Cybersecurity

Should you root your Android Phone?

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Galaxy note 8

Rooting a phone means gaining access to some special settings within the phone which have been locked by the manufacturers.

As much as there is gain in rooting your phone, there is also the danger of your phone malfunctioning or even becoming unusable.

Ideally you should not have any reason to root your phone. From my own experience the positives are far lesser than the negatives. Also rooting your phone makes it vulnerable to all kinds of malicious and virus attacks. Your phone won’t run faster than it was when it was unrooted.

One reason why you may be tempted to root your phone is when you accidentally deleted a file and you want to recover it. Most apps you download to recover deleted files will ask that you root the phone. And at the end of the day even after rooting, nothing is found, but you have only unlocked your phone’s security features and are now open to virus and spam attacks.

As Google continues to upgrade its Android system, and the fact that apps can now do functions which before would have required rooting your phone, it has now become largely unnecessary to root your phone.

Most people who root their phones end up damaging it in the end.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t root your phone, but only if you have a genuine reason for doing so. 

If you are a developer of android operating systems, you can root your android phone because you want to get the very best out of it and you know what you are doing.

If you are not a developer, just a normal end user, then DON’T ROOT YOUR PHONE!

Just enjoy the phone capabilities as they are or get a better one.

Using Google Search

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Google search is a very sophisticated search engine. It has  undergone various improvements over the years. It is the world’s number one search program.

Knowing how to use Google search will greatly help on your quest for specific knowledge.

You can access Google search by simply typing google.com on the web address bar.

I assume you are using the mobile version of Google search. In the Google search page you will notice many options. The search or query bar is conspicuous. Under the search bar you will find options to change the language. 

Clicking the 3 horizontal line icon at the top left of the screen will lead to various search settings. On clicking SETTINGS you are presented with even more options. A notable option is the ability to filter out explicit results.

If you click Settings at the bottom of the page you will be presented with other search options including Advanced Search. In Advanced search, you will be given options to help you narrow your search to produce controlled or specific results.

When you type a query into the search bar. Results related to your search query are presented. You can narrow your research by  clicking on any specialized category  i.e , images or videos, located just below the search bar. So let’s say you want your search results to show images, just click on the specialized search category, Images.

You can also directly type a specialized search url in the address bar. For instance let’s say you want to check prices of laptop. Just type google.com/shopping then type laptop in the search bar.

You can visit a shop website or you can narrow your search by clicking images. So many options you can explore. If you are a student another specialized Google search you can visit is google.com/scholar.

Your Internet Safety Tips

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Browsing the internet is fun. But it can also be a source of nightmares. Below are things you should be very careful of when online;

  1. Be very careful how you publish your personal information. Be very private with your location, email address, phone number, date of birth etc. Make sure websites that ask for personal information are trusted ones that won’t misuse the information to bring you harm.
  2.  Be careful of images & videos you post. Make sure you examine and censor them before uploading online. Note that once online these things are very hard to delete.
  3. Make sure messages you post online don’t contain abusive, defamatory, hate speech and the likes. It can get you into serious trouble.
  4. If you are a blogger, be careful what you publish. Your integrity is staked on this. Always research, verify information or article before you publish online. You can be held liable for misinformation.
  5. If you make a friend online and want to meet the person physically, be security wise. It is advisable you do not go alone. 
  6. Avoid adverts that are too good to be true. Hackers use this trick to get private information such as passwords from victims.

Phishing

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Have you ever visited a website that looks like the original but on carefully observation its fake, if so, someone might be trying to steal your personal information such as login details.

What is Phishing

Phishing is a process of trying to find private information such as PINs and passwords by trickery. It is achieved creating a fake website and make the login page look like the original. On you inputing your login details, they are stored by the hacker and used for nefarious activities.

For instance if it was a fake facebook page that you entered your login details, the hacker will have access to your account and can use it to send unauthorized messages, adverts, close your account etc. If it was a fake internet banking login page; on inputting your login details the person may now have access to your account, view you credit information and even withdraw money.

What to do if you have been Phished

  1. Run antivirus software in your computer device
  2. Change the password of the affected account.
  3. If you cannot access your account call customer care agent .

How to prevent being phished

Check carefully the website structure/login page that it is exactly the original.

Ensure the web address uses https and not http.

Web browsers such a Google chrome may issue a warning if it suspects phishing.

How to Respond to Cyberbullying

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What is Cyberbullying 

First of all I will start by defining Cyber Bullying. Cyber Bullying is when someone sends abusive or insultive words or messages to you by electronic means. For instance, someone can send threats or  insultive words to your phone through your social media accounts such as facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Text message, Anonymous or non anonymous phone call and so on. Anyone can be cyberbullied, however this phenomenon is usually common among popular figures, such as sports men and women, politicians, religious figures and so on.

How to respond to Cyberbullying. 

The best way to respond to Cyberbullying is to block the person on the online platform which he/she uses to send those messages. For example if you are being bullied through a phone call you can block the  person’s number or numbers. This will prevent further calls or text messages from that person. Similarly, on online social networks such as Twitter and Facebook you can block any person from sending messages to you. The process is easy. All social networking sites have instructions on how to block and unblock accounts of people from sending messages to you.

If the Cyberbullying is done anonymously, or the person uses fake accounts to send messages, take a step further by reporting the situation to the administrators of the online plateform.

About Cookies

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HTML cookies are some kind of data that is stored on your computer/ phone through your web browser while browsing. Cookies stores information such as your browsing history, and other kind of information which make you have a good browsing experience.

One good thing about cookies is that it can help you to quickly fill form online on a website using information you have previously entered in another website.

Some people don’t like cookies because it records their browsing history or make some other people log on to a website they have previously visited on their computer because it auto filled the login details for them.

You can control how cookies work or even disable it completely. However disabling cookies isn’t recommended. Some websites may not even work at all if cookies is not enabled.

To control how HTML cookies work, visit the help page of your browser.

How to control Cookies in Google Chrome

Click the 3 dots icon at the top right of the browser window.

Select Settings.

Scroll down to the bottom and click, site settings, in the advanced section.

Then click Cookies, there you will be given options to control how cookies should work for you.