OpSec Lounge (Security, Privacy, etc.)

Does anyone have experience running Whonix? Do you run it as your host OS or as a VM in Virtual Box? The installer page seems to encourage the latter, but using a VM as my everyday computer does not sound ideal.
 
AEON said:
VM + use nodes and bridges.
Click to expand...
So, you do everything on the VM? How well does that work and what type of hardware specs are you running, if you don't mind? I'm a cheapskate and not a gamer, so all my computers are pretty old and low on resources and run Linux because that's all I need.
 
scary_robot_music said:
So, you do everything on the VM? How well does that work and what type of hardware specs are you running, if you don't mind? I'm a cheapskate and not a gamer, so all my computers are pretty old and low on resources and run Linux because that's all I need.
Click to expand...
Everything on VM. Of course, it’s slower this way but much more secure (especially if you also use tails).

This was a school project I worked on about 4 years ago using my brand new XPS 15.
 
If you need an OS that runs well out of the box then I strongly recommend giving Pop OS a try https://pop.system76.com/ by System76, which has been mentioned in this thread a few times already. Full Disk Encryption right out of the box, and will do almost everything you need from a Windows machine, even gaming. Sign up to a VPN and you're mostly set.

A lot of good info on PopOS here.



Of course if you want greater security then you will use a VM and/or Tails, knowing that you will sacrifice some performance. Also keep it updated regularly. I have Tails on a USB, I don't use it often but I just like to have the option. But if months go by between uses I'm prompted to download updates, and if it's too long in between uses it needs to be done manually.
 
AEON said:
Everything on VM. Of course, it’s slower this way but much more secure (especially if you also use tails).

This was a school project I worked on about 4 years ago using my brand new XPS 15.
Click to expand...
Hey, is there a reason why you would choose to run Whonix in Virtualbox rather than on bare metal?

In recent times I've been busy with grub, bootloaders etc and it occurred to me that it would not be hard to add a partition with a Whonix image and when Grub loads, use the arrow keys to select and boot into it as needed.
 

Elon Musk urges millions to switch-off controversial Windows 11 feature that takes screenshots on your PC​

Tesla CEO compared incoming Recall feature to an episode of Black Mirror
  • New Recall feature will be coming to Copilot+ PCs from June
  • It takes screenshots of everything you do on-screen
  • Snapshots are analysed by AI on-device so they can be searched
  • Elon Musk has announced plans to disable the feature on his PC
  • Privacy campaigners have also flagged concerns
  • UK privacy watchdog has launched an investigation into Recall
Elon Musk has criticised a controversial new AI feature coming to Windows 11 devices this summer. Known as Recall, it takes screenshots of everything on-screen so you can scroll back in time and resume work on anything from within the last month. The functionality will be exclusive to a range of new Copilot+ PCs.

Artificial Intelligence, powered by Microsoft's $10 billion partnership with OpenAI to licence its latest 'flirty' ChatGPT model, will analyse text and pictures in the screenshots — so you can search for phrases, people, animals, and landmarks to find what you're looking for, without knowing the name of a document or webpage.

"We set out to solve one of the most frustrating problems we encounter daily – finding something we know we have seen before on our PC. Today, we must remember what file folder it was stored in, what website it was on, or scroll through hundreds of emails trying to find it," wrote Yusuf Mehdi, Chief Marketing Officer at Microsoft, in a company blog "Now with Recall, you can access virtually what you have seen or done on your PC in a way that feels like having photographic memory."

But Elon Musk has compared the AI functionality to Black Mirror, a show that depicts near-future dystopias with a strong emphasis on technology. The Twilight Zone–inspired series, created by Charlie Brooker for Channel 4 before it was sold to Netflix, is named after the reflective nature of a computer screen that's switched off.

"This is a Black Mirror episode. Definitely turning this 'feature' off," the Tesla and SpaceX executive posted on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The 52-year-old multi-billionaire — who regularly tops the list as the richest person on the planet, depending on the strength of Tesla's share price — shared a clip with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella talking about the functionality of Recall in Windows 11.

Users on X were quick to respond to the post from Elon Musk.

"Uhhhh sounds like surveillance repackaged as a feature," one person shared in relation to the Windows 11 tweet, while another joked: "Did the CIA come up with this?"

"So, a built-in screen recorder. Because that's not a security risk. You gotta give them credit, though; they took malware and made it into a 'feature'," one sceptical user on X shared in response to the post.

Recall isn't enabled by default, so there's no need to switch-off the feature as recommended by Elon Musk. When you set-up your Windows 11 machine, you'll be asked whether you want to take advantage of Recall, but it won't be taking screenshots in the background out-of-the-box.

That said, it's worth noting that Elon Musk, who also owns and operates the tunnelling venture The Boring Company, is far from the only one concerned about the implications of the incoming Recall feature.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) confirmed to the BBC that it was “making inquiries with Microsoft to understand the safeguards in place to protect user privacy”. The data protection regulator added that private companies must “rigorously assess and mitigate risks to peoples’ rights and freedoms” before bringing new products to market.

In a bid to allay fears, Microsoft has reassured PC owners that Recall will never take screenshots whenever you're using a private browsing mode, like Incognito Mode in Google Chrome. Windows 11 users can also add separate exceptions, including specific applications, where the feature won't apply.

Privacy campaigners have also reacted very strongly to the announcement of Recall.

"This could be a privacy nightmare," said Dr Kris Shrishak, an adviser on AI and privacy, told the BBC. "The mere fact that screenshots will be taken during use of the device could have a chilling effect on people."

Jen Caltrider, who serves as Program Director for the *Privacy Not Included team at Mozilla, has warned that Recall would allow anyone with access to your laptop or desktop PC to a treasure-trove of personal information since it contains a categorised list of recent activity.

Caltrider cautioned: "[This includes] law enforcement court orders, or even from Microsoft if they change their mind about keeping all this content local and not using it for targeted advertising or training their AIs down the line."

Microsoft says Recall will not censor or wipe information from the screenshots that it takes, even when passwords or bank account details are visible on-screen.

In a blog post about the new functionality, which will arrive with the new Surface Laptop next month, the US company wrote: "Recall leverages your personal semantic index, built and stored entirely on your device.

"Your snapshots are yours; they stay locally on your PC. You can delete individual snapshots, adjust and delete ranges of time in Settings, or pause at any point right from the icon in the System Tray on your Taskbar. You can also filter apps and websites from ever being saved. You are always in control with privacy you can trust."

But Jake Moore, global cybersecurity adviser at software security firm ESET, said the creation and storage of more private data through the feature could be an enticing prospect for cyber criminals.

“Enabling a feature which has the ability to capture screen data not only offers even more data to the company behind the software but also opens up another avenue for criminals to attack,” he said.

“Whilst this feature is not on by default, users should be mindful of allowing any content to be analysed by AI algorithms for a better experience.

“Although it may produce better results, there is a balance that must be kept regarding functionality versus privacy and so users must remain aware of the potential risks should any sensitive data ever become compromised. Creating and storing more private data seems unnecessary when cyber criminals continually look for any given vulnerability to exploit.”
Click to expand...
www.gbnews.com

Elon Musk urges millions to switch-off controversial Windows 11 feature that takes screenshots on your PC

Tesla CEO compared incoming Recall feature to an episode of Black Mirror
www.gbnews.com www.gbnews.com
blogs.microsoft.com

Introducing Copilot+ PCs - The Official Microsoft Blog

An on-demand recording of our May 20 event is available. Today, at a special event on our new Microsoft campus, we introduced the world to a new category of Windows PCs designed for AI, Copilot+ PCs. Copilot+ PCs are the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever built. With powerful new...
blogs.microsoft.com blogs.microsoft.com
 
clarencesd said:
Telegram is now as compromised as signal.

Any idea what messenger can be recommended now for private conversations?
Click to expand...
Possibly Session :
getsession.org

Session | Send Messages, Not Metadata. | Private Messenger

Session is a private messenger that aims to remove any chance of metadata collection by routing all messages through an onion routing network.
getsession.org getsession.org
Although I have been a fan of Element / Matrix and it is decentralised etc, and there is talk of 'nostr' but not sure if that is supposed to be a messenger or news service. Session looks good. Have not tried it yet though.
 
stadtaffe said:
Possibly Session :
getsession.org

Session | Send Messages, Not Metadata. | Private Messenger

Session is a private messenger that aims to remove any chance of metadata collection by routing all messages through an onion routing network.
getsession.org getsession.org
Although I have been a fan of Element / Matrix and it is decentralised etc, and there is talk of 'nostr' but not sure if that is supposed to be a messenger or news service. Session looks good. Have not tried it yet though.
Click to expand...
The problem with all the super secure messaging apps, is that 95% of the world is tech illiterate or tech normies and won't use something that requires more than 2 steps to install and use. What's the point of using a super secure app, if you're just sitting there by yourself? Ultimately, it comes down to finding and using a "good enough" secure messaging app, that all your friends, family, and Aunt Bessie will actually use.
 
The only way to do chat is via XMPP that you control and only allow those you trust to use the server. OMEMO e2e encrypted, you cannot see logs on the server. All else is noise. Use protocols, not apps.
 
Signal is a good choice that doesn't require self-hosting, since it uses Sealed Sender to prevent the leaking the metadata of who you're messaging, and E2E encryption for chat content.

Briar is better for anonymity as it uses Tor, but it's a heavy drain on battery, isn't suitable for groups and lacks many features people expect from modern chat apps.
 
budoslavic said:

Elon Musk urges millions to switch-off controversial Windows 11 feature that takes screenshots on your PC​


www.gbnews.com

Elon Musk urges millions to switch-off controversial Windows 11 feature that takes screenshots on your PC

Tesla CEO compared incoming Recall feature to an episode of Black Mirror
www.gbnews.com www.gbnews.com
blogs.microsoft.com

Introducing Copilot+ PCs - The Official Microsoft Blog

An on-demand recording of our May 20 event is available. Today, at a special event on our new Microsoft campus, we introduced the world to a new category of Windows PCs designed for AI, Copilot+ PCs. Copilot+ PCs are the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever built. With powerful new...
blogs.microsoft.com blogs.microsoft.com
Click to expand...

Like Windows cares about your settings.
 
Blade Runner said:
What was the Telegram issue? Just an "email takedown" change?
Click to expand...

They silently changed the FAQ, again. Once it had a section saying that they will NEVER use ads.

I guess the problem now is that he accepted "moderation" of public channels. Maybe giving access to authorities. We don't know what deal he made to be released. Since Telegram was never end-to-end encrypted by default, It is better to stay away.

Signal continues to be the best option.
 
In light of these pagers and walkie talkies exploding, are there cell phone manufacturers that produce phones that are safe to use for people like us that don't have lithium batteries?
 
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