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Personal Cyber Security | TLDR Awesome PRs Welcome LicenseContributors

Contents

PERSONAL SECURITY CHECKLIST

This is the shortened version of The Complete Personal Security Checklist. It lays out the 20 most essential security + privacy tips, that you should complete to protect your digital life.

Authentication

  • Use strong, unique passphrases for each of your accounts (12+ alpha-numeric upper and lower-case letters + symbols). Avoid predicitable patterns, dictionary words and names.
  • Use a password manager: It is going to be almost impossible to remember hundreds of unique passwords. A password manager will generate strong passwords, securly store and auto-fill them, with a browser extension and mobile app. All you will need to do, is remember 1 master password. BitWarden is a great option, as is 1Password (not open source). KeePass XC is more secure, but without any cloud-sync functionality.
  • Use 2-factor authentication for all secure accounts (email, cloud storage, financial accounts and social media). You can do this with Authy (proprietary) which will also let you back up and sync your tokens across multiple devices. Or you can use Aegis or AndOTP which are both open source.
  • Be cautious when logging into your accounts on someone elses device, as you cannot be sure that it is free of malware. If you do need to access one of your accounts, use incognito mode (Ctrl+Shift+N) so your credentials don't get cached.

Browsing

  • Don't enter any personal details on websites that are not HTTPS
  • Switch to Firefox or Brave Browser, both of which have strong privacy and security configurations by default, and will also make loading websites faster. Consider using Tor for the greatest privacy.
  • Consider using search engine that doesn't track you, such as DuckDuckGo or StartPage, which show unbiased results and don't keep logs.
  • Install PrivacyBadger extension to block invisible trackers, and HTTPS Everywhere to force sites to load via HTTPS. You can use Panopticlick to quickly check if your browser is safe against tracking.

Phone

  • Have a strong pin/password on your mobile device.
  • Turn off WiFi when your not using it, and delete saved networks that you no longer need (Settings --> WiFi --> Saved Networks).
  • Don't grant apps permissions that they don't need. For Android, you can use Exodus to quickly see the permissions and trackers for each of your installed apps.

Email

  • It's important to protect your email account, as if a hacker gains access to it he/she will be able to reset the passwords for all your other accounts. Ensure you have a strong and unique password, and enable 2FA.
  • Emails are not encrypted by default, meaning they are able to be read by anyone who intercepts them as well as your email provider (Google, Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo etc all monitor emails). Consider switching to a secure mail provider using end-to-end encryption, such as ProtonMail or Tutanota.

Networking

  • Use a reputable VPN to keep your IP protected and reduce the amount of browsing data your ISP can log. (Note: VPN's do not provide ultimate protection as advertisers commonly state). See thatoneprivacysite.net for a detailed comparison chart. ProtonVPN has a free starter plan, Mullvad is great for anonymity. Other good all-rounders include IVPN, NordVPN, TorGuard and AirVPN.
  • Change your routers default password. Anyone connected to your WiFi is able to listen to network traffic, so in order to prevent people you don't know from connecting, use WPA2 and set a strong password.
  • Update your router settings to use a secure DNS, such as Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1, this should also speed up your internet. If you cannot modify your roters settings, you can set the DNS on your phone (with the 1.1.1.1. app), or Windows, Mac or Linux. DNS is the system used to resolve URL's to their server addresses, many DNS providers collect data on your browsing habbits and use it to target you with ads or sell it on.

Devices

  • Keep software up-to-date. Security fixes and patches are released as updates, so it is important to install updates when prompted, for your phone, PC, router, IoT devices and all software/apps.

📜 See More: The Complete Personal Security Checklist

OPEN-SOURCE, PRIVACY-FOCUSED SOFTWARE

Switch to alternative open-source, privacy-respecting apps and services, which won't collect your data, track you or show targetted ads.

Security

Browser Extensions

Privacy Badger - Blocks trackers. HTTPS Everywhere - Upgrates requests to HTTPS. [uBlock Origin] - Blocks ads, trackers and malwares. ScriptSafe - Block execution of certain scripts. WebRTC Leak Prevent - Prevents IP leaks. Vanilla Cookie Manager - Auto-removes unwanted cookies. Privacy Essentials - Shows which sites are insecure

Mobile Apps

Exodus - Shows which trackers are on your device. Orbot- System-wide Tor Proxy. Island - Sand-box environment for apps. NetGuard - Controll which apps have network access. Bouncer - Grant temporary permissions. Greenify - Controll which apps can run in the background. 1.1.1.1 - Use CloudFlares DNS over HTTPS. Fing App - Monitor your home WiFi network for intruders

Online Tools

εxodus - Shows which trackers an app has. ';--have i been pwned? - Check if your details have been exposed in a breach. EXIF Remover - Removes meta data from image or file. Redirect Detective - Shows where link redirects to. Virus Total - Scans file or URL for malware. Panopticlick, Browser Leak Test and IP Leak Test - Check for system and browser leaks

Productivity Tools

File Storage: NextCloud. File Sync: Syncthing. File Drop: Firefox Send. Notes: Standard Notes, Cryptee, Joplin. Blogging: Write Freely. Calendar/ Contacts Sync: ETE Sync

📜 See More: Complete List of Privacy-Respecing Sofware

SECURITY HARDWARE

There are also some gadgets that can help improve your physical and digital security.

There's no need to spend money- Most of these products can be made at home with open source software. Here's a list of DIY Security Gadgets.

📜 See More: Privacy and Security Gadgets

Thanks for visiting, hope you found something useful here :) Contributions are welcome, and much appreciated - to propose an edit raise an issue, or open a PR. See: CONTRIBUTING.md.

Found this helpful? Consider sharing, to help others improve their digital security 😇

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Licensed under Creative Commons, CC BY 4.0, © Alicia Sykes 2020

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