Stop Hacklore!
Retire outdated cybersecurity advice!
We coined the term “hacklore”, a blend of hacking and folklore, to refer to modern urban legends about digital safety.
We hear it constantly:
- “If you use public wi-fi, criminals will steal your financial information and passwords!”Myth: Avoid public WiFi
- “Don’t use USB chargers at the airport because you will be ‘juice-jacked’ and infected with malware!”Myth: Never charge devices from public USB ports
- “Turn off Bluetooth when you are not using it otherwise hackers will compromise your phone!”Myth: Turn off Bluetooth and NFC
Those claims, and many similar ones, are false and need to be retired.
If you have heard any of those claims and wondered if they are still true, this site is for you.
This kind of advice is well-intentioned but misleading. It consumes the limited time people have to protect themselves and diverts attention from actions that truly reduce the likelihood and impact of real compromises.
The open letter
An Open Letter
We are a group of current and former Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), security leaders, and practitioners who have seen how compromises unfold in the real world across industry, academia, and government.
102 signers