General help for security whilst online.

[Potato*Salad]

So, in today's world, we have people who will test security either way, even companies sabotage their own security in order to make it stronger, but there are very real criminals out there too.

So basic finding of information of a person.

IP address, this will be an IP assigned to you by the ISP (internet service provider)

An IP address is only the address you are loaned by the ISP, it is not an address of where you actually live.. depending on where the IP address lands (junction)

So for instance, my IP address is public and if you Google it.. it will say i live somewhere in Birmingham which is not too far off but i don't live in Birmingham.

In order to gain truly more information, you would need to be able to get through the ISP via warrant or court order, which in any case.. there is reason to get your information for whatever reason.

You can hide your IP address by using a VPN service which reroutes you to a different country, which can in fact unlock sites which are blocked in your country, for instance i think it is Korea who cannot even access YouTube.. crazy i know! But good VPN's cost money.

 

 

So there is operating systems, Windows, Linux (Ubuntu etc), MAC OS.

Windows is by far the least secure, however it is the one with a much more versatile and plentiful experience, but the other OS's can be customized far further for true security reason.

Tails a version of Linux looks exactly like a Windows OS yet it's not, it's just a GUI (GUI stands for graphical user interface), it can run off of a live CD or USB which means it is never installed, everything saved is wiped as soon as the system is shut down.

https://tails.boum.org/

Windows is the most common OS out there, so it is by definition the least secure since people who are targeting users, are going to hit the biggest crowd they can. 

Anti - Virus protection is a good way to eliminate many threats, however none are foolproof, the AV has to confirm that it is an attack first which means it relies on testers and feedback from the community and people who report it ASAP in order to save themselves and others from any kind of Malware, Virus or Ransomware.


I recommend:

MalwareBytes (free)
Avast! (free)
Or stick with Windows Security Essentials (does not offer some of the more advanced features but is great!)

One not to install is Ccleaner, it was recently attacked and it is not safe! if you have this, uninstall immediately.


Attacks can be delayed and will slowly infect a computer, so be warned that just because your system seems "fine" it is not.

 

 

 

How people force passwords on websites...

Today we have powerful hardware, it is no longer CPU's that are used but in fact GPU's.

What is a CPU?

The CPU is responsible for executing a sequence of stored instructions called a program. This program will take inputs from an input device, process the input in some way and output the results to an output device.
CPUs aren’t only found in desktop or laptop computers, many electronic devices now rely on them for their operation. Mobile phones, DVD players and washing machines are examples of equipment that have a CPU.


What is a GPU?

GPU

(Graphics Processing Unit) A programmable logic chip (processor) specialized for display functions. The GPU renders images, animations and video for the computer's screen. GPUs are located on plug-in cards, in a chipset on the motherboard or in the same chip as the CPU.

A GPU performs parallel operations. Although it is used for 2D data as well as for zooming and panning the screen, a GPU is essential for smooth decoding and rendering of 3D animations and video. The more sophisticated the GPU, the higher the resolution and the faster and smoother the motion in games and movies. GPUs on stand-alone cards include their own memory (RAM), while GPUs in the chipset or CPU chip share main memory with the CPU.

Not Just Graphics Processing
Since GPUs perform parallel operations on multiple sets of data, they are increasingly used as vector processors for non-graphics applications that require repetitive computations. For example, in 2010, a Chinese supercomputer achieved the record for top speed using more than seven thousand GPUs in addition to its CPUs.


Now the reason GPU's are better at this really difficult task is due to the nature of which GPU's work, they are suited to highly parallel work loads such as brute forcing stuff, because doing so is not a random task, it is a continued effort, a GPU excels with speed in this area whereas x86 CPU's are vastly superior at random code execution.


What people do is find a dump of passwords which a person will dump somewhere on the internet, now it never comes out with what the dump says, it is encrypted, and this is where the GPU uses it's full power, it decrypts what may be passwords.

Anything up to 10 digits can be cracked, and the less upper case and numbers, the easier to spot.


Where you are safe is the 13-16 digit range, it is way out of most GPU's performance spectrum and will take an immense amount of time for anyone to get worthy results, on top of finding if that string of numbers or text is even a password.


Remember, hardware is always getting faster, stay ahead of the game.

 

 

Facebook is a major security problem, but not due to Facebook it's self, mostly due to ignorance of users and what they "share" so publicly.

If you want to remain safe, privatize your profile, opt out from being searchable in Google, and all issues will go away.

When you are not indexed by Google you are hidden in what is known as the "deep web"

The surface internet is what you will find all the most normal and common sites to be on, all indexed and ready for consumption.

Google and other search engines purposely block some sites.. clearly we don't need all of the internet, not all of it is so great at all.

You can in fact use a private web browser which tracks nothing, it is known as "Epic Privacy Browser" and is based on Chromium (what Google Chrome uses)

 

 

 

Now there are real reasons to use it, it stops companies knowing you, getting your information and selling it on.

Ever got random phone calls from some Indian guy? or some random stranger? asking to do surveys etc? 

Cookies and tracking is responsible, and it's big money for those who sell it on.

 

 

I also recommend using AdBlockPlus for those using Google Chrome or FireFox.. awesome add on which blocks ads on all sites, however some sites are aware people are using it and so will ask you nicely to unblock their website to view the content, since ads help their revenue and to keep the site running.

[Mira Yurizaki]

Some comments

7 hours ago, Potato*Salad said:

Windows is by far the least secure, however it is the one with a much more versatile and plentiful experience, but the other OS's can be customized far further for true security reason.

This is kind of misleading. Least secure how? If we went by number of vulnerabilities, then according to this website, various flavors of Linux took the top 10 in 2016. macOS took 11, and Windows 10 took 13. Of course, this probably only counts for the number of reported vulnerabilities so the numbers could be higher.

 

If we went by their security model, Windows and POSIX are from a higher level similar in how they handle permissions. Both have permissions for who owns the file, who's in the user's group, and everyone else (well, Windows doesn't really have an "everyone else" setting). Both require elevation for certain system-level tasks.

 

If we went by malware, well of course Windows would have the most malware. It's one of the most widely used OS. But Android also has its fair share of malware, which I'm using the term loosely to mean any software that has malicious intent. Apps on Google Play have been found to do things like scrape your contacts or whatnot for spamming or other nefarious desires.

 

Quote

Windows is the most common OS out there, so it is by definition the least secure since people who are targeting users, are going to hit the biggest crowd they can. 

Windows is the most common consumer PC OS. However, Linux is the most common OS used.

Quote

One not to install is Ccleaner, it was recently attacked and it is not safe! if you have this, uninstall immediately.

CCleaner itself is not a security vulnerability. Hackers merely replaced the legitimate one with a trojan horse.

Quote

Facebook is a major security problem, but not due to Facebook it's self, mostly due to ignorance of users and what they "share" so publicly.

If you want to remain safe, privatize your profile, opt out from being searchable in Google, and all issues will go away.

Or just not use social media at all.

 

Ultimately though for the paranoid, no matter what you do, if you're a creature of habit, someone will be able to find you based on your usage patterns. Patterns and habit will greatly accelerate breaking through your security. Just ask how the Brits managed to crack the Enigma.

 

Edited September 22, 2017 by M.Yurizaki

[LogicalDrm]

Few things.

 

First, please use spoilers. There is ton of needless things, like explanation of what CPU is. You could hide those in spoilers if there happens to be someone who actually cares.

 

Second, at least parts of this are pure copy-paste. If you want to be taken seriously, reference sources and try to write things yourself. Also bit of research couldn't be bad.

(-removed by request-)

 

Thirdly, if you are talking about OS' and them being at risk, you should include some notes. First being that while Windows is most common consumer OS and might be most vulnerable too, there's direct reason between those two points. Linux and MacOS have been in minority for so long that they are just now starting to get more by numbers, and more severe virus and malware. Windows has been main target in past because of sometimes lacking security updates, wide userbase and users who aren't used to using technology in general. You also left completely out all mobile solutions while I would argue that they are at greater risk. Just because how easy it is to break into them if stolen. Or if one access public wifi carelessly.

 

As for software. Malwarebytes ISN'T Anti-Virus. It, CCleaner, Spybot S&D and others are tools to remove malware, trojans and other such garbage. As for AV software I would highly recommend you adding other free and some better paid alternatives besides Avast! Personally I use BitDefender which is among top ones.

Edited September 21, 2017 by LoGiCalDrm

[Tsuki]

7 hours ago, M.Yurizaki said:

CCleaner itself is not a security vulnerability. Hackers merely replaced the legitimate one with a trojan horse.

not to mention, it only affected the 32bit version 5.33.6162 which was released aug15th. (yes there was a 64bit hack as well, but was specifically targeted and likely did not affect normal consumers)

 

a new version was released sep12(and another one on sep20) so if you've updated since then, or if you run the 64bit version, you're fine.