Defensive Computing

Michael Horowitz argues that tech press coverage of security tends to dwell on alarming disasters while offering little practical defense. He pitches the session at non-technical users, though he expects experienced people to find useful material too. He opens by criticizing how reporters cover privacy stories, then turns to email, noting that sender addresses are easy to forge and recommending a paid provider over a free one.

The middle of the talk centers on DNS. He explains the difference between legacy and encrypted DNS, shows that name resolution can be set by a router, the operating system or a browser, and demonstrates how a DNS provider can block ads, trackers and malicious domains. He compares several providers and points to Chromebooks as a strong default, with system-wide secure DNS and a guest mode that discards everything on exit. Other topics include router selection, outbound firewall rules, isolating devices on public Wi-Fi, and checking that a VPN really routes all traffic through its tunnel.

He closes with password advice, suggesting that the most important passwords stay out of password managers and that a fixed part plus a memorable variable part makes them easier to keep. He also recommends a sacrificial second phone number and warns that VPNs on iOS can leak traffic. The takeaway is to verify settings rather than trust defaults.