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Ellie Farrier

Staff Cybersecurity Editor

Ellie Farrier is a staff writer and editor at Gen, who’s interested in how technology and society overlap, especially the impacts of social engineering. Previously, she worked as a technical writer, diving into product troubleshooting, how-to guides, and tech usability. When she’s not at her desk, Ellie is usually reading, watching horror movies, or hiking with her dog.

She earned a BA from the University of Iowa and an MA from Charles University in Prague, where she specialized in modern applications of historical media and technology theory. Additionally, she holds certificates in Introduction to Cyber Attacks, Cyber Attack Countermeasures, and AI for Everyone from Coursera. In 2019, she gave a talk at the Write the Docs conference, entitled Wild Geeks: Poetry in the Digital Age.

Areas of interest and expertise

Scams Security Tips Digital Life Hardware

Latest articles by Ellie Farrier

A person creates new secure passwords after a data breach to protect their accounts.

How to create a secure password

A magnifying glass sits on the keyboard of an open laptop, symbolizing someone running a TruthFinder search.

Is TruthFinder legit? Digging into the background check service

Someone holding a phone with a blocked website on their Android.

How to block websites on Android phones and tablets: 9 different methods

Woman looks for her missing driver’s license in her purse.

What to do if you lose your license: 8 essential steps

A man smiling at his credit card as he thinks about building credit safely and responsibly.

How to build credit fast and responsibly

A hand holding a TV remote controller pointing at a TV trying to cancel a streaming subscription.

How to cancel subscriptions in 4 simple steps and avoid unwanted spending

Someone browsing their email with phishing protection enabled.

Phishing protection: 11 tips to protect yourself from phishing

An individual on their iPhone in a cafe after learning how to use a VPN on an iPhone to stay safe.

How to use a VPN on an iPhone or iPad in 2025

Is Poshmark safe? 6 common Poshmark scams to look out for

A woman uses two IoT devices, a smartwatch and smartphone, to monitor her health metrics on a run.

What is the Internet of Things? Learn what it means, examples, and more

An image of cybersecurity specialists enhancing protections against different types of hackers.

15 types of hackers to watch out for

A woman searches ways to protect against password spraying.

Password spraying: Prevention and detection tips

An image of a woman changing her IP address on a computer.

How to change your IP address on any device

A woman finds a Facebook Marketplace scam while browsing.

11 types of Facebook Marketplace scams and what to do if you fall for one

A man looking at his phone wondering “can iPhones get hacked?”

Can iPhones get hacked? Yes, and 8 ways to fix it

The results of an internet speed test showing download speeds.

10 ways to increase your download speed

Oliver Buxton

Staff Cybersecurity Editor

Crissy Joshua

Staff Cybersecurity Editor

Mark Birchall

Staff Cybersecurity Editor

Jeremy Coppock

Staff Cybersecurity Editor

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Ellie Farrier

Areas of interest and expertise

Latest articles by Ellie Farrier

Meet our other writers

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Ellie Farrier

Areas of interest and expertise

Latest articles by Ellie Farrier

Meet our other writers

Learn more about security, privacy and performance

Want more?