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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
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
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
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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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
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
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
Buying guides
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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
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
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
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
Tech 101
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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
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
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
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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development-toolsPart 3 of 3
Debug Modern CSS Layout: Flexbox, Grid, Subgrid & Container Queries
Modern CSS layout is hard to debug by reading numbers. DevTools draws it for you. This lesson covers the flexbox and grid overlays, the subgrid badge, and container queries — including editing an `@container` rule live in the Styles pane, new in recent Chrome.
Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 29, 2026 · 5 min read
development-toolsPart 2 of 3
The Elements Panel: Inspect and Edit Any Web Page Live
The Elements panel is where you inspect a page's HTML and edit its CSS live. This lesson covers selecting elements, editing the DOM, reading the Styles pane and the cascade, the box model, the Computed tab, and the Changes drawer that keeps a diff of everything you edit.
Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 16, 2026 · 5 min read
development-toolsPart 1 of 3
Chrome DevTools for Absolute Beginners: Your First Look
Chrome DevTools is a free toolkit built into Chrome for inspecting a page's HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This first lesson gets you in the door: what DevTools is, three ways to open it, how the layout is arranged, and the Command Menu — the single shortcut that reaches everything.
Himanshu Bhatt · Aug 5, 2026 · 6 min read