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[NaT-Server]

What is Anonymous Surfing?


Anonymous surfing allows you to wander the Internet without leaving any track of your computer’s IP (Internet Protocol) address. This is accomplished via a proxy service.

When surfing the Web from the privacy of your living room, den or office, it may seem as if your movements online are completely anonymous. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. Everywhere you go you can be tracked through your IP address. The IP is a numerical value that maps back to your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and ultimately to your specific computer. It is linked to your computer by assignment to your login username and password.

When you request a website by clicking on a link or bookmark, your computer sends its IP address to the website along with the request for the page. The destination server answers by sending the requested page to your return address. Your computer receives the HTML data and the browser turns it into a graphic page you can view. In this way, websites can keep track of every page you view by logging your requests along with your IP.

Anonymous surfing defeats this ability by using a go-between proxy that ‘stands’ between the surfer’s computer and the Web. This intermediate server, or proxy, handles all of your computers requests for you. Your requests go to the proxy, which relays them to the Web. The website sends the requested pages back to the proxy server, which then forwards them to your computer. Websites can only log the proxy’s IP address, not yours. It’s rather like having a valet run all of your errands for you, so that the valet’s face is the only familiar face on the Web.

There are many free proxy programs for anonymous surfing, but most rely on using ‘unwilling’ proxy servers. These are private business servers configured incorrectly to leave open ports, which anonymous surfing programs can exploit. Enthusiasts use port scanners to check for unsecured networks, then post their addresses publicly on a daily basis. When administrators realize the breach, the port is normally closed. Therefore, using manual anonymous surfing programs means constantly preening the available list of proxy servers. Purists are willing to do this, because they believe it is the safest way to achieve anonymous surfing.

The alternative is to join a Web service that will provide a toolbar to use in place of the standard URL (Universal Resource Locator) in your browser. You can surf normally, using the toolbar address field to enter website addresses. The toolbar calls upon its own server to act as the proxy. Most sites that provide anonymous surfing of this type charge a monthly or yearly fee for the service, while others offer free trials.

Certain websites do offer free anonymous surfing, but the Internaut must surf from the website. Moreover, the proxy handles requests from paying clients before handling free proxy requests, which can make free anonymous surfing very slow.

Purists maintain that anonymous surfing through a website service is not very anonymous, as all of your requests and IP(s) are stored on their server. This could easily lend itself to profiling. Contrast this with using random networks around the world as proxy servers. The administrators have no interest in public Internet traffic per se. If they notice anonymous surfing, they will simply close the port. This actually keeps this type of anonymous surfing even more anonymous, because your computer’s requests are not all located on one server.

Note that a proxy server is not considered anonymous unless it strips your IP address from its referrer value. This is a header that can point back to the IP of the requesting machine. In a true anonymous proxy, this referrer field will show the proxy’s IP address, not yours. Free software programs like The Proxomitron can check proxies for anonymity.

[NaT-Server]

What is a Remailer?


A remailer is a service that provides anonymity to the sender of an email or newsgroup post by acting as an intermediary between the sender and receiver. The sender’s message goes first to the remailer, which strips away the headers associated with the sender, replacing them with its own. It then forwards the mail to its final destination. The receiver cannot deduce the origin of the mail or post by looking at its headers –- only the remailer’s headers will appear.

There are a myriad of practical reasons to use a remailer. For example, remailers can provide anonymous participation in USENET support groups to keep employers, or even children and spouses from “Googling” personal posts. Remailers provide people of every country the opportunity for free speech, even where local governments forbid it. They also protect the sender when the nature of the message might cause personal repercussions, as in the case of a whistleblower.

For the average Internaut, a remailer can be a useful tool for keeping your personal email address private. If you want to send feedback to a favorite website or blogger, using a remailer will ensure that they receive your message without receiving your email address. This applies to USENET messages as well. Participation in controversial debate-based newsgroups can become contentious, but a remailer will ensure you won’t have “stalkers” following you back to your mailbox.

Along with the freedom that a remailer provides comes responsibility. Using a remailer to harass, threaten, taunt or engage in flame wars is considered abuse of the remailer. In the headers of any remailed email or post, there is an address the receiver can email to complain of abuses. These may or may not be acted upon, depending on the owner of the remailer and the nature of the posts.

Though using one remailer is sufficient for casual purposes, several remailers can be used in a “chain” to make the message harder to track and provide even greater security. In this case, the first remailer in the chain strips away your headers and sends the mail to another remailer. That remailer does the same, stripping away the previous remailer’s headers and sending the message to the next remailer in line, until finally the message is delivered. At the end point, tracing the origin of the message only gets as far as the last remailer in the chain. If there are still server records available, the message might be able to be tracked back one more step, but the sleuth would run into the same problem at that juncture. Remailers, as a matter of security, allege to delete all messages off their servers daily, precisely to eliminate having to turn over server records to authorities.

Note that anyone with skill can run a remailer. It is widely believed among the remailing community that some remailers are probably run by government agencies. Even a standard “Joe” can run an unscrupulous remailer, reading messages that pass through his server. For this reason, most people who use a remailer encrypt their messages with PGP (Pretty Good Privacy). The message is only unencrypted at the end of the chain. Without using PGP, your message may be anonymous to the receiver, but it will be available to all of the remailers in between.

Two widely used freeware programs are designed to deliver email and newsgroup posts via remailers, Quicksilver and Jack B. Nymble. Purists contend that using remailers manually with these programs is safest, though there is a learning curve. There are also remailing services on the Web that automate the process and are probably sufficient for most people’s purposes. Most purists reject Web services because there is no real guarantee that the service itself does not employ a “back door.”

[NaT-Server]

PGP (Pretty good Privacy) is the most widely recognized public key encryption program in the world. It can be used to protect the privacy of email, data files, drives and instant messaging.

Traffic on the Internet is susceptible to snooping by third parties with a modicum of skill. Data packets can be captured and stored for years. Even mail servers will often indefinitely store messages, which can be read now or at a future point, sometimes long after the author has changed his or her point of view. Email, unlike a phone call or letter, is not legally protected as private communication, and can therefore be read by third parties, legal or otherwise, without permission or knowledge of the author. Many privacy watchdog groups advocate, if you aren’t using encryption, don’t include anything in an email you wouldn’t want to see published. Ideally this includes personal information as well, such as name, address, phone number, passwords, and so on.

PGP encryption provides privacy missing from online communication. It changes plain, readable text into a complex code of characters that is completely unreadable. The email or instant message travels to the destination or recipient in this cyphered form. The recipient uses PGP to decrypt the message back into readable form. Whether you are concerned about protecting privacy rights, a corporate whistleblower, or a citizen that simply wants to chat with friends without allowing people to “listen in,” PGP is the answer.

The simple but ingenious method behind public key encryption is based around the creation of a customized key pair. The key pair consists of a public key and a private key. The public key encrypts messages, while the private key decrypts them.

Using PGP, Mr. Wise would generate a key pair by entering a real name or nickname to be associated with the keys and a password. The two keys are interlocking algorithms that appear as small bits of text code. Mr. Wise can freely share the public key with anyone who wishes to send an encrypted message to him. For example, let’s say Mr. Wise gives his public key to Ms. Geek. He can copy and paste it into an email and send it to her “in the clear.”

Ms. Geek receives the public key and copies it to her public key ring in PGP. After she writes an email to Mr. Wise, the email is encrypted using the associated public key, obtained from the key ring. The encrypted email is now sent. If someone captures the email en route, or even if it is stored on a server, it will be unreadable.

When Mr. Wise receives the email, his private key decrypts the message. Thus the communication is kept private, even though it travels over public channels. The encryption and decryption can be done automatically, as PGP seamlessly interfaces with most major email clients.

To send an encrypted email to someone using PGP, you only need his or her public key. Each public key is unique and works with the associated private key as a key pair. If you encrypt a message with the public key of someone other than the recipient, the recipient will not be able to decrypt the message.

When creating a key pair in PGP, the option exists for your public key to be sent to a public key server. This makes it possible for strangers to send you encrypted mail by simply looking up your public key. To avoid spam, you may choose instead to email your public key discretely to handpicked friends. Others attach their public key as part of their signature on public posts to newsgroups and Web chat boards.

A PGP user can also use his or her private key to digitally sign outgoing mail so that the recipient knows that the mail originated from the named sender. A third party would not have access to the private key, so the digital signature authenticates the sender.

Sensitive data files stored on your hard drive or on removable media can also be protected using PGP. You can use your public key to encrypt the files and your private key to decrypt them. Some versions of PGP also allow the user to encrypt an entire disk. This is especially useful for laptop users in the event the laptop is lost or stolen.

Early versions of PGP were written by Philip Zimmermann and first offered to the public in 1991. PGP is open source and has several different versions available with prevailing attitudes about which is best. Some versions of PGP are free for personal use, while the newest “official” incarnations offered through PGP Corporation are shareware. Beginning with PGP Personal Desktop v. 9.0, users are offered a fully functional free trial run before the software reverts to a lesser-featured version, minus a purchased license. The lesser-featured version still allows encryption of email but some of the automation is crippled.

[NaT-Server]

Also known as anti-spyware or spyware removal tools, an anti-adware utility can rid your computer of unwanted applications, such as tracking cookies and different types of malware like Trojan horses and keyloggers.

Tracking cookies do exactly what the name implies. They "track" your movements on the Internet and collect information about your surfing habits. This information may be used to send you targeted and unsolicited advertisements, or "spam." Your information may also be rented, sold, or traded to third parties. Certain cookies are considered harmless and are only used to help make your navigational experience simpler and more pleasant. If a site remembers your password so you don't have to log in each time you visit, that is an example of a "harmless" cookie.

A Trojan horse may destroy or alter important data, or it may send your personal data to another computer. A keylogger logs every keystroke and may also attempt to send your information to another location. Typical anti-virus programs rarely detect these items, so it is important to run a good anti-adware program along with anti-virus.

If your system seems sluggish, and different applications take longer to load, if you are constantly faced with pop ups, pop-unders, and ads you did not click, or if you are receiving more spam-–especially specifically targeted ads--your computer is most likely infected with adware.

An anti-adware program is an effective utility for controlling and removing these unwanted intruders, many of which are not detected by anti-virus programs or firewalls. Anti-adware can be configured to scan your system and recognize problematic applications. For example, anti-adware will let you know if a cookie is harmless or critical. Critical objects will be singled out and the program will then ask you what you want to do with each one. Many anti-adware programs even offer recommendations for how each object should be disposed of, such as if you should delete the item or if you need to quarantine it.

Computers are great tools and the internet is often thought of as a link to the rest of the world, but there are hidden dangers. Spyware does not only invade your privacy it can also be used for identity theft. It is important to employ certain tools, such as anti-adware in order to protect yourself. In fact, it is a good idea to run at least two different anti-adware programs since new varieties of adware are created every day. One program may catch something the other one missed.

[NaT-Server]

What is Public Key Encryption?


Public key encryption refers to a type of cypher architecture known as public key cryptography that utilizes two keys, or a key pair), to encrypt and decrypt data. One of the two keys is a public key, which anyone can use to encrypt a message for the owner of that key. The encrypted message is sent and the recipient uses his or her private key to decrypt it. This is the basis of public key encryption.

Public key encryption is considered very secure because it does not require a secret shared key between the sender and receiver. Other encryption technologies that use a single shared key to both encrypt and decrypt data rely on both parties deciding on a key ahead of time without other parties finding out what that key is. However, the fact that it must be shared between both parties opens the door to third parties intercepting the key. This type of encryption technology is called symmetric encryption, while public key encryption is known as asymmetric encryption.

A “key" is simply a small bit of text code that triggers the associated algorithm to encode or decode text. In public key encryption, a key pair is generated using an encryption program and the pair is associated with a name or email address. The public key can then be made public by posting it to a key server, a computer that hosts a database of public keys. Alternately, the public key can be discriminately shared by emailing it to friends and associates. Those that possess your public key can use it to encrypt messages to you. Upon receiving the encrypted message, your private key will decrypt it.

Public key encryption is especially useful for keeping email private. Any stored messages on mail servers, which can persist for years, will be unreadable, and messages in transit will also be unreadable. This degree of privacy may sound excessive until one realizes the open nature of the Internet. Sending email unencrypted is akin to making it public for anyone to read now or at some future date. United States law does not recognize email as a protected or private form of communication, unlike a telephone call or letter.



Unarguably, the most widely known and respected public key encryption program is PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), which offers military-grade encryption. PGP has plug-ins for most major email clients so that the clients work in concert with PGP to encrypt outgoing messages and decrypt incoming messages automatically. PGP maintains a “key ring” or file of collected public keys. An email address can be associated with a key so that the email client will automatically pick out the proper public key from the PGP key ring to encrypt the message upon sending. It will also automatically use your private key to decrypt incoming mail. To use public key encryption for email, both the sender and receiver must have encryption software installed.

Public key encryption programs like PGP have digital signature capability built in. With this feature, messages sent can be digitally signed with the click of a button, so that the receiver knows the message was not tampered with en route and is authentic, or from the stated sender.

Public key encryption can also be used for secure storage of data files. In this case, your public key is used to encrypt files while your private key decrypts them.

[NaT-Server]

What is a Cookie Cleaner?



In 1995, when Netscape first designed and implemented cookie functionality into its browser, there were no cookie controls available. Cookies were automatically enabled by default. Watchdog groups soon learned that cookies were being used for invasive purposes and third party software sprung up to address the issue. Enter the cookie cleaner.

The first versions of cookie cleaner programs merely deleted all cookies that were found on the hard drive at boot-up, or alternately at shut down. They did not prevent cookies from being set, or placed on the computer, nor were they configurable to any great degree. Cookie cleaner functionality of this type was built into many utility programs as a bonus feature, but some found it inconvenient because useful cookies were deleted along with unwanted cookies.

Soon, the cookie cleaner became more of a cookie manager, incorporating greater control over cookies. Arguably the most popular and comprehensive award-winning cookie cleaner and manager was Cookie Crusher by The Limit Software. Cookie Crusher did not just clean cookies, but was the first cookie program to allow the user to prevent cookies from being set in the first place. With this generation of cookie cleaner, users could create a list of sites that should be allowed to set cookies, preserving desirable cookies.

However, this proved to be too general as well, for sites that generated useful cookies also generated Web-tracking cookies, sometimes from third party advertisers. The cookie cleaner answered the call again, with Cookie Crusher leading the way by offering an exclusive feature to refine cookie sorting one step further. It offered sorting not only by website address, but also by the type of cookie presented at the website. A registration cookie could be identified and spared, while a tracking cookie from the same site could be automatically denied.

Today there is an abundant array of cookie cleaners and managers. Over the years, cookie control has also been built into browsers, but a third party cookie cleaner or manager can offer a higher degree of flexibility and ease in controlling cookies on the fly or on demand. If you would like more control over cookies than your browser provides, or a separate program for the sake of added security, a cookie cleaner and manager will suit your purposes.

[NaT-Server]

What are the Primary Online Security Threats?



Most security threats are made by attackers using a relatively small number of vulnerabilities. Attackers, being relatively opportunistic, take the path of least resistance, and continue to take advantage of these most common failures, rather than seeking out new exploits or taking advantage of more difficult ones. Fortunately, in many cases, their predictability makes it easier to prevent attack by following a few simple rules:


Apply regular updates and patches as they become available.
Employ security software and hardware such as firewalls and authentication servers.
Do not use default passwords and other values that are provided with your software.

According to the SANS Institute (SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security Institute), the top ten threats are:


Web servers and services. Default HTTP (Web) servers have had several vulnerabilities, and numerous patches have been issued over the past several years. Make sure all your patches are up to date, and do not use default configurations or default demonstration applications. These vulnerabilities may lead to denial-of-service attacks and other types of threats.
Workstation service. An attacker can obtain full control over a computer by compromising the Windows Workstation service, which is normally used to route user requests.
Windows remote access services. A variety of remote access methods are included by default on most systems. These systems can be very useful, but also very dangerous, and an attacker with the right tools can easily gain control over a host.
Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL). Several vulnerabilities exist in MSSQL that could allow an attacker to gain information from a database or compromise the server. In addition to applying all the latest patches, enabling SQL Server Authentication Logging and securing the server at both the network and system level will prevent most of these attacks.
Windows authentication. Most Windows systems use passwords, but passwords can be easily guessed or stolen. Creating stronger, more difficult to guess passwords, not using default passwords, and following a recommended password policy will prevent password attacks.
Web browsers. Your window to the Internet, a Web browser contains many vulnerabilities. Common exploits may include disclosure of "cookies" with personal information, the execution of rogue code that could compromise a system, and exposure of locally-stored files. Configuring the browser's security settings for a setting higher than the default value will prevent most Web browser attacks.
File sharing applications. Peer-to-peer (P2P) programs are commonly used to share files. In a P2P system, computers are open to others in the P2P network to allow for all participants to search for and download files from one another. Many corporations forbid use of P2P networks because of the obvious risk of compromised data.
LSAS exposures. The Windows Local Security Authority Subsystem (LSAS) has a critical buffer overflow that can be exploited by an attacker to gain control over the system. Again, proper configuration and application of patches will prevent most exploits.
Mail client. Attackers can use the mail client on a computer to spread worms or viruses, by including them as attachments in emails. Configuring the mail server appropriately, and blocking attachments such as .exe or .vbs files, will prevent most mail client attacks.
Instant messaging. Many corporations also block employees from using instant messaging, not only because of the technical threats but also because of the possibility of lost productivity. Configuring IM properly, applying all the latest patches, and taking control over any file transfers that occur over IM will prevent most attacks.

[fmfm]

Congratulations NAT-Server
I think this is the thread of the month, a lot of important and critical information are here and i recommend every member to read this thread.



This thread deserves a big STICKY

[amour whatever]

thanks nat for your great subject
great work man