

Signal is a messaging service app that launched in 2014, and it's downloads have seen a boom in recent weeks following the announcement of WhatsApps new user data policy, which requires users to accept and share information with Facebook and partner companies. Signal however, works in the opposite way. Its priority is to ensure the privacy of users' conversations with encrypted messages, and as a result, millions of people downloaded the app in the last few days. In this article, find out how and why to use Signal as your new messaging services app.

In a simple word; privacy. Signal is an application developed by the same creators of the end-to-end encryption technology used by WhatsApp in recent years except Signal usage is different. All content sent in text or voice conversations is fully encrypted and neither the platform nor any other third party is able to view or store your data. That's why Signal's advertising is based on prioritizing the safety of users, who are free to share and write whatever they want without anyone monitoring or gathering their information.

The main poster boy for Signal in recent days was Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and recently named the richest man in the world. On January 7th, the entrepreneur Tweeted a message on his account that read 'Use Signal'. Musk's publication, which later revealed he had already made donations to the non-profit organization responsible for the application, was a response to the controversy involving the new WhatsApp data policy.

The terms of WhatsApp's privacy policy, which must be accepted by anyone who wants to continue using the application, were evaluated by internet security experts as a violation of users' data privacy, by allowing the conversations data to be shared with Facebook and other companies.

This combination of factors made the application available for Android users since November 2015, to have an exponential growth in the Play Store, having already surpassed the mark of 10 million downloads.

To set up Signal is as simple as doing it on WhatsApp. To begin, download and install Signal on your Android or iOS device. When opening the app for the first time, tap Continue after the introduction and then in the window that appears to confirm the granting of the access permissions and notifications. In the sequence, enter your phone number and country code. Confirm on Next:

A six digit code will then be sent by SMS to your cell phone to confirm the account creation in the application. You can also choose to receive a call with the code. Then, to complete the process, you will need to create a four-digit PIN that will ensure that only you can have access to the app, even if your chip is cloned or something happens to your phone:

Now, to start a conversation with a contact, touch the pencil icon in the lower right corner of the screen, your list of contacts will appear on Signal. Just select who will receive the message and send it. From there, the procedure is very similar to WhatsApp. The conversation will appear on the home screen of the app and you will receive notifications whenever there are new messages.

The app is constantly being updated and recently the option of voice or group video calls has been added. The app allows to send images, audio files and documents in the conversations as well as creating groups. Signal also has a dark mode.

Following the success after the changes of WhatsApps, Over 500 million people have downloaded the Signal app, you can invite friends to download the application and ensure secure and encrypted messages between you. On the initial screen, touch the three dots icon and then Invite friends:

Then type the message to be sent (or maintain the default) and select Share with contacts. In this mode, the invitation is sent by SMS and is associated with your phone contact list. You can also touch Choose how to share and send by WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram Direct, email, among others.

Because they are rival applications, there is no direct integration between WhatsApp and Signal. So, the best you can do is to send a link to the new group in Signal so that your friends can access it. To do so, open Signal, touch the three-point icon at the top right and then New Group. Select at least one participant, name the group and touch Create:

With the group created, open it and go to the three-point icon, select Group Settings, and tap on Group Link and share it to any of your WhatsApp groups.

More:
How and Why to Use Signal? Fully Secure Messaging App - CCM