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best Linux distro (secure / private / no analytics / no tracking)

Worst hack I saw personally was on my step dad's machine a few years ago.

He complained the internet was slow, so I went over, ran a bunch of anti-virus programs and nothing of note came up.

Then I grabbed my laptop and fired up Wireshark, and there were literally thousands of connections and a ton of traffic, mostly going to China and Russia from the IPs I sampled.

My best guess was that the hackers installed a rootkit that was undetectable, and then were running some sort of botnet off my step dad's computer.

He refused to believe me, but I bought him a Chromebook and told him to throw out that computer because it couldn't be trusted.

And, really, there was nothing special for the hackers to target him. It could be anyone with lax security, they don't care.
 
cybereality said:
I used to think like that, but I've had hackers clean out my bank account. More recently I had my identity stolen. And like, I'm not anyone famous.

So I take security seriously. Yes, it is a little (or a lot) more inconvenient, but it is worth to to sleep comfortably at night.
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It's doubtful they used anything from your machine at home to do any of that. It's data leaks and phishing that are the leading causes, by far, of identity theft.
 
JSumrall said:
I disagree 100%. I've worked on enough machines over the years that have been infested with malware, browser redirects, etc where people have either had to pay to unlock it, or pay me to fix it for them. They may not be targeted by a specific hacker group, but everyone is being targeted somehow. Just because it's not showing up on the headline news as a hot trending topic doesn't mean it's not happening.

I do agree trust is the issue. You can't trust any website, company, person, or organization with your personal data. None of them care; and none of them are safe. It really comes down to how much are you willing to be inconvenienced to protect yourself. Do I just use my debit card to order a pizza? Or do I just pay cash upon arrival? Should I use a prepaid debit card for all online transactions and have to deposit physical money on it periodically at a local bank/walmart? Do I trust a company enough to transfer money from my bank to a limited prepaid card? Do I trust one of these disposable credit card companies with my banking information?

Like security on your desktop or personal devices, it all comes down to how much convenience you're willing to sacrifice for security.
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I am not talking about malware. That is not an issue with the OS, that problem is between the KB and the monitor. No OS privacy or security measures can protect you from yourself and bad habits.
 
cybereality said:
Worst hack I saw personally was on my step dad's machine a few years ago.

He complained the internet was slow, so I went over, ran a bunch of anti-virus programs and nothing of note came up.

Then I grabbed my laptop and fired up Wireshark, and there were literally thousands of connections and a ton of traffic, mostly going to China and Russia from the IPs I sampled.

My best guess was that the hackers installed a rootkit that was undetectable, and then were running some sort of botnet off my step dad's computer.

He refused to believe me, but I bought him a Chromebook and told him to throw out that computer because it couldn't be trusted.

And, really, there was nothing special for the hackers to target him. It could be anyone with lax security, they don't care.
Click to expand...
I doubt he was targeted, probably just opened a file or clicked a link. Once a package is delivered, and executed, it will dial home in most cases, then alert the offender that it is live.
 
I just use Windows and ... with all the buttons turned on

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cybereality said:
Used to work IT, and the funniest virus I ever saw was this desktop takeover.

Basically there were all these yellow happy faces growing and bouncing around the desktop on Windows XP.

I wasn't able to remove the virus because it took over Windows, you couldn't use the mouse or keyboard.

Just wiped Windows, but that was the funniest I saw. Basically a troll, I don't think it stole any information.
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Next time take a screenshot of a windows users desktop, disable desktop icons and make the screenshot his background image. That'll infinitely confuse him lol.
 
B00nie said:
Next time take a screenshot of a windows users desktop, disable desktop icons and make the screenshot his background image. That'll infinitely confuse him lol.
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I've done that at work before .. :)
 
IAmForum said:
[ ... ]
I have a ton of scripts / reg hacks that neuter Windows ability to track me.
I have nothing to hide, but I see no reason to make someone else money with my data !
[ ... ]
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Good on you. Are there links available for those scripts and reg hacks?
 
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