Tag: linuxlite

Ignoring our online privacy, is it life threatening?

Do you know who has access …

  • … to your Digital ID?
  • … to your Digital Health?
  • … to your Digital Shopping?
  • … to your Travel Restrictions?
  • … to your Central Bank Digital Currency?

Chances are, the answer is
‘Don’t know!’

But there is something that can be done to secure your online privacy in our digital age.

In our increasingly connected digital world, protecting personal information has become a matter of utmost importance. Neglecting online privacy can have severe consequences, including identity theft, financial fraud, and cybercrime. In a world where technology and the internet play a central role in our daily lives, it is imperative that we take steps to secure our digital footprint and protect our personal information from exploitation by governments, corporations, and cybercriminals.

The collection and use of personal information by governments and corporations is a significant threat to online privacy. Governments can gather data through various sources, such as databases, surveillance programs, and data retention laws. This information can range from basic personal details to online behavior, purchasing habits, social media contributions, and even health records. The use of this information for national security or to monitor citizens’ activities often happens without their consent or knowledge.

Corporations collect personal information through tracking technologies, such as cookies and browser fingerprinting, and data-sharing agreements. This information is used for marketing and advertising purposes, such as targeted advertisements and personalization, without individuals’ consent or knowledge, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and privacy violations.

The collection and use of personal information can compromise an individual’s online and physical security. As former NSA and CIA Director Michael Hayden famously said:

“We kill people based on metadata.” *

* What is metadata?
Metadata describes other data, often secret data, for instance, telephone numbers, to whom you spoke, how long you spoke, which country you called …

This highlights the importance of understanding the dangers of metadata and the need to protect our personal information.

We all experienced this nightmare since years, but more so from 2020 until today, and it still continues in certain countries! We just opened the Pandora box!

Open-source software is a type of software that can be freely accessed and modified by anyone. This makes it more secure and transparent compared to proprietary software. In the context of online privacy, open-source software can offer secure and anonymous ways to access the internet by encrypting the user’s data and hiding their IP address (a unique numerical label assigned to every device connected to the internet, used to identify and communicate with it). This helps to protect the user’s online privacy and personal information from being collected and used by governments and corporations. These last two identities use this type of software to protect themselves.

In addition to the use of secure e-mail providers and encrypted browsers, there are several other steps that individuals can take to protect their online privacy:

  • Use strong and unique passwords: Strong passwords are essential for protecting your online accounts from cyberattacks. Use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols, and make sure that each password is unique to each of your accounts.
online passwords — pixabay.com
  • Enable two-factor authentication: Two-factor authentication is a security measure that requires a second factor, typically a code sent to / given by your phone, in addition to a password to access an online account, providing an extra layer of protection against unauthorized access.
  • Be cautious with personal information: Be careful about the personal information that you share online and documents that you throw away in the garbage or dust bin. Think twice before posting sensitive information, such as your home address or financial information, on social media.
social media — pixabay.com
  • Use a virtual private network (VPN): A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and protects your online activities from prying eyes. A local VPN can save you a lot of money too.
  • Keep software and systems up-to-date: Software updates often contain security patches that protect against new threats, so make sure that your software and systems are always up-to-date (Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android, iOS, …).
  • Be aware of phishing scams: Phishing scams are a common way for cyber-criminals to steal personal information. Be cautious of e-mails, SMS or messages that ask for sensitive information, such as passwords or credit card numbers, and always verify the source before providing any information. Even in the dating world (see my previous article).
  • Review privacy settings: Regularly review the privacy settings of your social media accounts and other online services to ensure that you are comfortable with the information that is being shared – they changed these settings often without telling anything.

In conclusion, protecting our online privacy has become increasingly important in our digital age, more so after 2020. The collection and use of personal information by governments and corporations, as well as the rise of cyberthreats, have made it imperative for individuals to take steps to protect their personal information and online security. From using strong passwords and two-factor authentication to utilizing privacy-focused software and VPNs, there are several measures we can take to safeguard our online privacy. It’s important to note that the risks to our personal information and security are real and ongoing, and that we must remain vigilant in our efforts to protect it. By being mindful of the threats and taking proactive steps to secure our online presence, we can ensure that our personal information remains protected and our privacy remains intact.

Are you looking for ways to ensure the privacy and security of yourself, your family, and your business?

Our training courses may be just what you need. Do not wait until it is too late. Our courses adopt a hands-on approach, prioritizing practical application over theory.

Get in touch with us at info [at] digitaltran.eu

After considering your application, we will share a link with you where we can in all security do our training. Groups remain small so that everybody can follow.

Here are just some examples where governments want to control everything with the help of social media (corporations):

“Justin Trudeau Hijacks Canada’s Healthcare ...”
(link to the ‘Gateway Pundit’ with officials’ videos)

Here is a video about the internet censorship – is it coming?

Old Laptops? Do you know what to do with them?

Old Laptop by Josep Monter Martinez on Pixabay

Do you have an old 64-bit laptop where Microsoft Windows 10/11 does not work anymore? There is a solution to bring back most of your laptops to life – in other words “recycling”.

We know that this last year, computer prices increased. Why not recycle your old computers / laptops?

Many Europeans will not have the money to buy new hardware since too many energy bills will come upon them with heavy increases that can go from 3 to 5 times the nominal price from last / this year, or even more. For instance, in Germany companies are already complaining that they get electricity invoices with 5 times the prices that they paid previously without speaking yet of the heating, maybe another 3 to 5 times too.

Massive unemployment is already in discussion. Now you should understand why many Europeans are unable to buy new computers.

What can be done with old computers / laptops?

We already heard about Linux distribution systems. Major ones are Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, openSuse, … This major systems require a lot less resources than Microsoft Windows, but it could be that your laptop is already over 10 old, even up to 20 years. So we need something even more lighter in resources.

There are a few light distributions, but one that stands out is the “Linux Lite”. Here are some minimal specs:

CPU 1 GHz with 2 cores
RAM 768 MB (0.75 GB) – as
for Windows 11 you need
a strict minimum of 4 to 8 GB
HDD / SSD 8 GB – as for Windows 11 you
need a minimum of 64 GB
‘BIOS’ UEFI or old BIOS – as for
Windows 11 you need UEFI
and TPM version 2
Graphic card 3D video card with only 256 MB
Display VGA with 1024 x 768 and above

How to proceed?

1. Download the ISO – https://www.linuxliteos.com
(you can contribute financially something small, or if you cannot just click on $ 0, then the Download button)

2. Download 64 bit (if you know what a Torrent is, you may use it)

3. Wait a few seconds, a pop-up window or an icon may activate that it is showing the download in progress

4. Now download ‘balenaEtcher’ – https://www.balena.io/etcher

5. Follow the instructions on ‘Writing the Linux Lite ISO to a USB key / pen on Windows’ (https://www.linuxliteos.com/manual/install.html#installguide)

6. Follow the instructions in installing Linux Lite on your computer with UEFI … (https://www.linuxliteos.com/manual/install.html#installuefimode)

… or on a old BIOS system (https://www.linuxliteos.com/manual/install.html#installlegacymode)

How to use it?

Here you have a documentation about tutorials – https://www.linuxliteos.com/manual/tutorials.html

I found also this video on YouTube in how to parameterize and use the Linux Lite 6 – https://youtu.be/_yTICKxBkw8

Conclusion

I hope, I could convince you not to throw away functional computers but to give a new life – by far a lot cheaper.

In case you need help, please take contact with us at
” info [at] digitaltran [dot] eu ” or through our contact form on
https://digitaltran.eu.

Cyberattacks on Linux? Can it be prevented?

How common are cyberattacks on Linux?
Can we do something about it?

More common than you think. Do not get fooled by the hype:

“Linux is secure, stable, and flexible. It’s the most secure OS in the world!”

Sadly, nowadays it became a marketing tool and does not correspond to the reality. It is still true that is better than Microsoft Windows regarding stability and flexibility, but Linux has more or less the same security issues as a Windows system.

An Operating System is as secure as the developer and user take care about their own clean security habits.

Let’s dive in and see how to counteract cyberattacks, just by taking some steps.

By doing some simple actions you may avert a serious disaster – public shame, getting fired, even go to court to explain ‘Why was I careless?’ where thereafter it is very difficult to get a new job.

First some small simple stats*. Areas used:

  • Web services: 96% of the top 1 million servers are run by a Linux system
  • Smartwatches
  • Aerospace industry
  • More and more workstations and file servers
  • Cloud services are run mostly by a Linux system

Major countries which are exposed to attacks are*:

  • USA
  • Germany
  • China
  • France
  • Hong Kong (not a country as per decree, belongs to China)

Now with the war, these stats could have changed. It was noticed an active increase in attacks.

It seems that non-ethical hackers have the upper-hand and get rich. Did I miss my vocation? Just kidding!

NEVER go that route because either you land in a grave, 6-feet under, or land in jail for a very long time!

What can be done?

1.During the installation process use strong passwords.
Many users, privately or at work, still use weak passwords as (cracked in less than a second):

“ I love you ”
“ 123456 ”
“ qwerty ”

Use a password manager (very easy to use). Personally I use one where in most web subscriptions I use over 700-bits passwords (an overkill but easy to setup and to use) – copy and paste!

Or use a long passphrase:
“Yesterday, I went in the evening @19:15 for a swim!”
Almost 190-bit password (takes decades to decode it). Of course do not use this passphrase. Use something that happened in your life, secret to you – easy to use and you will never forget.

A password or passphrase is a PERSONAL item and not to be given to anyone, including your boss!!! She/He wants it, ask for a Liability Release Form!**

In case you give it freely to your boss, it is the same you sign your resignation or she/he will put the blame on you for any mishap. Do not be afraid, she/he has access to your files you working on but with her/his own password. So it is traceable.

2. When you install a Linux or a Windows system the first thing to be done is ALWAYS – update your system:

– Graphical way:

     ‘Software’ → click Updates

– Through the ‘Terminal’:

Debian and Debian-based systems, for instance Ubuntu:

      sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Fedora system:

      sudo dnf update -y

openSuse system:

      sudo zypper update -y

DO NOT FORGET to restart your system! Sometimes it is not required, but I always do it even for minor updates.

3. NEVER open an e-mail attachment if you do not know its origin!

By taking these three steps, you are protected about 95% of the time.

Still want to increase your chances of not getting hacked?

In most Linux systems, by default, the root account is locked. If someone has access to root, she/he can do everything in your system – the ‘god’ of all users!

During the installation create a normal account with administration privileges, hence the command word ‘sudo …’ + password to give access to root privileges – no activity, logged out automatically after a few minutes.

Generally every Linux system has an active firewall – that’s fine.

Another way to trap hackers, install ‘fail2ban’:

      sudo apt install fail2ban -y

      sudo dnf install fail2ban -y

On openSuse, just click https://software.opensuse.org/package/fail2ban, download and install it.

Restart your system!!!

Voilà, your got a protection of 99%. If hacked it has nothing to do with you but with the vendor.

In case you need more information or need some help in doing all these steps or even to further secure your server or workstation, do not hesitate in taking contact:

https://digitaltran.eu/#contact

* You may read in detail this article – very informative.

** More info, read this article.