hello. I'm trying to learn how to keep my info secure and i wish i had the knowledge to go internet dark from day one. so here are info security tips that i ran across.
what is going internet dark? first of all its an extreme measure. well you have no thumb print on the internet. for example.... a phone that is not registered, a email that is not registered, keeping things legal so you don't wind up on google, no more main stream social media. its very hard to do. even people can be put on the net because they have a professional job. this is a good way of keeping your info safe. however its not bullet proof.
so here are some basic tips:
1) strong password! a number on must. which involves a bunch of characters. so far my strongest password has 19 characters. its good to at least include letters and numbers. then you have a option of adding capital letters and special characters. avoid easily guessed passwords like password, admin, 12345678, repeating numbers like 7777. that's because software can crack it. if its a human guessing passwords they will most likely guess your name/your pets name/ or your kids name.
2) watch out for unusual looking emails. like advertisements or a place like the bank/irs/police in your inbox asking for info when its not a usual thing. report fishing and contact companies/government if they ask for anything.
3) perhaps be aware of the site addresses you frequent. like social media, amazon, netflix, and banking. if someone is aiming to fish your info they may spoof a site. a poor example is the address here is https://supersoldierforum.ubbforum.com ... well maybe someone can spoof you with a page called https://supersoldierforum.ning.com (accidental link. don't click) . see how that's different? people will hope you don't notice the difference. no that wouldn't happen. ning is just a site where social media like the forum is created. however they will know about the forum if they get into your email. sorry to say. @Nate YPX Grey maybe you can help with a better example and help keep things legal to.
4) consider separate emails even if you mean the public community well. of course we got outlook, gmail, and your personal email as a normal thing. i prefer to keep them gmail so someone cant get into all my email and on top of that companies collect information. maybe it doesn't mean anything but i rather not have info collecting google and microsoft connected to a personal email. on top of all that i recently thought i should have a separate email for the bank. it would be easier to keep the email open if i have multiple banks. actually wealthy people sometimes do have multiple banks. at first i preferred a junk email and a personal email. well they have site like maildrop.cc. however sensitive sites like banking should be protected from invaders.
5) its good to have multiple passwords. also its good to change them often.
6) question odd phone calls asking for info. again its from sources like the bank, the government, irs, disability office, etc. i haven't heard to much scams with mail but i feel it has happened.
7) consider protonmail/duck duck go. cybersecurity professionals seem to like it. it claims to have end to end encryption. Duck duck go is good for not tracking search results. You usually can burn your history with duck duck go.
8) rip up documents put in the trash and cut old credit cards. consider a shredder. how do i know? have you heard of dumpster diving? trash is public property even though the law is sort a grey area on that and it looks suspicious for anyone to do unless the person obviously has no home.
9) watch the mail.... do you have any? stealing info is as easy as changing your address. its so easy I'm not gonna say how. report any time you see no mail. watch for mail change notifications. how to defend? not that easy. however do stuff like keep bank statements online. perhaps consider direct deposit from the job so your not waiting for a check.
10) perhaps check your card statements and bank statement in general. charges from amazon and best buy are popular with thieves. i personally like to keep available funds at a small amount. why? well someone charged my card for 800 at best buy. then it bounced... hehe. cuz my available was so small. i blamed the dark net for still using the target data breach cuz i used target online before that accident.
11) more of a side note... report hackers to cops before the statue of limitation is up. hackers use software to hide but they still can be possibly found. however your bank money should be insured so that falls under protecting your money and data.
12) consider tor browser. even if your not a criminal. it at least hides your location. putting it with protonmail and duck duck go is a good idea. say off the dark net though. tor can go there but bad things happen there
13) yes you can change email like you can change you phone number. consider changing things if there is to much heat or suspicion. p.s. modern phone numbers might have a block function.
considering the extreme:
1) i kinda don't wanna give out info unless i don't have to. would you give your address and social security number to anyone? consider not giving any info unless you have to. such as email and phone number. watch out for social stuff to. people naturally consider not giving their last name in modern times. yes yet again be careful with giving your number and/or email. asking for personal email as contact is more of a old school thing but i can happen. anyway im kinda no longer into giving my age/birth year/ and what city i live in to just anyone. i changed my name because i was adopted and i changed it to a common name for a reason. so people pretty much need to know my birth year/ city/ first and last name to look me up. then it could turn into a stalker accident. not good.
2) troll every site that posts your info. especially a people look up thats free. i say this because they may have a policy of removing your info with request and personal identification required.
3) delete main social media. yes data collection. yet more possible hackers. use a common screen name? people can look up your username that you keep on using. so the will know what sites the username is with.
4) unregistered email and phone number. if you look up someone on the net you will find address and maybe home phone number. if you register your cell and with the usual email service it will show up on things like people search. not just data breaches. how? well this is usual enough to mention. use a prepaid service such as boost mobile for phone. you can get away with even putting i am batman as a name. no i didn't put that. for email i use something that does not require phone, or plugging in info, and perhaps does not collect info. there is still anon emails out there. mail.com is ok. yet they might have a ready phishing tool to attack. again protonmail seems to be a fave. maildrop.cc to ditch anything uncool. report any phishing to protonmail.
5) watch your six. especially when driving. you have a 360 view. if someone is following they may look you up if you drive home. how? address lookup. remember how i recommend a non registered email and phone number? well they can get those two if they look up who lived at your address last. so turning into a parking lot, police station, or busting a lot of left turns may help stop a potential stalker.
6) legal name change. maybe you just want to. maybe you have really bad exposure one the internet. in a lot of state you will be able to due so in most cases. it can help get a job if your reputation is messed up. how do i know this? have you heard posts on the internet are permanent? consider a common name so they need to put in your birth date or something. a name change shows up as a birth record that has a name change note. I'm not sure but name change might be registered as a alias on public name searches. which is a good thing. my legal name change because i was adopted has not caught up to me in records even after a few years.
7) a wealthy option is you can consider getting a company to delete or put your info in the ground as much as possible. do your research though. not sure what companies are ethical with info.
thats all i can think of as far as the general public. have a good one.
