Wise Decisions Search Results

News: Why Is Linux & Other Open-Source Software Free?

Welcome back, my greenhorn hackers! As hackers, we often take for granted that nearly all of our hacking tools and operating system are free and open source. I think it's important to examine a bit of background on how we arrived at this intriguing juncture in the history of computer software. After all, we pay for nearly all of our other software (Microsoft, Adobe, etc.) and nearly everything else we use in life, so how is it that Linux and all our hacking tools are free?

Hack Like a Pro: Scripting for the Aspiring Hacker, Part 2 (Conditional Statements)

Welcome back, my greenhorn hackers! I recently began a series on scripting and have received such positive feedback that I'm going to keep this series going. As I've said before, to graduate from the script kiddie to the pro hacker, you'll need to have some scripting skills. The better you are at scripting, the more advanced your hacking. Ultimately, we are leading up to developing the skills to build your own zero day exploits.

News: Our Writers & Editors Pick Their Favorite Phones of 2019

One of my favorite perks of this job is the opportunity to try out all the big flagship phones each year. Whether it's rating their suitability for a particular use-case or just entering their specs into our comparison tool, we have to get our hands on all major phones released in the US. We pride ourselves on being fair in our reviews and roundups, but that doesn't mean we don't have preferences.

How To: Scan for Vulnerabilities on Any Website Using Nikto

Before attacking any website, a hacker or penetration tester will first compile a list of target surfaces. After they've used some good recon and found the right places to point their scope at, they'll use a web server scanning tool such as Nikto for hunting down vulnerabilities that could be potential attack vectors.

News: Samsung Galaxy S10 Review, 3 Months Later: All the Little Things to Know

The Galaxy S10 has finally been revealed to the masses, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. As the flagship to herald the tenth anniversary of the venerable Galaxy S line, the S10 has kept popular and familiar design elements like the immersive Infinity Display while employing new features like more advanced cameras to set a new standard for other OEMs to follow.

Hands-On: Hands-On with Spatial's Remote Meeting App on Microsoft HoloLens

In recent years, many software publishers have tried to sell the business community on remote meetings via VR, but if social media chatter is any indication, it hasn't taken off in a big way just yet. However, for some, the notion of holding remote meetings using augmented reality, a medium in which you're still directly tied to the real world and not closed off in a blindfold-style VR headset, might be the better solution.

How To: Listen to Radio Conversations on Android with an RTL-SDR Dongle & OTG Adapter

Everyone from first responders to hotel cleaning staff use radios operating in the sub-megahertz range to communicate, often without even encoding the transmission. While encoding and encryption are increasingly used in radio communication, an RTL-SDR adapter and smartphone are all it takes to start listening in on radio conversations happening around you.

Ranked: The 3 Best Gaming Phones

Mobile gaming still isn't on par with video game consoles or PCs, but we've come a long way from Snake. Modern games running on the latest smartphones boast downright impressive graphics—even more so when you consider how compact the system has to be in order to fit in people's pockets.

Ingredients 101: Selecting, Cleaning, & Storing Fresh Mushrooms

Eating vegetarian isn't just for vegetarians. There are plenty of reasons, health and economics-wise, to consider forgoing the meat for a meal or three. Rather than get deep into the world of fake meat (although there's many a tasty alternative to be found there, to be sure), you should consider getting to know your humble-seeming fungal friend: the mushroom. Thanks to their hearty flavor, cooks tend to treat mushrooms like meat, albeit one with its own unique characteristics. Mushrooms are e...

How To: Every Mac Is Vulnerable to the Shellshock Bash Exploit: Here's How to Patch OS X

Heartbleed, move over. There's a new bug in town, and this time it's also affecting Mac and Linux computers. It's called Shellshock (its original official title is CVE-2014-6271), and it's currently got a 10 out of 10 severity rating over at the National Cyber Awareness System. While some updates have been issued to fix this bug, they were incomplete, and your system is probably still vulnerable, as it has been for the last probably 20 years.

How To: Set Your Wi-Fi Card's TX Power Higher Than 30 dBm

Do you have an Alfa AWUS036NH Wi-Fi adapter that claims it can go to 2000 mWs, or some card that can supposedly transmit power over 1000 mW? If so, you may have run into problems setting your card's TXPOWER higher than 30 dBm, which is about 1000 mW. Well, I will show you how to break that barrier and go as high as you want!

How To: Set Up a New MacOS Computer to Protect Against Eavesdropping & Ransomware

While MacOS computers have been spared from some of the most famous malware attacks, there is no shortage of malicious programs written for them. To keep your computer safe from some of the most common types of malware, we'll check out two free tools. These tools can automatically detect ransomware encrypting your files and watch for unauthorized access to your microphone and camera.

How To: Tips for Preordering an iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max Before the Shipping Dates Get Pushed Back

Starting Sept. 13, you can preorder the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max from Apple, wireless carriers, and various e-commerce websites. However, unlike with Android smartphones, there is only one set of iOS phones that come out each year, so they're pretty hot items. That means being the first to get your hands on one could be a challenge, but we're here to help you out.