MX Linux Forum

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 2:28 pm**

I am starting a blog, and I want to protect my privacy while blogging and using social media. I am using a separate laptop specifically for blogging. This way, if someone managed to trace the blog or my social media accounts back to me and hack my computer, they wouldn't be able to access any of my personal files, because all of my personal files are on my other laptop. However, it occurs to me that if someone were to target my computer, they might be able to determine what network I was on, and then target my personal laptop, because it's connected to the same network. I thought about using TOR browser to prevent this, but I wondered if that would be overkill.

Would using a VPN, like OpenVPN, be enough to prevent a hacker from tracking my location and IP address? Are there any other applications I should consider?

Does my boot firmware matter, for the purposes of internet security? I am using UEFI with secure boot disabled. Would it be better to use Libreboot or another boot firmware, or does that even matter?

I am using a firewall and my laptop's user and root accounts are password protected. MX-21.3_x64 on a Dell Latitude 7480, Core i7 vPro, 5.10.0 21-amd64.

Thank you for your suggestions!

[edited to include full system info]

Code: Select all

System:    Kernel: 5.10.0-21-amd64 [5.10.162-1] x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 10.2.1 
           parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.10.0-21-amd64 
           root=UUID=<filter> ro quiet splash 
           Desktop: Xfce 4.18.1 tk: Gtk 3.24.24 info: xfce4-panel wm: xfwm 4.18.0 vt: 7 
           dm: LightDM 1.26.0 Distro: MX-21.3_x64 Wildflower January 15  2023 
           base: Debian GNU/Linux 11 (bullseye) 
Machine:   Type: Laptop System: Dell product: Latitude 7480 v: N/A serial: <filter> Chassis: 
           type: 10 serial: <filter> 
           Mobo: Dell model: 00F6D3 v: A00 serial: <filter> UEFI: Dell v: 1.30.0 date: 12/21/2022 
Battery:   ID-1: BAT0 charge: 19.6 Wh (46.4%) condition: 42.2/60.0 Wh (70.4%) volts: 7.3 min: 7.6 
           model: SMP DELL DM3WC64 type: Li-poly serial: <filter> status: Discharging 
CPU:       Info: Dual Core model: Intel Core i7-6600U bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Skylake 
           family: 6 model-id: 4E (78) stepping: 3 microcode: F0 cache: L2: 4 MiB 
           flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 22399 
           Speed: 800 MHz min/max: 400/3400 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 800 2: 800 3: 800 4: 800 
           Vulnerabilities: Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX disabled 
           Type: l1tf mitigation: PTE Inversion; VMX: conditional cache flushes, SMT vulnerable 
           Type: mds mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT vulnerable 
           Type: meltdown mitigation: PTI 
           Type: mmio_stale_data mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT vulnerable 
           Type: retbleed mitigation: IBRS 
           Type: spec_store_bypass 
           mitigation: Speculative Store Bypass disabled via prctl and seccomp 
           Type: spectre_v1 mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer sanitization 
           Type: spectre_v2 
           mitigation: IBRS, IBPB: conditional, RSB filling, PBRSB-eIBRS: Not affected 
           Type: srbds mitigation: Microcode 
           Type: tsx_async_abort mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT vulnerable 
Graphics:  Device-1: Intel Skylake GT2 [HD Graphics 520] vendor: Dell driver: i915 v: kernel 
           bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:1916 class-ID: 0300 
           Device-2: Sunplus Innovation Integrated_Webcam_HD type: USB driver: uvcvideo 
           bus-ID: 1-5:2 chip-ID: 1bcf:2b96 class-ID: 0e02 
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.11 compositor: xfwm4 v: 4.18.0 driver: 
           loaded: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa display-ID: :0.0 screens: 1 
           Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 508x285mm (20.0x11.2") 
           s-diag: 582mm (22.9") 
           Monitor-1: eDP-1 res: 1920x1080 hz: 60 dpi: 158 size: 309x173mm (12.2x6.8") 
           diag: 354mm (13.9") 
           OpenGL: renderer: Mesa Intel HD Graphics 520 (SKL GT2) v: 4.6 Mesa 20.3.5 
           direct render: Yes 
Audio:     Device-1: Intel Sunrise Point-LP HD Audio vendor: Dell driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel 
           alternate: snd_soc_skl bus-ID: 00:1f.3 chip-ID: 8086:9d70 class-ID: 0403 
           Sound Server-1: ALSA v: k5.10.0-21-amd64 running: yes 
           Sound Server-2: PulseAudio v: 14.2 running: yes 
Network:   Device-1: Intel Ethernet I219-LM vendor: Dell driver: e1000e v: kernel port: f040 
           bus-ID: 00:1f.6 chip-ID: 8086:15d7 class-ID: 0200 
           IF: eth0 state: down mac: <filter> 
           Device-2: Intel Wireless 8265 / 8275 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel modules: wl port: f040 
           bus-ID: 02:00.0 chip-ID: 8086:24fd class-ID: 0280 
           IF: wlan0 state: up mac: <filter> 
Bluetooth: Device-1: Intel Bluetooth wireless interface type: USB driver: btusb v: 0.8 
           bus-ID: 1-7:3 chip-ID: 8087:0a2b class-ID: e001 
           Report: hciconfig ID: hci0 rfk-id: 3 state: up address: <filter> bt-v: 2.1 lmp-v: 4.2 
           sub-v: 100 hci-v: 4.2 rev: 100 
           Info: acl-mtu: 1021:4 sco-mtu: 96:6 link-policy: rswitch hold sniff 
           link-mode: slave accept service-classes: rendering, capturing, object transfer, audio 
RAID:      Hardware-1: Intel 82801 Mobile SATA Controller [RAID mode] driver: ahci v: 3.0 
           port: f060 bus-ID: 00:17.0 chip-ID: 8086.282a rev: 21 class-ID: 0104 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 119.24 GiB used: 7.92 GiB (6.6%) 
           SMART Message: Unable to run smartctl. Root privileges required. 
           ID-1: /dev/sda maj-min: 8:0 vendor: SanDisk model: SD8SN8U-128G-1006 size: 119.24 GiB 
           block-size: physical: 4096 B logical: 512 B speed: 6.0 Gb/s type: SSD serial: <filter> 
           rev: 0006 scheme: GPT 
Partition: ID-1: / raw-size: 112.98 GiB size: 110.65 GiB (97.94%) used: 7.92 GiB (7.2%) fs: ext4 
           dev: /dev/sda2 maj-min: 8:2 
           ID-2: /boot/efi raw-size: 256 MiB size: 252 MiB (98.46%) used: 282 KiB (0.1%) fs: vfat 
           dev: /dev/sda1 maj-min: 8:1 
Swap:      Kernel: swappiness: 15 (default 60) cache-pressure: 100 (default) 
           ID-1: swap-1 type: partition size: 6 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) priority: -2 dev: /dev/sda3 
           maj-min: 8:3 
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 32.5 C mobo: N/A 
           Fan Speeds (RPM): cpu: 0 
Repos:     Packages: note: see --pkg apt: 1973 lib: 990 flatpak: 0 
           No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list 
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian-stable-updates.list 
           1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bullseye-updates main contrib non-free
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.list 
           1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bullseye main contrib non-free
           2: deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security bullseye-security main contrib non-free
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mx.list 
           1: deb http://mxrepo.com/mx/repo/ bullseye main non-free
Info:      Processes: 230 Uptime: 1h 38m wakeups: 4 Memory: 7.66 GiB used: 3.09 GiB (40.3%) 
           Init: SysVinit v: 2.96 runlevel: 5 default: 5 tool: systemctl Compilers: gcc: N/A 
           alt: 10 Client: shell wrapper v: 5.1.4-release inxi: 3.3.06 
Boot Mode: UEFI

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 2:43 pm**

Please post your Quick System Info using Copy for forum, thanks.

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 2:49 pm**

Code: Select all

System:    Kernel: 5.10.0-21-amd64 [5.10.162-1] x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 10.2.1 
           parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.10.0-21-amd64 
           root=UUID=<filter> ro quiet splash 
           Desktop: Xfce 4.18.1 tk: Gtk 3.24.24 info: xfce4-panel wm: xfwm 4.18.0 vt: 7 
           dm: LightDM 1.26.0 Distro: MX-21.3_x64 Wildflower January 15  2023 
           base: Debian GNU/Linux 11 (bullseye) 
Machine:   Type: Laptop System: Dell product: Latitude 7480 v: N/A serial: <filter> Chassis: 
           type: 10 serial: <filter> 
           Mobo: Dell model: 00F6D3 v: A00 serial: <filter> UEFI: Dell v: 1.30.0 date: 12/21/2022 
Battery:   ID-1: BAT0 charge: 19.6 Wh (46.4%) condition: 42.2/60.0 Wh (70.4%) volts: 7.3 min: 7.6 
           model: SMP DELL DM3WC64 type: Li-poly serial: <filter> status: Discharging 
CPU:       Info: Dual Core model: Intel Core i7-6600U bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Skylake 
           family: 6 model-id: 4E (78) stepping: 3 microcode: F0 cache: L2: 4 MiB 
           flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 22399 
           Speed: 800 MHz min/max: 400/3400 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 800 2: 800 3: 800 4: 800 
           Vulnerabilities: Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX disabled 
           Type: l1tf mitigation: PTE Inversion; VMX: conditional cache flushes, SMT vulnerable 
           Type: mds mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT vulnerable 
           Type: meltdown mitigation: PTI 
           Type: mmio_stale_data mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT vulnerable 
           Type: retbleed mitigation: IBRS 
           Type: spec_store_bypass 
           mitigation: Speculative Store Bypass disabled via prctl and seccomp 
           Type: spectre_v1 mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer sanitization 
           Type: spectre_v2 
           mitigation: IBRS, IBPB: conditional, RSB filling, PBRSB-eIBRS: Not affected 
           Type: srbds mitigation: Microcode 
           Type: tsx_async_abort mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT vulnerable 
Graphics:  Device-1: Intel Skylake GT2 [HD Graphics 520] vendor: Dell driver: i915 v: kernel 
           bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:1916 class-ID: 0300 
           Device-2: Sunplus Innovation Integrated_Webcam_HD type: USB driver: uvcvideo 
           bus-ID: 1-5:2 chip-ID: 1bcf:2b96 class-ID: 0e02 
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.11 compositor: xfwm4 v: 4.18.0 driver: 
           loaded: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa display-ID: :0.0 screens: 1 
           Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 508x285mm (20.0x11.2") 
           s-diag: 582mm (22.9") 
           Monitor-1: eDP-1 res: 1920x1080 hz: 60 dpi: 158 size: 309x173mm (12.2x6.8") 
           diag: 354mm (13.9") 
           OpenGL: renderer: Mesa Intel HD Graphics 520 (SKL GT2) v: 4.6 Mesa 20.3.5 
           direct render: Yes 
Audio:     Device-1: Intel Sunrise Point-LP HD Audio vendor: Dell driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel 
           alternate: snd_soc_skl bus-ID: 00:1f.3 chip-ID: 8086:9d70 class-ID: 0403 
           Sound Server-1: ALSA v: k5.10.0-21-amd64 running: yes 
           Sound Server-2: PulseAudio v: 14.2 running: yes 
Network:   Device-1: Intel Ethernet I219-LM vendor: Dell driver: e1000e v: kernel port: f040 
           bus-ID: 00:1f.6 chip-ID: 8086:15d7 class-ID: 0200 
           IF: eth0 state: down mac: <filter> 
           Device-2: Intel Wireless 8265 / 8275 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel modules: wl port: f040 
           bus-ID: 02:00.0 chip-ID: 8086:24fd class-ID: 0280 
           IF: wlan0 state: up mac: <filter> 
Bluetooth: Device-1: Intel Bluetooth wireless interface type: USB driver: btusb v: 0.8 
           bus-ID: 1-7:3 chip-ID: 8087:0a2b class-ID: e001 
           Report: hciconfig ID: hci0 rfk-id: 3 state: up address: <filter> bt-v: 2.1 lmp-v: 4.2 
           sub-v: 100 hci-v: 4.2 rev: 100 
           Info: acl-mtu: 1021:4 sco-mtu: 96:6 link-policy: rswitch hold sniff 
           link-mode: slave accept service-classes: rendering, capturing, object transfer, audio 
RAID:      Hardware-1: Intel 82801 Mobile SATA Controller [RAID mode] driver: ahci v: 3.0 
           port: f060 bus-ID: 00:17.0 chip-ID: 8086.282a rev: 21 class-ID: 0104 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 119.24 GiB used: 7.92 GiB (6.6%) 
           SMART Message: Unable to run smartctl. Root privileges required. 
           ID-1: /dev/sda maj-min: 8:0 vendor: SanDisk model: SD8SN8U-128G-1006 size: 119.24 GiB 
           block-size: physical: 4096 B logical: 512 B speed: 6.0 Gb/s type: SSD serial: <filter> 
           rev: 0006 scheme: GPT 
Partition: ID-1: / raw-size: 112.98 GiB size: 110.65 GiB (97.94%) used: 7.92 GiB (7.2%) fs: ext4 
           dev: /dev/sda2 maj-min: 8:2 
           ID-2: /boot/efi raw-size: 256 MiB size: 252 MiB (98.46%) used: 282 KiB (0.1%) fs: vfat 
           dev: /dev/sda1 maj-min: 8:1 
Swap:      Kernel: swappiness: 15 (default 60) cache-pressure: 100 (default) 
           ID-1: swap-1 type: partition size: 6 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) priority: -2 dev: /dev/sda3 
           maj-min: 8:3 
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 32.5 C mobo: N/A 
           Fan Speeds (RPM): cpu: 0 
Repos:     Packages: note: see --pkg apt: 1973 lib: 990 flatpak: 0 
           No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list 
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian-stable-updates.list 
           1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bullseye-updates main contrib non-free
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.list 
           1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bullseye main contrib non-free
           2: deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security bullseye-security main contrib non-free
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mx.list 
           1: deb http://mxrepo.com/mx/repo/ bullseye main non-free
Info:      Processes: 230 Uptime: 1h 38m wakeups: 4 Memory: 7.66 GiB used: 3.09 GiB (40.3%) 
           Init: SysVinit v: 2.96 runlevel: 5 default: 5 tool: systemctl Compilers: gcc: N/A 
           alt: 10 Client: shell wrapper v: 5.1.4-release inxi: 3.3.06 
Boot Mode: UEFI

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 3:02 pm**

So, in trying to be safe online there are a few things you can do.

First, if you really don’t want to draw attention or be targeted, then start off using a different email than you regularly use. (preferably one that doesn’t link back to you, and ONLY get those emails on that blogging laptop.)

Second a good firewall at your internet connection is good!

If your on a static IP for your main internet, then yes a good VPN can redirect and help move attention away from your real IP.

If your seriously concerned, then you could also isolate the laptop your using into a completely different network from your other computer(s) and create a further divide. (Segmenting the two networks is simple to do, just add a second router to your network and a little planning.)

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 3:15 pm**

What is a good VPN for me to use? Looks like there are a lot of options in the package manager.

The firewall I'm using is gufw.

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 3:17 pm**

You are very safe by default. After that, you may make yourself vulnerable by your changes from default settings or use of unsafe practices and unsafe software. As a minimum, be behind a router and its built-in NAT firewall, and use a non-default username and a strong password. In general, a malicious operator can't just crawl back to a user's computer over it's network connection without the user doing something unsafe first.

A VPN adds another layer of security. Don't let using a VPN lead to complacency.

One can use a Live-usb with persistence either turned off when you use it for your Internet work, or with dynamic persistence that you DO NOT SAVE when shutting down or rebooting after doing that work on the Internet. That prevents permanent changes to your operating system. Save your personal files in /home/USERNAME/Live-usb-storage and keep both those files and your Live-usb backed up. Use Snapshot to backup the Live-usb operating system.

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 3:20 pm**

nord vpn open source protection, tor web browser websites or configured browser.

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 3:22 pm**

gufw is the computer firewall. Like figueroa said, a hardware router for your incoming internet and NAT is what you should have. (then gufw on all your machines if your worried about computers inside your network.)

Personally, I prefer Private Internet Access VPN, but many use others.

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 3:40 pm**

luigi lins wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 3:20 pm nord vpn open source protection, tor web browser websites or configured browser.

I just installed Nord and am trying to register my account, but it doesn't seem to like my password. I guess I'll have to Read The Manual or contact their support staff and see if I can get it set up.

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 3:43 pm**

figueroa wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 3:17 pm You are very safe by default. After that, you may make yourself vulnerable by your changes from default settings or use of unsafe practices and unsafe software.

You raise a good point here. I think it will help that I am using this laptop for blogging and related social media only, therefore I don't need to install much new software--I will mostly be using LibreOffice and Firefox anyway.

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 3:45 pm**

Wear a false face disguise like in Mission Impossible and take your laptop to random public wi-fi hotspots, never for longer than half an hour, and never the same one twice. Always keep moving, you are a ghost now.

Also burn off your fingerprints with acid, and wipe down your seat with bleach before you leave, so they can't collect your precious, precious DNA.

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 3:47 pm**

Stevo wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 3:45 pm Wear a false face disguise like in Mission Impossible and take your laptop to random public wi-fi hotspots, never for longer than half an hour, and never the same one twice. Always keep moving, you are a ghost now.

Also burn off your fingerprints with acid, and wipe down your seat with bleach before you leave, so they can't collect your precious, precious DNA.

Well, you know, if I'm going to do all that, I might as well just get my eyeballs replaced so they can't scan my retinas.

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 4:04 pm**

linux is very safe encrypt hd, memory, fire wall, vpn open source firefox browser strict mode,thanks

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 4:07 pm**

onion_rings wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 3:43 pmYou raise a good point here. I think it will help that I am using this laptop for blogging and related social media only, therefore I don't need to install much new software--I will mostly be using LibreOffice and Firefox anyway.

Install the uBlock Origin add-on in Firefox. It will block nearly all ads and trackers, which can many times be the vector used to insert a bug into your userspace. I also enable the MSVP hosts file within uBlock (under third party blockers). You will be amazed at the difference you see in your browsing experience.

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:10 pm**

where do I enable this option in adblock origin enable the MSVP?

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:50 pm**

MVPS (not MSVP) host file is at https://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.txt
It hasn't been updated in two years and it doesn't look like the rest of the web site has either.

uBlock Origin no longer includes MVPS as one of the multipurpose filters.

I wouldn't use it now.

Instead I manually installed the hosts file from https://github.com/StevenBlack/hosts and I check GitHub for updates every few days.

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:58 pm**

I enabled "strict" mode in Firefox and added uBlock origin. I'm going to set up a VPN. VPN + firewall should be a good combination, therefore I won't need to use TOR.

And, of course, using strong passwords on the accounts I create and not releasing personal information about myself that could be used to trace my blog back to me.

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions. I'm going to mark this as [solved]

Posted: **Fri Apr 07, 2023 7:32 pm**

BV206 wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:50 pm MVPS (not MSVP) host file is at https://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.txt
It hasn't been updated in two years and it doesn't look like the rest of the web site has either.

uBlock Origin no longer includes MVPS as one of the multipurpose filters.

I wouldn't use it now.

Instead I manually installed the hosts file from https://github.com/StevenBlack/hosts and I check GitHub for updates every few days.

Thanks for correcting my outdated recommendation re: MVPS. It's been some time since I set up a new instance of Firefox and uBlock.

Posted: **Sun Apr 09, 2023 12:03 pm**

best vpn is tor browser

vpn is vulnerable to logins social networks all are tracked be true ip, does not work vpn for facebook, instagram, tik tok, forum, try to be legit.

vpn only for browsing and not for logins.

Posted: **Sun Apr 09, 2023 12:48 pm**

"Social media" and "privacy" are like oil and water. That is nonsense. If you're paranoid I'd try running a Tails iso from a usb drive (an nvme in enclosure would be faster). That way you don't need to use a separate laptop as if you are working for the cia undercover. You could use any pc anywhere. Tor of course has it's own issues. As for your exact location? Who cares? Unless of course there's a hit out on you. The reality is it does not matter what software or pc you use. What matters is your personal habits themselves coupled with self-awareness. That's it.

Posted: **Sun Apr 09, 2023 3:03 pm**

While I agree that a lot you do can compromise privacy, sorry I disagree about that ip!

If you want to be truly hidden then you need to obfuscate your outfacing internet IP from your real location. If your isp does not have your router in NAT, and your not using either a proxy or VPN, then it is FAR to easy to walk back down an ip and find where someone is located. Once you can do that, it is a fairly easy task to find "who" that is.

Posted: **Sun Apr 09, 2023 4:57 pm**

@onion_rings Check this out! I haven't tried it yet, but it seems very promising! Supposed to be better than using a VPN.

Main site: https://safing.io/ VPN Alternative Page: https://safing.io/spn/

Also, Firetools is a good complimentary program and you could try using Whonix or Qubes OS on one of your computers. Although there is somewhat of learning curve with Qubes OS and it is very resource intensive. Supposedly that's what Edward Snowden uses and he definitely has more reasons to be paranoid. As was mentioned before, TAILS is good to use too as well. Do checkout that Safing Portmaster I linked above though. I have been studying it a great deal but just haven't had much time to use it yet. Best of luck!

Posted: **Sun Apr 09, 2023 6:09 pm**

CyberGhost wrote: Sun Apr 09, 2023 4:57 pm @onion_rings Check this out! I haven't tried it yet, but it seems very promising! Supposed to be better than using a VPN.

Main site: https://safing.io/ VPN Alternative Page: https://safing.io/spn/

Also, Firetools is a good complimentary program and you could try using Whonix or Qubes OS on one of your computers. Although there is somewhat of learning curve with Qubes OS and it is very resource intensive. Supposedly that's what Edward Snowden uses and he definitely has more reasons to be paranoid. As was mentioned before, TAILS is good to use too as well. Do checkout that Safing Portmaster I linked above though. I have been studying it a great deal but just haven't had much time to use it yet.

Yeah, I looked at TAILS and Qubes. They looked pretty technical. I'm trying to figure out the appropriate level of security, so that I can focus on writing my blog without worrying about people hacking my computer, doxxing me, or publishing my address because they disagree with me politically. So, better than average security, but less than Edward Snowden level, because I'm pretty sure the feds don't care about my blog.

Safing Portmaster looks like an innovative option. It looks a bit more involved than what I'm going for--I want something I can just set up once and forget about. So I think that using Nord VPN will probably be a good option. I'll put my writing on substack, do some low-key promotion on reddit or other social media, and then use my other laptop for my personal life, basically.

CyberGhost wrote: Sun Apr 09, 2023 4:57 pm Best of luck!

Thanks!

Posted: **Sun Apr 09, 2023 8:31 pm**

I always use double Nat for my home network. I use my ISP or Providers router with wifi turned off and a single connection to my internal WiFi Router with its own NAT, firewall rules and LAN address. When I want to operate on the net from an anonymous machine, I use a VirtualBox VM to run a Live ISO which adds a further level of NAT as I did for our countries online census last month, however, I do have a good number of spare machines and live-USB sticks to boot from if I want to totally remove my daily driver from an session.

Posted: **Mon Apr 10, 2023 12:45 am**

m_pav wrote: Sun Apr 09, 2023 8:31 pm I use a VirtualBox VM to run a Live ISO which adds a further level of NAT

I've heard of people running their computers in a virtual machine for privacy. I assumed that the benefit of using a virtual machine had to do with insulating your computer from attacks, but it sounds like it adds an extra level of privacy, as well. Does it shield your IP address?

Posted: **Mon Apr 10, 2023 11:15 am**

Is Safing Portmaster better than the distro simple firewall e.g. UFW?

Posted: **Mon Apr 10, 2023 11:32 am**

onion_rings wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 12:45 am
m_pav wrote: Sun Apr 09, 2023 8:31 pm I use a VirtualBox VM to run a Live ISO which adds a further level of NAT
I've heard of people running their computers in a virtual machine for privacy. I assumed that the benefit of using a virtual machine had to do with insulating your computer from attacks, but it sounds like it adds an extra level of privacy, as well. Does it shield your IP address?

No, it does not shield your external IP (the internet facing ip )

A VM can create a "computer" which is distinct and restricted from its host, so in that aspect it can be 'safer'. And, if you kept host and guest completely different as far as identities, ( ie not checking email, not logging into social media accounts, etc), then they would not 'leak' identity. However, both the host and guest would still show the same external ip, providing a trail. One of the computers ( guest or host - which ever you want 'hidden' ), should be using a VPN so that its ip is not showing your location.

Posted: **Mon Apr 10, 2023 1:03 pm**

razor2021 wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 11:15 am Is Safing Portmaster better than the distro simple firewall e.g. UFW?

They're both internet security software, but they work in different ways. A firewall is meant to prevent unwanted connections to your computer, while Safing Portmaster allows you to monitor connections to your machine so that you can ensure for yourself that there are no unwanted connections.

Posted: **Mon Apr 10, 2023 1:07 pm**

But Safing Portmaster also has this as their solution to a VPN. Guess no one clicked the link I previously posted.

https://safing.io/spn/

Posted: **Mon Apr 10, 2023 1:24 pm**

CyberGhost wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 1:07 pm But Safing Portmaster also has this as their solution to a VPN. Guess no one clicked the link I previously posted.

https://safing.io/spn/

I did :-) .. but I want to find out a bit more about it. Looks intriguing !

Posted: **Mon Apr 10, 2023 1:41 pm**

CharlesV wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 1:24 pm
CyberGhost wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 1:07 pm But Safing Portmaster also has this as their solution to a VPN. Guess no one clicked the link I previously posted.

https://safing.io/spn/
I did :-) .. but I want to find out a bit more about it. Looks intriguing !

Oh ok my mistake lol! Yes I've been meaning to give it a test run but just haven't had time yet. I just wished they had a mobile version too. It's in the works, but not sure when they plan on releasing it. After you read up on the SPN, it will make sense how it seems more effective and reliable than a VPN. It's a lot cheaper than most VPN's too except for Mullvad. I'm pretty sure Mullvad is the cheapest of all of them but I've had way too many issues with Mullvad in the past.

Posted: **Mon Apr 10, 2023 1:49 pm**

Ya, I gave up on Mullvad, never could get it to work. I went back to PIA, had it for years and works great for me.

Posted: **Mon Apr 10, 2023 2:35 pm**

CharlesV wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 1:49 pm Ya, I gave up on Mullvad, never could get it to work. I went back to PIA, had it for years and works great for me.

PIA for me as well. I paid for a Dedicated IP mainly because I was occasionally blocked from the Forum with random IP.

Posted: **Mon Apr 10, 2023 2:41 pm**

CyberGhost wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 1:07 pm But Safing Portmaster also has this as their solution to a VPN. Guess no one clicked the link I previously posted.

https://safing.io/spn/

I did click on it as well, but I think you have to buy that software or a monthly subscription.

Posted: **Mon Apr 10, 2023 2:42 pm**

I was just looking at it as a firewall replacement. That's why the comparison question. I'll try it and see if its easy to set up and if it blocks more than it should.

Posted: **Mon Apr 10, 2023 4:17 pm**

m_pav wrote: Sun Apr 09, 2023 8:31 pm ... I use a VirtualBox VM to run a Live ISO ...

Greetings, @m_pav
Would you be kind enough to remind me how to boot with VirtualBox from a LiveUSB? I used to do it, but I seem to have forgotten. I can boot directly from any ISO, but in such cases the session is immutable.

Posted: **Mon Apr 10, 2023 4:34 pm**

razor2021 wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 2:42 pm I was just looking at it as a firewall replacement. That's why the comparison question. I'll try it and see if its easy to set up and if it blocks more than it should.

Here's a more in depth comparison between SPN vs VPN:

https://safing.io/blog/2022/09/06/spn-vs-vpns/

Posted: **Mon Apr 10, 2023 4:49 pm**

figueroa wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 4:17 pm
m_pav wrote: Sun Apr 09, 2023 8:31 pm ... I use a VirtualBox VM to run a Live ISO ...
Greetings, @m_pav
Would you be kind enough to remind me how to boot with VirtualBox from a LiveUSB? I used to do it, but I seem to have forgotten. I can boot directly from any ISO, but in such cases the session is immutable.

I know this question wasn't for me, but I used to do that too! I have since forgotten how as well. I did find a few links on the subject.
This one is for Windows but the process is similar for Linux. Scroll all the way down that page and you will see the info about how to do it for Linux.
https://www.howtogeek.com/187721/how-to ... irtualbox/

Here's another link I found from the ask ubuntu forum: https://askubuntu.com/questions/746486/ ... live-image

Lastly, a post from the Kali Linux Docs Page: https://www.kali.org/docs/usb/boot-usb-in-virtualbox/

Let me know if any of those works for you. I'm going to do a test run myself. The Kali Linux link seems like the most logical one to me.

Posted: **Mon Apr 10, 2023 5:00 pm**

https://safing.io/

Posted: **Mon Apr 10, 2023 10:25 pm**

Thank you @CyberGhost
With some misgiving I tried the Kali Linux link, and the secret sauce seems to be 1) Not setting a virtual hard disk and then 2) Selecting EFI (new to me) and then 3) Adding the desired USB Device Filter.

After that, just booting the VM not containing a virtual hard disk, automatically booted Live_USB using EFI. I have an old MX-19 running now with persistence that had just been remastered but not yet put into service. I created a new homefs and updated the kernel and rebooted several times so it's clearly working. I know I used to do this without EFI, but I'm not complaining.

I realize this is tangential to the subject thread; mea culpa.

Posted: **Tue May 16, 2023 11:42 am**

richb wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 2:35 pm PIA for me as well. I paid for a Dedicated IP mainly because I was occasionally blocked from the Forum with random IP.

I looked at the price and it seemed reasonable. Does getting a dedicated IP work well?
I've never been able to use free VPNs to purchase things. Always blocked.

Posted: **Tue May 16, 2023 3:13 pm**

I have not had any difficulties in the year I have had the dedicated IP. No blocking.

Posted: **Tue May 16, 2023 3:26 pm**

Thanks. Appreciate the reply.

MX Linux Forum

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