Andy Grove was a Hungarian refugee who fled the communists, studied engineering, and eventually led the computer revolution as CEO of Intel. He died in early 2016 in Silicon Valley after a long battle with Parkinson's.
When one of the most powerful people in the world urges us to be paranoid, perhaps we should listen.
I must warn you that Grove is not the only influential person calling for this. Even the FBI director - the same man who recently paid hackers a million dollars to unlock a terrorist's iPhone - strongly encourages everyone to hide their webcams.
And when I use the terms "private" or "secure," I’m not just doing it. The reality is that as long as people are involved, no system will ever be 100% private or 100% secure.
As long as your phones, computers and accounts are sufficiently protected, their content remains an "encrypted lump" and few people - no matter how powerful they are - can do anything about it.
The simplest thing you can do to dramatically improve your security is to enable two-factor authentication on your inbox.
Basically, two-factor authentication is the second level of security when logging in. It usually involves receiving an SMS message with a special code when you log into your account.
Two-factor authentication significantly reduces the chances of your mail being compromised.
If you are using Gmail, you must enable two-factor authentication here.
Both Windows and macOS have full disk encryption built in. You just have to turn it on.
[HEADING=2Tip # 3: turn on password protection for your phone[/HEADING]
Fingerprint identification is better than nothing, but it is often not enough.
The fifth amendment (do not incriminate yourself) allows you to keep your password secret. But the court can force you to unlock your phone using your fingerprint.
Plus, you can't change your fingerprint after an attacker gets hold of it.
An attacker usually has 10 attempts before the phone is completely locked. So if your 4-digit password is one of the most common ones, change it.
Bonus tip: if you are using fingerprint identification for convenience, then know if you ever get arrested, you should immediately turn off the power of your phone. When the authorities turn it back on, they cannot unlock it without a password.
Mark Zuckerberg used the password “dadada” on his LinkedIn account. Earlier this year, when hackers issued 117 million password combinations for email, this one was among them. Hackers were able to use his email and password to gain access to his Twitter and Pinterest.
Therefore, do not use the same password for more than one site.
Of course, remembering a bunch of passwords is pretty problematic. Therefore, use a password manager.
Signal is free, open source, and can be purchased from the iOS and Android app stores. I was able to install it and start messaging securely with friends and family in less than 5 minutes.
Congratulations - you can now chat with your friends and family about anything and it will be nearly impossible to spy on your conversation.
You can also use Signal to make secure phone calls.
Even if you use "incognito mode" in Chrome or "private browsing" in Firefox, the following people will still be able to spy on your online activity:
• Internet providers
• System administrators at the head of your network at school, workplace or wherever you are online
• Google or any other company that made your browser
Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera and other browsers are no longer confidential.
If you want a private browser (within reason, since no system can be 100% private), use Tor.
Step # 5: make sure everything works
Visit check.torproject.org to check if everything works. Congratulations - you can now use the Internet with peace of mind, as you are extremely difficult to track.
DuckDuckGo doesn't have the thousands of search engine engineering years that Google has. But they have quick access to get encrypted Google searches if you need them. You just need to write "! Google" in the search bar before searching for anything.
When one of the most powerful people in the world urges us to be paranoid, perhaps we should listen.
I must warn you that Grove is not the only influential person calling for this. Even the FBI director - the same man who recently paid hackers a million dollars to unlock a terrorist's iPhone - strongly encourages everyone to hide their webcams.
Common sense of safety for everyone
To be clear, everything I recommend is 100% free and 100% legal. If you take the time to lock your doors at night, you need to take care of encryption as well.Let's get ready
First, a couple of definitions. When I use the word intruder, I mean anyone who tries to access your data without your permission, be it a hacker, a corporation, or even a government.And when I use the terms "private" or "secure," I’m not just doing it. The reality is that as long as people are involved, no system will ever be 100% private or 100% secure.
As long as your phones, computers and accounts are sufficiently protected, their content remains an "encrypted lump" and few people - no matter how powerful they are - can do anything about it.
Tip # 1: use two-factor authentication on your inbox
Your mailbox is the master key to your life. If an attacker compromises it, they can not only read your emails, but also use it to reset passwords on anything, including your social media accounts and even bank accounts.The simplest thing you can do to dramatically improve your security is to enable two-factor authentication on your inbox.
Basically, two-factor authentication is the second level of security when logging in. It usually involves receiving an SMS message with a special code when you log into your account.
Two-factor authentication significantly reduces the chances of your mail being compromised.
If you are using Gmail, you must enable two-factor authentication here.
Tip # 2: encrypt your hard drive
Both Windows and macOS have full disk encryption built in. You just have to turn it on.
[HEADING=2Tip # 3: turn on password protection for your phone[/HEADING]
Fingerprint identification is better than nothing, but it is often not enough.
The fifth amendment (do not incriminate yourself) allows you to keep your password secret. But the court can force you to unlock your phone using your fingerprint.
Plus, you can't change your fingerprint after an attacker gets hold of it.
An attacker usually has 10 attempts before the phone is completely locked. So if your 4-digit password is one of the most common ones, change it.
Bonus tip: if you are using fingerprint identification for convenience, then know if you ever get arrested, you should immediately turn off the power of your phone. When the authorities turn it back on, they cannot unlock it without a password.
Tip # 4: Use different passwords for each service.
It is not secure to use the same passwords everywhere.
Mark Zuckerberg used the password “dadada” on his LinkedIn account. Earlier this year, when hackers issued 117 million password combinations for email, this one was among them. Hackers were able to use his email and password to gain access to his Twitter and Pinterest.
Therefore, do not use the same password for more than one site.
Of course, remembering a bunch of passwords is pretty problematic. Therefore, use a password manager.
Tip # 5: send messages with Signal
Signal is a popular messaging service that has received the highest score from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. You can do everything you normally do like create conversations and send photos and videos. Only all this will be encrypted.Signal is free, open source, and can be purchased from the iOS and Android app stores. I was able to install it and start messaging securely with friends and family in less than 5 minutes.
Step # 1: Install Signal
Step # 2: Invite your friends to install Signal too
Step # 3: Send messages
Congratulations - you can now chat with your friends and family about anything and it will be nearly impossible to spy on your conversation.
You can also use Signal to make secure phone calls.
Tip # 6: Browser incognito isn't private enough
Even if you use "incognito mode" in Chrome or "private browsing" in Firefox, the following people will still be able to spy on your online activity:
• Internet providers
• System administrators at the head of your network at school, workplace or wherever you are online
• Google or any other company that made your browser
Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera and other browsers are no longer confidential.
If you want a private browser (within reason, since no system can be 100% private), use Tor.
Tip # 7: Search the Web Confidentially with Tor
Tor stands for the “onion router”. This comparison is used because it uses many layers (like an onion) of network activity masks. It's free, open source, and easy to use.Step # 1: Download Orbot
Step # 2: Download Orfox browser
Step # 3: Open Orbot
Step # 4: Open Orfox
Step # 5: make sure everything works
Visit check.torproject.org to check if everything works. Congratulations - you can now use the Internet with peace of mind, as you are extremely difficult to track.
Tip # 8: Seek Information Confidentially
If Tor isn't comfortable enough for you, you can at least use Safe Search with DuckDuckGo. Its search engine is not tracking you.
DuckDuckGo doesn't have the thousands of search engine engineering years that Google has. But they have quick access to get encrypted Google searches if you need them. You just need to write "! Google" in the search bar before searching for anything.