encryption

Mozilla quietly closed a privacy gap that broke one of the core promises of private browsing: push notification data from private windows was being written to disk unencrypted, potentially exposing sensitive content long after a private session ended. Background Private browsing modes are...

I switched from OneNote to a self‑hosted, privacy‑focused note vault and — after six months of daily use — I can honestly say I haven't looked back: the trade‑offs are real, but for anyone who values control, exportability, and end‑to‑end encryption, the payoff is worth the work. Background /...

Microsoft has confirmed that, when it possesses a BitLocker recovery key tied to a customer’s account and receives valid legal process, it will produce that key to law enforcement — a revelation that sharply reframes how effectively BitLocker protects disk contents in practice and forces every...

If you’re about to hand off, sell, donate or recycle a Windows PC, the right way to wipe it matters — not just to protect your privacy, but to avoid hours of post‑sale headaches for the next user. The sensible playbook is simple: migrate what you need, make personal data irrecoverable, and...

Fast Startup is designed to shave seconds off cold boots by saving a partial OS state to disk, but because it deliberately preserves kernel and driver state between shutdowns it can also hide faults, block other operating systems from safely accessing Windows volumes, and interfere with certain...

Microsoft’s BitLocker is getting a structural overhaul: Windows 11 will now support hardware-accelerated BitLocker, moving bulk encryption off the main CPU and sealing critical keys inside silicon to deliver major I/O and battery improvements—but the change also reshapes management, compliance...

Microsoft has begun shipping a hardware‑accelerated mode for BitLocker in recent Windows 11 and Windows Server releases, letting supported SoCs and CPUs perform bulk disk encryption in silicon rather than relying entirely on the host CPU — a change Microsoft says will dramatically cut CPU usage...

KeepSafe’s mobile-first photo vault is now straightforward to run on a desktop — but the path to a safe, usable PC experience matters more than the marketing copy. This feature explains what KeepSafe is, verifies its core security and privacy claims, walks through the practical ways to run...

Computeractive’s simple tip — storing small USB sticks in craft boxes to keep MP3-loaded sticks ready for a Bluetooth speaker — is one of those tiny, immediately useful ideas that deserve expansion into a full storage and workflow plan for music, diagnostics, backups, and daily carry. The idea...

Changing another user's password on a Windows 11 PC is a task most home and small‑business admins will face at some point, and doing it safely requires knowing which account type you’re dealing with, the right tool for the job, and the encryption or management policies that might make a reset...

Microsoft’s newest server release is already generating painful operational lessons: administrators who add a Windows Server 2025 domain controller into a mixed Active Directory environment containing older DCs can trigger widespread authentication breakage — machine account password rotations...

Remotely accessing a Windows 11 PC using Google Chrome Remote Desktop can be set up in minutes and gives a surprisingly powerful — and free — way to manage files, troubleshoot problems, or run applications from another device, but understanding the security trade-offs, configuration steps, and...

Microsoft’s free Windows 10 upgrade became a vehicle for a crop of convincing phishing emails that delivered file‑encrypting ransomware disguised as a legitimate installer, according to security researchers — a reminder that major platform announcements instantly become social‑engineering boons...

Open‑source software today offers Windows users a practical way to reclaim control, improve privacy, and boost productivity — and ZDNET’s compact roundup of “10 open‑source apps I recommend every Windows user try — for free” is a useful starting kit that does exactly that. Background ZDNET’s...

Microsoft’s refreshed Windows Backup now includes a built‑in, local PC‑to‑PC migration path that can move your files and many personalization settings across the local network during Windows 11 setup — making the leap to a new machine faster and less dependent on external services or paid...

The day-to-day grind of maintaining a sprawling Obsidian vault finally pushed one user to try a different path: they migrated thousands of notes into Joplin, and within weeks declared they weren’t going back — praising Joplin’s genuinely open-source model, straightforward sync options, and...

Factory-resetting a Windows 11 PC is no longer a mysterious or risky proposition — it’s a built-in recovery path that can fix persistent software problems, prepare a machine for resale, or simply give you a clean start; this guide walks through every practical option (including how to reset...

Enable and Manage BitLocker Drive Encryption in Windows 10/11 (TPM & Recovery Keys) Difficulty: Intermediate | Time Required: 20-30 minutes Introduction BitLocker encrypts your drive so that data on your PC is protected if the device is lost, stolen, or someone tries to access it by removing the...

CIFS is not a modern alternative to SMB — it’s the 1996 dialect of SMB 1.0, and continuing to treat CIFS as a current protocol in 2025 leaves organizations exposed to well-known security flaws and performance shortfalls. The choice for any Windows-heavy network today is not “CIFS vs SMB” as if...

Windows ships with a competent baseline of tools, but for users who prefer transparency, control, and long-term maintainability, the open-source alternatives on this How‑To Geek roster are worth considering — this article examines the nine apps the original author installs on every fresh Windows...