Digital Spoor and Cyber Weapons: How To Cover Your Tracks Online, by Silicon Valley Sniper

First off, writing this article sucks. In a free country we shouldn’t have to look over our shoulder if we want to read or write a dissenting opinion. But the latest surveillance state bill could make you a “domestic terrorist” for not sticking to the official narrative. Lots of detail on that elsewhere, here’s a start: https://www.americanpartisan.org/2021/01/is-the-dhs-saying-you-are-a-terrorist/
Digital security is about finding the right balance between risk and convenience, so prepare to be inconvenienced. It’s necessary. Democrats are trying to force through some heinous crap, with zero bi-partisan support. MLK Jr once said that an unjust law is no law at all. So with that in mind, here’s how to cover your tracks.
Start with a threat assessment. Are you worried about creepy government agencies… or getting doxxed by lefty loser? What’s the ‘surface area’ for attack? Are you browsing websites, emailing, posting in forums, using social media? Are you on a computer or smartphone? How do you connect to the internet? Do you have a doorbell camera or smart TV? Does your car have tech?
It’s a lot to think about, but the conclusion is easy. You shouldn’t trust any of it. Here’s more detail on that: https://www.stationx.net/zero-trust-model/. It’s also important to realize this won’t get fixed overnight. So just pick one area and get started.
I’ll start with web browsing. Just want the quick version? Get Brave Browser, make DuckDuckGo your default search engine and use private tabs. Get a VPN and turn on the kill switch. Test that everything is working (links below) and you’ll be doing wildly better than most folks.
If you want to go deeper, Firefox Browser is the gold standard because if gives you more options to lock it down. It’s also open source and managed by a non-profit. Open source means anyone can read through their code and check for backdoors. Non-profit means they don’t answer to a corporate overlord. As an example, Firefox was the only browser to patch Vault 7 before it dropped.
If you haven’t heard of that leak, it was bigger than Snowden and exposed a variety of CIA cyber weapons. It’s worth a look (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vault_7) to understand what kind of things are possible. It’s also pretty telling that companies like Google and Apple didn’t patch. Maybe a conflict of interest?
One downside to Firefox… it’s run by hippies. Their CEO went to the Peoples Republic of Berkeley for undergrad and law school, they have a Chief Diversity Officer, etc. Will their politics eventually show up in the product? Probably so, which is why I also really like Brave Browser.
The CEO of Brave was once the CEO of Firefox, but got kicked out for making donations to conservative causes (good sign). Brave is privacy minded and open source, but it’s also based on code used by Google Chrome (a known data whore). Brave has a strange Ad/crypto-coin business model, so we’ll have to monitor who butters their bread.
A good browser is just the start. You also need to lock it down. This means clicking on File -> Preferences and spending a half-hour enabling privacy options and disabling data sharing options. You also need to add privacy extensions. Extensions on the browser are like apps on your phone. Brave conveniently has much of this already set up, but you can go deeper with Firefox. Here’s a pretty good overview: https://proprivacy.com/privacy-service/guides/firefox-privacy-security-guide.
Your primary goal with hardening the browser is to stop things like trackers, fingerprinters and malicious JavaScript. Go too far and sites you like might stop working. It’s a never ending cat and mouse game. Or consider a different approach. Do you even need to use a browser? RSS feeds are the old school way to read online content. You can download articles, similar to podcasts, and read them offline. RSS is limited, but at least you don’t have to bother with a browser.
Using a VPN is mandatory, and there are free options. To understand why… it masks your browsing activity and your IP Address. An IP Address is similar to a PO Box. You have to share your IP Address so a website knows where to send you info. And a VPN is like a secure mail forwarding service. You could be anywhere in the world, only your VPN service knows where you pick up the mail.
Without a VPN, you’re basically posting your geographic area every time you visit a webpage. Why is this bad? Let’s say Lefty Doxxer is looking for one Andrew Jackson. Doxxer wants to post his street address to followers, along with a recipe for molotov cocktails. The search will be a lot easier if Doxxer knows that Andrew gets his internet from the Waxhaw, NC area vs possibly anywhere in the world.
Perhaps more importantly, your VPN hides your browsing history from your ISP. Why do we care? Your ISP is likely logging and selling all of your personal browsing history as ‘marketing data’. Creepy government agencies might buy your ‘marketing data’ without the fuss of a warrant. Or maybe your ISP decides to report a ‘thought crime’ because the CEO is super-woke. Who knows. If you have a VPN, all they’ll see is that you’re connecting to a VPN (not very exciting).
A VPN will also make your internet slower. It’s one more thing to check if internet goes out. VPNs may trigger fraud warnings if you shop online. Some websites you like may block VPNs, or require annoying CAPTCHAs. It’s all trial and error. You can always turn off your VPN if you’re visiting vanilla sites, but understand the privacy implications and observe how you forget to turn it back on later. Or if you’re feeling more ambitious, look at moving your VPN to the router, adding a firewall, nesting multiple VPNs, adding Tor, JonDonym, etc.
If you’ve made it this far, then congratulations. There’s a good chance that you have the patience and focus to work the list from your threat assessment. As you make progress, setbacks are normal. Frustration is just your ego talking. When you get stuck, walk away and come back later. You’ll make changes that break things and then have to unwind them, that’s still progress. DuckDuckGo is your friend, most of the answers are already out there. And as always… test to make sure it’s working:
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About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

30 Comments

  1. Anonymous February 12, 2021 at 06:59

    5

  2. Joe February 12, 2021 at 08:06

    What is the current situation with VPNs? Server host nation data privacy laws are in flux as well as ownership and control of the software. Any suggestions, tradeoff analysis? Thanks for any info you care to share.

    • Joe February 12, 2021 at 09:52

      Hey, sorry, I just clicked on your VPN link and it took me to ProtonVPN. I assume this is the service you recommend.
      Thanks again.
      Joe

      • NC Scout February 12, 2021 at 11:09

        Very cool brother.

    • vyt1az February 12, 2021 at 15:03

      You only have what they say about themselves to go on. That and evidence that what they say is true. Other than that, every one could dime you out if they wanted to, lie about keeping logs, lie about encryption standards, etc.
      There are likely some bad actors running many.
      There are few standards that help:
      1. They use highly-vetted technologies that the tech community regularly audits. Things like Wireguard or OpenVPN.
      2. They’ve been attacked by law enforcement for not turning over logs / records because they really keep any data.
      3. You can pay for them with crypto currencies that can’t be easily tracked, i.e. Monero (XMR) or mail cash to them and they email you your account info.
      Remember though, your ISP and any other network you get on will know you’re using that VPN because they can see what server your VPN client is connecting to. So not paying with a credit card on an _outer_ VPN isn’t worth much. If you want, you can buy a VPN for your outer connection, and buy a second one with cash to tunnel through the first VPN. I know, that’s complicated, but it helps cover your tracks.

      • Joe February 12, 2021 at 16:38

        Thanks VYT1AZ,
        Could you point me to a reference that gives a slo sombitch, like myself, some more details on the topic of your last paragraph?
        Thanks again.
        Joe

        • vyt1az February 14, 2021 at 21:31

          There’s a list above by posted by tballard56 that has a good reference. My favorite short cut is to search “FBI VPN” and see which ones the FBI is crapping on for not giving up records. It’s not perfect, and yes even that can be gamed, but if they tell LEO to pound sand because they don’t have the info they’re looking for, that’s a decent short list IMO.

  3. Frank Marion February 12, 2021 at 08:11

    Excellent info!

  4. Johnny Paratrooper February 12, 2021 at 09:24

    I really need to transition from my dump/junk email account to a protonmail or tutunota.
    I also need to set all of this up. I have considered buying a separate computer.
    Have you seen the price for computers lately? The days of $300 laptops are over.
    The pawn shop has $300 computes sure, but you need a new battery and to update all the software.
    So you are basically right back at the $600 mark and you have a weaker performing machine.
    I have also considered building a laptop, which would be a fun learning experience.
    Haven’t decided yet; My 2009 MacBookPro is still running strong. 3 batteries later and a couple of surgical cleanings.
    The more powerful the computer, the faster the battery drains as well… Not very tactical.
    Any computer bros in the comments want to write a piece about what your would do if you had $250, $500, $750, $1,000?
    Guns and knives are cool; But ruck sacks, radios, compasses, and computers win the war…

    • Patriotman February 12, 2021 at 09:26

      I have a few different toughbooks that I really like. refurbished ones on Amazon are (were? haven’t checked in a while) pretty reasonable.
      I have a gaming rig that I use as my main computer and then I have a few assorted towers and laptops in addition to be tough books. I have turned into a packrat with PCs and components.
      I have had great success with getting cheap laptops off of http://www.govdeals.com and they are normally in pretty good condition. They sometimes come without a hard drive but I would recommend getting a fresh one anyways and then doing a clean install of linux.

      • Johnny Paratrooper February 12, 2021 at 09:35

        This is great advice. And I believe you have mentioned it before. I apologize for repeating myself.
        My friend built a double monitor gaming tower for a freaking great price. It can run two videos/newsfeeds on HD on two different screens using a fiber optic ISP.
        And he doesn’t have a wifi or bluetooth antenna installed in it. Straight shielded cables.
        Water cooled, extra fans, which is neat stuff. It’s a freaking race car of a computer.
        I’m gonna go the tough book route probably. I assume you can rebuild them to be some pretty decent rigs?
        HD isn’t a necessity, but it sure does help when you are looking at IMG intelligence and Video intelligence.
        Did they ever make a tough book with an HD screen?

    • Patriotman February 12, 2021 at 09:26

      I have a few different toughbooks that I really like. refurbished ones on Amazon are (were? haven’t checked in a while) pretty reasonable.
      I have a gaming rig that I use as my main computer and then I have a few assorted towers and laptops in addition to be tough books. I have turned into a packrat with PCs and components.
      I have had great success with getting cheap laptops off of http://www.govdeals.com and they are normally in pretty good condition. They sometimes come without a hard drive but I would recommend getting a fresh one anyways and then doing a clean install of linux.

    • OTW February 12, 2021 at 19:20

      If you have a good working laptop (not Mac) with an outdated operating system (Win 7). I would replace the operating system with Ubuntu 18.04 LTS. Make sure it is LTS (long term support). Ubuntu is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Supported by donation. There are other open source operating systems, some are beta. I would stay away from the beta versions unless you are tech savvy. There are plenty of tutorials on the net to help you do whatever you need while using the open source software. If you choose to go this route, I would get a high capacity USB stick and transfer anything that you wish to keep. I use USB sticks allot, keep in mind that they last about 10 years. You can also use Ubuntu fully functional from a USB stick. Do some research before you decide.

    • JohnC February 12, 2021 at 22:18

      I was able to build entire computers from the computer parts list off of craigslist alone. PC parts are getting cheap now. Find a case for like $26 a mb for like $35 a cheap four core fore like $55 a psu for like $35-$45 a cheap monitor for like $30. Its all out there just gotta look for it. Cheap mouse/keyboard for like $12-$14 2tb hdd for lik $35
      https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/
      Good luck.

  5. Anonymous Cryptomous February 12, 2021 at 11:48

    There is also The Amnesic Incognito Live System (TAILS) that will give you additional privacy options:
    https://tails.boum.org

  6. tballard56 February 12, 2021 at 13:53

    Got this link off of SSFK on GAB. It has a great comparison of VPNs: https://www.safetydetectives.com/best-vpns/#simple-vpn-comparison

  7. Juri February 12, 2021 at 14:47

    Good overview. But it is important to know that things mentioned are effective only for very low level doxxers or hackers. With serious guys things are extremely sophisticated and to beat them, you must go full cover up mode. It is almost impossible use your home or work computer safely..
    So despite all safety measures everybody must calculate that every internet activity is very much public information. Similar to radios. When your radio is even on receiving mode, you must understand that in this moment your location is exposed.

    • NC Scout February 12, 2021 at 16:28

      “When your radio is even on receiving mode, you must understand that in this moment your location is exposed”
      Is that so? (its not.) You’d know this exactly how?

      • Juri February 13, 2021 at 14:43

        Well, it`s difficult to explain shortly but they key word is resonance.
        Enemy station sending short bursts on frequencies they think you are. When they hit, then your radio makes loud audible sound and creates also electromagnetic burst what the enemy triangulation station can detect.
        Sometimes it happen even naturally. Every radio user heard the radio disturbance sound. Soviets used this technology already back in the WW II
        Unfortunately, against competent enemy there is no such thing like safe electronic comms. Even the old school field phone cables can be detected with relatively cheap electromagnetic field detector when enemy drone flies over the cable in the moment when someone using the phone and cable is powered.

        • NC Scout February 13, 2021 at 15:07

          You have to be damn near in the same room with the person for that effect. There’s a ton of published data on it.
          This is what I thought the answer would be- tin foil coupled with “we’ll never be able to do XXXX” hopelessness. You understand there’s risk in this guerrilla stuff, right?

  8. vyt1az February 12, 2021 at 15:16

    ==========
    “Digital security is about finding the right balance between risk and convenience, so prepare to be inconvenienced. It’s necessary.”
    ==========
    Amen! The more you practice security as a habit, the less laborious it becomes. I’ve been having to bypass Wordfence and or Cloudfront for years coming to this website and it’s always been completely worth the “trouble.”
    ==========
    “Perhaps more importantly, your VPN hides your browsing history from your ISP. Why do we care? Your ISP is likely logging and selling all of your personal browsing history as ‘marketing data’.”
    ==========
    IIRC, the US requires at least a year of metadata to be kept by ISPs, and yes the vast majority resell it. Including intercepting your DNS requests to sell those. And because they do this, the NSA / CIA don’t have to try as hard to spy on you. They can buy the same data everyone else does.
    Even if the boogaloo never kicks off, your ISP + Big tech records – like google searches – are admitted as evidence in trials now. Imagine you use your gun for self defense and the prosecutor shows up with records pointing to a website like this one or all the other gun websites you visit daily…
    With regard to Brave, what people often don’t understand is that Brave butters their own bread. ;-) They inject their own money makers in place of the ones Google placed into Chrome.
    https://davidgerard.co.uk/blockchain/2020/06/06/the-brave-web-browser-is-hijacking-links-and-inserting-affiliate-codes/
    https://rudism.com/the-brave-browser-is-brilliant/
    As you mentioned, Firefox’s SJW garbage aside, it’s well audited by the open source community. Not so much for Brave. Brave is OK as long as people understand what they really are; a slightly more benevolent money maker than Google with a desire to screw over the SJWs while making money.

  9. Joe February 12, 2021 at 16:32

    To those who use Proton VPN: Using data gathered from the up comment VPN study, it would appear that Proton’s download speed is marginal compared to AirVPN, Mullvad or Perfect Privacy VPNs. What has your experience with DL speeds? Fast, acceptable, horrendous?
    Any other thoughts on Proton?
    Best of Luck and thanks for any info
    Joe

  10. Los Rodeados February 12, 2021 at 16:37

    Damn fine, and verrrrry useful article, and comments! Kudos all.

  11. JD February 12, 2021 at 23:33

    VPN’s are a start but the data miners that purchase tracking data can ID you pretty quickly even with a VPN. The greatest protection you can get online is to use a VPN on a browser that wipes all data when you close it down and on a machine that is used for NOTHING else. Best bet is to set up a virtual machine that is only used for browsing, the browser is set to clear all data, and the virtual machine is also set to persist nothing when shut down and where you change the MAC ID every time.

  12. TINVOWOOT February 12, 2021 at 23:56

    A fair stab at the subject but there are some oversimplifications in this article. I’m going to suggest a YouTube (yes YouTube, it’s still somewhat useful for learning) channel for those of you who want to really understand the subject of computer security: Rob Braxman Tech . This guy is great at explaining what REALLY happens when you use VPN or TOR or “encrypted” email, as well as what really matters to keep at least a fig leaf of privacy online.

  13. Name Goes Here February 13, 2021 at 00:14

    Tor was made by gov and connects out without permission.
    Gov has spyware that no detector will find as they all signed off.
    The Italian kid making bomb threat pranks against US schools found out about that.
    Google is to be avoided at all costs.
    Using Brave and I didn’t know it was made by the guy who made contributions to a conservative pol until reading this.
    Firefox was cut off after that stunt as he made the donations away from work on his own time.
    Never had a sailfawn (cellphone) and never will. I only look at a couple of Patriot pages and aggregators with the occasional comment at certain pages.
    The only safe untrackable machine? One that isn’t connected at all and I always keep one of those chock full of the good stuff with a laptop drive connected via SATA adapter in case there is a need to go mobile.

    • NC Scout February 13, 2021 at 06:22

      And at some point, when it’s time to put the metal in the meat, you’re going to be organized exactly how?
      Everything is a mitigated risk. But there absolutely is risk involved. A lot of tin foil in the comments.

  14. Charlie Hargrave February 13, 2021 at 10:30

    I learned long ago that normal folks, like most of us, have not had, nor will have, any privacy online.
    Know your enemy, know your limits.
    If you are doing something you do not want seen, do it in person.

  15. Basic Online OPSEC – Deft Systems, LLC February 14, 2021 at 09:02

    […] Digital Spoor and Cyber Weapons: How To Cover Your Tracks Online, by Silicon Valley Sniper […]

  16. Anonymous March 3, 2021 at 11:56

    4.5

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