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Ah, Defensive Computing, right up my alley 🙂
In the worst case, a cellphone may be able to use a satellite for communication. Its a new area with multiple competing systems/schemes.
https://defensivecomputingchecklist.com/satellite.communication.phpFor storing files in the cloud, be aware that some cloud providers can read your files, while others can not.
https://defensivecomputingchecklist.com/SecureFileStorage.phpAnd, my own list for power outages and emergencies
https://defensivecomputingchecklist.com/power.outage.phpGet up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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And you have to chose who to believe. In this case, it seems like an obviously easy choice, at least to me.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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Brother has denied the claims as documented at Ars Technica on March 5
Brother denies using firmware updates to brick printers with third-party ink
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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Agreed. I call this bad encryption, Apple calls it “Standard Data Protection”. Among the types of data that is always badly encrypted is iCloud mail, contacts and calendar. From the horse’s mouth here https://support.apple.com/en-us/102651
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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This is a bit more complicated than it seems at first. There are some types of data in iCloud that are never E2EE encrypted. There are other types of data that are always E2EE encrypted. Then, finally, there are about 20 or so types of data that can either be encrypted with good E2EE encryption or bad encryption, depending on whether ADP is enabled or not. I don’t know how many categories of data Apple has in iCloud but it is over 40.
More here https://defensivecomputingchecklist.com/SecureFileStorage.php
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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FYI – I have more on the subject here
https://defensivecomputingchecklist.com/death.php
One issue is that many companies have their own death related systems. Dealing with these systems strikes me as a bad idea. Another issue is that passwords change and accounts come/go, so however you give a trusted person access to your digital affairs, updates are needed over time.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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Brave and the Mullvad browser both have some defenses against fingerprinting.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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DNS is a likely suspect. To test if it is DNS, modify each browser. Go into the secure DNS settings of the browsers and set each one for a different DNS provider. Then verify that the browser is using that DNS provider here
https://routersecurity.org/testdns.php
Suggested DNS providers are here
https://routersecurity.org/DNS.providers.php
If a web page/site fails to load in each browser, when each is using a different DNS service, then DNS is not the problem and you can move on to another suspect. Browser DNS settings should over-ride OS level, router and SSID level DNS settings.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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Nothing is both more secure and easier to use. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Passkeys can never replace passwords, as there will always be a need for fallback method of logging on.
More on passkeys here
https://defensivecomputingchecklist.com/passkeys.php
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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Everyone today has to understand the rules for domains, or they are a scam victim waiting to happen. Educate yourself (and friends) here
https://defensivecomputingchecklist.com/DomainNameRules.phpGet up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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Steve,
You can verify the use of Mullvad’s DNS system here
https://mullvad.net/en/check
In your case, check all browsers with and without an active VPN configuration.The one time I tried Mullvad DNS, I found I was using a DNS server thousands of miles from my location. They were nice enough to respond to a question (I was not a customer at the time) about it, and its just the way Anycast works. That said, the important things about DNS are filtering and encryption, not speed.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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All ISPs are not the same, of course, but using DNS from your ISP is often the worst option. For one thing, running a DNS server is not their core competence. Plus, it makes it easier for them to spy on you. Finally, they probably do not offer a filtering service.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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As for not being able to change these DNS servers, be aware that the router from an ISP is only 1 of 13 possible sources for your DNS configuration. For the full list, see the long DNS explanation here
https://www.routersecurity.org/testdns.phpThe introduction of new secure DNS, a few years back, made this list much longer. Also, an active VPN connection always changes your DNS configuration.
OpenDNS is owned by Cisco and personally, I find it hard to trust Cisco. Many other DNS providers offer assorted filtering. Here are just a few
https://www.routersecurity.org/DNS.providers.php
As for manually changing Operating System level DNS configuration, note that Windows has two settings, one for Ethernet and one for Wi-Fi. On top of that, DNS can also be set for each SSID in Windows 11 (not in Windows 10).
And, as the person before me commented, most every desktop web browser now supports new/secure DNS (DoH or DoT) and my experience has been that the DNS setting in the web browser over-rides anything else. You can verify this using the many DNS testers in the link above.
As for “The modem supplied by Comcast has hard-coded DNS servers — 75.75.75.75 and 75.75.76.76.” Modems do not do DNS, routers do. The device being referred to here must be a combination modem/router. Yes, nitpicking, but still.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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