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Microsoft patched a Windows zero-day North Korean attackers were already using

Microsoft's August 2026 Patch Tuesday fixed 421 vulnerabilities, including CVE-2026-68820 — a use-after-free in the WinSock driver that North Korean attackers were already exploiting to gain SYSTEM privileges and deploy a kernel rootkit.

Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 24, 2026 · 4 min read

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Chart showing 281 free Android VPNs audited: 61 plaintext, 29 leaks, 246 trackers, 76 ad-ID tracking

Security

Researchers audited 281 free Android VPNs: most track you, dozens leak your data

A new framework called MVPNalyzer tested 281 Google Play VPN apps and found widespread traffic leaks, tracking, and weak encryption — a reminder that "free VPN" often means "you're the product."

Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 24, 2026 · 5 min read

Ruby on Rails source code and a project file tree displayed on a monitor.

Developer

GitLab shipped an emergency patch for a flaw that let anyone delete public projects

GitLab released an out-of-band patch on 17 August 2026 for CVE-2026-19478, a CVSS 9.4 code-injection flaw in a GraphQL directive that let an unauthenticated attacker remotely modify or delete public projects and user data. GitLab.com is already patched; self-managed installations need to upgrade.

Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 24, 2026 · 3 min read

A terminal screen reading “DATA TRANSFER COMPLETE — CONNECTION CLOSED” above a backlit keyboard.

Security

737 fake Chrome VPN extensions routed browser traffic through proxies

Security researchers at Socket linked 737 Chrome extensions to a single campaign that impersonated 66 VPN and privacy brands and routed browser traffic through SOCKS5 proxies. Google removed 221; more than 500 were still live.

Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 22, 2026 · 4 min read

A paper cut-out of a human head labelled “AI”, filled with watching eyes.

Security

One click could make Microsoft Copilot leak your Gmail, Drive and Calendar

Varonis Threat Labs disclosed three vulnerabilities in Microsoft Copilot Personal, collectively CoSnitch, that let one click on a crafted link silently pull data from a victim's connected Gmail, Drive and Calendar. Microsoft patched them on 18 August 2026, and no exploitation in the wild was found.

Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 21, 2026 · 4 min read

Reviews

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Secure server infrastructure representing a privacy-focused VPN provider.

VPNs★ 89/100

Proton VPN Review (2026): Is the Free Tier Actually Safe?

Proton VPN is the rare free VPN we trust: open-source, no-logs, Swiss-based, with an unlimited-data free tier. We score it 89/100 from verified specs and two independent speed tests. Here's the full breakdown.

Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 25, 2026 · 6 min read

Illuminated fibre-optic strands trailing downward against a black background.

VPNs★ 85/100

PrivadoVPN Review (2026): Fast, Cheap, and No Longer Swiss

PrivadoVPN is the fastest and cheapest VPN in our cluster: about 4.5% speed loss on a nearby server and $1.11/month on a two-year plan. It has no published independent audit, and its data controller moved from Switzerland to Iceland. We score it 85/100.

Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 24, 2026 · 5 min read

A row of rack-mounted server towers in a data centre, lit in blue and red.

VPNs★ 84/100

hide.me VPN Review (2026): The Only Audited Free Tier

hide.me is the only free VPN here with an audited no-logs policy, and its free tier has no data cap at all. It is also the slowest of the three, and based in Malaysia. We score it 84/100.

Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 24, 2026 · 5 min read

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A traveller silhouetted against an airport window, working on a laptop.

SecurityBeginner

How to Choose a VPN for Travel

The right travel VPN protects you on hotel and airport Wi-Fi, keeps your home services working abroad, and won't get you stuck in a country that restricts VPNs. Here's how to pick one.

Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 21, 2026 · 4 min read

Hands typing on a laptop keyboard with encrypted data and network telemetry glowing on screen.

SecurityBeginner

How to Choose a VPN for Torrenting Safely

Torrenting exposes your real IP to every peer. This guide walks through the four features a torrenting VPN genuinely needs — a kill switch, no-logs, P2P support, and leak protection — so you can choose without guessing.

Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 21, 2026 · 3 min read

A hand holding a smartphone showing streaming service apps in front of a smart TV displaying media apps.

SecurityBeginner

How to Choose a VPN for Streaming (What Actually Works in 2026)

A VPN won't unlock every country's streaming library, but it does reliably get you your own subscriptions abroad and private streaming on shared Wi-Fi. Here are the five things that actually matter when choosing one — and how to test it risk-free.

Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 17, 2026 · 6 min read

A miniature red-and-white CAUTION cone standing on the Enter key of a laptop keyboard.

SecurityBeginner

How to Choose a Safe VPN: A Beginner's Checklist

After a 2026 study found most free VPNs leak data or track users, here's a simple 6-point checklist to pick one that actually protects you — audits, encryption, no-logs, leaks, jurisdiction, and price.

Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 17, 2026 · 4 min read

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An abstract image with the word "ENCRYPTION"

Security

What Is AES-256 Encryption? ("Military-Grade," Explained)

Every VPN brags about "military-grade AES-256." Here's what that actually is: a global encryption standard with a key so large that brute-forcing it is effectively impossible.

Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 9, 2026 · 5 min read

Title card reading “What is a DNS leak?” on a soft pastel gradient.

Security

What Is a DNS Leak? (And How to Check for One)

A DNS leak means your device's website look-ups slip outside the VPN tunnel, letting your ISP see the sites you visit even while "protected." Here's how it happens and how to test.

Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 9, 2026 · 5 min read

Title card reading “Does a VPN slow down your internet?” on a soft pastel gradient.

Security

Does a VPN Slow Down Your Internet? (Why, and How Much)

A VPN adds encryption and an extra hop, so some slowdown is normal — but with a nearby server and a modern protocol it's usually barely noticeable. Here's what actually affects the speed.

Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 9, 2026 · 5 min read

“What is end-to-end encryption?” on a soft pastel gradient.

Security

What Is End-to-End Encryption (E2EE)?

End-to-end encryption means only you and the person you're talking to can read your messages — not even the app company can. Here's how it differs from ordinary encryption, and from a VPN.

Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 9, 2026 · 5 min read

Tech series

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How the Internet Actually Works — article cover.

DevOpsPart 2 of 2

How the Internet Actually Works: From Browser to Server

You type a URL and press Enter. Follow that single request through DNS, ports, the TCP handshake, TLS, and HTTP — all the way to the server and back.

Himanshu Bhatt · Sep 29, 2026 · 3 min read

Networking Basics for DevOps — article cover.

DevOpsPart 1 of 2

Basic Networking for DevOps: Terms, Tools, and Debugging

Every connection is three boxes — client, network, server. Learn DNS, IPs and ports, TCP vs UDP, and the dig → ping → nc → curl order you use to debug them.

Himanshu Bhatt · Sep 29, 2026 · 4 min read

Pattern Printing Problems — Data Structures & Algorithms series hero

Data Structures & AlgorithmsPart 1 of 1

Pattern Printing Problems in JavaScript: 6 Star & Number Patterns Explained

Six classic star and number pattern problems, solved in JavaScript — Part 1 of the Data Structures & Algorithms series.

Himanshu Bhatt · Sep 27, 2026 · 1 min read

What Is an ER Diagram? — Part 2 of the Database Management System series

DBMSPart 2 of 2

What Is an ER Diagram? Entity Sets, Attributes, and Relationship Sets

Data models, tables, and the building blocks of an ER diagram — entity sets, attributes, and relationship sets, with worked examples.

Himanshu Bhatt · Sep 25, 2026 · 2 min read