Kate Johanns

All posts by Kate Johanns

Kate Johanns is a communications professional and freelance writer with more than 13 years of experience in publishing and marketing.

Tech Time Warp: Alice and Bob, a couple with secrets

Tech Time Warp: Alice and Bob, a couple with secrets

In general, a successful relationship is built on open communication, but in the case of famous technology couple Alice and Bob, secrets are a must.

/ November 15, 2019
Tech Time Warp: Mozilla Foundation releases Firefox 1.0

Tech Time Warp: Mozilla Foundation releases Firefox 1.0

In 2004, you might have assumed Microsoft had won the browser wars for good. At the start of the year, 85 percent of web users relied on Internet Explorer.

/ November 8, 2019
Tech Time Warp: Jerusalem malware inspires antivirus industry

Tech Time Warp: Jerusalem malware inspires antivirus industry

Even malware can produce silver linings — at least in the case of the Jerusalem virus, which inspired computer science students to develop some of the first antivirus software. In November 1987, Omri Mann and Yuval Rakavi were computer science...

/ November 1, 2019
Tech Time Warp: Say “Aloha” to the first wireless network

Tech Time Warp: Say “Aloha” to the first wireless network

As it turns out, you really are saying “Aloha” every time you send a text or make a call using your mobile phone. AlohaNet, the technology that paved the way for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and mobile phone networks, got its start...

/ October 25, 2019
Tech Time Warp: 20 years later, IoT devices add to cybersecurity risk

Tech Time Warp: 20 years later, IoT devices add to cybersecurity risk

As you check your FitBit for your daily step count and ask Alexa to order your groceries and control your “smart” home, it’s hard to imagine life without the ease of the “Internet of Things.” All of these devices —...

/ October 18, 2019
Tech Time Warp: Royalty and celebrities swept up in UK phone hacking scandal

Tech Time Warp: Royalty and celebrities swept up in UK phone hacking scandal

Your smartphone carries a huge amount of personal data — and National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a good time to safeguard your mobile phone with best practices such as the use of strong passwords, keeping software up to date, being...

/ October 11, 2019
Tech Time Warp: Fernando Corbató, father of the computer password

Tech Time Warp: Fernando Corbató, father of the computer password

Each October, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security shares tips and tricks for tech safety during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Naturally, a key focus is using strong, secure passwords — tips the father of the computer password, Fernando Corbató, could...

/ October 4, 2019
Tech Time Warp: Stration worm preys on users’ best intentions

Tech Time Warp: Stration worm preys on users’ best intentions

In September 2006, the tech world was focused on a reported Windows vulnerability related to the implementation of Vector Markup Language (VML). While programmers raced to fix the VML issue, spammers capitalized on the opportunity. Using the new bug in...

/ September 27, 2019
Tech Time Warp: NeXTSTEP paved the way for OS X and iOS

Tech Time Warp: NeXTSTEP paved the way for OS X and iOS

Steve Jobs’ story has many fascinating chapters, including the story of NeXTSTEP, the operating system that proved to be the first step toward OS X and iOS.

/ September 20, 2019
Tech Time Warp: Bank of America introduces ERMA and revolutionizes checking

Tech Time Warp: Bank of America introduces ERMA and revolutionizes checking

It’s easy to write checks off as passé, but according to Next Gen Personal Finance, the average American still writes 38 checks a year. Next time you pull out your checkbook, consider the extraordinary staying power of checking technology, which...

/ September 13, 2019