If you're like many seasoned 'Netizins, you probably rely on some type of VPN to help ensure your digital privacy. Unfortunately, based on research conducted by Simon Migliano, you could very well be wasting your time.

Mr. Migliano is the head of research at Metric Labs and is a respected name in the industry.

Most reputable businesses don't deal in illegal copies of commercial software, but there have been a few reported instances. There's always the possibility that a cash-strapped individual that's eager to do additional work from home might resort to installing a 'cracked' free copy of a program.

If you were one of the people who decided to give a Microsoft Windows Phone a try back when the company was still attempting to get into the market, this is a reminder that the company plans to end all support for the platform by December 10th, 2019.  There's still plenty of time to switch to some other device, but the clock is ticking, so be sure you keep it on your radar and get a replacement at your next available opportunity.

Google has recently announced a trio of new features for Gmail users that are going into place immediately, and may in fact be available for use by the time you read this article.  Here are the details:

One of the first things you'll notice is a new strikethrough button, visible when you're composing.

This is just a reminder for anyone using Google Hangouts. The company is moving forward with its plans to discontinue the service, starting with GSuite users and then later moving to the broader consumer shutdown. If your company is currently making use of the messaging app for communications and you haven't begun making plans to transition to something else, the clock is ticking.

If you're like most people, no matter how careful you are when you surf the web, you seldom think to review the permissions browser extensions ask for when you install them.  It's just one of those things that's easy to lose sight of, and unfortunately, hackers are aware of this.

There's a new zero-day vulnerability in Windows 10 you need to be aware of.  As with all zero-day threats, this one is dangerous in the extreme, allowing a hacker to potentially execute code on your machine remotely.

It was discovered by security researcher John Page, and reported to the company via Trend Micro's Zero-Day Initiative more than six months ago.

Bad news is on the horizon if you're one of the surprising number of people still using Windows 7.  Microsoft is only offering one more year of free support.  As of January 14th, 2020, you'll no longer have access to critical security updates.

While support will end entirely for individual consumers, businesses will still be able to get support.

Last year, the FBI issued a warning regarding BEC (Business Email Compromise) scams.  Unfortunately, security professionals report that those types of scams are increasing in frequency, and worse, the most recent ones come with a disturbing new twist.

A recent court ruling handed privacy advocates a big, and much needed win.  Prior to the ruling, law enforcement officials were in the habit of compelling "persons of interest" to unlock their phones via their face scan or fingerprint so that investigators could examine it.