Practical guides for protecting accounts, planning security systems, managing access, preparing for travel and exploring security careers. Choose a task below, or browse dated historical coverage.
Accounts and devices
Smartphone Security: Setup, Recovery, and a Lost-Phone Plan
Secure your phone, check what is backed up, and prepare a recovery path you can use when the phone is missing.
Do Not Spam Lists: Registry Scams and Unwanted Email
Recognize false registry promises, choose when to unsubscribe or report spam, and respond to suspicious email safely.
Passcodes, Authenticator Apps, and Passkeys Explained
Compare one-time codes, authenticator apps, security keys and passkeys, then build an account-recovery path you can test.
Computer Viruses and Malware: Recognize, Respond, and Recover
Distinguish malware symptoms from evidence, choose an appropriate response, and verify recovery on Windows or macOS.
Secure Messaging: Choose a Channel and Verify the Recipient
Choose a channel for sensitive messages and files, verify the recipient, and check what happens to copies, backups and access.
Biometric Password Managers: Unlocking, Recovery, and Shared Devices
Understand biometric vault unlock, configure useful locking behavior and prepare a recovery route that survives losing a device.
Home, safes and cameras
Home Security: Assess Your Household and Compare Options
Prioritize entrances, lighting, alarms and cameras with a household assessment and practical questions for security providers.
Network Cameras: Secure Setup, Recording, and Remote Viewing
Understand a camera’s built-in web server, choose a supported access path, and verify recording, permissions and outage behavior.
Sentry Safes: Compare Protection, Fit, and Everyday Access
Compare SentrySafe protection claims, interior fit, installation limits and access arrangements before choosing a model.
Biometric Safes: Fingerprint Access, Backup Entry, and Protection Claims
Evaluate a fingerprint safe through exact-model instructions, enrollment, backup access, batteries, user removal and separately evidenced protection claims.
Small teams and encryption
Computer Security Policies for a Small Team
Build an enforceable policy with named owners, practical requirements, exception handling and evidence that the work is done.
Identity Management: Joiners, Role Changes, and Departures
Give people the access their role needs, verify changes in each application, and close the gaps that appear when someone leaves.
Managed Security Services: Coverage, Response, and Responsibility
Compare security providers using explicit service scope, a responsibility matrix and realistic incident scenarios.
AES Explained: Keys, Modes, and Encryption Claims
Understand what AES specifies, why its mode and key management matter, and how to question an encryption claim.
Secure File Transfer and Remote Administration with SSH
Plan an authorized SSH or SFTP connection, verify host identity, transfer files deliberately and maintain access over time.
Computer Forensics: Preserve Evidence and Plan an Investigation
Preserve useful observations, establish investigation authority and hand evidence to a qualified responder with clear records.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month: A Practical Four-Week Team Plan
Run a four-week awareness program with short practical activities, named owners and evidence of completed improvements.
Closed-Loop Change Management: Approve, Verify, and Close IT Changes
Connect change approval to implementation evidence, service checks, rollback decisions and a verified record of the final state.
Network Intrusion Prevention: Placement, Tuning, and Verification
Understand detection and blocking, choose useful traffic visibility, and verify rule changes without disrupting required services.
Camera Phone Restrictions: Write a Workable Workplace Policy
Define workplace photography rules by area and task, with clear approved uses, visitor handling, exceptions and review.
Security systems and access
Electronic Security Equipment: Plan a System and Compare Proposals
Plan electronic security around site needs, compare complete proposals, verify compatibility, and agree on outage behavior and acceptance checks.
Perimeter Security Sensors: Coverage, False Alarms, and Response
Plan perimeter detection around site conditions, verification and response, with acceptance criteria and a useful nuisance-alarm review.
Fingerprint Door Entry: Visitors, Permissions, and Outages
Plan a fingerprint door-entry and intercom system around resident permissions, visitors, safe exit, outages, turnover and biometric data handling.
Palm Vein Authentication: How It Works and What to Evaluate
Understand contactless palm-vein sensing, enrollment and matching, then evaluate error claims, user experience, fallback access and template handling.
Travel, screening and cargo
Airport Security: Prepare for Screening and Find the Right Help
Prepare for a US airport checkpoint using current identification and packing rules, assistance options and the right follow-up route.
Shipping Container Security: Seals, Handoffs, and Inspection Records
Map shipping-container custody, compare seal and handoff records, handle discrepancies, and understand the distinct roles of CSI and CTPAT.
Security careers
Airport Security Jobs: Roles, Requirements, and Applications
Distinguish airport-security employers, find an official vacancy, read TSO requirements, and organize an application around the actual announcement.
FBI Careers: Find Openings and Match Your Qualifications
Explore FBI career families, locate official vacancy information, map qualifications to evidence, and prepare a clear, truthful application.
Advisories and identification
Homeland Security Advisories: From Color Codes to Reading NTAS
Understand the history of US terrorism color codes and read an NTAS notice by its official source, issue date, scope, expiration and stated actions.
Fingerprint Types: Arches, Loops, Whorls, and Their Limits
Recognize arches, loops and whorls with fingerprint examples, understand image orientation, and distinguish pattern classification from forensic comparison.
Historical and specialist coverage
These earlier articles document products, announcements, policies and events from their stated publication years. Product claims, availability, employment information and legal or safety requirements need current verification before use.
Physical security, sensing and equipment
- Object Detection — Historical coverage, March 20, 2007.
- Personal Radiation Detector — Historical coverage, February 13, 2006.
- Rugged Thermal Acquisition Monocular — Historical coverage, November 30, 2005.
- Word Combination Lock — Historical coverage, July 6, 2005.
- ROV - Remotely Operated Vehicles — Historical coverage, April 12, 2005.
- Stun Light — Historical coverage, September 16, 2004.
- Robotic Camera Systems — Historical coverage, March 19, 2004.
- Maritime Security RFID — Historical coverage, July 30, 2003.
- Chemical Agent Monitor — Historical coverage, October 16, 2002.
- Civil Air Defense — Historical coverage, May 20, 2004.
- Cockpit Security - Cockpit Resource Management (CRM) — Historical coverage, January 11, 2002.
Digital security and organizational systems
- Security Acceleration Boards — Historical coverage, January 31, 2005.
- IMS : Intrusion Management System — Historical coverage, September 30, 2003.
- Integration Software for Homeland Security — Historical coverage, June 7, 2002.
Public institutions, careers and historical context
- FBI Trilogy Network — Historical coverage, March 28, 2003.
- Byte Wars — Historical coverage, 2001.
- Duck in a Noose — Folktale linked in the historical security collection; 2002.
- FBI Reorganization — Historical coverage, June 6, 2002.
- Homeland Security Office Employment — Historical coverage, June 7, 2002.
- Spying — Historical coverage, March 21, 2004.
- Part Time Airport Screener Jobs — Historical coverage, September 12, 2003.