In an interactive videoconference dedicated to the release of the biographical thriller Snowden, the famous ex-CIA employee Edward Snowden gave users several tips on protecting against global surveillance and hackers.
Previously, he also shared some of the recommendations. How, in the opinion of "genius among geniuses", can you protect yourself from the intrigues of hackers and special services?
1. Seal the camera of your computer with a patch.
And it's not paranoia: with the help of a special virus, attackers can easily connect to your camera and watch you. Thus, for example, hackers get access to the cameras of young women, and then sell it to perverts, who from now on can watch their victim at any time of the day. There are entire organizations that provide similar services, and the worst thing is that they are popular with pedophiles willing to pay a lot of money to look after children. But do not worry: a small piece of the plaster will save you from lustful spies, as well as from other people wishing to get into your personal space.
2. Set ad blocking and antivirus software.
On many websites appear colorful advertising banners, clicking on which you can fall into the trap and unnoticed to download the virus. And with the help of the virus, as you know, a hacker can gain access to your secret information, so blocking advertising and installing antivirus software is simply necessary. However, Snowden made a reservation that this will save you only from hackers, but not from special services.
3. Do not use the same password for different sites.
It's enough for an attacker to hack just one of your accounts to gain access to profiles on other sites that have the same password. In addition, there is such a thing as phishing. Translated from English, this word means "fishing". Here's how the "hunt fish" hackers: they lure you to a fake site, which is an exact copy of a resource you know well, without suspecting you enter a password - and voila! - fish on the hook, and your favorite universal password from all soc. networks became a prey to scammers.
4. If you have something to hide, connect to anonymous Tor network.
Do you know that your provider is available all the information about your activity on the Internet? It tracks all the resources that you use, and knows how much time you spend there. You can easily see this: "hang around" for a while on the site of a competitive Internet service provider, and the next day you will be called by your company provider's employee with questions about whether they are satisfied with their services.
If you connect to the Tor network, the provider will not be able to find out what sites you visit, and therefore will not be able to provide this information to the secret services if they suddenly become interested in you.
5. Install the communication encryption program on your phone to prevent the wiretapping.
Overhearing your telephone conversation is an elementary task for a special services officer. However, he has the right to do so only by court order. Another thing is that there may be others willing to "warm their ears." It can be competitors on business, the jealous spouse, swindlers and swindlers of all stripes. And they have a lot of opportunities to spy on you: bugs, all sorts of spyware, a trivial bribery of an employee of an operator company. The best solution for espionage protection will be the installation of a free communication coding program.
6. Always use two-factor authentication.
This is an authentication method, in which the server requests not only your login and password, but also the code that comes via SMS. In addition, it allows not only to effectively protect against unauthorized intrusion, but it is also easy to recover the password in case you forget it.
7. Do not use instant messengers from Google and Facebook.
These Internet giants cooperate with special services, and it is not known what can be expected of them. It also concerns the recently presented by Google "clever" messenger Allo. Snowden claims that absolutely all messages sent by you are saved and, if necessary, will be handed over to the police. To send messages Snowden recommends Red Phone and Silent Circle.
8. Think long, catchy, but easy to remember passwords.
Do you think no one will unravel the password consisting of the name of your husband and the date of his birth? And here not. For an experienced hacker, hacking such a password is an elementary task that will take several minutes. There are special programs that solve passwords by brute force - the shorter the password, the faster the program decrypts it. To protect yourself from such programs, your password must contain at least 8 characters (ideally 14) and include letters of both upper and lower case, as well as special characters. Snowden cited as an example of a strong password margaretthatcheris110% SEXY (margarettatcherna110% SEXUAL).
9. If you are seriously afraid of information leakage, encrypt the hard disk with a special program.
In this case, even if the computer is stolen, the attacker will not be able to read its contents.
10. Pull out the microphone and camera modules from your smartphone.
The last advice is for those who "Big Brother" took seriously. Well, or for those who suffer from persecution mania. So, if you're worried that enemies can connect to your smartphone, just pull out the microphone and camera modules from it and plug in the headphones with a built-in microphone.