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Online Security & Data Privacy

What is Google Dorking — and how to dork yourself

Google dorking is just a fancy name for using advanced search operators (things like site:, filetype:, and quoted phrases) to find specific information on the public web. Security researchers and privacy-conscious people use these techniques to discover mis-published documents, exposed credentials, or other personally identifiable information (PII) that search engines index — the same tricks […]

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Online Security & Data Privacy

“Delete File” Sounds Simple – But It Isn’t

Many people believe that a file is completely gone as soon as it’s moved to the recycle bin and the bin is emptied. In reality, this usually only removes the reference to the file in the file system. The actual data remains on the storage medium – and will stay there until it is eventually […]

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Online Security & Data Privacy

How to Use the ePA Properly – Your Health Data, Your Decision

If you live in Germany, you’ve probably already heard: the electronic patient record (in German, elektronische Patientenakte or ePA) is coming – and it’s for all individuals with statutory health insurance. The system is being introduced using an opt-out process. This means: you will automatically receive an ePA – unless you actively object. What exactly […]

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Online Security & Data Privacy

How to Use Messenger Apps Safely: What You Need to Know

Messenger apps have become an integral part of our everyday lives. Whether it’s WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, or Threema – everyone uses them for private or professional communication. The choice of service is usually based on which messenger most of your friends use. From a data protection and IT security perspective, however, this is rarely the […]

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Online Security & Data Privacy

Mobile Apps vs. Web Apps – Special Case: Messaging Services

I’ve already written a post on the topic of mobile apps vs. web apps, which is based on the following core idea: it usually doesn’t make sense to use native apps (i.e., those developed specifically for your mobile operating system) and instead prefer web apps. Native apps often have deeper access rights to your device […]