Short, step-by-step walkthroughs from four decades of building and securing real networks — each with a way to check it worked and the mistakes to avoid.
Two critical PHP flaws are already being exploited, and a Brotli decompression bug puts Node.js and other software at risk. Here's how to find every affected server, update it, and confirm the fix is live.
A stolen password is enough to take over an email account, and the email account can reset everything else. Two-step sign-in stops most of these takeovers. Here's how to set it up on the accounts that matter for everyone in your household, with backup codes for the day a phone gets lost.
When someone leaves, their accounts often don't. Old logins, shared passwords and forgotten cloud services are a common way in for attackers and unhappy ex-staff. A one-page checklist closes every door on the last day, without losing the work they leave behind.
Bookkeeping falls behind because matching statements to your books is slow. Put your Wave export and every bank and card statement in one folder, and Claude can find everything that doesn't match, then make the fixes in Wave through Chrome while you answer its questions and approve each step.
When a router or firewall dies, or a change goes wrong, the fastest fix is a known-good configuration. Keeping network configs in Git gives you nightly backups, a history of every change, and a first step toward Infrastructure as Code.
Your router is the front door to every device in your home, and many are still running on factory settings. Six changes, about 20 minutes, close the doors attackers try first.
Remote desktop and other admin ports left open to the internet are one of the most common ways ransomware gets in. Here is how to find them, move remote access behind a VPN with per-person sign-in, and close the ports for good.
Reused and shared passwords are behind a large share of break-ins. A business password manager fixes both, and a small team can be up and running in an afternoon. Here's how to choose one, roll it out and keep it working.
Most break-ins still start with one convincing email. Five quick checks catch the large majority of them, and if you've already clicked, here is exactly what to do next.
Firewalls collect stale and overly broad rules over the years, and each one quietly widens what an attacker can reach. Here is a safe, step-by-step way to find them and remove them without breaking what people rely on.
Eight quick checks that catch the gaps behind most small-business break-ins: email without two-step sign-in, reused passwords, missed updates, an exposed router and untested backups. No special tools needed.
Most people find out their backups don't work on the day they need them. Three copies, on two devices, with one offsite, plus a regular restore test, means a dead drive, theft or ransomware costs you an afternoon, not your files.
Smart TVs, cameras and plugs are the least-updated computers in your home. Moving them to a separate Wi-Fi network takes about 30 minutes and keeps a hacked gadget away from your laptops, phones and files.