How Things Work - Page 3 of 5

What is Polymorphic and Metamorphic Malware?

What happens if viruses change their “signatures” to avoid detection by antiviruses software? This is what polymorphic and metamorphic malware are about.

Bone Conduction Tech: How It Works and Where It’s Being Used

While bone conduction technology’s been around for a while, headphones based on it are starting to take off. Learn what bone conduction tech is and where it’s being used.

What Does Predictive Analytics Predict, and How Well Does It Do?

Predictive analytics analyzes data to figure out what might happen in the future. How does predictive analytics really work, and how reliable are its forecasts?

What Does an Algorithm Look Like?

We know that Google and Amazon have algorithms that give us updates, search results, and product recommendations, but what does that actually mean? What qualifies as an algorithm?

How Do Solid State Batteries Work?

Solid-state batteries are smaller, lighter, and provide greater power density than lithium-ion batteries based on liquid electrolytes.

How GandCrab Ransomware Made Its Developers Nine Figures

Recently, BitDefender released an estimate of the ransom made by the popular GandCrab ransomware, and the figures were a little worryisome.

What is WiGig and How Is It Different from Wi-Fi 6?

While Wi-Fi 6 brings faster speed to your wireless devices, there is another Wi-Fi standard, WiGig, that is even faster. Find out what WiGig is and its limitations.

Compulsion Loops and Dopamine Hits: How Games Are Designed to Be Addictive

The dopamine that we get from video games and the techniques we’ve devised to get that dopamine lie at the root of both good and addictive game design.

JPG vs. PNG vs. GIF: The Differences Between Image File Formats

There are many different image file formats, and it can be confusing. Check out the differences between these image file formats and learn which one to use.

What You Need to Know About “Dark Patterns” and How They Trick Users

Many websites and apps come with dark pattern interfaces to confuse and trick their users. Find out what “dark patterns” are and how they are used to trick people.

What Is a “Piggybacking” Mobile Network?

You might be surprised to learn that different mobile network operators are sharing the same infrastructure. This is known as a piggybacking mobile network. Find out more about it here.

Why Does Everyone Want Your Data?

Data: companies want it, users have it, and it’s valuable. But it’s not often clear what user data consists of, where it goes, and how it’s profitable.

What Is “The Great Firewall of China”?

Have you wondered why you can’t access popular services like Facebook or WhatsApp in China? This is because of the great firewall of China. Learn more about it here.

What Is a “Banking Trojan?”

A banking trojan disguises itself as a genuine app so as to access your banking details. Learn all about banking trojans and how to keep yourself safe.

What Is “Bloatware,” and Why Is It Installed?

Most of the new phones and computers you buy come with pre-installed software in them. This bloatware can be annoying at best and storage hogs at worst. But what can you do about it?

Cryptocurrency vs. Blockchain – What’s the Difference?

Blockchains and cryptocurrencies are parts of a cryptographically administrated and secured system. Despite being used as interchangeable terms, they’re not the same thing.

How Does Code Injection Work?

Code injection is an attack perpetrated by an attacker’s ability to inject and execute malicious code into an application. Here’s how code injection works in detail.

SIM Card Hijacking: How It Works and What You Can Do About It

SIM hijacking has been around for a while, and its becoming a lot more popular for hackers to steal phone numbers and use them to gain access to accounts.

What Is Ray Tracing and Why Is It the Next Big Thing in Gaming Technology

Nvidia revealed their newest lineup of graphics cards which include ray tracing. What exactly is ray tracing, and why is it so important to the future of gaming?

What Is Virtualization, and Why Should You Use it?

You have heard of virtualization everywhere, but what does it really mean? Find out here.

DeepLocker: The Demonstration of AI-Based Malware

Deeplocker is an application made by IBM to demostrate how one software can use AI to turn itself into malware that strikes only the right people.

Do Blue Light Filtering Apps Really Work?

There are many apps that filter out blue light so you can sleep better at night. How can blue light hurt you? Do blue light filtering apps really work? Let’s find out.

What Are Bluetooth Profiles and What Are They For?

Bluetooth Profiles are a set of rules that allow technology to complete a particular task. Here are some of the most commonly used Bluetooth Profiles on your mobile.

The Unusual Desktop Shortcut Malware, and How It Works

A new type of desktop shortcut malware changes the destination a desktop shortcut is pointing to so it executes malware on click.

Captchas: Why We Need Them, How They’re Evolving, and How You Can Solve Them More Easily

As humans, we have to claim we’re not robots fairly often. But there’s more to captchas than meets the eye, and they’re far from foolproof.

What Are Top-Level Domains (TLD) and How Does They Work?

Every web URL ends with something like .com, .net, etc. Those three letters are called Top Level Domains and are important to bring you to where you want to go.

How Music-Identification Apps Work

Apps like Shazam and Soundhound are great for identifying music. They are easy to use, but how they work is a mystery.

RSS Feeds: What Are They and Are They Still Relevant?

RSS feeds are still a fantastic tool for any news junkie, market-watcher, or social-media-averse individual.

How Secure Is Bluetooth?

You may have seen some attacks occur via Bluetooth, so is Bluetooth really safe, or is it so full of holes you might as well keep it turned off?

From NAND to NOR: What Do the Different Types of Flash Memory Mean

When buying an SSD, you might notice that you can choose from a few different types of flash memory. The technical terms can be confusing. This explains what NAND and NOR mean.

Quantum Computers Are Here. They’re Complicated and Probably Won’t Make Your Phone Faster

Quantum computers is great and useless at the same time. Here’s why.

The Difference Between Machine Learning, AI and Deep Learning

The only similarity between machine learning, AI, and deep learning is that they are all difficult to understand.

Why Are There So Many Bitcoin Variants?

There are plenty of cryptocurrencies that come with the “Bitcoin” label that you will think are associated with Bitcoin. Why are there so many Bitcoin variants? Let’s find out.

Do Brain Training Apps Really Work?

If physical exercise makes your body stronger, mental exercise must make your brain stronger, right? Actually, it turns out the brain is a bit more complicated than that.

Should You Leave Laptops Constantly Plugged In?

There is an old piece of computer advice that states you should not keep a laptop plugged in to the mains constantly for long periods of time. Does this advice still hold up?

How Common Cryptography Techniques Work Online

Without modern cryptography techniques, the Internet as we know it would not exist. Let’s take a look at how it works to protect your data.

What You Need to Know About Augmented Reality, ARCore and ARKit in Mobile

Pokemon GO stickers were just two-dimensional virtual stickers, but today augmented reality has 3D capability. This article details all you need to know about augmented reality, ARCore and ARKit in mobile.

How Active Noise Cancellation Works

Noisy environments can both distract and irritate you when you want to get work done. Headphones with active noise cancellation abilities can offer a respite. Here is how they work.

How Does High-Speed Worldwide Satellite Internet Work?

There are currently several projects that are aiming not only to make satellite internet faster but to make it available everywhere on Earth. Let’s find out how satellite internet works.

Can Power Cuts and Surges Harm My PC?

Both power cuts and power surges may have a devastating effect on your PC. If you are in a place that is prone to power cut/surge, this is what you need to know to protect your PC.

How are Cloud Storage, Cloud Backup, and Cloud Sync Different

In this article we discuss the difference between cloud storage, cloud backup and cloud sync, their pros and cons and which one is for you.

How to Use Your Smartphone’s Camera to Test Your Remote Control’s Batteries

When your remote control starts to misbehave, one trick that you can use to test a remote control’s batteries uses your smartphone camera. Here’s how to go about it.

Bitcoin Cash and How It’s Different from Bitcoin

If you exude interest in digital money, you have probably noticed that Bitcoin Cash has been the talk of the town. But what exactly is Bitcoin cash? Let’s find out.

Sbc vs. AptX vs. AptX HD: What You Need to Know About Bluetooth Audio Codecs

Learn about the various Bluetooth codec: SBC, AptX, AptX HD and LDAC and how they are different from each other.

Understanding the Difference Between a Disk, Drive, Volume, Partition, and Image

In a Unix system you’ll see references to storage devices by many names. Let’s examine the differences between a disk, drive, volume, partition, and image.

Fileless Malware: What Is It and How Can You Protect Yourself From It?

Recently, we’ve seen a spike in an interesting method of spreading malware – by not using files at all! Here is what you need to know about fileless malware and how to protect yourself.

What Is “Right to Repair” Legislation? [MTE Explains]

The latest “Right to Repair” legislation has several implications for customers but also for the market as a whole, all of which warrants a significant amount of discussion regarding all these effects.

What Is Big Data and Why Is It a Big Deal?

Big Data is the buzzword around the tech scene these days. Like the cloud, AI and machine learning, the concept is quite tricky to explain. Find out what Big Data means and why is it a big deal.

MTE Explains: What Is Zero Trust and Why Is It So Important?

It seems as though hacking is getting more rampant, and many companies are scrambling to find out what to do to prevent falling victim to the onslaught of attacks. It’s time for zero trust models.

Data Breaches: How It Happens And How It Affects You

We hear about data breaches all the time, but not every one knows the significance of data breaches. Find out what is meant by a data breach and how it impacts Internet users (you).