Also, if you're still using Windows Vista - upgrade! Vista is no longer being supported by Microsoft.
Ok, so now into the fire. I personally have been very fascinated and concerned about the ability to be anonymous on the web and ensure my security on the web. Although this interest has nothing to do with the latest threats from legislation permitting internet providers greater access to their customers data, it has definitely been peaked.
I wish to thank Steve Gibson for a lot of the content that follows. https://www.grc.com/securitynow.htm
Many of us have been using a VPN or TOR to enable anonymity. But there are many layers to ensuring our anonymity and security. Briefly they are:
1. IP
2. Cookies
3. DNS
4. Browsers
5. Others
The truth is almost any one of these factors can give you away. The combination of course provides merely further proof. Let's take them on one by one.
1. IP
When you connect to the internet you have a distinct IP address, particularly from your work or home. Think of this as your actual house address or work address. If I know that information, I can pretty much deduce the likely person who is currently on the web.
2. Cookies
Cookies have been around for a long time and their original intent was rather benign. But now they are used to track you. On the basis of cookies alone the cookie provide can be very sure about who you are.
3. DNS
When you connect to the internet you are provided with information as to how to obtain information about all those internet address your looking for. Think of this as the Yellow Pages of old (if you don't know what the YP's are, go ask grandma). Anyhow, in order to ask DNS how to get somewhere, they have a good idea about who you are.
4. Browsers
You browser is a conspirator in helping the former to determine who you are. Not to mention if your browser logs you into certain profiles (whether directly or through cookies - Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Amazon, Facebook, etc.), then you're being tracked and perhaps by all.
5. Others
There are just so many means by which there are other ways to track you.
Ensuring anonymity and security is not easy, but here are some tips.
VPN's and TOR
For most people the easiest app to use would be the Tor-Browser while on the web. https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html.en
A VPN and or Tor will at least guarantee some anonymity, but it will definitely ensure that intermediary between your device and the VPN/Tor server can be snooping into your communication, as all that traffic is encrypted.
If you opt to subscribe to a VPN provider, please be sure to verify their credibility. Do the research!
Here's a good place to start: https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/
Also I should note that there is little doubt, however, that security agencies are watching exit nodes of Tor networks.
Cookies and Browsers
Cookies are ubiquitous in browsers. It's hard to live without them, but it's probably a good idea to scrub and not to access 3rd-party cookies. Find out how to do that for your particular browser.
On top of that Google has an interesting way of tracking you, when doing a Google search. Have you ever clicked on a search link and then the browser kind of flicks a few times before opening the webpage? Check out the link to any site and you'll see that it's not actually the link to the site, but to Google, which then forwards you over to the page. They've just tracked you.
There are ways to avoid this. DuckDuckGo is a simple solution. https://duckduckgo.com/
There may also be an extension for your browser that disables this functionality.
DNS
Although you have to use DNS, you don't have to use the ones provided to you by your Internet provider. Your queries are definitely subject to harvesting. There's a neat little service called DNS-Crypt which will connect you to a DNS through an encrypted connection. Check them out at: https://dnscrypt.org/
Ok, now you've tried using some of these methods, but how can you be sure. Here are some websites that will help you.
IPLeak will tell you a lot of information about where your computer and DNS are located.
Whoer will provide information that you never imagined was leaked by your browser.
Finally, check out your cookies at the following website. If you tried to protect against third party cookies and they show up here, you haven't done it right.
No comments:
Post a Comment