The Hackers World

In many applications including surfing the internet, chatting, sending confidential documents anonymity has become a necessary and legitimate desire. A piece of information can be encrypted by using many encryption techniques, but it will only give you the encrypted content and will not hide your identity because It is still possible to know the source and destination of the communicating end. Anonymity in a business network can be devastating as it can make an organization vulnerable to security risks, liability and potential litigation and it is very useful for your competitor to know your moves. Moreover many renowned big companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have collected your personal information in order to serve up targeted ads.

There is nothing wrong to be anonymous and controlling your own personal privacy if you are doing the legitimate business. Several ways are present to ensure your privacy while browsing the internet.

VPN

VPN is the acronym for the Virtual Private Network, a technology that allows you to connect to one or more computers by using a private network from public internet connection. Your IP (internet protocol) address is the prime identity number that Internet provider assigns your computer to let you go anywhere on the Internet. It’s exactly like the house number on your home. It masks an IP address so all online activities are virtually untraceable from any one. User’s initial IP address is replaced with one from the Virtual Private Network provider so that a communication take place without being tracked, monitored, and identified.

Why VPN is called a network because you’re using a special network of VPN servers that covers the entire globe.

How does VPN Work?

VPN works in a way to bypass censorship by creating a pathway within a client and server ends with different control points through which data packets travel. When using a VPN an encryption and authentication layer is applied to that pathway in order to protect the traffic and data packets travel. Data packets travel through virtual, private and secure channel. This technique is called VPN Tunneling which creates a secure communication channel within network of computers.

Drawbacks of VPN

For end-device users, VPN might be an easy set up since you just need to download your VPN application and install it on your device but it has the drawback of being monitored from VPN service providers as they allow you to use their private servers in exchange for your data. There have been cases where VPN service providers are monitoring the data from their users for their own benefits in that way your communication is not all private but be monitored by service providers.

What is TOR?

The Onion Router (TOR) is a free and open-source software for enabling anonymous communication. It is designed to stop people tracking your browsing habits including government agencies and corporations. The name (The Onion Router) refers to the way that Tor protects your data by wrapping it in multiple layers of encryption like an onion.

How does TOR work?

TOR Browser routes all web traffic through the TOR network, making it anonymous. As the image below shows, TOR consists of a three-layer proxy, like layers of an onion. At first, TOR Browser connects at random to one of the publicly listed entry guards, bounces that traffic through a randomly selected middle relay, and finally directed the traffic through the third and final exit relay.

Drawbacks of TOR

One of the drawbacks of TOR browser is that your ISP can see that you’re connected to TOR hence it can draw attention to you. Although, your ISP can’t see your activities but it will raise suspicion about what you’re doing.

Another drawback of using TOR browser is that it only hides traffic going through TOR network and won’t anonymize other apps on your computer hence not completely giving the concept of anonymity.

WHONIX OS

Whonix is a Debian based Linux operating system used to provide anonymity, privacy and security on browsing the Internet. It consists of two main components i.e. Whonix workstation and Whonix gateway.

Both components are VirtualBox virtual machine appliances, so as to run it on any operating system that has VirtualBox.

How Does Whonix Work?

At first the Whonix workstation and gateway are configured on host machine. Workstation consists of the desktop application, routes all of its traffic to the gateway which is connected to the workstation. The gateway is further connected to the TOR network for accessing the internet. Whonix gateway is the only way for the workstation to transmit the information through internet because the workstation is an isolated machine and it has no idea about its own host IP and configuration.

From the image we can see that all the traffic that is directed through the gateway is TORrified while the traffic from the host machine in non TORified.The host machine does not participate in the Whonix private network and that is why continues to use its normal internet connection.

It is a huge advantage of isolating the workstation from a network to keep an IP address private even if any application in a Whonix workstation is compromised, it is almost impossible to reveal your IP because it does not know your IP.

Drawbacks of Whonix

Although Whonix provides transparency of your IP address, it has a notable disadvantage in terms of physical security. If your host machine is ever compromised, all the stored personal information and your internet browsing activity could be discovered easily.

TAILS Linux OS

If your goal is to leave no trace of every activity you did on the host machine then choose Tails. Tails or The Amnesic Incognito Live System is a live Debian based linux operating system that aims to provide privacy and anonymity. You can start TailsOS on almost any computer from a USB stick or a DVD. Tails sends its traffic by using TOR network, leaving no trace on the system you are using.

Live means it runs on the medium typically a USB, immediately upon starting the system. The entire operating system lives on that USB. All you have to do is first download the live operating system, write it on a USB, insert it to the system, after turning it on you will get a live operating system simply boots from a USB device.

The portability of TailsOS solves the problem of physical security as if your USB device ever gets lost or compromised, there will be no personal information present on that USB as well as the system on which you have inserted that USB and nothing can be learned about your specific usage.

And The Winner Is?

As we have seen there are many techniques and tools available to hide a person’s identity while browsing the internet. The above mentioned techniques provide anonymity at some point and has some notable drawbacks which can lessen the degree of anonymity so by comparing VPN, TOR, WHONIX and TAILS, the technique that is said to be the best practice for providing complete anonymity as well as safe and secure communication is TAILS as it gives you complete security for traffic transmission, privacy of identity and the physical security.

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How to Prevent Malware Pop Ups and Spam:

If you are a regular internet user, you must be familiar with pop-ups. These annoying ads come in various forms, but generally try to sell their product or make the user click on innocuously looking link. Harmless enough, right?  

Don’t be fooled. While many such pop-ups and emails from reputable companies are safe, the adware programs that generate illegitimate malware pop-ups and spam are capable of installing viruses, trojans etc. These malwares can hack your system, capture sensitive personal information, relay live videos / audio and much more.

Malwares Explained:

Malware is short form of malicious software. It is often software but can also appear in form of script or code. It is often used by malicious elements to in-filtrate, damage or disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information or break into computer devices. 

Malware is a general term which refers to different forms of hostile, intrusive or annoying soft-wares. It includes trojan horses, spyware, adware, root-kits, viruses and other malicious programs. Most of the malwares disguise themselves as having some benign function, and may come from reputable sites/ mails. 

Some of them track your activities, show pop-ups, redirect sites etc. They can reinstall themselves after removal or hide themselves deep with the system to make them difficult to find and clean. 

How does Malware Infect Your Computer?
It’s easy to get enticed by the offer of pop-up ads. By the time you start seeing signs of a malware attack, your system shall probably get compromised beyond repair. Spam and pop-ups laden with malwares can arrive from different sources in a variety of forms, including:

• Attachment sent through a spam email 
• Embedded as a file meant to download and open
• Pop-up ads that appear, unwanted on your screen 
• Links within the body of a message

What are Fake Pop Ups:
You must have noticed a variety of pop-ups appearing on the computer screens. They are usually generated by websites to guide user, provide useful information, offer newsletters etc. In short, they are meant to be useful – to help in filling out forms, to apply for discount code etc. However, not all pop-ups are useful and benign. For example, a pop-up installed by malwares can entices the user to click on a button that redirects to a phishing page. 

Some of the pop-ups display false security warning as part of pop-up scam e.g., Ransom-ware pop-up. An example:
Error Code #13987t34F9 (Unauthorized access)
Region: Punjab, India 
Compromised Information: Debit card details, Email account details
Action: Do Not Shut Your Computer, Call Us for Expert Opinion 
Call Help Desk: (Toll Free) for Free Checkup.
 
You should not respond back to such illegitimate pop-ups. 

How do Pop-up Scams Work?
As shown above, fake pop-ups are generated by cyber criminals using malwares. The pop-ups flag fake security issue, virus attack, technical problem with the system or anything else which is alarming enough to make the user feel insecure and look for immediate solution. Generally, the scammer, instructs the victim to call a phone number shown in the pop-up, in order to demand payment for technical support to resolve the non-existent threat. 

Thus, cyber criminals use these pop-ups to extort money from concerned users who want to fix their problems and resolve threats that do not exist. 

How to Identify Fake Pop-ups:
Following is the procedure we suggest, to know the veracity of the pop-up in question:

• Look for spelling mistakes and unprofessional images: Poor spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors, unprofessional looking symbols and images, fake logo etc. are sign of a illegitimate pop-up. A professional company would never commit such mistakes. 
• Try to close your browser: Fake pop-ups may cause the browser to switch to full screen mode. So, if your browser is already at full screen mode, try to minimize or close it. If unable to do so, it’s a pop-up scam. 
• Verify the phone number: Cross check the phone number listed in the pop-up with the official phone number of the security provider, the pop-up is claiming to be. A legitimate company phone number can be verified by a simple Google search. If the phone number search yields no result, it is most likely a scammer’s number.  

How to Remove Fake Pop-ups:
Step 1: Click on Ctrl+Alt+Del and select “Task Manager”. 
Step 2: Choose the browser in which pop-up was detected. 
Step 3: Click “’End Task” to close the selected browser.
Step 4: When you re-open the browser, ensure that you don’t restore the pages.

To remove the malware that led to illegitimate pop-up, follow these steps:

• Download and install a credible Anti-Virus
• Disconnect the internet to prevent further interaction with the pop-up 
• Reboot the system into Safe Mode
• Delete temporary files using “Disk Clean Up”
• Run complete Anti-Virus scan 
• If malware is reported, delete or quarantine the file
• Reboot the system 
• Update your soft-wares, browser, Operating System and anti-virus to their latest version available 

How to Protect Against Pop-up Scams:
If you spot a fake pop-up, do the following to avoid being scammed: 

• Avoid any click on pop-ups, even closing them
• Don’t call the number instructed by the pop-up
• Don’t share any personal detail including payment details
• Close the browser using “Task manager” as explained above 

How to Prevent Fake Pop-ups:
So, how can to prevent fake pop-ups from appearing at the first place?

• Never “unsubscribe” from spam emails as the process just validates your email address 
• Don’t click on unverified links in spam emails, messages or unfamiliar websites
• Increase your browser security settings 
• Avoid questionable websites
• Use reliable anti-virus software
• Keep your anti-virus, browser, soft-wares etc updated 
• Don’t download apps outside Play Store 
• Never open attachments in spam emails
• If using public Wi-Fi, use a secure VPN connection. 
• Do not insert unknown USB sticks or disks into your compute
• Don’t open email or text messages from unknown senders 
• Immediately delete the message you suspect are spam 
• Avoid too good to be true messages