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Ellie Farrier

Staff Cybersecurity Editor

Ellie Farrier covers a variety of topics for Norton. A staff writer and editor at Gen, Ellie is interested in how technology and society overlap, especially the impacts of social engineering. Previously, she worked as a technical writer for Avast and AVG, 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

An image of an underwater spear fisherman, which symbolizes a spear phishing attack.

What is spear phishing? Definition and examples

An image of someone reading a wrong number text scam.

Wrong number text scams: How they work and tips to spot them

A woman searching how to change IP address on her laptop.

How to change your IP address on any device

A man in a yellow sweatshirt looking at his phone learning about social media scams.

9 social media scams to watch out for

Is Poshmark safe? 9 common Poshmark scams to look out for

A rocket launch signifies freeing up RAM on your PC or Mac.

How to free up RAM on PC or Mac

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

A gamer signs plays on Steam, ensuring to avoid unsolicited communications and Steam card scams.

What are Steam card scams? A gamer’s guide to staying safer

A person contemplates whether to use Tor or VPN while connecting to the internet on vacation.

Tor vs. VPN: What's the difference and which is more private?

A closed road representing the question: Do VPNs block ads?

Do VPNs block ads? 8 ad-blocking VPNs

A woman gazing fondly at her AI assistant smart speaker.

What is an AI assistant? Definition and capabilities

How to create a secure password

A snail slowly crawls across a red running track with a white dividing line, illustrating the frustration of Google Chrome running slowly.

Why is Chrome so slow? 11 tips to speed up your browser

A large crack in a sheet of rock offers a glimpse of a blue sky with clouds.

What is a data breach and why should you care?

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

Yes, iPhones can get hacked. Learn how

A woman using facial recognition to enter a building.

What is facial recognition and how does it work?

Articles reviewed by Ellie Farrier

A phone screen displaying a matrix of characters, numbers, and letters.

How to remove a hacker from your phone in 8 steps

A person holding a mobile phone with a VPN showing that it’s connected to a private server.

Is a VPN worth it in 2026? How to protect your privacy and feel safer online

A photograph of a confident woman checking her iPhone for viruses.

How to check for viruses on iPhone + steps to fix it

Somebody disconnecting a router from the internet by unplugging the ethernet cable.

How to tell if someone hacked your router: 10 warning signs

A user opens the ChatGPT interface and refrains from sharing personal information.

Is ChatGPT safe? Risks and information you should never share

A tunnel in the side of a hill acts as a metaphor for a VPN tunnel that encrypts data you send and receive online.

What is a VPN tunnel and how does it work?

A picture of a slow browser endlessly buffering.

Why is my browser so slow? 12 tips to speed it up

An employee badges into their workspace as part of their company’s physical Zero Trust security protocol.

What is Zero Trust security? Core principles and benefits

An image of a suspected spam text on a mobile phone.

How to stop spam texts: 7 easy strategies

An overhead picture of a traffic circle representing IP rotation.

What is IP rotation, and how does it work?

A woman upgrading her PC to Windows 11 because Windows 10 has reached its end of life.

Windows 10 End of Life (EOL): Norton to continue providing security updates

A crimson safe representing personal data that’s been secured following a data breach.

What to do after a data breach or leak: 7 steps

AI-generated image of a man wearing a yellow sweatshirt in front of a microphone asking what are deepfakes?

What are deepfakes? How they work and how to spot them

Three men with microphones sitting on couches in a studio; they’re discussing scams Gen Z is falling for on a new episode of “Generation Money.”

Gen Z falls for more scams than Boomers: Wall Street influencers discuss why

A man wearing an orange sweater reads an “Apple could not verify [app] is free of malware” warning on his MacBook.

How to fix the "Apple could not verify [app]" warning

Oliver Buxton

Staff Cybersecurity Editor

Crissy Joshua

Staff Cybersecurity Editor

Mark Birchall

Staff Cybersecurity Editor

Jeremy Coppock

Staff Cybersecurity Editor

Jan Mazal

Senior Product Marketing Manager, VPN and Privacy

Benjamin Gorman

Contributing Cybersecurity Writer

Michelle Robins

Contributing Cybersecurity Editor

Anthony Freda

Contributing Cybersecurity Writer

Danielle Bodnar

Contributing Cybersecurity Writer

Brenna Cleary

Staff Social Media Marketing Manager

Anna Wratislav

Contributing Cybersecurity Writer

Deepan Ghimiray

Contributing Cybersecurity Writer

Our writers combine deep editorial expertise with real-world cybersecurity research to shape every article from the ground up. Rigorous editorial reviews ensure our content is accurate and dependable.

Oliver Buxton

Staff Cybersecurity Editor

Crissy Joshua

Staff Cybersecurity Editor

Mark Birchall

Staff Cybersecurity Editor

Jeremy Coppock

Staff Cybersecurity Editor

Jan Mazal

Senior Product Marketing Manager, VPN and Privacy

Benjamin Gorman

Contributing Cybersecurity Writer

Michelle Robins

Contributing Cybersecurity Editor

Danielle Bodnar

Contributing Cybersecurity Writer

Brenna Cleary

Staff Social Media Marketing Manager

Anna Wratislav

Contributing Cybersecurity Writer

Deepan Ghimiray

Contributing Cybersecurity Writer

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Ellie Farrier

Areas of interest and expertise

Latest articles by Ellie Farrier

Articles reviewed by Ellie Farrier

Meet our other writers

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