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    FBI warns of public 'juice jacking' charging stations that steal your data. How to stay protected

    Vlad Teodor/Getty Images The next time you consider using one of those free charging stations at the airport, hotel, or shopping center, it would be in your best interest to think twice. The dangers of public USB charging stations are not new — there’s even a name tied to the act: “juice jacking,” and a product […] More

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    The best personal safety alarms of 2023

    Birdie+ features: Same pin-pull activation as the original Birdie alarm | 0.25 inches shorter than the original | Instant, 24/7 access to a Live Support Rep | Request and receive an “Excuse-to-Leave” call | Location sharing with emergency contacts | Six-month long battery lifeFollowing the success of the original Birdie alarm, the company recently rolled out a more compact, feature-rich successor, the Birdie+. The Birdie+ embodies the sleek look and fun colors of the original, and it has the same pull-apart pin-activated alarm function. But being 0.25 inches shorter, it’s even more compact. Unlike the 1st-generation alarm, the Birdie+ uses Bluetooth and an app connection (both for iOS and Android) to enable 24/7 internet connection with access to a live emergency support line. The line can dispatch first responders directly to your location or just remain on the phone with you until you feel safe as a precautionary measure. Additionally, you can request an “excuse to leave call” to swiftly remove yourself from sketchy situations while immediately sharing your location with designated contacts. With one discrete tap on the button, you’ll get an immediate pre-recorded excuse-to-leave call. The Birdie+  may have ditched the circular strobe light, but the tap-to-control button provides easy access to the live support features, so you won’t have to fumble through the phone app. The Birdie+’s upgraded connectivity does come at a price — on top of the $39.95 for the hardware, there’s an added $89.99 annual or $8.99 monthly subscription fee. If you ask me, however, it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind and on-demand assistance. It’s also worth noting that She’s Birdie says that the app subscription will activate 30 days after purchase. More

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    How to encrypt a file on Linux (and when you should)

    Getty Images/Javier Zayas Photography Your security and privacy have both become critically important. Businesses are not the only entities that have to keep sensitive information from prying eyes. You might have bank account details, contracts, wills, and other files on your desktop that should be locked behind a password, so only you can access them. […] More

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    Glitch in system upgrade identified as cause of delays at Singapore immigration

    A glitch in a scheduled system upgrade has been identified as the cause of immigration delays at Singapore’s Changi Airport, which only recently was again named the world’s best airport.Long lines were spotted Thursday morning at the country’s airport where travellers usually would not need more than mere minutes to clear immigration. In a series of posts on Facebook and Twitter, Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said it was experiencing “system slowness” at several passenger clearance checkpoints, including all automated departure lanes at all terminals at Changi Airport. Selected automated systems at the Woodlands and Tuas border checkpoints, through which travellers would enter neighbouring country Malaysia, also were affected.Immigration systems at coastal checkpoints were the only ones that were not disrupted. Passengers were advised to postpone non-essential travel and expect delays, as they would be redirected to manual lanes for immigration clearance. By 4pm the same day, automated immigration clearance at all checkpoints were back up and running.ICA said in a statement late-Thursday that preliminary investigations revealed a “technical glitch” had occurred during a pre-scheduled system upgrade, causing an “unanticipated system overload”. This brought down the automated immigration clearance systems, which affected all departure terminals at Changi Airport and arrival terminals at Terminals 2 and 4. ICA did not provide details on the system upgrade or whether the procedure was tested before the scheduled live rollout.Singapore Changi Airport earlier this month was named the World’s Best Airport for the 12th time at Skytrax’s World Airport Awards, which winners are voted by passengers. Singapore in recent years has placed emphasis on boosting the cyber resilience of its critical information infrastructures, including aviation, maritime, banking and finance, and healthcare. The country in 2021 tweaked its cybersecurity strategy to focus on OT (operational technology) and provided guidelines on the skillsets and technical competencies these sectors needed. The government had said this was critical to beef up the cybersecurity of OT systems, where attacks could pose physical and economic risks.Singapore defines OT systems to include industrial control, building management, and traffic light control systems that monitor or change the physical state of a system, such as railway systems.RELATED COVERAGE More