Jul 30, 2018 - This is the last post in my 4 part series, and it covers the 60 most important habits/hacks that I cultivated through 2018. These are tactical habits. 50 Incredibly Useful Life Hacks That You Probably Didn’t Know March 13, 2019 Life hacks are meant to simplify your life and according to its actual definition, it’s a strategy or technique adopted in order to manage one’s time and daily activities in a more efficient way.
Looking back at the first six months of 2018, there haven't been as many government leaks and global ransomware attacks as there were by this time last year, but that's pretty much where the good news ends. Corporate security isn't getting better fast enough, critical infrastructure security hangs in the balance, and state-backed hackers from around the world are getting bolder and more sophisticated.
Here are the big digital security dramas that have played out so far this year—and it's only half over.
Russian Grid Hacking
In 2017, security researchers sounded the alarm about Russian hackers infiltrating and probing United States power companies; there was even evidence that the actors had direct access to an American utility's control systems. Combined with other high-profile Russian hacking from 2017, like the NotPetya ransomware attacks, the grid penetrations were a sobering revelation. It wasn't until this year, though, that the US government began publicly acknowledging the Russian state's involvement in these actions. Officials hinted at it for months, before the Trump Administration first publicly attributed the NotPetya malware to Russia in February and then blamed Russia in March for grid hacking. Though these attributions were already widely assumed, the White House's public acknowledgement is a key step as both the government and private sector grapple with how to respond. And while the state-sponsored hacking field is getting scarier by the day, you can use WIRED's grid-hacking guide to gauge when you should really freak out.
US Universities
In March, the Department of Justice indicted nine Iranian hackers over an alleged spree of attacks on more than 300 universities in the United States and abroad. The suspects are charged with infiltrating 144 US universities, 176 universities in 21 other countries, 47 private companies, and other targets like the United Nations, the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the states of Hawaii and Indiana. The DOJ says the hackers stole 31 terabytes of data, estimated to be worth $3 billion in intellectual property. The attacks used carefully crafted spearphishing emails to trick professors and other university affiliates into clicking on malicious links and entering their network login credentials. Of 100,000 accounts hackers targeted, they were able to gain credentials for about 8,000, with 3,768 of those at US institutions. The DOJ says the campaign traces back to a Tehran-based hacker clearinghouse called the Mabna Institute, which was founded around 2013. The organization allegedly managed hackers and had ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Tension between Iran and the US often spills into the digital sphere, and the situation has been in a particularly delicate phase recently.
Rampant Data Exposures
Data breaches have continued apace in 2018, but their quiet cousin, data exposure, has been prominent this year as well. A data exposure, as the name suggests, is when data is stored and defended improperly such that it is exposed on the open internet and could be easily accessed by anyone who comes across it. This often occurs when cloud users misconfigure a database or other storage mechanism so it requires minimal or no authentication to access. This was the case with the marketing and data aggregation firm Exactis, which left about 340 million records exposed on a publicly accessible server. The trove didn't include Social Security numbers or credit card numbers, but it did comprise 2 terabytes of very personal information about hundreds of millions of US adults—not something you want hanging out for anyone to find. The problem was discovered by security researcher Vinny Troia and reported by WIRED in June. Exactis has since protected the data, but it is now facing a class action lawsuit over the incident.
Cloud leaks pop up regularly, but data exposures can also occur when software bugs inadvertently store data in a different format or location than intended. For example, Twitter disclosed at the beginning of May that it had been unintentionally storing some user passwords unprotected in plaintext in an internal log. The company fixed the problem as soon as it found it, but wouldn't say how long the passwords were hanging out there.
After the revelation of a data exposure, organizations often offer the classic reassurance that there is no evidence that the data was accessed improperly. And while companies can genuinely come to this conclusion based on reviewing access logs and other indicators, the most sinister thing about data exposures is that there's no way to know for sure what exactly went down while no one was watching.
Under Armour
Hackers breached Under Armour's MyFitnessPal app in late February, compromising usernames, email addresses, and passwords from the app's roughly 150 million users. The company discovered the intrusion on March 25 and disclosed it in under a week—some welcome hustle from a large company. And it seems Under Armour had done a good enough job setting up its data protections that the hackers couldn't access valuable user information like location, credit card numbers, or birth dates, even as they were swimming in login credentials. The company had even protected the passwords it was storing by hashing them, or converting them into unintelligible strings of characters. Pretty great, right? There was one crucial issue, though: Despite doing so many things well, Under Armour admitted that it had only hashed some of the passwords using the robust function called bcrypt; the rest were protected by a weaker hashing scheme called SHA-1, which has known flaws. This means that attackers likely cracked some portion of the stolen passwords without much trouble to sell or use in other online scams. The situation, while not an all-time-worst data breach, was a frustrating reminder of the unreliable state of security on corporate networks.
One to Watch: VPNFilter
At the end of May, officials warned about a Russian hacking campaign that has impacted more than 500,000 routers worldwide. The attack spreads a type of malware, known as VPNFilter, which can be used to coordinate the infected devices to create a massive botnet. But it can also directly spy on and manipulate web activity on the compromised routers. These capabilities can be used for diverse purposes, from launching network manipulation or spam campaigns to stealing data and crafting targeted, localized attacks. VPNFilter can infect dozens of mainstream router models from companies like Netgear, TP-Link, Linksys, ASUS, D-Link, and Huawei. The FBI has been working to neuter the botnet, but researchers are still identifying the full scope and range of this attack.
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SecurityHow to Protect Yourself After a Massive Corporate Hack
It seems like every time you turn around there's a new breach of personal information. Follow these steps to minimize the damage.
You may not know this... but there are several websites and technology-related tips and tricks out there that can totally simplify your daily routine and make your life much easier in general.
For instance, Apple's charging cords for iOS devices and Macs tend to fray after a few years of wear, which means you'll have to spend money every few years to replace them (unless you don't care about them catching fire and ruining everything you own and love). Well, we know a nifty hack that'll prevent your Apple cords from fraying in the first place. We're not even kidding.
In fact, we know 52 different hacks - and every single one of them will either blow your mind or make you wonder how you ever survived this long without them.
Improve your WiFi signal
If you're finding your home WiFi is a bit flakey, then it might be because you're getting some interference from your neighbour's WiFi overlapping with yours. The Wifi Analyzer app may be the answer to your woes. This app scans frequencies and makes recommendations on the optimal channels to use on your network to avoid overlap. The result is faster WiFi with far less hassle.
Download YouTube videos
You can download any YouTube video just by typing 'ss' before the 'youtube' part of a video's URL link in your address bar. Here's an example for Justin Bieber's Sorry music video:
Original - www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRh_vgS2dFE
Download - www.ssyoutube.com/watch?v=fRh_vgS2dFE
Not only can you choose from different file types but also any resolution up to the original quality. Just remember downloading copyrighted content from the internet is illegal.
Proof your writing with ease
If you're writing an essay or a long bit of content and need some proofreading, using Google Translate is one easy solution. Simply input your text and click the speaker to hear it read aloud. This will help you easily find errors in your work and check it makes sense.
Find 'nearby' Wikipedia pages
Ever want to know more about your neighbourhood? Wikipedia has a Nearby tool that surfaces a host of different pages about places and things nearby you. Just go to this site, give your permission for it to access your location, then you’ll see a list of Wikipedia articles based on where you are located. Amazeballs.
Search YouTube without going to YouTube
Searching YouTube has never been easier than it is with this trick: when using the Google Chrome browser, you can type YouTube.com into your address bar, then hit tab, and search YouTube directly from your address bar. Gone are the days of actually going to YouTube to find something.
This little trick also works with other sites too. You can search Amazon, Netflix, even Pocket-lint right from your address bar.
View a 'TV' version of YouTube from your desktop
We all love a distraction-free, clutter-free viewing experience when using the web from a desktop computer. Well, you'll be glad to know YouTube has a 'TV' desktop site that lets you play videos without seeing all the junk on normal YouTube pages, such as comments. Just go here to access it.
Shortcut for pausing a YouTube video
We think little tricks are fun, too. For instance, when you press K or spacebar while watching a video on YouTube, it will pause or play the video. How neat is that? And it works regardless of where you clicked last on the page.
There are other shortcut keys too:
- Press J to rewinds 10 seconds
- Press L to fast-forward 10 seconds
- F puts you into full-screen
- Home takes you to the start of the video
- M mutes the sound
- Up and down arrows turn the volume up and down
Hide people on Twitter without blocking them
Twitter's mute button is a little-known trick that is severely understated. It allows you to keep following an account but hides its tweets and retweets from your timeline.
It's a simple way to rid a person from your Twitter without unfollowing them and thus offending them. They'll never know when you mute them! Just click on the settings menu to the right of someone's profile, and then select mute. Easy peasy.
Remotely log out of Facebook
Privacy tips are always worth a mention, especially when it comes to Facebook, considering everyone and their mother uses the social network. Have you ever checked Facebook on a strange device and then realised you forgot to log out?
Never fear - you can log out still, remotely. Go to the 'settings' drop-down menu on your Facebook, then select 'security', and navigate to 'when you’re logged in'.
From there, you can see all open sessions and close any of them.
Get back to the Apple TV home screen...quickly!
Have you ever found yourself clicking through stuff to watch and realised you were 30 menus deep? Well, you're not alone, but instead of clicking the menu button on the remote a bunch of times to get back to the Apple TV home screen (like most people do), just long-press a single button. The menu button, actually. It's so obvious.
Now you can avoid getting the dreaded thumb-cramp.
Take a selfie with your Apple headphones
Your Apple headphones double as an iPhone camera remote. To take a picture using your headphones, aim your phone, and then push the + button on your Apple earbuds remote while the camera app is open. You can also use the play/pause button in the middle of the remote to start/stop recording video when in video mode.
Stream audio from Safari while using other apps
You can stream audio from websites (like YouTube or Soundcloud) in the background while using other mobile apps. All you have to do is play the song or video in Safari, then go to your homescreen, and swipe up from the bottom to access the Control Center. From there, press play. You'll then be free to multitask.
Use Preview to create a digital signature
If you have a digital document you have to sign, now is the time to finally use the Preview app on Mac. Instead of printing off the documenting to sign, you can open the Tools menu in Preview, then choose Annotate > Signature > Manage Signatures, and a Signature Capture dialog box will appear. Simply use your mouse to draw a signature you can save/insert into any document.
Use Spotlight search as a calculator
You'll never have to use a calculator again with this trick - so long as you own a Mac: Use command (⌘) + space to perform quick calculations in Spotlight search.
Use emoji on desktops
If you thought emoji were limited to mobile devices, think again. You can use them on desktop, too.
For Mac: Press control+command+spacebar to get the emoji menu.
For PC: The latest version of Chrome has an emoji menu. Simply right-click anywhere you can type and click 'Emoji' in the menu to access all the available emojis.
DIY cord/cable holder
LEGO mini-figs are perfectly shaped to hold your Apple lightning cords and other cables. Just stick a LEGO brick on your work desk, then attach a mini-fig, and run your cords through its hands. Yeah, you can thank us later.
Quickly dial back your last caller
Want to call back the last number you dialled or received a call from? The quickest way is to hit the call button on your phone. It'll dial back their number. There's no need to access your contacts or call lists.
Never hit the full stop key again
Who knew you never actually have tap the full stop key on a smartphone? All you have to do is hit the space bar twice for a full stop, and the next letter will be automatically capitalised too. If you're using a custom keyboard like Swiftkey, then you can program it to do other clever things like predicting your sentence too.
Use your keyboard to scroll on webpages
This trick might be well-known, but we thought it was still worth including: Use the space bar to scroll down on any webpage. You can even hold the shift key and the space bar at the same time to scroll up.
Easily look up word definitions on your Mac
Macs have a handy shortcut that'll let you look up word definitions in a split second. To look up a definition, highlight any word you see, then press command+control+D, and a dialogue box with the info will appear.
Spelling, grammar and definition help
If you'd like a little extra help when writing online, then we'd highly recommend Grammarly. This tool gives you tips and suggestions for grammar, spelling and general sentence construction whatever you're doing on the web.
You can even double-click a word to highlight it and get suggested other words to use instead. There's a Google Chrome plugin to ensure you can easily edit text whatever website you're on. And it's free!
Your headphones double as a mic
Need a microphone but don't want to spend money on one? Easy.
Grab any pair of headphones lying around, then plug them into the microphone jack, and start talking. This isn’t exactly secret knowledge, but if you don't know about it, we think it'll blow your mind. Of course the quality isn't amazing, but you can't have it all.
DIY cord protector
This is that hack we mentioned earlier for preventing your Apple charging cables and other cords from fraying: Grab the spring out of a ballpoint pen, then stretch it and wrap it around the part of the cord that tends to bend, and it'll keep it straight forever, thus stopping it from wearing down over years.
Quickly re-open a closed tab
If you just accidentally closed an important tab in your browser, you can easily re-open it by pressing command+shift+t on a Mac or control+shift+t on Windows PC. This can be used multiple times too, so keep pressing to open all the tabs you've closed recently. It even works after you've entirely closed and re-opened your browser too.
Find direct download links to music
To find a direct download link for music, search '[album or song name] -inurl:(htm|html|php|pls|txt) intitle:index.of 'last modified' (mp3|wma|aac|flac)'.
It tells Google to show webpages that offer direct download links to the music you're trying to find. Here's an example for the album Straight Outta Compton:
Google search this phrase: straight outta compton -inurl:(htm|html|php|pls|txt) intitle:index.of 'last modified' (mkv|mp4|avi)
Click one of the top links, such as this one, to get direct download links for the songs in the album.
Just remember downloading copyrighted content from the internet is illegal. You're better off just using Spotify.
Find direct download links to movies
To find a direct download link to a movie, search '[movie name] -inurl:(htm|html|php|pls|txt) intitle:index.of 'last modified' (mkv|mp4|avi)'.
It tells Google to show webpages that offer direct download links to the movie you're trying to find. Here's an example for A Clockwork Orange:
Google search this phrase: A Clockwork Orange -inurl:(htm|html|php|pls|txt) intitle:index.of 'last modified' (mkv|mp4|avi)
Click one of the top links, such as this one, to get direct download links for the movie.
Just remember that downloading copyrighted content from the internet is illegal. You're better off using Netflix, Amazon Prime or other video streaming service.
Know the best time to pee during a movie
This one is just plain funny... Download the RunPee app to your iOS, Android, or Windows device, and it'll tell you the best time to go to the bathroom while watching any movie so you won't miss an amazing scene or plot twist.
Find the cheapest place to stream a movie from
For those of you who are cable-cutters, you'll love this site: CanIStream.It tells you where any movie is available to stream - and at the lowest price too.
No internet? Play a game
When your internet connection goes out and the Google Chrome browser gives you an error page, press the spacebar to start a T-Rex game. At least you won't be bored while you wait to get online again. If you find your internet returns and ruins your game, no need to worry, you can carry on online here.
Google can help you study
Whenever you need to study for an important exam in college or high school, just google 'site:edu [subject] exam', and then you'll get links to tonnes of sample exams with solutions and everything.
Here's an example:
Google search this exact phrase: site:edu python exam
Click one of the top links, such as this one, to see a practice test.
Convert Wiki pages into books
You can render any Wikipedia page electronically in PDF, ZIM or OpenDocument format, or ordered as a printed book. This page shows you how to create a book from Wikipedia articles in four steps.
Use Google to find your Android
Google offers an Android device manager that lets you find a lost or stolen device, but you can also Google 'find my phone' to locate your Android device. Just remember you must be logged into the Google account associated with your Android.
Text mobile devices via email
Don't own a smartphone? Well, that's weird.
But anywho, you can still text mobile phones from your desktop. All you need is an email account and a person's phone number and carrier information. From there, use this site to look up the email address associated with their carrier. Just be sure to add their phone number to the address, and then you'll have an email address for them that you can send texts to from your desktop.
Get coupon codes with Honey
Download the Honey add-on extension to your Chrome browser to instantly begin saving money. It automatically applies coupon codes during checkout at any online retailer. Woohoo!
Save money on Amazon with CamelCamelCamel
Here's another money-saving tip: If you use Amazon a lot, make sure you start taking advantage of a website called camelcamelcamel.com. It tracks products for you and alerts you when prices drop. It's also a great way to check whether something that's on sale is actually a good price or whether it's been cheaper before.
Convert YouTube videos to GIFs
Want to convert any YouTube video into a GIF? Just add gif before youtube in the URL link in your address bar. Here's an example:
Original video - www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OVg8uov78I
GIF download - www.gifyoutube.com/watch?v=_OVg8uov78I
See if your email is involved in a data breach
Again, we love privacy tips. We're sure you do too. There's a brilliant website known as HaveIBeenPwned.com. This site simply monitors your email address to alert you if and when it is compromised in a data breach. This works retrospectively too.
Any publicly revealed hack that includes your email address will be highlighted with this tool. If you check it and find your email in any of the lists, we'd highly recommend changing your passwords and using a password manager to keep things secure in future.
Easily close any online account
It's sometimes super annoying to close online accounts, as services will bury the option under settings and help menus. Well, say hello to a website called AccountKiller.com. It gives step-by-step guides on how to delete online accounts from popular websites with ease.
Find the perfect username
Want to check whether a username is taken or available on popular sites? Just use Namechk.com. It even checks domain names.
Browse safely by checking sites first
Before visiting a suspicious site, Google 'safebrowsing: [website name]', and then select the link to this site to see a 90-day history of malware attempts on the site. Here's an example:
Google search this exact phrase: safebrowsing: Pocket-lint
Click the one for Google's Safe Browsing tool, and you should see this.
Go to bed at the ideal time
If you're an insomniac, you'll love a website called sleepyti.me. It helps you to calculate the best time to go to bed and wake up for optimal sleep. The idea is that waking up in the middle of a sleep cycle leaves you feeling tired and groggy, but waking up in between cycles keeps you refreshed and alert.
This site works it all out for you - so you can wake up between cycles.
Determine how long a book will take to read
Those of you who are super efficient would probably like to know how long it'll take you to get through a specific book before you sit down to start reading it.
Well, a website called HowLongToReadThis.com actually estimates the time required to read any book. And it's very accurate too, in our tests anyway.
Watch age-restricted YouTube videos without logging in
There is a way to watch any age-restricted YouTube video without signing into your account. Just add 'nsfw' before 'youtube' in the URL link in your address bar.
Here's an example:
![Best Best](/uploads/1/2/4/8/124872115/301978390.png)
Original video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LZM3_wp2ps
Non-restricted version: www.nsfwyoutube.com/watch?v=6LZM3_wp2ps
Find your password
If you've asked Google Chrome to save your passwords at any point, then you can access that password via the browser's settings. The easiest way to get to the setting is by typing this into your browser's address bar - chrome://settings/passwords. Then you can reveal the password for any site to use elsewhere.
Use WhatsApp on the web
WhatsApp isn't limited to your mobile phone.
There's a web app that syncs everything from your phone. If you have the Chrome browser installed on your computer, go to the WhatsApp Web page, scan the QR code, and follow the instructions for your phone.
Use Google to set a timer
If you need to keep track of the timer or have an alarm go off in a while to remind you to do something, the Google's there to help. Simply type 'start a timer' into the search engine to do just that.
Edit an online image in MS Paint
If you want to edit an image in paint, you can copy it or save it from the web. But did you know you can just copy the image URL and 'open' it in Paint by pasting the URL directly into the filename box in the open window? This will save a few seconds of tweaking for sure.
Boost your tunes
If your smartphone's speakers aren't up to scratch or you need a little more volume to your morning alarm to help you get out of bed, then here's an easy solution. Pop your phone in a cup and that'll act to enhance the sound giving you the impression of more volume.
Turn an old phone into a dashcam
If you've got an old phone just lying around gathering dust, then you could put it to better use by using it as a dashcam. With a good charging cable, screen mount and a dedicated dashcam app you can create a brilliant dashcam device for very little money. See a great guide here.
Fix just about everything with Sugru
If you have a fraying power cable that needs some love and care, then Sugru is the answer. This Play-Doh-esque mouldable glue that can be used for a variety of fixes including covering wires. There are plenty of other uses for Sugru too, whether fixing or improving household items. We'd highly recommend having a look at the list of ideas.
Turn your old phone into a security camera
Much like the hack for turning disused phones into Dashcams, you can also use an old phone as a smart home camera alternative. With a simple app called Manything, you can put the old device to new use. CNET has a full tutorial on how to do this.
Create a WiFi QR code for your guests
This hack is a two-step process, but it's worth doing. By the end, you'll never have to give out your WiFi password again. First, visit this site and use it to create a unique QR code based on your network details. Then visit Etsy for a QR code cross stitch to really add a touch of class to the whole thing. Mounted in a frame, it'll be something special for sure.