Security Notice
Computers and mobile phones.
7/12/07
It is likely that should someone wish to, and have the necessary soft or hard ware, they are not likely to have much difficulty
penetrating a software firewall, and reading the files on your computer, over the internet.
So it is a good idea to keep important files on a remote hard drive or two, and USB flash drives. These should not be connected to the
computer while the machine is online. By online, I mean with a browser operating. It shouldn’t be necessary to unplug the internet
cable.
What is an important document?
Anything carrying information, basically, is important.
Is it wise, for instance, to allow people to know who or where your friends, work associates, and family are, what you are doing, or
what your plans are, by leaving email in your email software?
Also your financial activities are likely to attract attention.
There are hardware firewalls, they aren’t terribly expensive, and are said to be much more effective.
Of course, it is possible for someone or something, such as another computer, to load software onto your machine, online, that waits
on your hard drive, and selects files on the memory device you use, then records them onto your internal hard drive, to be returned to
the person or device once you go online again.
So don’t think you can prevent all comers by removing files from your machine.
However, there are important differences between leaving anything and everything on your machine, and trying to keep sensitive or
important documents or programs out of the way.
First, you make it harder to access the information, so more resources have to be committed to obtain it. That means more technology,
money, equipment, and staff.
Why bother, you may ask, if they will get the information eventually?
Here is a most important point.
Much hacking and prying actually goes under a weakly permissible or legal mode of operation. You are expected to give an element of
tacit permission or acceptance for your files to be read. For instance, if we assume you are trying a hacker in court, for stealing
information, and remember, much information is supposed to be freely available anyway.
If it is learned that you did not take a lot of care to protect your files from being read, that will weaken your case against the
person or group who have your information.
You may argue, “I kept security software running.”
Really, just leaving a firewall on doesn’t represent a lot of effort on your part.
It should be apparent that it is likely that firewalls can be overcome.
You may notice that I haven’t yet quite explained why a kind of permission is required. This relates to control. If you freely
provide information to someone, that they require, and they reason or act on the information, that information has an effect upon them.
Simply, it directs them along lines of possible events that you have made available. Thus you have an element of control over them.
If the person draws the information from you in such a way that you are surrendering the information, knowing or believing that it
might not be in yours or someone’s better interest to give the information, for instance you are bribed, or under duress, then the
person is in a position to exert some control over you.
More important to some than the actual information you provide, is the control over you it allows.
Finally, if an argument can be applied to show that you are in any way negligent or aware of your lack of security, then the control
over you is greatly enhanced, because it reflects authoritarian control.
However, don’t think you have to abandon the internet, because you may realise that anything placed on your hard drive, whether the
file has been deleted or not, can probably be found.
Hard drives do not normally wipe themselves, so when you delete a file, the file is still there.
I think it only is no longer linked to the file allocation table.
But if some data is important to someone else, and it has ever been on your internet-linked computer, that person can probably find
it eventually.
A simple answer to this is likely to be keeping a machine that is never linked to the internet. But if you connect to it any
memory devices that are used on other machines, or perhaps the computer uses such as Bluetooth, you can be compromised via the devices.
So, what to do, then? Do you require complete security? Should governments expend large amounts of cash to find how to make the
internet safer?
Governments aren’t likely to be able or willing to help out effectively, unless and until the public show some care, thought and
action to protect themselves. Governments make poor mothers, and we need to take our own responsibilities.
There is another element of which you should be aware, taken from the way that bodies like MI5 or the FSB operate. The very last thing
they require is perfect security! They do as much as is deemed necessary to prevent sensitive information going astray, but, realising
that it is impossible to retain all information, they take advantage of their own weaknesses and leak points, to reacquire information,
as leaked information interacts with the world.
This is a very abstruse and difficult subject, requiring a lot of effort, calculation and resources to handle. Don’t think you can try
this at home.
My impression is that information, whether deliberately leaked or not, is often not recognised, until it returns values from the
environment, so it is not usually a case of, like, “We know Freddy Mercury has purloined this document, so we’re going to keep an eye on
him, and he will lead us to others who eventually help us to locate Mr Big.”
More probably, it isn’t until a small change or piece of information is noticed, that a large amount of work goes into figuring
out how and where the information that caused the change was most likely to have originated.
I’ve discussed manifold theory elsewhere on this site, that may give a clue as to how some calculations may be done.
However, just because you don’t control a security department, doesn’t mean that you don’t become aware of what is happening regarding
your private information.
If you keep a tidy and clean computer, that should reduce the amount of information being drawn from you. And as you maintain the
security level as high as you can at home, that makes it easier for your unconscious mind to comprehend what is happening, simply because,
as with an algebra equation, the lower the number of unknowns, the easier it is to calculate.
Please don’t think you need to somehow extract from your inner mind, suspicions or allusions about people around you, or secret groups, or
criminals at all!
Yes, people with kit and cash, probably have or are setting up sophisticated systems, perhaps using manifold theory or whatever, to help
themselves, at your expense, and cover their tracks.
But I believe that things related to manifolds, called attractors, form naturally anyway. So all you have to do is try to be as
secure as is reasonable, and relax, have some fun!
If you become aware of a problem that may be serious, then inform the police.
If many of us try our best to be secure, that will make their work a lot easier, and they can get better results.
So, for example, I keep very little on my computer’s internal hard drive.
Documents written are quickly saved remotely. My email boxes are kept empty, and email downloaded frequently.
Useful email is saved remotely, and all is then deleted and removed from the Deleted, Sent, In, and Out boxes. Copies of outgoing messages
are saved remotely.
When I log into the internet, I don’t go from one site to the next on the same open browser, as I can pick up an intruder on one site,
and carry them to the next, as they view my choice of sites.
After viewing a site, I log out of the browser, and log a new browser on, which has a blank home page. Then I delete the temporary
internet and other files, found in Microsoft Internet Explorer under Tools, and Delete Browsing History.
I click on Delete All, this removes the temporary internet files, cookies, site visits history, form data and passwords.
This is done almost every time I visit a new site.
If you do the same, you will need to have your user names and passwords for your various sites written down somewhere,
and kept securely.
Under Tools, Internet Options and Privacy, you can set the security regarding cookies, small identifying programs or applets.
Some sites will prefer you to have a lower security level in the Privacy box than others.
I’m not terribly inhibited by online intrusion. I log into my bank account, for instance. Pass words and numbers are periodically
changed.
My mobile phone, a Motorola Krazr, has no phone numbers stored, other than my own, of which I am aware.
I have a very small address book with numbers in it, that I carry with the phone.
Among the numbers is the number of the local police station, so if, for instance, I see some apparent hoolybegums loitering in number,
or a drunk shouting in the street, there’s no need to dial 999, but still to be able to make the police aware.
Important texts are kept on a remote device (best to write them out again, the text downloading software isn’t very impressive), and
all texts are deleted as quickly as possible. It seems necessary to place the number to which a text is to be sent, in the Contacts
list, so once a text is sent, I delete the number.
If you have a large number of contacts, you may have to figure a way to identify
them by their phone number, as they reply. I don’t think it is always a good idea to write such as, “Dear James…Regards Freddie”.
I give my forename, but not usually the name of the person to whom I send.
After making a call or text, I usually select Contacts, Setup, Reset Most Recent, and change Called, Messaged or whatever by
resetting them.
Resetting doesn’t delete the incoming calls from the Calls list, though.
Setting up picture messaging on your phone appears to enable GPRS. So keep that in mind.
To be available to satellites or other detectors, wherever you are, can be a liability.
Perhaps switch off the phone when or where it seems appropriate.
If you have picture messaging and you no longer require it, I believe Master Clear, under Settings, then Initial Setup will disable that.
Master Clear will wipe your phone of all entered settings and phone numbers!
Using a SIM ID number is probably a good idea too, but don’t lose it.
I don’t currently have picture messaging, however…
If allowing a little information can give some controlling or informatic link, it follows that allowing larger amounts of information
might be of some use, provided I feel secure, not threatened and am confident.
Be careful with your advanced technological devices, bear in mind that much can be derived from a little information, so you should try
to be secure.
Last Update: 9/5/09
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