Internet Security and Safety Guide • Page 2

I haven't had time to write out a post about VPNs/Tor/Proxies like I wanted so I figured I would at least share some links and give my thoughts.

Really Private Browsing: An Unofficial User’s Guide to Tor
How VPN Beats Proxy When It Comes To Security | NordVPN
Introducing SOCKS5 Proxy to NordVPN Feature List | NordVPN
That One Privacy Site | Detailed VPN Comparison Chart

VPNs and Proxies are fairly straight forward. Different methods of routing traffic through computers and networks other than your own. I recommend using both. If you have to pick one go with the VPN for the encryption. The last link I included has a detailed comparison of a shitload of VPNs. If you have questions about specific columns and what they mean, feel free to ask here and I or someone else will go into more detail.

As far as Tor goes, it uses what is essentially a chain of proxies (called "relay nodes") to attempt to preserve anonymity. The biggest flaw with this is the exit node which makes an unencrypted request to whichever server you are trying to access. This brings back the man-in-the-middle attack which I hinted at in my previous post. If someone is watching for activity on a site and sees you post something at the same time a Tor exit node is accessing that site, there's a very good chance you're compromised. Tor also enables access to .onion sites. All the public ones are watched. You'll get put on a long list that probably won't mean much in the long run if you want to look around, but there's not much there besides child porn, angry white dudes, and ISIL.

So my main point is to address how you're using the internet. The one nice thing about Tor is that it disables plugins and (most) cookies or at the very least makes it more difficult to end up with files downloaded onto your computer. All sites try and do it, whether it's logon info, caches of pages you visit, or strings you search. It's very difficult to avoid this and in practice is a huge pain in the ass so my recommendation tends to be to segment your internet usage. By that I mean disconnect the activity you wish to remain private from all other activity. If you have an email account you use for activism, don't access it from the same location often, definitely not from where you live. Ideally, on top of that, the account would only be accessed from a single computer only used for that purpose, or using a VM that is then securely deleted. Never log into Twitter or Chorus. Don't Google anything from that computer. Use it for one thing and one thing only.

Again, I know that this seems like a lot of trouble for most users, but I can't stress enough how much the authorities rely on social media monitoring and mass data collection as intel gathering means. Somewhere a server is keeping track of how long my IP has an open connection with this site...literally as I type this. No conspiracy shit, it's just the country we live in now. So I guess my advice is to at the very least operate with enough assumed risk as to be mindful of your presence online. The lengths to which you go in trying to remain anonymous should track with proximity to physical danger for most, but my hope is that our thinking evolves to understand that every time we access the internet someone is watching and listening.

 

Hey guys so just got a new PC with Windows 10...what's the best free antivirus and/or malware program to download? I've been told by a lot of people not to just rely on Microsoft Security Essentials (or I guess it's "windows defender" now)...is that true? I see Windows Defender is linked on the first post, is that the best way to go or should I get AVAST or something like that?

 

Windows Defender - keep it, update it. Don't turn it off. Scan with it regularly.
Also get Free Anti-Malware & Malware Removal I would really push for subscribing to premium though, particularly cause of the real time protection

 

THank you!

So, next question...my computer came with a free trial of McAfee, and Windows Defender won't work with that on apparently...so should I disable/delete McAfee?

 

Yes. It makes your PC much slower anyway.

https://service.mcafee.com/webcente...&showHeader=false&_adf.ctrl-state=l4gqccmtm_4

 

Thank you. Of course now Windows Defender seems to be frozen in the middle of its update lol

 

Rule 41. Search and Seizure

 

Google suffers massive malware hit breaching over a million Android users
Study: 99% of fake Apple chargers are dangerous

 

I RARELY ever download anything over the internet but every time I have in the past year I got an email from Charter (internet provider). Would a VPN mask my activity with torrents?

 

Do you close your torrent software immediately after downloading? A lot of people just leave it there seeding, and that's how they get those letters from their ISP.

I torrent quite a bit and have never gotten a letter or email from Comcast (my ISP), while my buddy and sister got one the first time they ever did it.

 

No i usually close it immediately. I've downloaded 2 albums and 2 movies in the past year and got two letters. I use to dl all the time back in the day and had comcast and never received a thing. With charter its wild. I think I got an email a few years ago when I first got them too.

 

Huh very weird! Charter must really be cracking down on that.. Surprised Comcast isn't as bad! I feel like they try to screw you every which-way lol.

 

When I had charter I got a letter and it was literally for one movie and it was probably the only thing I had illegally downloaded when I had them. I think they are very vigilant about people doing it.

 

So before I answer, I have to give you the obligatory



because I still think of this site as a music forum at its base. If you like it on spotify or youtube, pleasepleaseplease support artists.

That being said, yes. A VPN will obfuscate the content of the data transmitted between you and the peers on the torrent.

And THAT being said, don't use torrents. They are very, very often infested with malware.

 

Private trackers thoo

 

I support artist. Don't worry

 

Demonoid IS pretty exclusive lol.

 

give me some credit at least

 

Clever little app: Little Flocker – Protection Against Ransomware, Spyware, and Misbehaving Applications

 

Interesting. I'll do some testing with that one. It's hard to find decent products available for consumer purchase. Sophos Intercept X and a lot of the continuity focused email protection services like ProofPoint and Mimecast work pretty well. They actually open links and attachments in a sandbox and see if there's malicious code. False positives are pretty common, but where I've deployed those, I haven't had a ransomware incident. The big issue is you have to either buy through a partner, or become a partner. I'm assuming their success rate is affected by that as well. Selling to corporate environments sort of assumes at least some security policy is in place.

 

DIY Feminist Cybersecurity

 

This is a decent post, but as always, be extremely wary when someone tells you something will make you anonymous. I also have a very, very hard time recommending anyone read anything that suggests browser extensions as a means of security. The good content of this article is way too far down the page.

There is a huge need for a site or blog or even a post that appeals to a vast audience without tech background that guides users into good security practice. I very much appreciate every effort taken in attempt to accommodate this need.

Google, if you're crawling this deep, I have some ideas. My IP is the one that looks like an xmas tree at a rave.

edit: the "bewares" weren't at you, Jason.

 

*sigh* goddammit... Windows: The OS that keeps on giving.

Lateral Movement using the MMC20.Application COM Object