Assess and plan
A guide to the guides: reviewing training resources
Before you teach digital security, check a resource’s date, threat model, maintenance and licence. An old guide, or one written for a completely different audience, can mislead;…
Abdi Media
Abdi Media Digital Security Box
Practical, step-by-step guides to protect your accounts, devices, files and communications.
Topics
All guides
Phones and computers
A short set of first steps — supported software, a usable screen lock, unique passwords, disk encryption, updates and a backup you can restore — will reduce most everyday risks on…
Phones and computers
Android security: updates, screen lock and app access controls
On Android, start by checking that the phone still receives patches; then review the screen lock, where apps are installed from, and their permissions. Play Protect helps but is…
Assess and plan
Assessing physical monitoring tools: Haven and reliance limits
Apps such as Haven try to turn a phone into a room sensor, but alerts can fail and an unmaintained app becomes a risk of its own. The original Haven project is not steadily…
Files and information
Backups and recovery: copies you can actually restore
A backup counts only if you can restore it without the lost device or account. Syncing is not enough; keep extra copies of what matters, store at least one copy somewhere else,…
Communication
Communication and collaboration tool-resource guide
For communication and collaboration, decide what you need first and then check that the tool is maintained, what it encrypts and how recovery works. Installing every well-known…
Internet connection
Communication anonymity: identity separation and tool limitations
Anonymity means keeping an activity apart from your real identity. Encrypting a message or using a circumvention tool does not do that on its own. A phone number, an email address…
Assess and plan
Community physical and digital safety
A community is safer when physical and digital risks are planned together. Shared passwords, unlocked devices and no agreement about a crisis multiply the damage of a raid or an…
Internet connection
Connection-tool resources: browsers, tunnels and peer networks
An updated browser, few extensions and a tunnel downloaded from an official site beat installing several tools at once. VPNs, Tor and circumvention apps have different jobs; do…
Assess and plan
Detention risk: planning data, contact and responsible help
If detention or device seizure is a real possibility, carry less data, keep a backup elsewhere and agree a contact plan with someone you trust. This page is not legal advice, and…
Phones and computers
Device-protection resources: scanning, conversion and isolation
Start device protection with the operating system’s own tools. Several scanners at once and unknown hardening scripts rarely help; if you need isolation, begin with a separate…
Assess and plan
Digital security while traveling: less data, preparation and recovery
Before you travel, take fewer accounts and files, keep backups and recovery codes off the travel device, and check the lock and encryption. Avoid public Wi-Fi and unknown cables…
Communication
Encryption in 2026 still protects data in transit and on a locked device. What it cannot do is protect you from an unlocked phone, malware on that same device, or a contact who…
Communication
Facebook tool guide: accounts, audiences and relationships
Protect a Facebook account with a unique password, two-factor authentication and a review of devices and connected apps. Limit post audiences and tags, and keep a work page…
Files and information
File-tool resources: protection, publication and recovery
For files, encryption at rest, stripping metadata before you publish and a tested backup are three separate jobs. Choose a tool that matches the job; an undelete program is not a…
Communication
Google tool guide: accounts, mail, files and data sharing
A Google account unlocks mail, files, photos and often a phone backup. Protect it with a unique password and strong 2-Step Verification, review devices and connected apps, and…
Internet connection
How the internet works and where access is restricted
Opening a website passes through several stops, from translating the domain name to reaching the destination server, and the connection can be limited at any of them. HTTPS hides…
Communication
Instagram dropped end-to-end encrypted DMs: reassessing private messages
In May 2026 Instagram dropped end-to-end encryption for direct messages. The feature had never been the default, and DMs should no longer be treated as a confidential channel…
Communication
Instagram tool guide: images, audiences and account protection
Protect Instagram with a unique password, two-factor authentication and control over audience and tags. Since May 2026, Instagram direct messages have not been end-to-end…
Internet connection
Internet circumvention: choosing routes and assessing risk
A site that will not open is not always being censored. If blocking is deliberate, get tools only from official sites and do not trust random VPN apps from chat channels. A VPN…
Phones and computers
iPhone and iPad security: locking, sharing and account protection
Make an iPhone or iPad safer with updates, a strong passcode, a protected Apple Account and a review of app permissions. Stolen Device Protection and Find My help most people;…
Communication
Leaving X: community and archive planning
Before you leave X, download an archive, tell your audience more than once where you are going, and keep a contact path outside the network. The official archive is not complete,…
Files and information
Lessons from TrueCrypt: migrating from a legacy tool
TrueCrypt development stopped suddenly in May 2014. The lasting lesson is to leave unmaintained tools behind, not that an algorithm necessarily broke overnight. Move leftover data…
Internet connection
Let’s Encrypt made HTTPS certificates free and automated from 2015 onward, and encrypting a web connection is now the normal state. The lock only describes the path to that domain…
Phones and computers
Linux security: support, software and least privilege
Linux security depends on a supported release, updates for every way you install software, and less administrative access. Use official repositories, work as a regular user, and…
Phones and computers
Mac security: patches, FileVault and access boundaries
Keep a Mac safer by installing patches, turning on FileVault and reviewing app permissions. Store the recovery key away from the Mac itself, and protect the Apple Account like any…
Phones and computers
Malware and phishing: prevention and proportionate response
Phishing tries to trick you; malware is unwanted software. They are related but not the same. Pause before you act on urgent messages, keep software updated from official sources,…
Internet connection
Measuring censorship in India: bounded data and conclusions
Measurements of filtering always depend on vantage point, time and method. Studies of India in 2015 showed how limited data produce limited conclusions; do not generalize one…
Assess and plan
Multiple online identities: separation, recovery and anonymity limits
Separating online identities works only if you also separate recovery email, phone numbers, devices and payments. Changing a display name or opening a new browser profile does not…
Passwords
Password and second-factor tools: selection and recovery
A password manager and a second-factor tool do different jobs. Set both up with a tested recovery path, and at higher risk do not keep one-time codes only inside the same password…
Passwords
Password managers: choosing one, backups and recovery
A password manager creates a different password for each account and keeps them in an encrypted vault. Whether you choose a local file or a syncing service depends on your devices…
Phones and computers
Pegasus questions: evidence and responsible response
The 2021 Pegasus Project showed that NSO Group’s mercenary spyware had been used against journalists and activists, sometimes through zero-click attacks. A home antivirus will not…
Assess and plan
Physical information security: people, premises and continuity
Information security is not only digital. A screen lock, keeping devices out of other people’s hands, care with paper and USB sticks, and a backup outside the same building make…
Assess and plan
Private communication: choose channels, verify contacts and limit disclosure
Private communication depends on more than the messenger’s name. Weigh the encryption of that specific chat, who the recipient really is, who else is in the group, and where…
Files and information
Removing identifying information from photos, videos and documents
Before you publish a photo, video or document, review both the visible content and the hidden metadata. GPS location, an author’s name and leftover comments can travel with the…
Internet connection
Safer browsing: destinations, permissions and privacy boundaries
Safer browsing means an updated browser, checking where a link really goes, and giving sites fewer permissions. The HTTPS lock only encrypts the path to that address; it does not,…
Communication
Safer email: account protection, archiving and message encryption
Email is often the key to every other account, so protect the account first with a unique password, two-factor authentication and a check of forwarding rules. The HTTPS lock is…
Communication
Safer messaging: encryption, contact verification and group management
Safer messaging depends on the kind of chat, contact verification, group membership and where backups live. Signal and WhatsApp encrypt message bodies end to end by default;…
Files and information
Sanitizing sensitive information: deletion, reset and device retirement
Emptying the trash usually does not destroy data forever. Before you sell a device, back up what you still need and use a factory reset on a disk that was already encrypted, and…
Files and information
Secure file storage: encryption, recovery keys and unintended copies
Encryption makes it hard to read files on a lost device or disk, but it does not protect an open file or leftover plaintext copies. Treat disk encryption and file encryption as…
Communication
Signal and WhatsApp: comparison criteria
Signal and WhatsApp both encrypt message bodies end to end. They differ in who runs them, what metadata they keep, how backups work, how they use phone numbers, and who you can…
Communication
Signal tool guide: account protection, contact checks and retention
Signal encrypts messages end to end and does not store conversation text on its servers. Set a username, limit who can see your number, turn on Registration Lock and verify…
Communication
Social media: audiences, access and reducing disclosure
Privacy settings limit who usually sees a post; they do not turn it into a private message. Think about the harm if the content travels further, consider people visible in the…
Passwords
Strong passwords: create them, remember them, protect them
Use a long, unique password for each account and let a password manager keep most of them. Length matters more than extra symbols; memorize the master passphrase and your device…
Communication
Suspected account compromise: contain, recover and revoke persistent access
If an account may have been taken over, change the password from a device you trust, sign out other sessions, and review recovery methods and forwarding rules. Changing the…
Communication
Telegram tool guide: conversation modes, accounts and privacy
Telegram’s regular cloud chats are not end-to-end encrypted; use a secret chat when the text itself must stay between two people. Turn on the cloud password, limit who can see…
Assess and plan
The Dim Sum Guide: localizing security advice for Chinese-speaking readers
Localizing security advice for Chinese-speaking readers means rewriting it around the apps, stores and legal setting they actually live with, not translating a list of Western…
Communication
TikTok tool guide: accounts, audiences and sensitive video
TikTok is for publishing short public videos, not for confidential material. Protect the account with a unique password and two-factor authentication, refuse third-party app…
Passwords
Two-factor authentication: which method, how, and a recovery plan
Two-factor authentication protects an account even if the password leaks, but methods are not equal. Prefer an authenticator app or a passkey over SMS for important accounts, and…
Communication
WhatsApp tool guide: sign-in, groups, calls and backups
WhatsApp encrypts messages end to end, but the account is tied to a phone number and a cloud backup is encrypted only if you turn that setting on. Enable two-step verification,…
Phones and computers
Windows 10 support ended: planning a route
Ordinary Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025. The main path is an upgrade to Windows 11; ESU through 12 October 2027 is only a temporary bridge for security fixes. Without…
Phones and computers
Windows security: supported releases, active protection and safer sign-in
Windows security depends on a supported release, installed patches, Windows Security staying on, and disk encryption. Ordinary Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025; ESU is…
Communication
X tool guide: publishing, accounts and private-message limits
X is more a publishing network than a confidential messenger. Protect the account with a unique password and two-factor authentication, keep a contact path outside the network,…
Communication
YouTube tool guide: video publishing, channels and privacy
YouTube security is not separate from the security of the Google account behind it. Limit channel manager roles and, before you publish, look at what the picture, sound and…
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