Safer Internet Use

TL;DR ✨

Online security is one of the key issues not only of the present, but also of the future. The author predicts that, within a few decades, the strongest demand will not be for mass-market services, but for services that provide security and protect privacy.

The author believes that security is fertile ground for entrepreneurs. Drawing on the author's experience, this introductory article presents ways to secure one's life online; a regular, detailed overview of individual tools and services was intended to follow over time.

Online security is one of the key issues not only of the present, but also of the future. The author predicts that, within a few decades, the strongest demand will not be for mass-market services, but for services that provide security and protect privacy. In the author's view, more than 70% of today's services would stand no chance if consumers were well informed and first found out exactly what information those services collect about them.

The author believes that security is fertile ground for entrepreneurs. Drawing on the author's experience, this introductory article presents ways to secure one's life online; a regular, detailed overview of individual tools and services was intended to follow over time.

Privacy-conscious readers who need help can contact the author to request a consultation. The author's contact details are available here.

1. Tor - Safer browsing

Tor is a web browser similar to Firefox or Chrome. The difference is that data sent between client and server does not travel directly, but through a series of other servers. This can provide anonymity while browsing.

TIP: Links

Links is a stripped-down web browser in which all advanced technologies are disabled. This can reduce the chance of infecting a home computer through vulnerable JavaScript or Flash. It can be useful when occasionally browsing unknown content on an unfamiliar website.

2. CryptoCat - Secure communication on Facebook

As readers are likely aware, Facebook logs and stores everything they do there. It stores their communications, which automated systems scan from time to time to find out what is new with them. CryptoCat is intended to encrypt personal communication on Facebook. The browser plugin only needs to be downloaded for users to communicate securely.

3. VPN - There's no place like home

A VPN is a powerful security tool. It can be thought of as a tunnel between any foreign network in the world and one's secure home network. A VPN provides access to that home network, where work can then be carried out safely because the user knows the network well. To other people snooping online, traffic intercepted in the tunnel is encrypted gibberish. The author's recommendation is to use a VPN whenever logging in to services such as online banking from a public place, including cafes and pubs, and whenever using passwords. Some people like to sniff other users' network traffic in pubs, and intercepting other computers on a network is not difficult.

TIP: Restrict access to a public IP address. Where possible, restrict access to a remote server or service by filtering allowed IP addresses. Ask the service provider whether IP filtering is available. This can significantly improve the security of access to the service.

4. Password manager

Using a single password for everything is a terrible idea. The author wrote recommendations on creating passwords here. The problem is how to store sensitive passwords securely. The author recommends KeePassX because of its cross-platform support and straightforward database handling. LastPass is also an excellent password manager. It is a cloud solution that communicates with browsers through plugins. Whenever a password is entered on a website, LastPass asks whether it should save it. If the user agrees, LastPass remembers and automatically fills in the password on the next visit. If automatic login is enabled, the password no longer needs to be entered manually.

5. SFTP

FTP is old and not particularly secure. Its traffic can be intercepted easily. Much better protocols were therefore devised: FTPS (FTP + SSL), and especially SFTP (SSH + FTP). Someone has already described all the differences here.

TIP: The recommendation is to generate a public key on one's computer using ssh-keygen and add it to the remote server. This removes the need to enter a password repeatedly; for an attacker, going to the user's home and stealing the hard drive containing the data is then far easier than trying to break the generated key.

TIP: SSH. For readers who frequently access a remote server, sshfs is an ideal tool that allows the remote machine to be mounted as a directory. Every change is synchronized between the remote machine and the mounted directory.

6. Certificates and the web

A website can be secured with a certificate issued by a certificate authority. Much had recently been written about certificates because Google had started giving additional ranking points to websites offering HTTPS access. For further reading, the author recommends this Igloonet blog post as a starting point for finding more information.

7. Email certificates

Many people think email communication is secure because they must use a password to log in to their mailbox. This is a misconception. Outgoing email traffic is unencrypted unless SSL or TLS is configured.

The transmission problem can be solved by using S/MIME with certificate-based verification. An overview is available here.

Using S/MIME has two important advantages. First, the certificate verifies that a person owns the email account and is the person who wrote the email. Second, if the other party also has a certificate, S/MIME can encrypt the communication. The recipient can read this encrypted communication only if they also hold the appropriate certificate. Both received and sent data are then encrypted. This protection can also be configured on a mobile phone or tablet, allowing encrypted email to be sent from a mobile device.

8. A private cloud

Services from companies such as Google and Apple, including synchronized calendars, task lists, notes, and contacts, are convenient and pleasant solutions. However, they are not especially secure when one considers that employees of those companies have access to users' lives and may use that information if the companies need it. Security is therefore essential. The author recommends finding a different, private service capable of handling this data transfer. One example the author can recommend with a clear conscience is GroupOffice, whose open-source version can be downloaded and installed on one's own server or on a hosted server run by a trusted company. The Exchange protocol can be used to transfer valuable information to and from a mobile phone. A commercial presentation is available here. Readers interested in a Professional License can also contact the author for more information. The author can help analyze their needs and choose the right implementation.