Posted on 12/23/2024 10:23:41 AM PST by Mean Daddy
With everything going on in the world, I wanted to reach out to see what other Freepers are doing online to protect yourselves, whether its subscribing to a monitoring service for activity under your name, using VPN (which one & why), password managers, multi-factor authentication etc.
What else should a person consider?
“Also never answer a question with a simple “yes” or “no”. Have heard that your voice speaking those words can be “spliced” into things for nefarious purposes.”
It’s never been done. It’s just a Facebook meme. It is social engineering to see who will share it without questioning whether it is true.
First and foremost, I am on Dayglored’s Windows Ping List - https://freerepublic.com/tag/windowspinglist/index?tab=articles.
Freepers are my first line of defense for computer and internet security!
I use Brave browser on my PC running Windows 10 Pro and on my iPhones, iPad, and Mrs. P’s PC and iPhone.
I use at least 15 character passwords (upper, lower case, numbers and special characters) auto generated by Norton Password Manager I use 2 factor authentication for anything financial.
Still using Norton 360 Deluxe which I have to buy a new subscription every year and install as a clean install. Last year it was $25 for 10 devices (ios and Windoze). Looks like it’s going to be about $30 this year. If you go with Norton’s “auto-renewal” it’s something like $80+. Hint: turn off auto-renewal.
I use Norton’s antivirus, VPN, and especially appreciate the Norton Password Manager. I refuse to use Norton Cloud Backup! (If it’s in the cloud, is it really yours?) Yeah, I know their password manager is in the cloud, and that concerns me.
I know everyone says Norton is bloatware, but I’ve been using it for 25+ years and it works for me. Still not seeing any significant lag time, except for some sites when the VPN is active.
Norton’s is always trying to upsell me with their Privacy Monitor, Driver Updater, Norton Utilities Ultimate, or whatever. And they are getting more annoying by the day.
When the internet goes down for the unknown duration that so many of us believe is inevitable, there go my passwords, electric, heat and water. (And that’s all, folks!)
I also run the free version of Malwarebytes in my browser.
Thinking about getting some “Anti-Drone software. LOL!
I was so proud of my mother when she he was about 95.
She got one of those calls from the “police” saying that her grandson (about age 35 at the time) was in jail and he needed her to send money to be released.
She didn’t fall for it. Not because of the technical issues we’re discussing. She told the caller, “My grandson never would be in jail!” And then she hung up.
Grandma’s faith in her grandson trumped technology and scammers.
I have a number of routers and a couple of them are arranged in a cascading subnet. One thing I learned the hard way: Do not enable advanced protection features on two routers in series. Only on the “root” one. If both are enabled expect lots of intermittent headaches... Blocking of legitimate activity but only when their learning algorithms feel like it.
Good to know how long it takes brute force to get past my passwords
It seems that ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity all block packets originating from VPNs (Proton free, in my case). So I always have to disconnect beforehand, which is getting to be quite the pain. Anyone have a different experience with a given VPN and chatbot?
Thank you for the tip. I just purchased a plan from them.
“ leet code”
I totally forgot that. Thanks.
Nice story! Kudos to your mom!
Linux..
I have both NordVPN and ProtonVPN.
Proton, I am using Protonmail, ProtonPass, and ProtonVPN.. but the VPN is slow as frozen molasses. I only added the VPN because it was part of a package that included the other 2 services.
I have contacted Proton to ask about packages without the VPN, but they said the only other option is to pay for the packages individually.
As soon as this is up, I will drop the VPN and continue with ProtonMail and possibly continue with ProtonPass.
I have been paying for ProtonMail for several years, and it is an excellent service, so I will definitely keep it.
NordVPN is a very good VPN service that I will be keeping (I have used it for several years).
It is fast and reliable (except it can be a PITA to set up on Linux, but runs good once it is set up).
It is very simple on Windows, and also great.
Both ProtonMail and NordVPN have good customer service. They will reply by email within a day or 2 to any issues you may be having, and do follow-ups.
For multi-factor authentication, I am using DUO. It can be confusing to set up (especially if you are wanting to use it for the same account on separate devices (like phone and tablet), but it is good and simple (and it isn’t MS, Google, etc..).
LastPass is crapware, don’t use it.
I found it was inserting huge amounts of garbage HTML code into edit boxes that had nothing to do with logging into a website.
I switched to Bitwarden, and am very happy with it.
“Perplexity all block packets originating from VPNs (Proton free,”
I just updated my free Proton VPN...... It did not block or tamper with Perplexity, I asked Perplexity a few new questions.
Why not ask Perplexity why Proton VPN is giving your particular problems
“I am using Protonmail, ProtonPass, and ProtonVPN.. but the VPN is slow as frozen molasses.”
I just tested Proton VPN. My speed was 102mbs. Turned off Proton, and speed was 115mbs.
Proton is in Switzerland. They have a righteous political agenda to provide free VPN for people in oppressive nations like China. That try to limit the sites you can access.
__________
__________
__________
Proton, a Swiss-based internet privacy company, has indeed taken a strong stance against online censorship and is actively working to provide free VPN access to people in countries with restrictive internet policies.
Proton’s Anti-Censorship Initiative
Proton VPN has launched a significant initiative to combat election manipulation and censorship in various countries:
They are offering free VPN servers in countries with a history of censorship or political interference for two weeks before elections and one week after5.
This initiative aims to ensure that people can access accurate information before going to the polls5.
The company is utilizing its Smart Routing technology to provide VPN servers in countries where legal protections or infrastructure might be insufficient5.
Advanced Anti-Censorship Features
Proton VPN has developed several advanced features to counteract sophisticated censorship attempts:
Alternative routing: Routes connections through third-party services unlikely to be blocked5.
Smart Protocol: Detects local VPN censorship and switches to harder-to-block protocols5.
Stealth VPN protocol: Disguises VPN connections as standard internet traffic5.
VPN Accelerator: Maintains fast browsing speeds when connected to distant servers5.
Proton’s Mission and Structure
Proton’s commitment to privacy and digital freedom is deeply rooted in its origins and structure:
Founded in 2014 by scientists who met at CERN, Proton aims to build an internet where privacy is the default6.
The company is operated by Proton AG, a Swiss corporation whose primary
Use lots of highly secure auto-generated passwords with Apple Passwords app.
Prosumer grade router and APs at home.
Starting to use a travel router when traveling, as now, so my WiFi is MINE, and I don’t have to use hotel WiFi unencrypted.
MFA on all financial accounts or anything remotely sensitive.
l33t sp34k!
Maybe it depends on which particular Proton VPN server/country location is being used. Right now, with a server in Japan, Perplexity and Claude are accepting messages but not ChatGPT. But this is the first time I’ve had any of them work while Proton VPN was enabled.
Good advice.
What do you connect your travel router to? What’s the setup? What brand of travel router?
Yeah w free Proton VPN...... I can only use one USA server
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