Think your phone dies faster if you don't force-quit apps? Or that Macs are magically immune to malware? Tech myths like these stick around longer than an old USB cable in a junk drawer. The problem is, some of them can waste your time, drain your wallet, or leave you less secure. So let's bust a few of the biggest whoppers - from 5G panic to "premium" HDMI cables - and see what's really true in the digital world. Each myth below comes with the claim, the truth, a bit of trivia, and the proof.
Myth: "5G causes COVID‑19"
Claim: Cell towers and 5G radio waves spread the coronavirus and make people sick.
Truth: 5G uses non‑ionizing radio waves that cannot break chemical bonds or cause viral disease. Epidemiology shows COVID‑19 spread in places without 5G.
Trivia: early in 2020, more than 70 cell towers in the UK were vandalized because of this myth.
Proof: WHO: 5G mobile networks and health
Myth: "A file's extension guarantees it's safe"
Claim: If it ends in .txt or .pdf it can't be dangerous; the extension tells you everything.
Truth: Attackers hide malware in files with double extensions (e.g., invoice.pdf.exe) or mislabeled types. The true file type is what the OS executes, not the 'friendly' first extension.
Trivia: double‑extension masquerading is a catalogued attacker technique (T1036.007).
Proof: MITRE ATT&CK: Masquerading--Double File Extension, CISA counter‑phishing guide (mis‑labeled extensions)
Myth: "A strong Wi‑Fi password secures the router"
Claim: As long as the Wi‑Fi passphrase is strong, the home network is safe.
Truth: The Wi‑Fi password protects radio access, not the router itself. Default admin creds, old firmware, UPnP, and weak DNS settings still expose you.
Trivia: NSA now recommends guest networks and automatic router updates for home users.
Proof: CISA: Home Network Security, NSA: Best Practices for Securing Your Home Network (PDF)
Myth: "AI is unbiased and objective"
Claim: Algorithms 'see the truth' and avoid human bias.
Truth: AI systems inherit bias from data, design, and deployment context. Managing fairness, transparency, and safety is a continuous risk process.
Trivia: NIST's AI RMF was created with hundreds of organizations to make these risks explicit.
Proof: NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0), NIST AI RMF Playbook
Myth: "Air‑gapped systems are unhackable"
Claim: No internet equals no compromise.
Truth: Air‑gapped networks can still be infected via removable media and supply chains. Stuxnet jumped the gap at Natanz through USB and targeted industrial controllers.
Trivia: researchers have even exfiltrated data from air‑gaps via electromagnetic and acoustic side‑channels.
Proof: ETH Zürich: Stuxnet Hotspot Analysis (PDF), WIRED: Hacker Lexicon--What Is an Air Gap?
Myth: "Antivirus alone is enough protection"
Claim: Installing AV fully protects you from malware.
Truth: AV is just one layer. Patching, backups, MFA, email filtering, least‑privilege, and user training close gaps AV can't.
Trivia: modern ransomware often disables or bypasses AV before encrypting files.
Proof: CISA: Protecting Against Malicious Code, NIST Cybersecurity Framework (Identify‑Protect‑Detect‑Respond‑Recover)
Myth: "Blockchain is unhackable"
Claim: By design, blockchains can't be compromised.
Truth: While cryptography is strong, real‑world blockchains suffer 51% attacks, software bugs, and hacked bridges and exchanges.
Trivia: MIT's DCI has documented successful majority‑hashrate attacks against smaller coins.
Proof: MIT DCI: 51% Attacks, MIT Sloan: Risks and unintended consequences of blockchain
Myth: "Bluetooth is always insecure; disable it"
Claim: Having Bluetooth on is an automatic security hole.
Truth: Bluetooth has had flaws, but current OSes sandbox and patch aggressively. The real risk is pairing blindly or ignoring updates.
Trivia: the 'BlueBorne' wave (2017) pushed platform vendors to harden default BT stacks.
Proof: UK NCSC: Device security guidance (Bluetooth), CISA: Cybersecurity Best Practices
Myth: "CAPTCHAs prove a human is present"
Claim: If a user solves a CAPTCHA, it must be a person.
Truth: Many CAPTCHAs can be solved automatically or outsourced to human‑solver farms.
Trivia: Google has repeatedly had to evolve reCAPTCHA after bots learned to beat image and audio challenges.
Proof: Google: About reCAPTCHA and abuse fighting
Myth: "Cloud is inherently less secure than on‑prem"
Claim: If it's not in your data center, it's unsafe.
Truth: Security depends on architecture and operations, not geography. Major cloud providers offer strong controls, but misconfigurations (like open storage buckets) cause most breaches.
Trivia: the 'shared responsibility model' defines exactly who secures what.
Proof: UK NCSC: Cloud Security Guidance, CISA: Securing Networks--Cloud considerations
Myth: "Deleting a file erases it permanently"
Claim: Putting a file in the Trash/Recycle Bin and emptying it destroys it.
Truth: Deletes usually mark space as free; data can persist until overwritten. For real erasure, follow media‑sanitization procedures.
Trivia: NIST SP 800‑88 spells out 'clear, purge, destroy' by media type.
Proof: NIST SP 800‑88 Rev.1: Media Sanitization
Myth: "Deleting browser history removes tracking"
Claim: Clear history, and trackers can't follow you anymore.
Truth: Sites still identify you via cookies, storage, and 'fingerprints' (fonts, screen size, hardware quirks).
Trivia: browser fingerprinting was robust enough that EFF built a demo called Cover Your Tracks to show it.
Proof: EFF: Cover Your Tracks
Myth: "Email is private by default"
Claim: Email content is end‑to‑end encrypted like messaging apps.
Truth: Standard email is plaintext between providers unless extra encryption (e.g., S/MIME, PGP) is used; providers and admins can read mail on their servers.
Trivia: SMTP was designed in 1982--long before today's threat model.
Proof: EFF: Surveillance Self‑Defense--Email basics, Mozilla: Email encryption overview
Myth: "Everything on the internet is public domain"
Claim: If it's online, anyone can use it freely.
Truth: Copyright applies online just as offline; most content is protected unless explicitly licensed for reuse.
Trivia: U.S. public‑domain works are generally those whose copyright has expired or were dedicated to the public domain.
Proof: U.S. Copyright Office: Copyright Basics
Myth: "Factory reset wipes a phone completely"
Claim: Resetting an Android phone securely erases everything every time.
Truth: Older devices often left recoverable data because flash storage and OEM implementations didn't sanitize all partitions.
Trivia: a Cambridge study recovered Google tokens and photos after 'wipes' on multiple models.
Proof: University of Cambridge: Security Analysis of Android Factory Resets (PDF)
Myth: "Frequent forced password changes improve security"
Claim: The best policy is to make everyone rotate passwords often.
Truth: Forced rotation drives weaker, reused patterns. NIST recommends no arbitrary expiration--focus on length, breach checks, and MFA.
Trivia: NIST 800‑63B reversed older guidance to reflect real‑world outcomes.
Proof: NIST SP 800‑63B (Memorized Secrets)
Myth: "Higher streaming resolution always looks better"
Claim: 4K will always beat 1080p on any stream.
Truth: Per‑title encoding, bitrate, and your display size/distance matter more than the pixel label. A well‑encoded 1080p stream can outshine a poorly compressed '4K'.
Trivia: Netflix popularized 'per‑title' optimization precisely for this reason.
Proof: Netflix Tech Blog: Per‑Title Encode Optimization
Myth: "Macs don't get malware"
Claim: Only Windows has viruses; Macs are immune.
Truth: macOS has strong protections, but malware exists and users are phished just like on other platforms.
Trivia: the Flashback outbreak (2012) infected over half a million Macs.
Proof: Apple: If you see a message that 'macOS detected malware'
Myth: "More megapixels = better photos"
Claim: A higher megapixel count always means higher image quality.
Truth: Sensor size, lens quality, pixel pitch, and processing matter more.
Trivia: some 12‑MP cameras outperform 48‑MP sensors in low light because of larger pixels and binning.
Proof: DPReview: Why sensor size matters
Myth: "Overnight charging ruins your phone battery"
Claim: Keeping a phone plugged in overnight will 'overcharge' and damage it.
Truth: Modern devices use charge controllers that taper and stop at 100%. Heat and deep cycles age lithium‑ion; gentle charging is fine.
Trivia: many phones use 'optimized charging' that learns your sleep schedule.
Proof: Battery University: Charging Li‑ion
Myth: "Password managers are too risky to use"
Claim: Putting all passwords in one place is a single point of failure.
Truth: Managers reduce reuse, enable long unique passwords, and support breach checks and MFA. A strong master password + device security is safer than reusing weak ones.
Trivia: NIST encourages longer passphrases and password managers.
Proof: NIST SP 800‑63B (Memorized Secrets)
Myth: "Password‑protected Wi‑Fi is always secure"
Claim: If a network has a password, it must be safe to use.
Truth: Weak protocols (WEP/WPA), shared credentials, and rogue APs still expose traffic. Treat unknown networks as untrusted and prefer HTTPS/VPN.
Trivia: WPA3 finally fixed many WPA2 shortcomings, but both can be misconfigured.
Proof: CISA: Securing Wireless Networks
Myth: "Play Store apps can't contain malware"
Claim: If it's in Google Play, it's safe.
Truth: Play Protect catches a lot, but malicious apps still sneak through before being removed.
Trivia: campaigns like 'Chamois' and 'ExpensiveWall' infected millions before takedown.
Proof: Android Security 2017 Year in Review (PDF), WIRED: How Android fought the Chamois botnet
Myth: "SMS 2FA is secure enough for everything"
Claim: Text‑message codes are unbreakable second factors.
Truth: SMS can be hijacked via SIM‑swap, malware, or SS7 abuse. Use app or hardware keys when possible.
Trivia: NIST explicitly discourages SMS as an out‑of‑band authenticator for high‑risk accounts.
Proof: NIST SP 800‑63B: Authenticator guidance
Myth: "Task killers make Android faster"
Claim: Killing background tasks boosts performance and battery.
Truth: Android's scheduler and doze manage processes; blindly killing them forces expensive restarts.
Trivia: Google warns that 'task killers' often harm battery life.
Proof: Android Developers: Process lifecycle & background execution limits
Myth: "Turning off GPS stops all location tracking"
Claim: Disable GPS and apps can't know where you are.
Truth: Apps can infer location via Wi‑Fi/Bluetooth beacons and IP; some services historically retained background location even with toggles off.
Trivia: this became a headline story in 2018 and spurred clearer controls.
Proof: Associated Press investigation on Google location history (2018)
Myth: "VPNs make you completely anonymous"
Claim: A VPN hides everything you do online from everyone.
Truth: VPNs hide traffic from local networks/ISPs but the provider sees it, and tracking via accounts, cookies, and fingerprints persists.
Trivia: some 'no‑log' claims have failed under legal scrutiny.
Proof: EFF: What a VPN can (and can't) do
Myth: "You should fully discharge lithium‑ion batteries"
Claim: Deep cycling 'recalibrates' modern batteries and is healthy.
Truth: Li‑ion prefers shallow cycles; frequent deep discharges stress cells. Keep between ~20-80% for longevity.
Trivia: the 'memory effect' applied to NiCd/NiMH, not Li‑ion.
Proof: Battery University: How to Prolong Lithium‑ion Batteries
Myth: "Zero‑day exploits are the main cause of breaches"
Claim: Most incidents happen because attackers use brand‑new unknown bugs.
Truth: Most breaches leverage known, unpatched vulnerabilities, phishing, and credential theft.
Trivia: Verizon's DBIR reports have shown this pattern year after year.
Proof: Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR)
Myth: "More cores always makes a CPU faster"
Claim: A higher core count always means better performance.
Truth: Performance depends on workload parallelism, cache, clocks, and architecture. Many everyday tasks are single‑threaded.
Trivia: game benchmarks often hinge on per‑core performance, not core count.
Proof: AnandTech: CPU Bench--Single vs Multi‑Thread Scaling
Myth: "Public Wi‑Fi is safe if there's a password"
Claim: A cafe Wi‑Fi with a password is secure like your home network.
Truth: Shared credentials mean anyone nearby can join; treat it as untrusted and use HTTPS and, when needed, a VPN.
Trivia: WPA3‑SAE helps, but it's rare on public hotspots.
Proof: CISA: A Guide to Securing Wi‑Fi Networks (PDF)
Myth: "Biometrics are a password replacement"
Claim: Fingerprints and faces can fully replace passwords.
Truth: Biometrics are convenient 'what‑you‑are' factors, but revocation is hard--you can change a password, not a fingerprint. Best practice is biometrics + passcode + device security.
Trivia: some regions treat biometrics differently under self‑incrimination laws.
Proof: NIST: Digital Identity Guidelines (800‑63)