SumTips: How to Protect Yourself Online in Uncertain Times

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In 2016, the digital era giveth and the digital era taketh away. Citizens everywhere—from those outraged at the Turkish government to those outraged at the results of the American presidential election—have the power to use the internet to communicate their innermost thoughts, feelings and desires, but also risk persecution if those sentiments fall into the wrong hands.

Digital rights defender Access Now has created “A First Look at Digital Security,” an easy-to-access guide to enhancing security for those who choose to challenge the status quo online:

If you are a journalist:

• Protect your sources; correspondence with editors; time-sensitive research and written drafts.
• Use encrypted emails, instant messenger, texts, voice apps and document sharing daily; a Virtual Private Network (VPN) when on untrusted Wi-Fi; and full-disk encryption when going through security checkpoints.

If you are an activist or blogger:

• Protect your research and data; online accounts; and correspondence with other activists.
• Use two-factor authentication and strong passwords; security checkups offered by social media platforms; full-disk encryption and encryption of flash drives, hard drives and all other sensitive files; expanded short urls; and anonymous chat.

If you are a civil rights defender:

• Protect the financial information of donors and employees; contact information of partners and clients; integrity of your organization; and private documents.
• Use the latest version of available software; strong passwords; a Virtual Private Network (VPN) when on untrusted Wi-Fi; caution with opening links and attachments; full-disk encryption when going through security checkpoints; and discretion in personal postings online.

If you are a student engaged in a movement:

• Protect your personal privacy; online identity and persona(s); and access to information.
• Use circumvention and anonymity tools (including VPNs); privacy enhancing browser extensions; regular clearing of chat history; anonymous chat; separate online personas; and discretion in personal postings online.

If you are you:

• You just might find that everything above applies.

Right now, the election of Donald Trump to the American presidency has much of the United States wondering what exactly is the status quo and what online sentiments will be respected and protected, a state of uncertainty not unlike what individuals worldwide face daily. Check out the guide and if you need more support, the Access Now Helpline is there for you: help@accessnow.org.

Surf secure and stay Rando!

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Want more SumTips? Read on!

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• SumTips: 5 Current Limitations on African Internet Freedom

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SumRando Cybersecurity is a Mauritius-based VPN, Web Proxy and Secure Messenger provider. Surf secure and stay Rando!

SumTips: 10 Facts on Encryption and Human Rights from Amnesty International

Amnesty International recently released a report ranking 11 technology companies on encryption and human rights.

The results reinforce what we already know:

• Encryption helps protect people’s human rights online.

• Encryption stops cybercriminals from stealing our personal information, and helps prevent unlawful government surveillance of our communications.

• There is virtual consensus among expert technologists and cryptographers that it is impossible to put in place a system of special access that could only be used by the intended state authorities. If a backdoor exists, others–criminals, malicious hackers, or other governments–will also be able to access it.

…and remind us that there is still work to be done:

• Only three of the companies assessed–Apple, LINE, Viber Media–apply end-to-end encryption as a default to all of their IM services. Of these, none are fully transparent about the system of encryption they are using.

• In five cases Amnesty International found a gap between policy and practice: for example, Microsoft has a clear stated commitment to human rights, but is not applying any form of end-to-end encryption on its Skype service. 

• All of the companies, with the exception of Tencent, have stated publicly that they will not grant government requests to backdoor the encryption on their messaging services.

• Apple is a powerful advocate for privacy and security and is applying a strong form of encryption to its services. However, Amnesty International found that the company could do more to tackle these issues from a human rights perspective and inform its users about the threats to their human rights and the way that the company is responding.

• Facebook deploys end-to-end decryption by default on WhatsApp, but not on Facebook Messenger.

• Telegram Messenger, Kakao Talk and Google Allo do not warn users when using weaker encryption.

• Snapchat and BlackBerry Messenger offer no commitment to freedom of expression and make no policy recognition of online threats to human rights.

Know what your chat app can do for you, surf secure and stay Rando!

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Image credit of Shutterstock.com.

Want more SumTips? Read on!

• SumTips: 8 Must-Have Tips From EFF's Surveillance Self-Defense Guide
• SumTips: How Donald Trump Proves that Freedom of Speech Works
• SumTips: 9 Cyber Security Awareness Month Events Not to Miss

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SumRando Cybersecurity is a Mauritius-based VPN, Web Proxy and Secure Messenger provider. Surf secure and stay Rando!

Digital Divide: Emerging Economy Cyber Alerts - October 20, 2016

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Policy

their legislation today could be yours tomorrow

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Assistant Undersecretary of the Cyber Security Sector Eng. Khalid Al Hashmi recently announced Qatar’s draft Information Privacy Protection Law would be enacted before the end of 2016. The law purports to protect personal data rights as well as personal information collected electronically or otherwise.

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Research and Initiatives

making your world a more cybersecure place

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Allan Cabanlong, Executive Director of the Philippines’ Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center (CICC), recently announced that a four-prong cyber strategy will begin in December; it will strive to protect infrastructure, government, business and individuals.

United States-based international digital rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation has updated its Surveillance Self-Defense guide to include further concerns about the security of WhatsApp. Vulnerabilities include unencrypted message backups, hidden key change notifications, utilization of a web interface rather than extensions and data sharing with Facebook.

 


Last week’s inaugural Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW) included the ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity (AMCC). The conference was chaired by Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim, Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-Charge of Cybersecurity, and served as the launch of Singapore’s national cybersecurity strategy.

 

Kenya now has a Cyber Coordination Centre. Explained Kenyan Communication Authority (CA) chairman Ngene Gituku, “[The] Cyber Coordination Centre is aimed at curbing increasing threats posed by cyber-criminals in the country and the region at large which require both institutions and individuals to take all necessary measures to safeguard themselves.” The Centre will promote collaboration at the local, national and international levels.

 


Indonesian Chief Security Minister Wiranto recently announced his intention to create a National Cyber Agency. Wiranto also acknowledged, “Cybercrime is related to security and defense in e-commerce. We will soon have e-voting. If the e-voting system is hacked, the data would be destroyed, so we have to safeguard it.”

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All images credit of BOLDG/Shutterstock.com.

Want more emerging economy cyber alerts? Read on!

• Digital Divide: Emerging Economy Cyber Alerts - October 13, 2016
• Digital Divide: Emerging Economy Cyber Alerts - October 6, 2016
• Digital Divide: Emerging Economy Cyber Alerts - September 29, 2016  

Want Emerging Economy Cyber Alerts sent to your inbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter ("Security Tips and News" at bottom of page).

 

Have valuable insight to share from your part of the world? Write for us!

 

SumRando Cybersecurity is a Mauritius-based VPN, Web Proxy and Secure Messenger provider. Surf secure and stay Rando!

SumTips: 8 Must-Have Tips from EFF’s Surveillance Self-Defense Guide

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is an international digital rights group that supports user privacy, free expression and innovation. In addition to its impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism and technology development, the nonprofit offers an online Surveillance Self-Defense Guide, with overviews of what digital surveillance is and how it can be countered; tutorials on installing and using protective software and tools; and briefings on relevant situations. Eight must-have tips include:

1.    How to Make a Super-Secure Password Using Dice (Animated): Think your complex password is secure? Think again. Computer programs allow hackers to guess millions of passwords in just one second. For greater security, try Arnold G. Reinhold’s Diceware technique.

2.    How to Delete Your Data Securely on Windows: Think a file moved to your computer’s trash folder is gone forever? Not exactly. Try BleachBit for secure file deletion for Windows (and check out EFF’s resources for deleting data from Linux and Mac OS X).

3.    How to Enable Two-factor Authentication: Not willing to rely on a single password to keep your accounts secure? Take the extra steps required to add an additional authentication method (usually your phone number). Facebook calls it ‘login approvals’; Twitter calls it ‘login verification’; Google calls it ‘2-step verification’; and we call it plain smart. A complete list of websites that offer 2FA can be found at https://twofactorauth.org/. 

4.    How to Use OTR for Windows: Looking for a secure chat application? Try OTR (Off-the-record) with instant messaging client Pidgin. OTR encrypts chats, identifies your chat buddy and prevents servers from logging conversations, but beware—it cannot control the actions of your chat buddy. Also, check out EFF’s resources for OTR for Linux and Mac).

5.    A Detailed Guide to Attending Protests (International): Interested in exercising your freedom of expression? EFF provides measures to take to protect your electronic devices, before and during a protest.

6.    A Detailed Guide to Protecting Yourself on Social Networks: Regarding Facebook, Twitter and Google+, have you asked any of the following questions lately: How can I interact with these sites while protecting myself? My basic privacy? My identity? My contacts and associations? What information do I want to keep private and who do I want to keep it private from? If so, EFF has answers.

7.    What Is Encryption? An Overview: You have questions; EFF has answers.

8.    A Detailed Guide to Choosing the VPN That’s Right for You: We may be biased, but we’d say that SumRando’s promise of no logging, secure server locations and acceptance of alternate payment options make it an excellent choice.

Know your resources, surf secure and stay Rando!

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Image credit of Shutterstock.com.

Want more SumTips? Read on!

• SumTips: How Donald Trump Proves that Freedom of Speech Works
• SumTips: 9 Cyber Security Awareness Month Events Not to Miss
• SumTips: 5 Human Rights Violations Not to Be Ignored

Want SumTips sent to your inbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletter ("Security Tips and News" at bottom of page). 

SumRando Cybersecurity is a Mauritius-based VPN, Web Proxy and Secure Messenger provider. Surf secure and stay Rando!