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Category: Networking

Adam Engst 10 comments

Fighting a Denial of Service Attack with AI Assistance

Troubleshooting an inaccessible server is challenging at the best of times and doubly so when you are out of practice. Read how Claude guided Adam Engst through troubleshooting and mitigating a denial of service attack.

Adam Engst 9 comments

Taming Email Overload: Google’s CC Daily Briefing Agent

Feeling buried in email? Google’s experimental CC tool uses AI to send daily briefings about your most important messages and calendar events. Here’s what worked in Adam Engst’s testing, what didn’t, and who might benefit.

Adam Engst 20 comments

Beware Greeting Card Scams from Trusted Senders

Scammers are hijacking email accounts to send fake party invitations that look like they’re from friends, and even experienced users are falling for them. Learn the red flags, how to alert an affected friend, and what to do if you’re caught.

Adam Engst 29 comments

Yet Another Story of an iOS Update Silently Changing Settings

Apple updates sometimes toggle settings without warning. A recent case involving iCloud Private Relay illustrates the problem—and raises the question of whether we can track what changes during an update.

Adam Engst 13 comments

The Verge Hails Chrome’s Belated Vertical Tabs

David Pierce at The Verge makes the case for vertical browser tabs, echoing advice TidBITS has offered since 2023. Google Chrome users can now easily try them.

Adam Engst 13 comments

Why the macOS “49-Day” Networking Bug Probably Won’t Affect You

Don’t panic about the newly discovered macOS bug that freezes TCP networking after 49 days of uptime. Between security updates, sleep cycles, and typical usage patterns, most Mac users will never encounter this edge-case failure.

Adam Engst 25 comments

The Verge Explains the US Government’s Router Ban

Sean Hollister’s lively Q&A explains why the FCC’s foreign router ban won’t recall existing routers, audit new ones, or do much of anything to improve security—it just blocks future imports unless manufacturers commit to US production.

Adam Engst 15 comments

Apple’s Certificate-Extension Updates Continue for Older Operating Systems

Apple’s latest updates for older operating systems extend certificates so iMessage, FaceTime, and device activation continue to work after January 2027. Meanwhile, iOS 16.7.14 may address a Telstra network issue affecting older iPhones in Australia.

Adam Engst 15 comments

Gmail to End POP Fetching and Gmailify Features

Gmail is dropping support for POP fetching from other accounts and the Gmailify feature. Most users won't notice, but those with complex email setups should start planning a migration.

Adam Engst No comments

Jeff Carlson Reveals How Cell Carriers Handle Disasters and Mega-Events

From the Las Vegas F1 race to the Pacific Northwest's devastating floods, Jeff Carlson's CNET articles reveal the trucks, trailers, drones, and dedicated spectrum that keep first responders connected when it matters most.

Adam Engst No comments

Apple’s N1 Chip Improves Wi-Fi Performance

Apple’s new N1 wireless chip in the iPhone 17 family boosts Wi‑Fi speeds by up to 40% over the Broadcom‑based Wi-Fi radio used in the iPhone 16 lineup—especially in poor conditions.

Adam Engst 6 comments

Cloudflare Outage Takes Down Large Swaths of the Internet

This morning’s Cloudflare outage impacted millions of websites worldwide, exposing a troubling truth about modern Internet infrastructure: a handful of companies now control critical chokepoints that can take down significant portions of the Web.

Adam Engst 4 comments

Be Cautious with Agentic Web Browsers

New AI-powered browsers from OpenAI, Perplexity, and others promise to automate Web tasks but are vulnerable to prompt injection attacks that could manipulate the browser or steal private information through hidden instructions. While they are intriguing for occasional experiments, stick with your current browser for everyday usage.

Adam Engst 11 comments

Can Agentic Web Browsers Count?

Can a browser that navigates the Web for you handle basic data analysis without making mistakes? Adam Engst tested Brave, ChatGPT Atlas, Comet, Dia, and Edge on a straightforward task of counting minors in three event registration lists. Only one succeeded, and the results were… educational.

Adam Engst 11 comments

Atlassian Acquires The Browser Company for $610 Million

In an all-cash deal, Atlassian adds The Browser Company’s Arc and Dia to its suite of workplace tools. Hopefully, Atlassian will recognize the value in connecting Arc’s productivity features with Dia’s AI capabilities.