Utilizing Tor with other `.onion` sites, means that neither your IP nor the servers IP address is exposed. Like your traffic going through 3 nodes or "hops", the a server running on the Tor network also goes through the same, meaning that the `exit-node`_cannot_ see your network traffic.
With Tor, anyone is able to setup a node meaning that you cannot possible trust anything, which there are many issues including a malicious `exit-node`, setup by an adversary in an attempt to de-anonymize users.
The Tor network is not as secure as many put it, there are a variety of attacks that can be used to de-anonymize users. An adversary can setup multiple malicious `entry`, `middle`, and `exit` nodes, then can DDoS other public Tor nodes which can either shut them offline or increase the already terrible speeds.
Many people argue against using VPNs with Tor, though there can be real-world benefits to having a setup like this.
If you are worried about an adversary knowing you are connecting to the Tor network this can be beneficial, but keep in mind your adversary can see you connect to the VPN.
- Always always always know what you are doing. You don't want to compromise yourself because you _thought_ you knew what you were doing. Make sure 100%. Do research **before**.
- Have a strong mind. Most flaws are user error, meaning YOU. Having a strong mind is critical.
You must be in a clear state of mind, and almost be "talking to yourself" mentally.
Ask yourself before you do something "is this right".
A good memory is CRITICAL. You are going to need to remember almost **EVERYTHING** you do on the internet if you want to do this _"properly"._
Don't be compromised because you forgot something.
Let's eliminate user error.
More on this subject will be later in this _guide._
- Take over-procedures. Don't "skimp" out on encryption because you don't feel like entering in a password. Don't be lazy.
- Do not compromise your security for a friend. If they are your friend, they will respect your new-founded love for being secure.
- Do not reveal more than you need to. MMJ doesn't need to know what you had for lunch.
People may think you are paranoid, but in a world like this it _is_ useful to be even a bit paranoid. This will allow you to see the true realities of the world. If you are always thinking of ways you can be compromised, you'd actually likely reduce your risk due to the fact of you constantly thinking about it, rather than just "not really thinking" about it, or rather as often as you should. Privacy and security are constantly evolving, which means that you will have to evolve with it. Are you ready for a data breach? What are you going to do if your compromised? Questions like these are what you need to ask yourself in order to be successful, you must always have a backup plan that you can execute.
Threat modeling can become an advanced topic, you will need to learn how to balance security, privacy and anonymity. You'll need to properly layout and identify what you are protecting yourself from.
Everyone has something to protect, whether it is passwords, location, internet activity, confidential documents, etc.
The items you are trying to protect will be referred here as "assets".
- [PrivacyGuides](https://privacyguides.org) - "The guide to restoring your online privacy."
- [PRISM Break](https://prism-break.org/) - "Opt out of global data surveillance programs like [PRISM](https://wikiless.org/wiki/PRISM_%28surveillance_program%29), [XKeyscore](https://wikiless.org/wiki/XKeyscore), [Tempora](https://wikiless.org/wiki/Tempora).
How to do this efficiently? Well... there is no "efficient" method, you just have to brute force this all of your data points have somewhat been eliminated.
You can first start by going to various apps that you are already signed into, start to delete all of your activities, message, posts and friends.
You'll have to do this for all of your "currently-known" services.
After you've done this, make sure everything is deleted including your PfP, and change your username, anonymize as much data as possible such as changing username, email and others.
After you've done this, you are now ready to delete this account.
As for finding services you may have forgotten, look through your entire email and find services you may have signed up for and start to do the same process.
Try to search up your commonly-used usernames to help you with this process.
Do this for every single account, just to ensure there is not anything that you may have missed.
As for finding services you may have forgotten, look through your entire email and find services you may have signed up for and start to do the same process.
Try to do searches on all of your identities and use this as a good way to help ensure that you've removed everything that you can.
Utilize services such as [HaveIBeenpwned](https://haveibeenpwned.com) to ensure you haven't suffered any data breaches and use Sherlock to help find some of your missed accounts.
Often times you will find yourself needing an email address.
Creating an anonymous email account will be necessary in some cases.
It is best to absolutely avoid commercial services such as gmail, outlook and icloud, these services are not anonymous or even private.
Default (gmail, icloud, etc.) email providers can read your inbox, and will send your information on government requests.
For anonymity, it may be best to utilize Tor for email to help prevent an adversary from obtaining your IP address, and to help prevent fingerprinting.
Using a web browser to access email allows for malicious javascript to be utilized to capture your credentials along with your mail contents.
Some services only allow for web-based applications, while others such as Proton allow for a local-client on paid plans.
Be mindful of this.
If you need a temporary email, you are able to use:
_What is the point of using a secure messenger, if your desktop is compromised by the same adversary you are protecting against via your secure messenger and they can see all of your activity?_
The default desktop enviroment has a broken security model.
This is due to the fact of lacking permissions and proper isolation as done on mobile operating systems such as Android with their per-app permission toggles.
Some services like Firejail, SELinux and Apparmor can fix a lot of these issues, but the fact is configuring these services for every application can be a daunting task and can lead to much user-error.
There are some efforts to "privatize" these operating systems, though due to the fact that they are all _closed-source_, means that many of these hardening methods that we would do, can just as easily fail if the OS itself is backdoored.
The operating system you choose should not be based upon what is recommended here, you yourself will need to research what is best suited for your situation and needs.
Linux is _private by default_, meaning that your personal information is not being _harvested_ like traditional operating systems including Windows and MacOS.
Those who are looking for some excitement or extremely into privacy, security and / or anonymity should look at [QubesOS](https://qubes-os.org) <buttontype="button"class="btn btn-xs btn-xs"><ahref="http://qubesosfasa4zl44o4tws22di6kepyzfeqv3tg4e3ztknltfxqrymdad.onion/">Tor</a></button> and [Tails](https://tails.boum.org) if you haven't already.
Simply put, most aspects of the OS are split into Qubes which are virtual machines, meaning that if something gets compromised, the rest of the system can be safely used.
Due to the way Qubes OS is built, requirements will be heavy.
-`sys-net` -> `sys-firewall` -> `sys-firewall-email-personal` -> `personal-email` - By placing the firewall here, this allows us to only whitelist internet traffic from specifically our email provider.
-`sys-net` -> `sys-firewall` -> `sys-firewall-IN-vpn-us-1` -> `sys-vpn-us-1` -> `sys-firewall-vpn-us-1` - This again gives us the ability to whitelist traffic from only the `sys-vpn-us-1`.
You should not install all of your applications on a single template qube, instead you should have different templates for each purpose.
This is done as a security measure along with helping us with proper compartmentalization.
It's best to use minimal templates as most applications will likely not get used, but if you need more applications you can simply install them in a new template.
Ensure to read the [official documentation](https://qubes-os.org/doc/templates/minimal) for minimal templates.
We will need to properly setup [split-pgp](https://qubes-os.org/doc/split-gpg) and [split-ssh](https://kushaldas/in/posts/using-split-ssh-in-qubesos-4-0.html).
Using the "split" method, we are able to create an additional [split-browser](https://github.com/rustybird/qubes-split-browser) and a [split-dm-crypt](https://github.com/rustybird/qubes-split-dm-crypt).
Using [u2f-proxy](https://qubes-os.org/doc/u2f-proxy) allows you to "compartmentalize the browser in one qube and the USB stack in another so that they are always kept separate from each other".
This would provide increased redundancy, though it can _potentially_ decrease security, as having another system on the network, proper hardening, etc. but is unlikely to cause any harm with the proper configuration.
We can generate an alias by thinking of a random word / phrase but this method could eventually compromise you if you keep choosing references from Star Trek.
If you are using QubesOS, we are able to utilize compartmentalization heavily in this instance. We will start off by creating multiple qubes for our setup.
Note that SimpleLogin has been acquired by Proton, meaning that Proton will technically know all of your email aliases, but this should be no concern for this type of setup.
Your browser _can_ be easily [fingerprinted](https://wikiless.org/wiki/Device_fingerprint#Browser_fingerprint), and tracked across the web, this can be all changed.
Brave is based upon Chromium and includes significant enabled-by-default [privacy protections](https://brave.com/privacy-features/) by default unlike a lot of other browsers.
- For increased security you can block 3rd-party frames as [described here](https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/Dynamic-filtering:-Benefits-of-blocking-3rd-party-iframe-tags).
Librewolf contains many privacy features and additional hardening by default along with removing various "bloat" such as Pocket extension and Firefox Sync.
A full list of features can be found [here](https://librewolf.net/docs/features/).
Librewolf may suffer issues from potentially being behind on updates due to it being a fork.
_"LibreWolf is always based on the latest version of Firefox. Updates usually come within three days from each upstream stable release, at times even the same day. Unless problems arise, we always try to release often and in a timely manner. It should however be noted that LibreWolf does not have auto-update capabilities, and therefore it relies on package managers or users to apply them."_
Librewolf is a good alternative to utilizing Arkenfox on Qubes as we cannot reasonably trust a human to consistently and manually check for updates on Arkenfox.
The main differences between centralized and decentralized is that a single authority cannot easily block a decentralized network as there is not a single server unlike centralized.Decentralized services are _sometimes_ prone to leaking metadata and may cause issues when federated.
- [Matrix](https://matrix.org) Matrix provides a federated platform, which allows for anyone to host their own server, meaning that it is resistent to censorship as it does not rely on a single server.
- [Briar](https://briarproject.org) A P2P messenger app which is designed for extreme threat models.
Allows for bluetooth communication along with routing communications over Tor network.
Choosing your secure messenger will depend on your use-case.
For instance, if you want to protect your traditional SMS / MMS messages, [Signal](https://signal.org) will be the best option if you are looking for a simple replacement that uses your telephone number, allowing contacts to easily add you, which would make this "easy adoption" unlike something like Matrix.
If you are looking to participate anonymously in various communities, you may want to utilize [Matrix](https://matrix.org) as one of your options.
Your physical state is just as important as your online state.
If you can be physically tracked and stalked, this could potentially lead to the compromise of your online being.
For instance, if someone stalks your behavior and notices you leave your device unattended, this can lead to malicious activity taking place such as compromising firmware, installing a small bluetooth transmitter, accessing device information if the device is unencrypted, or even just outright taking the device.
Such careless behavior will certainly lead to your demise.
You cannot reasonably expect to protect your online self if you do not protect your physical self.
All of your protective measures could be easily bypassed if you are physically forced.
You must be able to hide your physical activities and protect yourself.
To hide yourself, you first must identify your identifiable qualities.
Some examples of this include:
- Height / Weight
- DNA
- Fingerprint
- Tattoos / Scars
- Heart rate
- Writing style
- Walking style
- Dominant hand
- Medical conditions
- Voice
At first glance, many of this seems like defining qualities, but they can be altered in a manner in which that can help prevent you from being identified.
Walking Style: Your walking style is a unique identifier, and
Heart Rate: Your heart rate is a unique identifier.
Based on [this article](https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/06/27/238884/the-pentagon-has-a-laser-that-can-identify-people-from-a-distanceby-their-heartbeat/) your heart rate can be identified from up to 200 meters away.
To change your heart rate, you can rely on external substances such as medications or energy drinks to do this.
Doing such will raise / lower your heart rate based upon what you do.
To hide your heart rate from such technology, it is advisable to use tinfoil to block the signal.
This can be done via foil clothing or line a jacket with the proper tinfoil material.
Fingerprints: You can use sandpaper to sand down your fingerprints.
Certain medications may do this as well. (or gloves. NOT LATEX GLOVES as these do not protect your fingerprint)
Weight: You can wear extra bulky clothing or a weighted vest underneath a sweatshirt
Height: You can wear large boots to gain a few inches.
When walking into a store, ensure to lower your spine or lean in a way that your true height is not identifiable based on the measurements on the door.
Writing: You can write with your non-dominate hand or have a different writing position / posture.
Tattoos: Don't get one.
You can use makeup.
Scars: You can use makeup to hide identifiable scars.
Medical Conditions: If you take certain medications, please know the limits of these medicines and the limits of your body.
For instance, if you take adderall, taking a higher dosage than prescribed can change your behavior.
This would produce abnormal behavior, which in turn is no longer identifiable with your normal self.
Voice: You can talk with an accent, or give yourself a lisp.
Driving Pattern: Make all tires on your vehicle a different size.
This will allow for abnormal driving patterns.
Avoid taking main roads.
A small tracker can be placed anywhere on your vehicle without your knowledge, to detect this you can switch your radio to "AM" and go from there.
To protect against this, you can buy a signal jammer.
It is advisable to remove any electronic equipment on your vehicle.
For additional protection, you may:
- Tint the windows
- Remove / replace vehicle badges and emblems
- Remove the vehicle license plate, replace with a fake one, or severely damage or cover the plate to beyond recognition (dirt / debris or license plate physically wearing off)
- Remove all signs of VIN or any other unique identifiers
- [Real Time Object Tracking System using Thermal Camera](https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/real-time-object-tracking-system-using-thermal-camera-b4d077a20f16)
You should not be trying to setup a secure system if the hardware itself cannot be trusted.Anything can be pre-loaded with malicious code designed to compromise security, especially how mass-production has been increasing over time, meaning they just need to compromise a device on the production line.
[PortaPow Pure USB Data Blocker (Multicolored)](https://www.amazon.com/PortaPow-Pure-USB-Data-Blocker/dp/B07W928WRR/) - This USB-A Data Blocker is made of transparent plastic, meaning that you can physically verify that the data pins have been removed along with the removal of their "SmartChip".
Which will prevent an additional attack surface from being used.
[PortaPow USB-C to C Data Blocker](https://www.amazon.com/PortaPow-USB-C-Data-Blocker-Twin/dp/B082WDHS22/) - A USB-C cable that does not transfer any data.
[Faraday Pouch](https://wikiless.northboot.xyz/wiki/Faraday_cage) - This will block all radio waves and signals, which can ensure that absolutely no connection is traveling out of your devices.
