Research Lab
The background reading: how a VPN actually works, the protocols underneath, the attacks that shaped modern security, and the people and groups behind them.
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC), sometimes called the "Computer Chaos Club"
The Chaos Computer Club: founded in 1981, the 1984 BTX hack, its hacker ethics, the annual Congress and its public security research.
Cyber attacks: the main types, with real examples
The main kinds of cyber attack, explained through documented cases: WannaCry, NotPetya, SolarWinds, Colonial Pipeline, MOVEit and more.
CyberBerkut: what is on the public record
CyberBerkut emerged in Ukraine in 2014 and claimed DDoS attacks and leaks. The UK later linked the name to Russia's GRU. What is known, and what isn't.
What is cybersecurity?
What cybersecurity means, the main threats people face, the basic steps CISA and the UK's NCSC recommend, and the kinds of organizations that do the work.
Facebook hacks and breaches: what happened and how to protect your account
The 2018 "View As" token breach, the 533 million scraped records, Cambridge Analytica, and practical steps to secure or recover a Facebook account.
VPN, privacy and security glossary
Plain-English definitions of VPN, privacy and security terms from AES to zero-day, with links to the guides that explain each one in depth.
George Hotz (geohot): profile
George Hotz (geohot): the first iPhone unlock in 2007, the PS3 jailbreak and Sony lawsuit, comma.ai, tiny corp and a brief 2022 Twitter internship.
Hackers and hacker groups: an overview
Notable hacker groups and people, from the Chaos Computer Club to state-linked units and ransomware gangs, drawn from court and government records.
Online privacy: how tracking works and what you can do
How you're tracked online, what data brokers do with it, what GDPR and California's CCPA/CPRA give you, and practical steps to cut what's collected.
Twitter (X) hacks: the big incidents and how to secure your account
The July 2020 Twitter bitcoin scam hack and its prosecutions, the 5.4 million account API leak of 2022, and how to protect your X account.
VPN protocols explained
What WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec, L2TP and PPTP actually do, why PPTP is broken, and what to make of NordLynx, Lightway, Hydra and Stealth.
What is a hacker?
Where the word "hacker" came from at MIT, what white, grey and black hat mean, and what the law says, from the US CFAA to the UK Computer Misuse Act.
What is a VPN?
A plain-English primer on VPNs: how the encrypted tunnel works, what it hides and from whom, what it can't do, and how to judge a provider.
WhatsApp hacks: Pegasus, the NSO lawsuit and how to secure your account
How NSO's Pegasus exploited WhatsApp in 2019, how WhatsApp's lawsuit against NSO ended, the verification-code scam, and how to lock down your account.