Have you ever had to "Sign Up" or "Create an Account" in order to use some online service, access a website, or view a video, only to later find your email inbox full of junk from a site that you only planned to use once? Now you can get a free temporary disposable email address and use it to sign up. Don't use your personal email to sign up for some "free membership" that you will never use again. Check out GuerrillaMail.com to get a free temporary disposable email address. After you've gotten your disposable email address, go back to the website that requires you to "Sign Up" and use your new temporary email address. If the website sends you a confirmation email it can be retrieved from GuerrillaMail.com allowing you to complete the process. The email address will only exist for 15 minutes and then it's gone forever along with any unwanted emails from the offending site. The sweet thing about GuerrillaMail.com is that you don't have to go through the long sign up process that the other free providers require, and you never have to divulge your private information!
If for some reason you need a throwaway email account that lasts longer than 15 minutes such as the examples of my previous post: Hide Your Identity With a Pseudonym and Free Email Accounts use one of the free email providers such as Yahoo and Hotmail to set up throwaway email accounts.
No more Spam! - Guerrillamail.com
Showing posts with label countermeasures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label countermeasures. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
The Patriot Hack - Great Title for a Great Post
I just read a really great blog post. It's actually an article reprinted on one of my favorite blogs, that isn't mine ;) In short the article written by Martin Eberhard, a co-founder of Tesla Motors, details some very useful tips on protecting your privacy online. Some of the comments after the article are quite thought provoking as well. Follow the link at the bottom of this post to the Blog of Tim Ferriss, author of my current favorite book The 4 Hour Work Week.
Click here for Martin Eberhard's article on privacy!
Click here for Martin Eberhard's article on privacy!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Hidden Safes
I'm sure everyone has seen those wonderful hidden safes, things like beer cans, shaving creme containers and fake electrical outlets...
Well, I have just seen one of the most innovative and hilarious 'hidden safes' EVER! I couldn't seem to get the picture to load here so click on this link --> http://www.spyville.com/brief-safe-underwear.html for a "brief" look at what I'm talking about.
I will do a real 'how to' post on hiding things around the house, but for now a giggle will have to do.
Well, I have just seen one of the most innovative and hilarious 'hidden safes' EVER! I couldn't seem to get the picture to load here so click on this link --> http://www.spyville.com/brief-safe-underwear.html for a "brief" look at what I'm talking about.
I will do a real 'how to' post on hiding things around the house, but for now a giggle will have to do.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Fake Spyware Detectors and Government Traps
Who do you trust?
According to some people, everyone is in on "it". Is that software really deleting that file? Are proxy servers really anonymous or did the government publish that website?
Good question and I wish I had a convincingly definitive answer. Many businesses and law enforcement agencies employ what are known as "honey pots" - websites, servers or other computers intentionally left with weaknesses in their security in the hope of luring hackers and others of nefarious intent into trying to break in and then the website can glean intelligence on who's been trying to sneak in. This practice is legal and probably necessary in the fight against the criminal element. However, sometimes a hiker might step in the bear trap, so to speak. If you find yourself in a situation where you think you might run afoul of "The Man", get the hell outa there QUICK! Follow the tips elsewhere in this blog to clear your cache and wipe your file slack and swap/page file.
It is relatively well known that there is now spyware out there disguised as privacyware, so it's not too big of a stretch to think that, just maybe, that the proxy server you are using is actually some government shadow operation tricking people into giving them easy access to their comings and goings on the net. What better way to catch people trying to hide something than to offer them a free or easy way to hide it?
I don't necessarily subscribe to this theory but it is reason for pause. So you ask...
Who can you trust?
Since there are so many people out there concerned with their privacy these days it's hard to believe that any "spy" sites could last for very long on the net before somebody "outs" it, and spyware programs disguised as anti-spyware are exposed pretty quickly. Try to keep up to date on Usenet postings, bulletin boards, and blogs. Don't take any ONE persons word for something. If you want to surf anonymously use a proxy server such as Anonymizer, AND a free or pre-paid ISP.
I would be very suspicious of any website that sells privacyware and spyware at the same time. Look for companies that have been around for awhile. If you suddenly see a popup window screaming that you have spyware and it's not from a program that you installed yourself, DO NOT click any of the buttons on the popup. Use Windows Task Manager to close your browser. To do this in Windows 9X and XP, simultaneously hold and release the "Ctrl" "Alt' and "Delete" keys. Select the "Applications" tab, select the program to close and click the "End Task" button. Next scan your computer with a spyware detector that you do trust, you do have one installed already, don't you? My favorites are always the free versions, I like Spybot Search and Destroy and Adaware Personal. Sometimes it's too late for a spyware detector, or worse, you didn't install one until it's too late... ouch!
Unfortunately if that's the case it's beyond the scope of this article but there are a LOT of people that post instructions for getting rid of these atrocities. Just Google the name of the offending program or call a tech.
There are many blogs and forums dedicated to these topics and the privacy community is a generous bunch. The real die-hards still frequent privacy newsgroups and bulletin boards, and you can ask the folks there what they think of a particular solution. There's always someone out there willing to help, just to further the cause of our privacy. But remember not to take any ONE
person's word on a subject, even mine. After someone posts a reply to your query check back again in a day or so to see if anyone else has something to say. And if it sounds too go to be true........
According to some people, everyone is in on "it". Is that software really deleting that file? Are proxy servers really anonymous or did the government publish that website?
Good question and I wish I had a convincingly definitive answer. Many businesses and law enforcement agencies employ what are known as "honey pots" - websites, servers or other computers intentionally left with weaknesses in their security in the hope of luring hackers and others of nefarious intent into trying to break in and then the website can glean intelligence on who's been trying to sneak in. This practice is legal and probably necessary in the fight against the criminal element. However, sometimes a hiker might step in the bear trap, so to speak. If you find yourself in a situation where you think you might run afoul of "The Man", get the hell outa there QUICK! Follow the tips elsewhere in this blog to clear your cache and wipe your file slack and swap/page file.
It is relatively well known that there is now spyware out there disguised as privacyware, so it's not too big of a stretch to think that, just maybe, that the proxy server you are using is actually some government shadow operation tricking people into giving them easy access to their comings and goings on the net. What better way to catch people trying to hide something than to offer them a free or easy way to hide it?
I don't necessarily subscribe to this theory but it is reason for pause. So you ask...
Who can you trust?
Since there are so many people out there concerned with their privacy these days it's hard to believe that any "spy" sites could last for very long on the net before somebody "outs" it, and spyware programs disguised as anti-spyware are exposed pretty quickly. Try to keep up to date on Usenet postings, bulletin boards, and blogs. Don't take any ONE persons word for something. If you want to surf anonymously use a proxy server such as Anonymizer, AND a free or pre-paid ISP.
I would be very suspicious of any website that sells privacyware and spyware at the same time. Look for companies that have been around for awhile. If you suddenly see a popup window screaming that you have spyware and it's not from a program that you installed yourself, DO NOT click any of the buttons on the popup. Use Windows Task Manager to close your browser. To do this in Windows 9X and XP, simultaneously hold and release the "Ctrl" "Alt' and "Delete" keys. Select the "Applications" tab, select the program to close and click the "End Task" button. Next scan your computer with a spyware detector that you do trust, you do have one installed already, don't you? My favorites are always the free versions, I like Spybot Search and Destroy and Adaware Personal. Sometimes it's too late for a spyware detector, or worse, you didn't install one until it's too late... ouch!
Unfortunately if that's the case it's beyond the scope of this article but there are a LOT of people that post instructions for getting rid of these atrocities. Just Google the name of the offending program or call a tech.
There are many blogs and forums dedicated to these topics and the privacy community is a generous bunch. The real die-hards still frequent privacy newsgroups and bulletin boards, and you can ask the folks there what they think of a particular solution. There's always someone out there willing to help, just to further the cause of our privacy. But remember not to take any ONE
person's word on a subject, even mine. After someone posts a reply to your query check back again in a day or so to see if anyone else has something to say. And if it sounds too go to be true........
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