How Secure Is Your Smart Watch?

The smartwatch is rapidly growing in popularity, but do wearables constitute a serious security risk? Davey Winder investigates

How long does the battery last? Should I opt for Apple or Android? Can I pay for my lunch with it? The list of smartwatch FAQs has one glaring omission: how secure are the damned things?

While everyone focuses on the magnificent features and longevity of these supercharged wristwatches, it seems nobody is talking about smartwatch security. How hackable are these devices? Are they susceptible to malware? Will they divulge your personal data if they’re lost or stolen? Can they even be wiped remotely?

Make your Wi-Fi faster and more secure

Clive Webster shows you how to make your Wi-Fi router as fast as possible and secure it against hackers

The British preference for brick or stone houses causes headaches that many of our North American, timber-housed cousins rarely understand. While a single router can cover a typical US house, we struggle to get a strong Wi-Fi signal once we move upstairs, or possibly even into the next room. Thankfully your Wi-Fi woes can be remedied with a quick trawl through your router’s settings, or with a little networking nous. And while you’re there you can upgrade your security, too.

In this month’s Advanced Projects we’ll explain all the relevant settings, what they do and how to use them, and also debunk those security myths that not only make your Wi-Fi more of a hassle to use, but could even draw the attention of data thieves and hackers.

Designing a logo

A logo says a lot about your organisation, and whether you’re designing or commissioning, there are many aspects to consider. Ben Pitt explains all

First impressions count, and a logo is often the first thing people see about a business, publication or community group. The best exude professionalism and give people a flavour of how the organisation should be perceived. The worst are ugly, confusing and, in some cases, illegible. If a logo looks amateurish, people will expect the same of the organisation it represents.

But where do you start? We can’t all be hotshot graphic designers. If you can find someone who is, you’ll still need to brief them carefully to ensure the design is not only high quality but also relevant to your organisation.

Snoopers’ Charter. Is Big Sister Watching You?

Another surveillance Bill is to go before Parliament, but will it actually make us more secure, or is it just an invasion of our privacy? Nicole Kobie investigates

It’s back. The government is trying yet again to pass a Snoopers’ Charter, this time under the guise of the Investigatory Powers (IP) Bill. If passed, it will give various authorities – from police and spies to HMRC – the ability to see the websites we visit, who we message online, and even hack our PCs.

Fractal Core 500

As you shrink cases down to sizes that cater exclusively for mini-ITX motherboards, the layout becomes far more critical than for larger cases. Including numerous drive bays often results in poor cooling and it’s unusual for a small case to offer extensive room for large CPU coolers and graphics cards, yet still have enough flexibility to install hefty watercooling radiators. However, Fractal Design’s new Core 500 appears to have managed all the above in a case that costs, thanks to mainly steel and plastic construction, just £40 inc VAT.

Corsair Scimitar RGB

Multi-button thumb pads on mice can be hit or miss affairs; they can be uncomfortable to use and it can be tricky to get used to them as well. However, Corsair has employed a couple of nifty features with its new Scimitar RGB mouse that really make it stand out. Firstly, the 12 thumb buttons grouped together on the side are clearly numbered and backlit, and while they’re positioned at slightly differing angles, they’re all roughly the same size and have an alternating textured finish.

Gigabyte Z170MX-Gaming 5

While mini-ITX might be grabbing the headlines recently, there’s a slightly less drastic way to get a smaller PC. The micro-ATX form factor allows for cases that are significantly smaller than ATX chassis, yet you still have the option of using sound cards, PCI-E SSDs or other expansion slot devices along with your graphics card, which simply isn’t possible with mini-ITX motherboards. The Maximus VIII Gene from Asus is the micro-ATX king here, but the stunning-looking Gigabyte Z170MX-Gaming 5 costs a massive £40 less.

MSI Z170A SLI Plus

While Intel’s top end Core i7-6700K is currently retailing for silly prices that even make a decent X99-based system good value for money, prices aren’t too bad if you’re not looking for a highend motherboard and are happy with the Core i5-6600K. What’s more, with recent news about simple BIOS updates now allowing non K-edition CPUs to be substantially overclocked using just the base clock, budget Skylake builds are becoming a reality, which is where MSI’s Z170A SLI Plus comes in.

CodeBug

The CodeBug suffered from terrible timing when it launched on Kickstarter earlier this year. While the project had been in stealth mode for a significant period, it went live just after the BBC announced its own micro:bit microcontroller project – leading people to assume the CodeBug was ripping off the micro:bit, rather than the micro:bit having been inspired by the CodeBug. That didn’t prevent it from being successfully funded, though, and with the micro:bit now delayed into early 2016, the CodeBug is enjoying reasonable success in the education sector.