Apple iCloud offers end-to-end encryption for certain types of data including Maps searches and Siri information. To use it, though, you’ll first need to have two-factor authentication enabled for your Apple ID. 2FA is a win-win, as it strengthens your account security while unlocking access to a wider range of iCloud services.

Further protect your data and storage from cybercriminals by using full disk encryption (FDE). This feature encodes your data into a form that cannot be understood by anyone without the encryption key. Many mobile devices enable this by default, but others (like Macs and PCs) may require a specific set of steps.

Famously, on iOS devices iMessage messages are blue while SMS texts are green. But the actual differences are more extensive. In addition to allowing for longer message lengths and richer content sharing, iMessages are also encrypted, whereas SMS texts are not. Don’t send sensitive info over SMS.

If you backup an iPhone via Finder on a Mac, there should be an option to encrypt your backup. This provides an extra layer of security for the data pulled from your phone.

Ransomware detects the drives on an system that is infected and starts encrypting the files within those drives. Ransomware usually adds an extension to the encrypted files, such as .aaa, .micro, .encrypted, .xyz, .locky, .crypt, .cryptolocker, .vault, or .petya, to show that the files have been encrypted — the file extension used is unique to […]

PCs and Macs support full-disk encryption, which is a useful way to protect your data if your device is ever lost or stolen. On a Mac, enabling it is as simple as activating FileVault. On Windows, use Device Encryption or the more advanced BitLocker (which can also encrypt devices like removable USB drives). Phones and […]