Retired
Myth: Avoid public WiFi
Large-scale compromises via public WiFi are exceedingly rare today.
The Myths
The outdated advice
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.
Retired
Myth: Never scan QR codes
There is no evidence of widespread crime originating from QR-code scanning itself.
Retired
Myth: Never charge devices from public USB ports
There are no verified cases of “juice jacking” in the wild affecting everyday users.
Retired
Myth: Turn off Bluetooth and NFC
Wireless exploits in the wild are extraordinarily rare and typically require specialized hardware, physical proximity, and unpatched devices.
Retired
Myth: Regularly “clear cookies”
Clearing (or deleting) cookies doesn’t meaningfully improve security or stop modern tracking, which now includes identifiers and fingerprinting other than cookies.
Retired
Myth: Regularly change passwords
Frequent password changes were once common advice, but there is no evidence it reduces crime, and it often leads to weaker passwords and reuse across accounts.
Retired
Myth: Make passwords “complex”
Modern research shows that the most important factor in a strong password is length, not complexity (sometimes called “composition”).