Tag Archive for: signal

How Aluminum Foil Can Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal

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This surprising hack could be the remedy when your Wi-Fi throws a buffering tantrum—but is it the real deal or just another tech myth?

Imagine that it’s a cozy Friday night at home, and you’re all settled in to binge-watch your favorite show. You’ve got your snacks lined up, your comfiest blanket at the ready and the perfect spot on the couch. There’s just one problem: Your Wi-Fi signal is dragging.

In this age of instant streaming and virtual meetings, all of us are sadly way too familiar with that dreaded spinning wheel. But what if I told you there’s a science-approved tech tip that promises to put an end to your Wi-Fi woes, and the solution is a household staple that’s probably sitting in your kitchen right now?

Yes, you read that right. Turns out, boosting your Wi-Fi signal is one of many fascinating aluminum foil uses you never knew about. To get the inside scoop, I asked an expert to explain how this trick works and even grabbed my lab coat (aka my pajamas) to test it out. Thanks to a strategically placed sheet of aluminum foil, you just may be one step closer to banishing sluggish internet connections for good.

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How can aluminum foil boost a Wi-Fi signal?

The way this hack works is shockingly simple. But first, you need a little background on Wi-Fi signals: They come from the antenna on your router, which creates the connection with your smartphone, computer and other internet-connected electronics. To reach all the devices in your home, these signals behave like radio or light waves, spreading out to cover every available space—”like a sprinkler head spraying water in all directions,” according to tech expert James McQuiggan, a security awareness advocate at the online security platform KnowBe4.

Unfortunately, this can make the signals less efficient, weaken the connection and be one of the reasons your internet is slow. Not only does it send Wi-Fi signals to parts of your home where you don’t need it, but it can also lead to dead zones in certain areas where the signals can’t reach or are blocked by large obstructions like…

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Signal debunks online rumours of zero-day security vulnerability

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Over the weekend rumours circulated on social networks of an unpatched security hole in the Signal messaging app that could allow a remote hacker to seize control of your smartphone.

The rumours, which rapidly spread further than the cybersecurity community into the wider public, claimed that the Signal encrypted messaging app contained a flaw related to its “Generate Link Previews” feature that could be exploited by hackers.

As someone once said, a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth has got its boots on. And the situation is even worse in the 21st century, where anyone has the power to post a claim on Twitter, and watch it be retweeted and reshared thousands and thousands of times before anyone takes the time to ask a difficult question.

Some people did bother to respond to the rumours, asking for more details or a source that would confirm there was an issue. Which seems quite reasonable.  After all, an encrypted messaging app like Signal is used by privacy-conscious folks who want to keep their communications secret.

However, in the threads I saw online, anyone asking for more details of the so-called vulnerability were fobbed off with “I heard it from a trusted source” or vague references to unnamed individuals within the US government.

In short, there were no real details of a zero-day vulnerability having been found in Signal at all.

And the idea that the link preview feature of Signal might be linked to the alleged vulnerability seemed unlikely.

Although it’s true that in the past other messaging apps have been found to reveal a user’s location through preview links, it isn’t the case with Signal.

Signal generates link previews (when the feature is enabled) before the link is sent to the other Signal user – not after.

In other words, disabling “link previews” in Signal (the advice being given in the erroneous warnings posted on social media) only prevents creation of link previews on your device, you are still able to receive them from others.

Earlier today, Signal posted a message on Twitter stating that it had seen no evidence that the vulnerability was real.

It went on to say that it had “checked with people across US Government, since the copy-paste report…

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After praising Moxie Marlinspike for Signal, Elon Musk and Twitter to partner with Signal for encrypted DMs- Technology News, Firstpost

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Mehul Reuben DasNov 23, 2022 12:44:04 IST

Elon Musk, when he took over Twitter, had envisioned that Twitter’s DM or Direct Messaging system would be one of the best in the world. In fact Musk had planned to revamp the way DMs function on Twitter and place it behind a paywall so that users can subscribe to a set of features.

In a recent all-hands meeting with the employees of Twitter, Musk reiterated the importance of encrypting DMs on Twitter, and how a former employee, Moxie Marlinspike wanted to work on the feature, but wasn’t really allowed to. He also said that “it should be the case that I can’t look at anyone’s DMs if somebody has put a gun to my head.”

Musk also praised Moxie Marlinspike and said that Twitter would not only start with encryption but eventually, become a better DMing platform than Signal. Musk also announced that Twitter will be partnering up with Moxie Marlinspike and a few people from Signal to work on their encrypted DMs.

Moxie Marlinspike, for those who are unaware, is one of the most prominent cryptographers and computer security researchers in the United States. After his exit from Twitter, he went on to co-found Signal, an end-to-end messaging platform that makes it impossible for snooping eyes to read or view messages or photos that are exchanged between a sender and a receiver.

Over the years, Twitter has kickstarted and then paused building encrypted DMs several times. But now Musk is set on rolling out encryption as a top priority for the vision he is calling Twitter 2.0. 

The first time around, it was Moxie Marlinspike himself who wanted to set up encryption for DMs on the platform. However, in 2013, he had to leave Twitter when the platform didn’t let him build the feature set. 

In 2018, Twitter again set out to set up encryption for DMs and had even bought a license to use Signal’s tech, but by 2019, Twitter reportedly had scrapped the idea again. 

American whistleblower Edward Snowden has reiterated his faith in the Signal app multiple times and says that he uses it every day. Snowden has been in favour of the Signal app since its inception and tweeted that he used…

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Hackers Use Telegram, Signal, Dark Web to Help Iranian Protesters

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Protesters against the Iran regime are getting a boost to aid their efforts from hacking groups who are using Telegram, Signal and the dark web to get around government restrictions.

“Key activities are data leaking and selling, including officials’ phone numbers and emails, and maps of sensitive locations. CPR sees the sharing of open VPN servers to bypass censorship and reports on the internet status in Iran, as well as the hacking of conversations and guides,” according to a blog post by Check Point Research (CPR), which shared five examples of the counterprotesters’ activities.

Telegram groups, the researchers said, include between 900 to 1,200 members, some of which offer a list of proxies and a VPN to maneuver around Iranian government censorship while another group helps protesters gain access to social media.

CPR noted the activities the day after protests began following the death of Mahsa Amini. “Specifically, hacker groups are allowing people in Iran to communicate with each other, share news and what is going on in different places, which is what the government is trying to avoid, to lower the flames,” CPR said. “As per usual with these uprisings, there are some hacking groups that are trying to make a profit from the situation and to sell information from Iran and the regime.”

Researchers specifically called out the Official Atlas Intelligence Group channel, a group with 900 members that uses Telegram to leak and sell data. They are “focusing on leaking data that can help against the regime in Iran, including officials’ phone numbers and emails and maps of sensitive locations,” PCR said, as well as “upsell” private information on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp (RGC). They are also offering a list of proxies to help protesters bypass censorship in Iran.

The 5,000-strong Arvin group is also using the messaging platform to leak and sell data. Its focus is “on news from the protests in Iran, reports and videos from the streets where the protests are in Iran,” CPR said. They also provide Open VPN services and report on internet status in the country.

Red Blue is another group with 4,000 members and is also using Telegram to hack…

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