A curated checklist of tips to protect your dgital security and privacy
Too long? 🦒 See the TLDR version instead.
- Why Privacy & Security Matters
- Privacy-Respecting Software
- Privacy & Security Gadgets
- Further Links + More Awesome Stuff
Most reported data breaches are caused by the use of weak, default or stolen passwords (according to this Verizon report).
Use long, strong and unique passwords, manage them in a secure password manager, enable 2-factor authentication, keep on top of breaches and take care while logging into your accounts.
| Security | Priority | Details and Hints |
|---|---|---|
| Use a Strong Password | Recommended | If your password is too short, or contains dictionary words, places or names- then it can be easily cracked through brute force, or guessed by someone. The easiest way to make a strong password, is by making it long (12+ characters)- consider using a 'passphrase', made up of many words. Alternatively, use a password generator to create a long, strong random password. Have a play with HowSecureIsMyPassword.net, to gen an idea of how quickly common passwords can be cracked. Read more about creating strong passwords: securityinabox.org |
| Don't reuse Passwords | Recommended | If someone was to reuse a password, and one site they had an account with suffered a leak (data breaches occur aprox. every 39 seconds), then a criminal could easily gain unauthorized access to their other accounts. This is usually done through large-scale automated login requests, and it is called Credential Stuffing. Unfortunately this is all too common, but it's simple to protect against- use a different password for each of your online accounts |
| Use a Secure Password Manager | Recommended | For most people it is going to be near-impossible to remember hundreds of strong and unique passwords. A password manager is an application that generates, stores and auto-fills your login credentials for you. All your passwords will be encrypted against 1 master passwords (which you must remember, and it should be very strong). Most password managers have browser extensions and mobile apps, so whatever device you are on, your passwords can be auto-filled. A good all-rounder is BitWarden, or see Recommended Password Managers |
| Enable 2-Factor Authentication | Recommended | 2FA is where you must provide both something you know (a password) and something you have (such as a code on your phone) to log in. This means that if anyone has got your password (e.g. through phishing, malware or a data breach), they will no be able to log into your account. It's easy to get started, download an authenticator app onto your phone, and then go to your account security settings and follow the steps to enable 2FA. Next time you log in on a new device, you will be prompted for the code that displays in the app on your phone (it works without internet, and the code usually changes every 30-seconds) |
| Sign up for Breach Alerts | Optional | After a websites suffers a significant data breach, the leaked data often ends up on the internet. There are several websites that collect these leaked records, and allow you to search your email address to check if you are in any of their lists. Firefox Monitor, Have i been pwned and Breach Alarm allow you to sign up for monitoring, where they will notify you if your email address appears in any new data sets. It is useful to know as soon as possible when this happens, so that you can change your passwords for the affected accounts. Have i been pwned also has domain-wide notification, where you can receive alerts if any email addresses under your entire domain appear (useful if you use aliases for anonymous forwarding) |
| Keep Backup Codes Safe | Optional | When you enable multi-factor authentication, you will usually be given several codes that you can use if your 2FA method is lost, broken or unavailable. Keep these codes somewhere safe, to prevent loss or unauthorised access. You could store them in your password manager, in an encrypted note, or write them down somewhere safe |
| Shield your Password/ PIN | Optional | When typing your password in public places, ensure you are not in direct line of site of a CCTV camera and that no one is able to see over your shoulder. Cover your password or pin code while you type, and do not reveal any plain text passwords on screen |
| Update Passwords Periodically | Optional | Database leaks and breaches are common, and it is likely that several of your passwords are already somewhere online. Occasionally updating passwords of security-critical accounts can help mitigate this. But providing that all your passwords are long, strong and unique, there is no need to do this too often- annually should be sufficient. Enforcing mandatory password changes within organisations is no longer recommended, as it encourages colleagues to select weaker passwords |
| Don’t save your password in browsers | Optional | Most modern browsers offer to save your credentials when you log into a site. Don’t allow this, as they are not always encrypted, hence could allow someone to gain access into your accounts. Instead use a dedicated password manager to store (and auto-fill) your passwords |
| Be cautious when logging in on someone else’s device | Optional | When using someone else's machine, ensure that you're in a private/ incognito session (Use Ctrl+Shift+N/ Cmd+Shift+N). This will ensure that none of your credentials, cookies, browsing history of session data gets saved. Ideally you should avoid logging into your accounts on other people's computer, since you can't be sure their system is clean. Be especially cautious of public machines, as malware and tracking is more common here |
| Avoid password hints | Optional | Some sites allow you to set password hints. Using this feature can make it easier for social engineers to guess your credentials |
| Never answer online security questions truthfully | Optional | If a site asks security questions (such as place of birth, mother's maiden name or first car etc), don't provide real answers. It is a trivial task for hackers to find out this information online or through social engineering. Instead, create a fictitious answer, and store it inside your password manager |
| Don’t use a 4-digit PIN | Optional | Don’t use a short PIN to access your smartphone or computer. Instead, use a text password or much longer pin. Numeric passphrases are easy crack, (A 4-digit pin has 10,000 combinations, compared to 7.4 million for a 4-character alpha-numeric code) |
| Avoid using SMS for 2FA | Optional | When enabling multi-factor authentication, opt for app-based codes or a hardware token, if supported. SMS is susceptible to a number of common threats, such as SIM-swapping and interception. There's also no guarantee of how securely your phone number will be stored, or what else it will be used for. From a practical point of view, SMS will only work when you have signal, and can be slow |
| Avoid using your PM to Generate OTPs | Advanced | Many password managers are also able to generate 2FA codes. It is best not to use your primary password manager as your 2FA authenticator as well, since it would become a single point of failure if compromised. Instead use a dedicated authenticator app on your phone or laptop |
| Avoid Face Unlock | Advanced | Most phones and laptops offer a facial recognition authentication feature, using the camera to compare a snapshot of your face with a stored hash. It may be very convenient, but there are numerous ways to fool it and gain access to the device, through digital photos and reconstructions from CCTV footage. Unlike your password- there are likely photos of your face on the internet, and videos recorded by surveillance cameras |
| Watch out for Keyloggers | Advanced | A hardware keylogger is a physical device planted between your keyboard and the USB port, which intercepts all key strokes, and sometimes relays data to a remote server. It gives a hacker access to everything typed, including passwords. The best way to stay protected, is just by checking your USB connection after your PC has been unattended. It is also possible for keyloggers to be planted inside the keyboard housing, so look for any signs that the case has been tampered with, and consider bringing your own keyboard to work. Data typed on a virtual keyboard, pasted from the clipboard or auto-filled by a password manager can not be intercepted by a hardware keylogger, so if you are on a public computer, consider typing passwords with the on-screen keyboard |
| Consider a Hardware Token | Advanced | A U2F/ FIDO2 security key is a USB (or NFC) device that you insert while logging in to an online service, in to verify your identity, instead of entering a OTP from your authenticator. SoloKey and NitroKey are examples of such keys. They bring with them several security benefits, since the browser communicates directly with the device and cannot be fooled as to which host is requesting authentication, because the TLS certificate is checked. This post is a good explanation of the security of using FIDO U2F tokens. Of course it is important to store the physical key somewhere safe, or keep it on your person. Some online accounts allow for several methods of 2FA to be enabled |
| Consider Offline Password Manager | Advanced | For increased security, an encrypted offline password manager will give you full control over your data. KeePass is a popular choice, with lots of plugins and community forks with additional compatibility and functionality. Popular clients include: KeePassXC (desktop), KeePassDX (Android) and StrongBox (iOS). The drawback being that it may be slightly less convenient for some, and it will be up to you to back it up, and store it securely |
| Consider Unique Usernames | Advanced | Having different passwords for each account is a good first step, but if you also use a unique username, email or phone number to log in, then it will be significantly harder for anyone trying to gain unauthorised access. The easiest method for multiple emails, is using auto-generated aliases for anonymous mail forwarding. This is where [anything]@yourdomain.com will arrive in your inbox, allowing you to use a different email for each account (see Mail Alias Providers). Usernames are easier, since you can use your password manager to generate, store and autofill these. Virtual phone numbers can be generated through your VOIP provider |
Recommended Software: Password Managers | 2FA Authenticators
Most websites on the internet will use some form of tracking, often to gain insight into their users behaviour and preferences. This data can be incredibly detailed, and so is extremely valuable to corporations, governments and intellectual property thieves. Data breaches and leaks are common, and deanonymizing users web activity is often a trivial task
There are two primary methods of tracking; stateful (cookie-based), and stateless (fingerprint-based). Cookies are small pieces of information, stored in your browser with a unique ID that is used to identify you. Browser fingerprinting is a highly accurate way to identify and track users wherever they go online. The information collected is quite comprehensive, and often includes browser details, OS, screen resolution, supported fonts, plugins, time zone, language and font preferences, and even hardware configurations.
This section outlines the steps you can take, to be better protected from threats, minimise online tracking and improve privacy. A summarized shorter version of this list can be found here
| Security | Priority | Details and Hints |
|---|---|---|
| Ensure Website is Legitimate | Basic | It may sound obvious, but when you logging into any online accounts, double check the URL is correct. When visiting new websites, look for common signs that it could be unsafe: Browser warnings, redirects, on-site spam and pop-ups. You can also check a website using a tool, such as: Virus Total URL Scanner, IsLegitSite, Google Safe Browsing Status if you are unsure. If you want to be really sure, a simple WhoIs Lookup, should reveal their phone number which can be called for additional verification |
| Watch out for Browser Malware | Basic | Your system or browser can be compromised by spyware, miners, browser hijackers, malicious redirects etc. You can usually stay protected, just by: ignoring pop-ups, be wary of what your clicking, don't proceed to a website if your browser warns you it may be malicious. Common sighs of browser malware include: default search engine or homepage has been modified, toolbars, unfamiliar extensions or icons, significantly more ads, errors and pages loading much slower than usual. These articles from Heimdal explain signs of browser malware, how browsers get infected and how to remove browser malware |
| Use a Privacy-Respecting Browser | Recommended | Firefox and Brave are secure, private-by-default browsers. Both are fast, open source, user-friendly and available on all major operating systems. Your browser has access to everything that you do online, and if collected, this data is very valuable to corporations, governments and intellectual property thieves. So if possible, avoid Google Chrome, Microsoft IE and Apple Safari as (without correct configuration) all three of them, collect usage data, call home and allow for tracking. See more: privacy browsers |
| Use a Private Search Engine | Recommended | Using a privacy-preserving, non-tracking search engine, will ensure your search terms are not logged, or used against you. Consider DuckDuckGo, Quant, or SearX (self-hosted). Google implements some incredibly invasive tracking policies, and have a history of displaying biased search results. Therefore Google, along with Bing, Baidu, Yahoo and Yandex are incompatible with anyone looking to protect their privacy. It is recommended to update your browsers default search to a privacy-respecting search engine |
| Remove Unnecessary Browser Addons | Recommended | Extensions are able to see, log or modify anything you do in the browser, and some innocent looking browser apps, have malicious intentions. Websites can see which extensions you have installed, and may use this to enhance your fingerprint, to more accurately identify you. Both Firefox and Chrome web stores allow you to check what permissions/access rights an extension requires before you install it. Check the reviews. Only install extensions you really need, and removed those which you haven't used in a while |
| Keep Browser Up-to-date | Recommended | Browser vulnerabilities are constantly being discovered and patched, so it’s important to keep it up to date, to avoid a zero-day exploit. You can see which browser version your using here, or follow this guide for instructions on how to update. Some browsers will auto-update to the latest stable version |
| Check for HTTPS | Recommended | If you enter information on a non-HTTPS website, this data is transported unencrypted and can therefore be read by anyone who intercepts it. Do not enter any data on a non-HTTPS website, but also do not let the green padlock give you a false sense of security, just because a website has SSL certificate, does not mean that it is legitimate or trustworthy. HTTPS-Everywhere (developed by the EFF) is a lightweight, open source (on GitHub) browser addon, that by enables HTTPS encryption automatically on sites that are known to support it. Is included in Brave, Tor and mobile Onion-Browser, and is available for Chromium, Firefox and Opera |
| Use DNS-over-HTTPS | Recommended | Traditional DNS makes requests in plain text for everyone to see. It allows for eavesdropping and manipulation of DNS data through man-in-the-middle attacks. Whereas DNS-over-HTTPS performs DNS resolution via the HTTPS protocol, meaning data between you and your DNS resolver is encrypted. A popular option is CloudFlare's 1.1.1.1, or compare providers- it is simple to enable in-browser. Note that DoH comes with it's own issues, mostly preventing web filtering |
| Multi-Session Containers | Recommended | Compartmentalisation is really important to keep different aspects of your browsing separate. For example, using different profiles for work, general browsing, social media, online shopping etc will reduce the number associations that data brokers can link back to you. One option is to make use of Firefox Containers which is designed exactly for this purpose. Alternatively, you could use different browsers for different tasks (Brave, Firefox, Tor etc). For Chromium-based browsers, you can create and use Profiles, or an extension such as SessionBox, however this addon is not open source |
| Use Incognito | Recommended | When using someone else's machine, ensure that you're in a private/ incognito session (Use Ctrl+Shift+N/ Cmd+Shift+N). This will prevent browser history, cookies and some data being saved, but is not fool-proof- you can still be tracked |
| Understand Your Browser Fingerprint | Recommended | Browser Fingerprinting is an incredibly accurate method of tracking, where a website identifies you based on your device information, including: browser and OS versions, headers, time zone, installed fonts, plugins and applications and sometimes device hardware among other data points. You can view your fingerprint at amiunique.org- The aim is to be as un-unique as possible |
| Manage Cookies | Recommended | Clearing cookies regularly is one step you can take to help reduce websites from tracking you. Cookies may also store your session token, which if captured, would allow someone to access your accounts without credentials (often called Session Hijacking). To mitigate this you should clear cookies often. Self Destructing Cookies is a browser addon (available on Chromium-based browsers, Firefox and Opera), which will kill cookies when you close the browser |
| Block Third-Party Cookies | Recommended | Third-party cookies placed on your device by a website other than the one you’re visiting. This poses a privacy risk, as a 3rd entity can collect data from your current session. This guide explains how you can disable 3rd-party cookies, and you can check here ensure this worked |
| Block Ads | Recommended | Using an ad-blocker can help improve your privacy, by blocking the trackers that ads implement. uBlock Origin is a very efficient and open source browser addon, developed by Raymond Hill and available for: Chromium-based browsers, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari and Opera. When 3rd-party ads are displayed on a webpage, they have the ability to track you, gathering personal information about you and your habits, which can then be sold, or used to show you more targeted ads. Some ads are malicious; Malvertising is when criminals purchase ad space, and disguise harmful, dangerous or fake websites as something legitimate. Blocking ads also makes pages load faster, uses less data and provides a less cluttered experience |
| Block Third-Party Trackers | Recommended | Blocking trackers will help to stop websites, advertisers, analytics and more from tracking you in the background. Privacy Badger, DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials, uBlock Origin and uMatrix (advanced) are all very effective, open source tracker-blockers available for all major browsers. Alternatively you can block trackers at the network level, with something like Pi-Hole (on your home server) or Diversion (Asus routers running Merlin firmware. Some VPNs offer basic tracking blocking (such as TrackStop on PerfectPrivacy) |
| Beware of Redirects | Optional | While some redirects are harmless, others can send you to malicious sites. If you are unsure about a redirect URL, you can check where it forwards to with a tool like RedirectDetective. It is also recommended to disable redirects in your browser settings. Unvalidated redirects are still commonly used in phishing attacks, it can make a malicious link seem legitimate |
| Do Not Sign Into Your Browser | Optional | Many browsers allow you to sign in, in order to sync history, bookmarks and other browsing data across devices. However signing in not only allows for further data collection, but also increases attack surface through providing another avenue for a malicious actor to get hold of personal information. For Chrome users, you can get around forced sign-in by navigating to chrome://flags and disabling the account-consistency flag. If you still need to sync bookmarks + browser data between devices, there are open source alternatives, such as xBrowserSync |
| Disallow Prediction Services | Optional | Some browsers allow for prediction services, where you receive real-time search results or URL auto-fill. If this is enabled then data is sent to Google (or your default search engine) with every keypress, rather than when you hit enter. You may wish to disable this to reduce the amount of data collected |
| Avoid G Translate for Webpages | Optional | When you visit a web page written in a foreign language, you may be prompted to install the Google Translate extension. Be aware that Google collects all data (including input fields), along with details of the current user. Instead use a translation service that is not linked to your browser |
| Disable Web Notifications | Optional | Browser push notifications are a common method for criminals to encourage you to click their link, since it is easy to spoof the source. Be aware of this, and for instructions on disabling browser notifications, see this article |
| Disable Automatic Downloads | Optional | Security-focused browsers now have automatic downloads disabled by default. For older systems, drive-by downloads is a common method of getting harmful files onto a users device. This can be mitigated by disabling auto file downloads, and being cautious of websites which prompt you to download files unexpectedly |
| Disallow Access to Sensors | Optional | Mobile websites can tap into your device sensors without asking. If you grant these permissions to your browser once, then all websites are able to use these capabilities, without permission or notification, take a look at the sensor-js study for more. The best solution is to not grant any permissions to your browser, and to use a privacy browser such as FireFox Focus (Android / iOS) or DuckDuckGo (Android / iOS) |
| Disallow Location | Optional | Location Services lets sites ask for your physical location to improve your experience. This should be disabled in settings (see how). Note that there are still other methods of determining your approximate location (IP address, time zone, device info, DNS etc) |
| Disallow Camera/ Microphone access | Optional | Check browser settings to ensure that no websites are granted access to webcam or microphone. It may also be beneficial to use physical protection such as a webcam cover and microphone blocker |
| Disable Browser Password Saves | Optional | Do not allow your browser to store usernames and passwords. These can be easily viewed or accessed. Chrome does protect this data behind your Windows credentials, but these can be simple to obtain thanks to password reset utilities such as Offline NT Password and Registry Editor. Instead use a password manager |
| Disable Browser Autofill | Optional | Turn off autofill for any confidential or personal details. This feature was designed to make online shopping and general browsing more convenient, but storing this sensitive information (names, addresses, card details, search terms etc) can be extremely harmful if your browser is compromised in any way. Instead, if essential, consider using your password manager's Notes feature to store and fill your data |
| Protect from Exfil Attack | Optional | The CSS Exfiltrate attack is a where credentials and other sensitive details can be snagged with just pure CSS, meaning even blocking JavaScript cannot prevent it, read more this article by Mike Gualtieri. You can stay protected, with the CSS Exfil Protection plugin (for Chrome and Firefox) which sanitizes and blocks any CSS rules which may be designed to steal data. Check out the CSS Exfil Vulnerability Tester to see if you could be susceptible. |
| Deactivate ActiveX | Optional | ActiveX is a browser extension API that built into Microsoft IE, and enabled by default. It's not commonly used by legitimate sites any more, but since it gives plugins intimate access rights, and can be dangerous, therefore you should disable it (see how) |
| Deactivate Flash | Optional | Adobe Flash is infamous for its history of security vulnerabilities (with over 1000 issues!). See how to disable Flash and Flash alternatives. Adobe will end support for Flash Player in December 2020 |
| Disable WebRTC | Optional | WebRTC allows high-quality audio/video communication and peer-to-peer file-sharing straight from the browser. However it can pose as a privacy leak, especially if you are not using a proxy or VPN. In FireFox WebRTC can be disabled, by searching for, and disabling media.peerconnection.enabled in about:config. For other browsers, the WebRTC-Leak-Prevent extension can be installed. uBlockOrigin also allows WebRTC to be disabled. To learn more, check out this guide |
| Spoof HTML5 Canvas Sig | Optional | Canvas Fingerprinting allows websites to identify and track users very accurately though exploiting the rendering capabilities of the Canvas Element. You can use the Canvas-Fingerprint-Blocker extension to spoof your fingerprint or use Tor - Check if you are susceptible here |
| Spoof User Agent | Optional | The user agent is a string of text, telling the website what device, browser and version you are using. It is used in part to generate your fingerprint, so switching user agent periodically is one small step you can take to become less unique. You can switch user agent manually in the Development tools, or use an extension like Chameleon (Firefox) or User-Agent Switcher (Chrome) |
| Disregard DNT | Optional | Do Not Track is a HTTP header, supported by all major browsers, once enabled is intended to flag to a website that you do not wish to be tracked. Enabling Do Not Track has very limited impact, since many websites do not respect or follow this. Since it is rarely used, it may also add to your signature, making you more unique, and therefore actually easier to track |
| Prevent HSTS Tracking | Optional | HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) was designed to help secure websites, by preventing HTTPS downgrading attacks. However privacy concerns have been raised, as it allowed site operators to plant super-cookies, and continue to track users in incognito. It can be disabled by visiting chrome://net-internals/#hsts in Chromium-based browsers, or following this guide for Firefox, and this guide for other browsers |
| Prevent Automatic Browser Connections | Optional | Even when you are not using your browser, it may call home to report on usage activity, analytics and diagnostics. You may wish to disable some of this, which can be done through the settings, see instructions for: Firefox, Chrome, Brave |
| Enable 1st-Party Isolation | Optional | First party isolation means that all identifier sources and browser state are scoped (isolated) using the URL bar domain, this can greatly reduce tracking. In Firefox (under network.cookie.cookieBehavior), it is now possible to block cross-site and social media trackers, and isolate remaining cookies. Alternatively, to enable/disable with 1-click, see the First Party Isolation add-on |
| Strip Tracking Params from URLs | Advanced | Websites often append additional GET paramaters to URLs that you click, to identify information like source/ referrer. You can sanitize manually, or use an extensions like ClearUrls (for Chrome / Firefox) or SearchLinkFix (for Chrome / Firefox) to strip tracking data from URLs automatically in the background |
| First Launch Security | Advanced | After installing a web browser, the first time you launch it (prior to configuring it's privacy settings), most browsers will call home (send a request to Microsoft, Apple, Google or other developer) and send over your device details (as outlined in this journal article). Therefore, after installing a browser, you should first disable your internet connection, then launch it and go into settings and configure privacy options, before reenabling your internet connectivity. This does not apply to all browsers, in this article Brave claims to be the on of the only browser to call out to a single, controlled TLD exclusively |
| Use The Tor Browser | Advanced | The Tor Project provides a browser that encrypts and routes your traffic through multiple nodes, keeping users safe from interception and tracking. The main drawbacks are speed and user experience, as well as the possibility of DNS leaks from other programs (see potential drawbacks) but generally Tor is one of the more secure browser options for anonymity on the web |
| Disable JavaScript | Advanced | Many modern web apps are JavaScript-based, so disabling it will greatly decrease your browsing experience. But if you really want to go all out, then it will really reduce your attack surface, mitigate a lot of client-side tracking and JavaScript malware |
Recommended Software
- Privacy Browsers
- Non-Tracking Search Engines
- Browser Extensions for Security
- Secure Browser & Bookmark Sync
Nearly 50 years since the first email was sent, it's still very much a big part of our day-to-day life, and will continue to be for the near future. So considering how much trust we put in them, it’s surprising how fundamentally insecure this infrastructure is. Email-related fraud is on the up, and without taking basic measures you could be at risk.
If a hacker gets access to your emails, it provides a gateway for your other accounts to be compromised (through password resets), therefore email security is paramount for your digital safety.
The big companies providing "free" email service, don't have a good reputation for respecting users privacy: Gmail was caught giving third parties full access to user emails and also tracking all of your purchases. Yahoo was also caught scanning emails in real-time for US surveillance agencies Advertisers were granted access to Yahoo and AOL users messages to “identify and segment potential customers by picking up on contextual buying signals, and past purchases.”
| Security | Priority | Details and Hints |
|---|---|---|
| Have more than one email address | Recommended | Consider using a different email address for security-critical communications from trivial mail such as newsletters. This compartmentalization could reduce amount of damage caused by a data breach, and also make it easier to recover a compromised account |
| Keep Email Address Private | Recommended | Do not share your primary email publicly, as mail addresses are often the starting point for most phishing attacks |
| Keep your Account Secure | Recommended | Use a long and unique password, enable 2FA and be careful while logging in. Your email account provides an easy entry point to all your other online accounts for an attacker |
| Disable Automatic Loading of Remote Content | Recommended | Email messages can contain remote content such as images or stylesheets, often automatically loaded from the server. You should disable this, as it exposes your IP address and device information, and is often used for tracking. For more info, see this article |
| Don’t connect third-party apps to your email account | Optional | If you give a third-party app or plug-in (such as Unroll.me, Boomerang, SaneBox etc) full access to your inbox, they effectively have full unhindered access to all your emails and their contents, which poses significant security and privacy risks |
| Don't Share Sensitive Data via Email | Optional | Emails are very easily intercepted. Further to this you can’t be sure of how secure your recipient's environment is. Therefore emails cannot be considered safe for exchanging confidential or personal information, unless it is encrypted/ or both parties are using a secure mail provider |
| Consider Switching to a Secure Mail Provider | Optional | Secure and reputable email providers such as ProtonMail and Tutanota allow for end-to-end encryption, full privacy as well as more security-focused features. Unlike typical email providers, your mailbox cannot be read by anyone but you, since all messages are encrypted. Providers such as Google, Microsoft and Yahoo scan messages for advertising, analytics and law enforcement purposes, but this poses a serious security threat |
| Use Aliasing / Anonymous Forwarding | Advanced | Email aliasing allows messages to be sent to [anything]@my-domain.com and still land in your primary inbox. Effectively allowing you to use a different, unique email address for each service you sign up for. This means if you start receiving spam, you can block that alias and determine which company leaked your email address. More importantly, you do not need to reveal your real email address to any company. Anonaddy and SimpleLogin are open source anonymous email forwarding service allowing you to create unlimited email aliases, with a free plan |
| Subaddressing | Optional | An alternative to aliasing is subaddressing, where anything after the + symbol is omitted during mail delivery, for example you the address yourname+tag@example.com denotes the same delivery address as yourname@example.com. This was defined in RCF-5233, and supported by most major mail providers (inc Gmail, YahooMail, Outlook, FastMail and ProtonMail). It enables you to keep track of who shared/ leaked your email address, but unlike aliasing it will not protect against your real address being revealed |
| Use a Custom Domain | Advanced | Using a custom domain, means that even you are not dependent on the address assigned my your mail provider. So you can easily switch providers in the future and do not need to worry about a service being discontinued |
| Sync with a client for backup | Advanced | Further to the above, to avoid loosing temporary or permanent access to your emails during an unplanned event (such as an outage or account lock). Thunderbird can sync/ backup messages from multiple accounts via IMAP and store locally on your primary device |
| Be Careful with Mail Signatures | Advanced | You do not know how secure of an email environment the recipient of your message may have. There are several extensions (such as ZoomInfo) that automatically crawl messages, and create a detailed database of contact information based upon email signitures, and sometimes message content. If you send an email to someone who has something like this enabled, then you are unknowingly entering your details into this database |
| Be Careful with Auto-Replies | Advanced | Out-of-office automatic replies are very useful for informing people there will be a delay in replying, but all too often people reveal too much information- which can be used in social engineering and targeted attacks |
| Choose the Right Mail Protocol | Advanced | Do not use outdated protocols (below IMAPv4 or POPv3), both have known vulnerabilities and out-dated security. |
| Self-Hosting | Advanced | Self-hosting your own mail server is not recommended for non-advanced users, since correctly securing it is critical yet requires strong networking knowledge - read more. That being said, if you run your own mail server, you will have full control over your emails. Mail-in-a-box and docker-mailserver are ready-to-deploy correctly-configured mail servers that provide a good starting point |
| Always use TLS Ports | Advanced | There are SSL options for POP3, IMAP, and SMTP as standard TCP/IP ports. They are easy to use, and widely supported so should always be used instead of plaintext email ports. By default, the ports are: POP3= 995, IMAP=993 and SMTP= 465 |
| DNS Availability | Advanced | For self-hosted mail servers, to prevent DNS problems impacting availability- use at least 2 MX records, with secondary and tertiary MX records for redundancy when the primary MX record fails |
| Prevent DDoS and Brute Force Attacks | Advanced | For self-hosted mail servers (specifically STMP), limit your total number of simultaneous connections, and maximum connection rate to reduce the impact of attempted bot attacks |
| Maintain IP Blacklist | Advanced | For self-hosted mail servers, you can improve spam filters and harden security, through maintaining an up-to-date local IP blacklist and a spam URI realtime block lists to filter out malicious hyperlinks. You may also want to activate a reverse DNS lookup system |
Recommended Software:
Online communities have existed since the invention of the internet, and give people around the world the opportunity to connect, communicate and share. Although these networks are a great way to promote social interaction and bring people together, that have a dark side - there are some serious Privacy Concerns with Social Networking Services, and these social networking sites are owned by private businesses, and that they make their money by collecting data about individuals and selling that data on, particularly to third party advertisers.
Lock down your privacy settings, but know that even after doing so, all data intentionally and non-intentionally uploaded is effectively public. If possible, avoid using conventional social media networks.
| Security | Priority | Details and Hints |
|---|---|---|
| Check Privacy Settings | Recommended | Most social networks allow you to control your privacy settings. Ensure that you are comfortable with what data you are currently exposing and to whom. But remember, privacy settings are only meant to protect you from other members of the social network- they do not shield you or your data from the owners of the network. See how to set privacy settings, with this guide |
| Think of All Interactions as Public | Recommended | There are still numerous methods of viewing a users 'private' content across many social networks. Therefore, before uploading, posting or commenting on anything, think "Would I mind if this was totally public?" |
| Don't Reveal too Much | Recommended | Profile information creates a goldmine of info for hackers, the kind of data that helps them personalize phishing scams. Avoid putting too much detail (DoB, Hometown, School etc) in the About section |
| Be Careful what you say | Recommended | Status updates, comments and photos can unintentionally reveal a lot more than you intended them to (such as location, preferences, contacts etc) |
| Don't Share Email or Phone Number | Recommended | Posting your real email address or mobile number, just gives hackers, trolls and spammers more munition to use against you |
| Secure you Account | Recommended | Profiles media profiles get stolen or taken over all too often. The easiest way to protect against this, is to use a unique and strong password, and enable 2-factor authentication. See the Authentication section for more tips |
| Don't Grant Unnecessary Permissions | Recommended | By default many of the popular social networking apps will ask for permission to access your contacts, your call log, your location, your messaging history etc.. If they don’t need this access, don’t grant it. For Android users, check out Bouncer - an app that gives you the ability to grant permissions temporarily |
| Be Careful of 3rd-Party Integrations | Recommended | Avoid signing up for accounts using a Social Network login, revoke access to social apps you no longer use, see instructions for: Facebook, Twitter, Insta and LinkedIn |
| Remove metadata before uploading media | Optional | Most smartphones and some cameras automatically attach a comprehensive set of additional data (called EXIF data) to each photograph. This usually includes things like time, date, location, camera model, user etc. It can reveal a lot more data than you intended to share. Remove this data before uploading. You can remove meta data without any special software, use a CLI tool, or a desktop tool like EXIF Tage Remover |
| Consider False Information | Recommended | If you just want to read, and do not intend on posting too much- consider using an alias name, and false contact details. Remember that there are still methods of tracing your account back to you, but this could mitigate a lot of threats. Consider using separate accounts/identities, or maybe different pseudonyms, for different campaigns and activities. Don't link accounts in any way- don't comment on / liking inter-account posts, avoid logging in from the same IP and use different passwords (so the accounts cannot be linked in the case of a data breach) |
| Don’t have any social media accounts | Advanced | Social media is fundamentally un-private, so for maximum online security and privacy, avoid using any mainstream social networks |
Recommended Software
- Alternative Social Media
- Alternative Video Platforms
- Alternative Blogging Platforms
- News Readers and Aggregation
This section covers how you connect your devices to the internet, including configuring your router and setting up a VPN.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) protects your IP, and allows you to more securely connect to the internet. Use it when connecting to public WiFi or to restrict your ISP from seeing all sites you've visited. Note: VPNs are not a perfect solution and it is important to select a reputable provider, to entrust your data with. Tor provides greater anonymity.
| Security | Priority | Details and Hints |
|---|---|---|
| Use a VPN | Recommended | Use a reputable, paid-for VPN. This can help protect sites you visit logging your real IP, and reduce the amount of data your ISP can collect. However VPNs alone do not make you anonymous or stop tracking, it's important to understand their limitations. ProtonVPN and Mullvad may be good options for many, but for an unbiased comparison, see: That One Privacy Site. Select a service with a good reputation, that does not keep logs, and is not in the 5-eyes jurisdiction |
| Don’t use a default router password | Recommended | After getting a new router, change the password. Default router passwords are publicly available (see default-password.info), meaning anyone within proximity would be able to connect. See here, for a guide on changing router password |
| Use WPA2 | Recommended | There are different authentication protocols for connecting to WiFi. Currently the most secure is WPA2, since WEP and WPA are moderately easy to crack. Ensure it is strong: 12+ alpha-numeric characters, avoiding dictionary words. You can set this within your routers admin panel |
| Keep router firmware up-to-date | Recommended | Manufacturers release firmware updates that fix security vulnerabilities, implement new standards and sometimes add features/ improve the performance your router. It's important to have the latest firmware installed, to avoid a malicious actor exploiting an un-patched vulnerability. You can usually update your router by navigating to 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 in your browser, entering the credentials on the sticker on the back of you of your router (not your WiFi password!), and following the on-screen instructions. Or follow a guide from your routers manufacturer: Asus, D-Link, Linksys (older models), NetGear and TP-Link. Newer Linksys and Netgear routers update automatically, as does Google's router. |
| Implement a Network-Wide VPN | Optional | If you configure your VPN on your router, firewall or home server, then traffic from all devices will be encrypted and routed through it, without needing individual VPN apps. This reduces the chance: of IP leaks, VPN app crashes, and provides VPN access to devices which don't support VPN clients (TV's, Smart Hubs, IoT devices etc) |
| Protect against DNS leaks | Optional | When using a VPN, it is extremely important to exclusively use the DNS server of your VPN provider or secure service. For OpenVPN, you can add: block-outside-dns to your config file (which will have the extension .ovn or .conf). If you are unable to do this, then see this article for further instructions. You can check for leaks, using a DNS Leak Test |
| Use a secure VPN Protocol | Optional | OpenVPN is widely used, and currently considered as a secure tunneling protocol, it's also open source, lightweight and efficient. L2TP can be good, but only when configured correctly, whereas it's much harder to go wrong with OpenVPN. Don't use PPTP, which is now legacy, and not considered secure, and avoid SSTP (proprietary, owned by Microsoft and due to lack of transparency, could be vulnerable to exploits). IKEv2 and the new WireGuard protocol (experimental) are also good options. |
| Avoid the free router from your ISP | Optional | Typically they’re manufactured cheaply in bulk in China, and firmware updates which fix crucial security flaws aren’t released regularly. Consider an open source based router, such as Turris MOX |
| Ideally hide your SSID | Optional | An SSID (or Service Set Identifier) is simply your network name. If it is not visible, it is much less likely to be targeted. You can usually hide it after logging into your router admin panel, see here for more details. |
| Whitelist MAC Addresses | Optional | As well as a strong password, and hidden SSID, you can whitelist MAC addresses in your router settings, disallowing any unknown devices to immediately connect to your network, even if they know your credentials. A malicious actor can bypass this, by cloning their address to appear the same as one of your trusted devices, but it will add an extra step for them. |
| Secure DNS | Advanced | Use DNS-over-HTTPS which performs DNS resolution via the HTTPS protocol, encrypting data between you and your DNS resolver. Although DoH is not perfect, it does remove the need for trust - see CoudFlares 1.1.1.1 Docs for more details. Don't use Google DNS or other services which collect a lot of data |
| Route all traffic through Tor | Advanced | VPNs have their weaknesses- you are simply moving your trust from your ISP/ mobile carrier to a VPN provider- Tor is much more anonymous. For optimum security, route all your internet traffic through the Tor network. On Linux you can use TorSocks or Privoxy, for Windows you can use Whonix, and on OSX follow thsese instructions, for Kali see TorGhost. Alternativley, you can use OnionPi to use Tor for all your connected devices, by configuring a Raspberry Pi to be a Tor Hotspot |
| Change your Router's Default IP | Advanced | Modifying your router admin panels default IP address will makes it more difficult for malicious scripts in your web browser targeting local IP addresses, as well as adding an extra step for local network hackers |
| Kill unused processes and services on your router | Advanced | Services like Telnet and SSH (Secure Shell) that provide command-line access to devices should never be exposed to the internet and should also be disabled on the local network unless they're actually needed. In general, any service that’s not used should be disabled to reduce attack surface. |
| Disable WiFi on all Devices | Advanced | Connecting to even a secure WiFi network increases your attack surface. Disabling your home WiFi and connect each device via Ethernet, and turning off WiFi on your phone and using a USB-C/ Lightening to Ethernet cable will protect against WiFi exploits, as Edward Snowden says here. |
Recommended Software
- Virtual Private Networks
- Mix Networks
- Open Source Proxies
- DNS Providers
- Firewalls
- Network Analysis Tools
Most smartphone apps run in the background, collecting and logging data, making network requests and ultimately creating a clear picture of who you are, just from your data. This is a big problem from both a security and privacy perspective.
Even non-smart phones, (and even when the screen is off) are constantly connecting to the nearest cell phone towers, (it does this by broadcasting its IMEI and MEID number). The towers then relay this information, along with any communications, to your mobile carrier, who will store these records indefinitely. The movements of your phone are the movements of you as a person, so all phone proximity and data records can always be linked directly back to you. So whenever your phone is on, there is a record of your presence at that place, being created and maintained by companies.
SMS texting and traditional phone calls are not secure, so it's important to avoid using that to send or receive anything secure (such as log in codes, OTPs or any personal details). Instead use encrypted messaging, like Signal whenever you can. Be wary of who you share your phone number with.
| Security | Priority | Details and Hints |
|---|---|---|
| Turn off connectivity features that aren’t being used | Recommended | When you're not using WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC or anything else, turn those features off. These are commonly used to easily hack individuals. |
| Keep app count to a minimum | Recommended | Uninstall apps that you don’t need or use regularly. As apps often run in the background, slowing your device down, but also collecting data. |
| Don’t grant apps permissions that they don’t need | Recommended | If an app doesn’t need access to your camera, don’t grant it access. Same with any features of your phone, be wary about what each app has access to. |
| Only install Apps from official source | Recommended | Applications on Apple App Store and Google Play Store are scanned and cryptographically signed, making them less likely to be malicious. Avoid downloading .apk or .ipa files from unverified source. Also check the reviews before downloading a new application. |
| Only Charge your Device from a Trusted Source | Recommended | When you charge your device via USB in a public space, it is possible for malicious actors to gain full access to your device, via AT Commands. You can read more about this at https://atcommands.org/ or from this seminar. To protect yourself, either only charge your phone from trusted sources, or use a USB Data Blocker. A Data blocker allows your phone to charge, while blocking the data transfer wires, blocking this exploit or any file transfers to run. (PortaPow is recommended, since it still allows for fast-charge.) Available in both USB-A and USB-C. |
| Set up a mobile carrier PIN | Recommended | SIM hijacking is when a hacker is able to get your mobile number transferred to their sim (often through social engineering your mobile carrier). This then allows them to receive 2FA SMS codes (enabling them to access your secure accounts, such as banking), or to pose as you. The easiest way to protect against this is to set up a PIN through your mobile provider, thus disallowing anyone without this PIN to make any changes to your account. The PIN should not be easily guessable, and it is important that you remember it, or store is somewhere secure. Using a non-SMS based 2FA method will reduce the damage that can be done if someone is able to take control of your SIM. Read more about the sim swap scam. |
| Opt-out of Caller ID Listings | Optional | When one of your friends or colleagues has your number in their contacts, and also has a caller ID app (such as TrueCaller, CallApp and Caller ID), then your Name, Phone Number and any other saved contact details will be uploaded. To keep your name and number private, you can unlit it here: TrueCaller, CallApp, SyncMe, cia-app, Hiya. It's possible to opt-out, even before your number has been added, and this will prevent your details being uploaded in the future. |
| Opt-out of personalized ads | Optional | In order for ads to be personalized, Google collects data about you, you can slightly reduce the amount they collect by opting-out of seeing personalized ads. See this guide, for Android instructions. |
| Erase after too many login attempts | Optional | To protect against an attacker brute forcing your pin, if you lose your phone, set your device to erase after too many failed login attempts. See this iPhone guide. You can also do this via Find my Phone, but this increased security comes at a cost of decreased privacy. |
| Monitor Trackers | Optional | A tracker is a piece of software meant to collect data about you or your usages. εxodus is a great service which lets you search for any app, by its name, and see which trackers are embedded in it. They also have an app which shows trackers and permissions for all your installed apps. |
| Install a Firewall | Optional | To prevent applications from leaking privacy-sensitive data, you can install a firewall app. This will make it easier to see and control which apps are making network requests in the background, and allow you to block specific apps from roaming when the screen is turned off. For Android, check out NetGuard, and for iOS there is LockDown, both of which are open source. Alternatively there is NoRootFirewall Android, XPrivacy Android (root required), Fyde iOS and Guardian Firewall iOS. |
| Use secure, privacy-respecting apps | Optional | Mainstream apps have a reputation for not respecting the privacy of their users, and they're usually closed-source meaning vulnerabilities can be hidden. Prism-Break maintains a list of better alternatives, see Android and iOS. |
| Avoid Custom Virtual Keyboards | Optional | Android and iOS allow you to download and use third-party keyboard apps. These apps will be able to access everything that you type on your phone/ tablet: passwords, messages, search terms etc. It is recommended to stick with your devices stock keyboard. If you choose to use one of these apps, ensure it is reputable, block internet access (can be done with a firewall app), don't grant it permissions it does not need, and turn off analytics or other invasive features in it's settings. This article by Lenny Zelster explains things further |
| Restart Device Regularly | Optional | Over the years there have vulnerabilities relating to memory exploits (such as CVE-2015-6639 + CVE-2016-2431). Restarting your phone at least once a week will clear the app state cached in memory. A side benefit is that your device may run more smoothly after a restart. |
| Avoid SMS | Optional | SMS may be convenient, but it's not particularly secure. It is susceptible to many threats, including interception, sim swapping (see this article), manipulation and malware (see this article). SMS should not be used to receive 2FA codes, (as demonstrated in the video in this article), instead use an authenticator app. SMS should not be used for communication, instead use an encrypted messaging app, such as Signal |
| Avoid using your real phone number when signing up for an account or service | Optional | Where possible, avoid giving out your real phone number while creating accounts online. You can create phone numbers using services such as Google Voice or Skype. For temporary usage you can use a service like iNumbr that generates a phone number that forwards messages and calls to your main number. |
| Watch out for Stalkerware | Optional | This is a malware that is installed directly onto your device by someone you know (partner, parent, boss etc.). It allows them to see your location, messages and other app data remotely. The app likely won't show up in your app draw, (but may visible in Settings --> Applications --> View All). Sometimes they can be disguised as a non-conspicuous app (such as a game, flashlight or calculator) which initially don't appear suspicious at all. Look out for unusual battery usage, network requests or high device temperature. If you suspect that stalkerware is on your device, the best way to get rid of it is through a factory reset. See this guide for more details. |
| Sandbox Mobile Apps | Advanced | Prevent permission-hungry apps from accessing your private data with Island. It is a sandbox environment to clone selected apps and isolate them from accessing your personal data outside the sandbox (including call logs, contacts, photos and etc.) even if related permissions are granted. |
| Consider Orbot | Advanced | Orbot provides a system-wide Tor connection. Although more secure than a VPN, it will be slower- see Networking section for more details. |
| Consider running a custom ROM if you have an Android device | Advanced | Your default OS tracks information about your usage, and app data, constantly. Consider a privacy-focused custom ROM, such as Lineage or CopperheadOS. |
Recommended Software
Although Windows and OS X are easy to use and convenient, they both are far from secure. Your OS provides the interface between hardware and your applications, so if compromised can have detrimental effects.
| Security | Priority | Details and Hints |
|---|---|---|
| Keep your OS up-to-date | Recommended | Microsoft, Apple and Google release regular OS updates, which fix security flaws. Always keep your device updated. |
| Enable Firewall | Recommended | A firewall is a program which monitors the incoming and outgoing traffic on your network, and blocks requests based on rules set during its configuration. Properly configured, a firewall can protect against some (but not all) attempts to remotely access your computer. Follow these instructions to enable your firewall in Windows, Mac OS, Ubuntu and other Linux ditros |
| Attach only known and trusted external hardware | Recommended | Over the years there have been a variety of vulnerabilities in each major operating system relating to connecting untrusted hardware. In some cases the hardware talks to the host computer in a way the host computer does not expect, exploiting a vulnerability and directly infecting the host |
| Don't charge unknown mobile devices from your PC | Optional | If friends or colleagues want to charge their devices via USB, do not do this through your computers ports (unless you have a data blocker). By default the phone will want to sync to the host computer, but there is also specially crafted malware which takes advantage of the face that computers naturally trust connected USB devices. The owner of the phone may not even realize their device is infected |
| Encrypt and Backup Important Files | Optional | Backing up your phone can help keep your important data safe, if your device is lost, stolen or broken. But if you put your backup encrypted in the cloud, cloud providers will have access to it (if you don't pay for the service, then you are the product!). Cryptomator is an open source tool that makes this easy. It also works alongside MountainDuck for mounting your remote drives on Windows and Mac. Other non-open-source options are BoxCrypter, Encrypto and odrive. |
| Disable Remote Desktop (Windows) | Optional | Windows Remote Desktop allows you or others to connect to your computer remotely over a network connection — effectively accessing everything on your computer as if you are directly connected to it. However it can be exploited, and used as a gateway for hackers to steal personal files or take control of your computer. This only applies to Windows users. Follow this guide for disabling Remote Desktop |
| Uninstall Adobe Acrobat | Optional | Adobe Acrobat was designed in a different age, before the Internet. Acrobat has had vulnerabilities that allowed specially crafted PDFs to load malware onto your system for the last two decades. Undoubtedly more vulnerabilities remain. You can use your browser to view PDFs, and browser-based software for editing |
| Detect/ Remove Software Keyloggers | Optional | A software keylogger is a malicious application running in the background that logs (and usually relays to a server) every key you press, aka all data that you type (passwords, emails, search terms, financial details etc). The best way to stay protected it, to be careful when downloading software from the internet, keep Windows defender or your anti-virus enabled and up-to-date, and run scans regularly. Another option to prevent this, is a key stroke encryption tool. GhostPress (developed by Schiffer) or KeyScrambler (developed by Qian Wang) work by encrypting your keystrokes at the keyboard driver level, and then decrypting them at the application level, meaning any software keylogger would just receive encrypted junk data. Most software keyloggers can be detected using rootkit-revealer, and then removed with a rootkit removal tools (such as Malwarebytes anti-rootkit or SpyShelter Anti-Keylogger Free). |
| Check Keyboard Connection | Optional | Check your keyboards USB cable before using, bring your own keyboard to work and watch out for sighns that it may have been tampered with. A hardware keylogger is a physical device that either sits between your keyboard and the USB connection into your PC, or is implanted into your keyboard. It intercepts and stores keystrokes, and in some cases can remotely upload them. Unlike a software logger, they can not be detected from your PC, but also they can not intercept data from virtual keyboards (like OSK), clipboard or auto-fill password managers. |
| Consider Switching to Linux | Optional | Linux is considerably more secure than both OSX and Windows. Some distros are still more secure than others, so it’s worth choosing the right one to get a balance between security and convenience. |
| Avoid PC Apps that are not secure | Optional | Mainstream apps have a reputation for not respecting the privacy of their users, and they're usually closed-source meaning vulnerabilities can be hidden. See here for compiled list of secure PC apps for Windows, OSX and Linux. |
| Use a Security-Focused Distro | Advanced | QubeOS is based on “security by compartmentalization”, where each app is sandboxed. Whonix is based on Tor, so 100% of your traffic will go through the onion router. Tails is specifically designed to be run on a USB key and is ideal if you don’t want to leave a trace on the device your booting from. Subgraph is an “adversary resistant computing platform”, but also surprisingly easy to use |
| Password protect your BIOS and drives | Advanced | A BIOS or UEFI password helps to make an inexperienced hacker's life a little bit harder if they get a hold of your PC or hard drive, here is a guide on how to do it. |
| Canary Tokens | Advanced | Network breaches happen, but the longer it takes for you to find out about it, the more damage is done. A canary token is like a hacker honeypot, something that looks appealing to them once they've gained access to your system. When they open the file, unknowingly to them, a script is run which will not only alert you of the breach, but also grab some of the hackers system details. CanaryTokens.org and BlueCloudDrive are excellent sites, that you can use to generate your tokens. Then just leave them somewhere prominent on your system. Learn more about canary tokens, or see this guide for details on how to create them yourself. |
Recommended Software
Home assistants (such as Google Home, Alexa and Siri) and other internet connected devices collect large amounts of personal data (including voice samples, location data, home details and logs of all interactions). Since you have limited control on what is being collected, how it's stored, and what it will be used for, this makes it hard to recommend any consumer smart-home products to anyone who cares about privacy and security.
Security vs Privacy: There are many smart devices on the market that claim to increase the security of your home while being easy and convenient to use (Such as Cave Burglar Alarm, Blink Cam, Yale Lock and Ring Doorbell to name a few). These devices may appear to make security easier, but there is a trade-off in terms of privacy: as they collect large amounts of personal data, and leave you without control over how this is stored or used. The security of these devices is also questionable, since many of them can be (and are being) hacked, allowing an intruder to bypass detection with minimum effort.
The most privacy-respecting option, would be to not use "smart" internet-connected devices in your home, and not to rely on a security device that requires an internet connection. But if you do, it is important to fully understand the risks of any given product, before buying it. Then adjust settings to increase privacy and security. The following checklist will help mitigate the risks associated with internet-connected home devices.
| Security | Priority | Details and Hints |
|---|---|---|
| Rename devices to not specify brand/model | Recommended | If your device name shows what brand or model it is, it will make it easier for a malicious actor launch an attack targeting a specific device. For example avoid names like "Nest Cam", "Yale Lock YRD 256" or "Hive Thermostat". It's usually easy to change the device's default name. |
| Disable microphone and camera when not in use | Recommended | Smart speakers and other voice controlled devices store sound clips on a server (and sometimes monitored by employees to improve the speech detection), any accidental recordings could disclose sensitive or personal data. A targeted attack could also allow someone to gain control of a microphone/ camera, so using the hardware switch to turn it off will help protect from that. |
| Understand what data is collected, stored and transmitted | Recommended | Before purchasing any smart home device, do some research - and ensure that you understand, and are comfortable with what is being collected and how it is stored and used. Don't buy devices that share anything with third parties, and check the data breach database. |
| Set privacy settings, and opt out of sharing data with third parties | Recommended | Once installed, go to settings in the app, and under privacy ensure the strictest options are selected. Usually by default, the most possible data is being collected. |
| Don't link your smart home devices to your real identity | Recommended | Use a unique user name and password which does not identify you, your family, your location or any other personal details. When creating an account for a new smart home device, do not sign up/log in with Facebook, Google or any other third-party service. |
| Keep firmware up-to-date | Recommended | Ensure firmware versions on smart devices are up-to-date and software patches have been applied. Most smart home apps will notify you when a new firmware version is available, so all you have to do it accept and install. |
| Protect your Network | Recommended | On many smart home devices, anybody connected to your home WiFi is able to view the device content (such as camera footages, or motion statistics). So ensure that your WiFi and home networks are properly secured with a strong password and up-to-date firmware. (See the Router Section for more details) |
| Be wary of wearables | Optional | Wearable smart devices allow companies to log even more data than ever before; they can track your every move to know exactly where you are and what you are doing at any given time. Again, you as the consumer have no control over what is done with that data. |
| Don't connect your home's critical infrastructure to the Internet | Optional | While a smart thermostat, burglar alarm, smoke detector and other appliances may seem convenient, they by design can be accessed remotely, meaning a hacker can gain control of your entire home, without even needing to be nearby. And by breaching multiple devices, the effects can be very serious. |
| Don't use Alexa/ Google Home | Optional | It is a known fact that voice-activated assistants collect a lot of personal data. Consider switching to MyCroft which is an open source alternative, with much better privacy. |
| Monitor your home network closely | Optional | Check your local network for suspicious activity. One of the easier methods to do this is with FingBox, but you can also do it directly through some routers. |
| Deny Internet access where possible | Advanced | If possible deny the device/ app internet access, and use it only on your local network. You can configure a firewall to block certain devices from sending or receiving from the internet. |
| Assess risks | Advanced | Assess risks with your audience and data in mind: Be mindful of whose data is being collected, e.g. kids. Manage which devices can operate when (such as turning cameras off when you are at home, or disabling the internet for certain devices at specific times of day) |
Recommended Software
| Security | Priority | Details and Hints |
|---|---|---|
| Understand the Privacy / Security trade off of Credit Cards | Recommended | Credit cards have technological methods in place to detect and stop some fraudulent transactions from going through. Major payment processors mine huge amounts of data from their card holders, and know a great deal about each persons spending habits. They track the types of merchants you visit, as well as locations (either from physical store location, or your IP address). Since credit providers don't want to foot the bill for fraud, they have an interest in keeping accounts as safe as possible. Credit cards are therefore good for security, but terrible for data privacy. |
| Apply a Credit Check Lock | Recommended | This will stop anyone from requesting a hard or soft credit check on you, without you first consenting it. This is important since credit checks reveal a lot of personal details about you, and (without a lock) there is nothing to stop any company, organisation, individual or government entity from requesting your credit history at any time, without you being notified. For instructions with specific agencies, refer to this article on Intel Techniques |
| Enable Fraud Alerts | Recommended | Fraud alert messages notify potential credit grantors to verify your identification before extending credit in your name in case someone is using your information without your consent. You can contact credit agencies and request that they implement a fraud alert on your account, to help protect against identity theft |
| Know how to Freeze your Credit | Recommended | If you suspect that any of your personal details have been exposed, you will need to apply a credit freeze as soon as possible, to prevent identity theft. Ensure you know how to do this for your specific credit bureaus. Check your credit, debit accounts, email inbox and post regularly, monitoring for anything that doesn't look right |
| Use Virtual Cards | Recommended | Virtual card numbers let you pay for items without revealing your real card or banking details. They also offer additional features, such as single-use cards and spending limits for each card. This means you will not be charged more than you specified, or ongoing subscriptions or in the case of a data breach. Privacy.com is a popular service, See also: Revolut METAL, MySudo |
| Use cash for daily transactions | Optional | Digital payment methods leave a comprehensive data trail. Using cash for local transactions makes it near impossible for you to be tracked through spending. |
| Use an anonymous cryptocurrency for online transactions | Optional | Unlike card payments, most cryptocurrencies are not linked to your real identity. However many blockchains have a public ledger, where transaction details can be publicly viewed online. A privacy-focused currency, such as Monero or ZCash will allow you to pay for goods and services without any direct link to your identity. |
| Buy Crypto Anonymously | Advanced | If you are buying a common cryptocurrency (such as BitCoin), in order to use it as a payment method avoid paying by card on an online exchange, since this will link directly back to your real identity. Instead use a service like LocalBitcoins, or buy from a local BitCoin ATM (find one here). Before withdrawing, consider using a bitcoin mixer, to make your transaction harder to trace. |
| Use an alias details for online shopping | Advanced | When you pay for goods or services online, you do not know for sure who will have access to your data. Using an alias name, forwarding mail address and not disclosing your personal phone number will go a long way in keeping you safe. Services such as SimpleLogin or Anonaddy will allow you to create anonymous forwarding email addresses |
| Use alternate delivery address | Advanced | When online shopping, if possible get goods delivered to an address that is not associated to you. For example, using a PO Box or forwarding address. |
Many data breaches, hacks and attacks are caused by human error. The following list contains steps you should take, to reduce the risk of this happening to you. Many of them are common sense, but it's worth takin note of.
| Security | Priority | Details and Hints |
|---|---|---|
| Verify Recipients | Recommended | Emails are easy for an attacker to spoof, and unfortunately happens all too often. So whenever an email asks you to take a sensitive action, first verify that the sender is authentic, and when possible enter the URL yourself (rather than clicking a link in the message) |
| Don’t Trust Your Popup Notifications | Recommended | It is a trivial task for a malicious actor to deploy fake pop-ups, either on your PC, phone or browser. If you click a popup, ensure the URL is correct before entering any information |
| Never Leave Device Unattended | Recommended | Even with a strong password, it's straight-forward to retrieve the data from your phone or computer (unless it is encrypted). If you lose your device, and have find my phone enabled, then remotely erase it |
| Prevent Camfecting | Recommended | It is a good idea to invest in some webcam covers, and microphone blockers to protect against camfecting, where a malicious actor, or app is able spy on you and your physical space, without your knowledge. See this guide for more tips. Mute home assistants, (Alexa, Google Home and Siri) when you are not using them, or at least when you are discussing anything sensitive or anything conversation involving personal details |
| Stay protected from shoulder surfers | Recommended | Be sure to not let anyone 'shoulder surf' (read what is on your screen, when in public space). As they may be able to gather sensitive information about you. You could apply a privacy screen to your laptop and mobile, in order to restrict data being read from an angle |
| Educate yourself about phishing attacks | Recommended | Phishing is an attempt to obtain sensitive information (like an account password) by disguising as a trustworthy person or company. In recent years phishing attacks have become increasingly sophisticated and hackers are learning to use data that people put on the web to create highly specific and targeted attacks. Check the URL before entering any information. Understand the context- were you expecting the email or message, does it feel normal? Employ general good security practices will also help: Use 2FA, don't reuse passwords, close accounts you no longer use and backup your data. See these guides on: How to Protect against Common Phishing Attacks and The Anatomy of a Phishing Email |
| Watch out for Stalkerware | Recommended | This is a malware that is installed directly onto your device by someone you know (partner, parent, boss etc). It allows them to see your location, messages and other app data remotely. The app likely won't show up in your app draw, (but may visible in Settings --> Applications --> View All). Sometimes they can be disguised as a non-conspicuous app (such as a game, flashlight or calculator) which initially don't appear suspicious at all. Look out for unusual battery usage, network requests or high device temperature. If you suspect that stalker ware is on your device, the best way to get rid of it is through a factory reset |
| Install Reputable Software from Trusted Sources | Recommended | It may seem obvious, but so much of the malware many PC users encounter is often as a result of accidentally downloading and installing bad software. Also, some legitimate applications try to offer you slightly dodgy freeware (such as toolbars, anti-virus, and other utilities). Be sure to pay attention while completing the installation process. Only download software from legitimate sources (often this isn't the top result in Google) so it's important to double check before downloading. Before installing, check it in Virus Total, which scans installable files using multiple AV checkers |
| Store personal data securely | Recommended | Backing up important data is important. But ensure that all information that is stored on your phone/laptop, USB or in a cloud is encrypted. That way, if it is accessed by a hacker (which unfortunately is all too common), it will be almost impossible for them to get to your personal files. For USB devices, see VeraCrypt. For cloud backup, see Cryptomator, and for your phone and laptop, see this guide |
Do not assume a site is secure, just because it is HTTPS |
Recommended | Unlike HTTP, data sent over HTTPS is encrypted. However that does not mean you should trust that website by default. HTTPS Certificates can be obtained by anybody, so a cloned or scam site may have a valid certificate (as denoted by the padlock icon). Always check the URL, and don't enter any personal details unless you are certain a website is legitimate. Avoid entering data on any site that is not HTTPS |
| Use Virtual Cards when paying online | Optional | There are risks involved in entering your card details on any website. Credit cards have better consumer protection, compared to debit or bank cards, meaning you are more likely to be recompensated for fraudulent transactions, however they collect and sometimes sell your transaction history. A better option would be to pay with a virtual, 1-time card. This will mean that even if those credentials are compromised a hacker will not be able to lift any of your money. You can also set limits, or create single-use cards, to prevent being over-charged. Privacy.com offer virtual payment cards for that you can use anywhere on the internet, as does Revolut Premium |
| Review application permissions | Optional | Ensure that no app have unnecessary access to your photos, camera, location, contacts, microphone, call logs etc. See these guides for how to manage app permissions on Android and iOS. On Android, there is a great app called Exodus Privacy, that displays all permissions, and trackers for each of your installed apps |
| Opt-out of public lists | Optional | In many countries there are public databases that include citizens names, addresses, contact numbers and more. This can often result in unwanted contact from marketing companies, but in some cases used for harassment, stalking and fraud. This guide from The World Privacy Forum provides good instructions for how to approach this. This includes opting out of: Marketing, Financial Institution Listings, Mail Spam, FERPA Education Listings, Data Brokers and Advertising, as well as joining the National Do Not Call Registry |
| Never Provide Additional PII When Opting-Out | Optional | When removing yourself from less mainstream data sharing services, do not enter any additional intormation in the opt-out form than what is already publicly availible through that site. There have been cases where this extra info is used elsewhere to add more details to your record |
| Opt-out of data sharing | Optional | Many apps, services and software automatically opt you in for data collection and sharing. You should opt-out of this, for instructions on how to opt-out, see Simple Opt Out. |
Often this collected data is sold onto third-parties, who combine multiple data sets together, allowing them to easily deduce your identity, along with your habits, purchases, personal details, location etc |
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| Review and update social media privacy | Optional | Companies regularly update their terms, and that often leads to you being opted back. Check you Facebook, Twitter, Google etc. activity and privacy settings. See also re-consent and Jumbo which are tools aimed at making this clearer and easier |
| Compartmentalize | Advanced | Compartmentalization is where to keep several categories of digital activity and files totally separate from each other. It means that if one area is breached, then an attacker will only have a proportion of your data, and the rest will still be safe. For example, store your work and personal files on separate devices, or use different web browsers for different types of activity, or even run certain tasks in a contained VM or on a separate device (such as having a work phone, and personal phone, or using a separate browser for social media/ chat rooms, or even running a VM for using specialist software) |
| WhoIs Privacy Guard | Advanced | Owning your own domain can prevent you loosing access to your email addresses, or being locked-in with a certain provider. However if you do not use a privacy guard, or enter false web admin details, your data will be publicly accessible through a WhoIs search. Most reputable domain registrars will have a WhoIs Privacy option |
| Use a forwarding address | Advanced | Have all mail addressed to a PO Box or forwarding address, to prevent any commerce, utility, finance, media or other companies knowing your read address. This would give you an extra layer of protecting if they suffered a breach, sold on personal details or were presented with a court order |
| Use anonymous payment methods | Advanced | Paying online with credit or debit card involves entering personal details, including name and residential address. Paying with cryptocurrency will not require you to enter any identifiable information. Both Monero and Zcash are totally anonymous, and so best for privacy. See also: Anonymous Payment Methods |
See also: Online Tools
- Why Privacy & Security Matters
- Privacy-Respecting Software
- Privacy & Security Gadgets
- Further Links + More Awesome Stuff
- @sbilly/awesome-security
- @0x4D31/awesome-threat-detection
- @hslatman/awesome-threat-intelligence
- @PaulSec/awesome-sec-talks
- @Zbetcheckin/security_list
Thanks for visiting, hope you found something useful here :) Contributions are welcome, and much appreciated - to propose an edit raise an issue, or open a PR. See: CONTRIBUTING.md.
I owe a lot of thanks others who've conducted research, written papers, developed software all in the interest of privacy and security. Full attributions and references found in ATTRIBUTIONS.md.
Disclaimer: This is not an exhaustive list, and aims only to be taken as guide.
Licensed under Creative Commons, CC BY 4.0, © Alicia Sykes 2020
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