Protecting Your Privacy

More and more of our life is becoming digital. Are you prepared to deal with the privacy and security implications of that fact? As a permanent digital nomad, my life is lived online more than most others and I have had to learn about the issues involved the hard way. So, I decided to take a comprehensive look at what I have learned along the journey and share that knowledge with you. This book is one of a three-part series of computer and online guides covering basic and advanced computer setup, local and online backup and syncing, and online privacy and security.

The following topics are covered:

  1. Passwords: Everything You Need to Know
  2. Protecting Your Computer
  3. Protecting Your Files with Encryption
  4. Safely Using Public Computers and Networks
  5. Wi-Fi and Networking
  6. Keeping Your Browsing Activity Private
  7. Securing Your Network Connection
  8. VPNs and Proxy Servers
  9. Chatting Securely
  10. Testing Your Security and Privacy
  11. Identity Theft

External Links Found in the Book

As promised in the book, here is a listing of all the external links found in the book.

  1. Everything We Know About What Data Brokers Know About You
    How Much Your Stolen Data Is Worth to Scammers
    book on saving, syncing and sharing your digital life
    Internet Service Provider
    router
    access point
    keylogger
    malware
    social-engineering
    phishing
    How I became a password cracker
    BIOS
    WebBrowserPassView
    BulletsPassView
    Master Password Timeout add-on
    Master Password+ add-on
    KeePass
    KeePassX
    LastPass
    Password Safe
    Dashlane
    Keeper
    SplashID
    1Password
    RoboForm
    key file
    KeeFox
    ChromeIPass
    KeeForm
    KeePassDroid
    MiniKeePass
    Yubikey
    Lifehacker tells you how you can use it with a password manager
    couple of questions
    entropy
    The Usability of Passwords
    Your Clever Password Tricks Aren’t Protecting You from Today’s Hackers
    How I’d Hack Your Weak Passwords
    Thomas Baekdal article
    xkcd Password Generator
    How Secure Is My Password
    infographic
    Danah Boyd’s security question algorithm
    Bruce Schneier’s advice
    security challenge
    How Secure Is My Password
    Should I Change My Password?
    Have I Been Pwned?
    PwnedList
    Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)
    Mailvelope
    Gpg4win explanation
    Mailvelope help page
    two-step (two-factor) authentication
    Google
    Yahoo! Mail
    Facebook
    Dropbox
    Apple
    Microsoft
    PayPal
    Amazon Web Services
    WordPress
    LastPass
    Android
    iOS
    Windows Phone
    useful video and Matt Cutt’s discussion of two-factor verification
    OAuth
    Lifehacker describes it
    Google
    Twitter
    Facebook
    App Settings
    OpenID
    core providers
    Ultimate ZIP Cracker
    Free Word Excel Password Recovery Wizard
    Word Password Recovery Master
    Wondershare PDF Password Remover
    Ophcrack
    LCP
    Lazesoft Recover My Password
    Trinity Rescue Kit (TRK)
    Windows Key
    Windows Password Unlocker
    Windows Password Recovery Bootdisk
    NirSoft
    How to Break Into a Computer (And Prevent It from Happening to You)
    break into a PC or Mac
    Wi-Fi router
    access point
    Ninite’s updater
    FileHippo Updater
    CleanSofts UpdateNotifier
    Secunia’s Personal Software Inspector (PSI)
    Software Update by Glarysoft
    CNET TechTracker
    Microsoft Security Essentials
    CCleaner
    Glary Utilities
    HiJackThis
    MalwareBytes
    Spybot Search & Destroy
    SpywareBlaster
    SuperAntiSpyware
    Keystroke logging
    KeyScrambler
    Index Dat Spy
    CCleaner
    Glary Utilities
    HOSTS file
    HostsMan
    PeerBlock
    Domain Name System (DNS)
    OpenDNS
    setup guide
    free program
    Google Public DNS
    setup guide
    encryption
    I highly recommend
    only useful to keep honest people honest
    AxCrypt
    zip (“archive”) file format
    7-Zip
    illustrated tutorial covering the use of both 7-Zip and AxCrypt
    Locknote
    Skype
    CryptSync
    TrueCrypt
    BoxCryptor
    How do I use TrueCrypt for on-the-fly encryption?
    File encryption made simple with TrueCrypt
    Cryptonite
    AddictiveTips coverage
    expand your volume size
    Cloudfogger
    DataNow Vault
    Viivo
    A+ Folder Locker
    AddictiveTips review
    EncFS
    Disk Utility
    BitLocker
    FileVault
    DiskCryptor
    Trusted Platform Module
    WinPT Portable
    Rohos Mini Drive
    USB Safeguard
    Granite Portable
    FreeOTFE
    TrueCrypt
    virtual keyboard
    on-screen keyboard included in Microsoft Windows
    Safekeys
    KeePass
    virtual keyboard plugin
    ShareWatcher
    ShareWatch
    Flash Drive Reminder
    portable apps
    Tor browser bundle
    TrueCrypt
    packet analyzing
    monitor mode
    Session hijacking
    excellent video
    Man-in-the-middle attacks
    Cain and Abel
    sslstrip
    WEP passwords
    WPA passwords
    Wireshark
    guide to using Wireshark to sniff out passwords and cookies
    MAC addresses
    router
    firewall
    port forwarding
    ad hoc
    tethering
    NetSetMan
    Application Firewall
    Stay Invisible
    Anonymity Test
    Panopticlick
    Gina Trapani
    10minutemail.com
    Guerrilla Mail
    YOPmail
    noclickemail.com
    AccountKiller
    Google
    Twitter
    Facebook
    AdjustYourPrivacy
    MyPermissions
    Always Up-to-Date Guide to Managing Your Facebook Privacy
    opting out of the Facebook/Datalogix collaboration
    bookmarklet
    AVG PrivacyFix
    AdjustYourPrivacy
    MyPermissions
    forward all email
    delegate email access
    how CIA director David Petraeus’s emails were traced
    SSL encryption
    Phishing
    social engineering
    spoofing
    DuckDuckGo
    Ixquick
    Blekko
    Start Page
    add-on
    google.com/history
    Web of Trust (WOT)
    McAfee Site Advisor
    AVG Secure Search
    Link Scanner
    URL Void
    Spokeo
    PeopleFinders
    WhitePages.com
    StopDataMining.me
    similar, though smaller, list
    Hypertext Transfer Protocol
    HTTPS
    HTTPS Everywhere
    KB SSL Enforcer
    Firefox points out
    guest browsing
    this Swtiched article
    Do Not Track
    Why Do Not Track may not protect anybody’s privacy
    HTTPS Everywhere
    Web of Trust (WOT)
    DoNotTrackMe
    Ghostery
    Digital Trends has a comparison of the two
    Disconnect
    Priv3
    KeeFox
    uninstall it from your machine
    Local shared objects
    track your online activity
    BetterPrivacy
    Firefox
    Opera
    Chrome
    JonDoFox
    JonDoBrowser
    Tor Browser Bundle
    CCleaner
    Glary Utilities
    create a shortcut to run CCleaner silently
    User Account Control
    create shortcuts that bypass UAC
    disable it entirely
    set up CCleaner to run on a schedule
    nagware
    Sandboxie
    Sandboxie introduction and user tutorial
    proxy server
    Virtual Private Network
    peer-to-peer
    Lifehacker shows you how
    Amazon EC2 instance with SSH access
    Silence is Defeat
    PHProxy
    on your own server
    on a desktop at home
    HideMyAss
    How Stuff Works article
    What Is VPN & Tunneling; How To Create And Connect To VPN Network [Beginner’s Guide]
    How Do I Know If My VPN Is Trustworthy?
    freemium
    SoftEther VPN
    VPN Gate
    the combined VPN Gate and SoftEther package
    PacketiX.NET
    CyberGhost
    Faceless.ME
    Addictive Tips offers a good overview of the service
    Freegate
    program
    Hurricane Electric
    Hamachi
    Hotspot Shield
    ExpatShield
    proXPN
    SafeIP
    SecurityKISS
    Spotflux
    Tunnelbear
    USA IP
    VPNium
    UDP and TCP
    VPNReactor
    Best Free Anonymous Surfing Services
    Lifehacker has polled their readers for the top 5 providers
    how to choose the best one for your needs
    TorrentFreak directly asked many of the leading VPN providers
    Hola
    Spotflux
    Blue Box Proxy
    FoxyProxy
    Hamachi
    OpenVPN
    using the Windows VPN
    Privoxy
    Proxy Switchy
    FoxyProxy
    http://config.privoxy.org/
    WhatIsMyIP.com
    build the same thing using a cheap, power-conserving Raspberry Pi device
    Anonymous-P2P.org
    GNUnet’s related projects
    Hola Unblocker
    JonDo or JonDonym
    JAP
    tutorials
    ANONdroid
    JonDoFox
    JonDoBrowser
    Privacy ProtectorGVN
    Tor
    the King of high secure, low latency Internet anonymity
    data is encrypted inside the Tor network
    official tips for using Tor properly
    Tor software bundle
    Tor site
    Wikipedia site
    AdvOR
    Orbot
    Everything you need to know about using TOR
    iTwin Connect
    Wake-on-LAN
    DD-WRT
    How-To Geek shows you how
    Connectify
    Connectify tutorial
    Witopia
    Proxy Switcher Lite
    Sidestep
    Meerkat
    VPNetMon
    VPNCheck
    Speedtest.net
    Cryptocat
    Pidgin
    plugins
    Off-the-Record Messaging (OTR)
    Domain Name System
    DNSLeakTest.com
    VPNCheck
    OpenDNS
    DNS spoofing
    cache
    Shield’s Up
    AuditMyPC’s firewall test
    Norton’s Security Scan
    Lifehacker’s tips on scanning for port security holes
    Password Security Scanner
    Federal Trade Commission page on identity theft
    Credit Sesame’s article
    file a report
    Social Security Administration
    Internal Revenue Service
    function toggleComments(){var Comments=document.getElementById('comments');if(Comments.style.display=="block"){Comments.style.display="none"}else{Comments.style.display="block"}}
    Click to see/join the conversation