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Digital security guide from Edward Snowden
To limit the amount of information that third parties and companies know about you, use Tor, download the necessary applications and plugins for the browser, encrypt the data on the hard drive and use the password manager. Edward Snowden gave such recommendations in an interview with Mika Lee published on The Intercept . We talk about important points of interviews and other digital security tips.
Share these recommendations with friends and colleagues
Currently, Edward Snowden and Mika Lee are the leaders of Freedom of the Press Foundation - the Freedom Freedom Four. The interview, published on November 12, 2015, is a practical guide to work with confidential information.
Private Tips for Private Life of Users
- Use the Tor browser . There is no need to use it constantly. It is enough to use Tor when viewing and access to the information important to you.
- Use advertising lock . Advertising objects on sites are used by JavaScript and Flash to redirect third-party resources that do not use a secure https connection and can be a channel for malicious attacks.
- Use password manager . Despite the recommendations to apply complex passwords , most users use simple passwords. They are easy to remember, but also easy to hack.
- Turn on two -factor authorization . Most services ( social networks , e -mail ) allow you to include additional protection by entering the code when entering the code, which is sent to the user's phone. This will be able to protect from the access of attackers to your account even in the case when they have your username and password.
- Use applications that protect your information . For example, the Signal application encrypts both text messages and voice calls.
- Turn on https . Use browsers plugin , providing HTTPS protocol.
- Turn on the full encryption of the hard drive . Even if attackers stole your computer or hard drive, they will not be able to access your information.
- Be careful with questions for password restoring. The same questions should not be used to restore passwords to different accounts. It is also not recommended to use such familiar questions as the name of the mother, the first school, the name of the pet, etc.
Tips for those who work with confidential information
To increase digital safety, you do not need to be paranoid in all aspects of life - there is no need to abandon the Internet and move to an abandoned village. It is necessary to adhere to certain rules where the increased security of information and protection of their activities, which can be used against us, is needed.
To work with confidential documents, Edward Snowden recommends using Securedrop in conjunction with Tor nets. It is also recommended to use operating systems that do not maintain the history of the user's actions. For example, the Tails online system.
Want to become James Bond?
If there is a need to raise digital security to the highest level, the solution will not be tools, but a way of thinking. Everything comes down to a personal model of potential threats. It is necessary to evaluate the risk of possible compromise and the efforts that need to be invested to soften this risk.
Never leave your computer or mobile device unattended. If the operating system and data are loaded from the external media - always have it with you. Use a virtual machine (Snowden loves Qubes ). Think about whether you need a phone with which you can determine where you were at any time.