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CIA Launches Dark Web Onion Site

2019-05-13 by Michelle Dvorak

CIA Set Up an Onion Site – Here’s How to Find It

The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) launched a dark web website to expand and improve communications. The CIA launched a new website on the Tor network, also known as onion site or service. The new CIA onion website contains all the same information that the current CIA.gov website does. However, like all onion sites, users can browse the CIA’s Tor website anonymously. Both the surface website and the darknet Tor website look the same. The onion site must be accessed via secure browsers like Tor Browser.

Like other Tor websites, the CIA’s new onion site cannot be accessed using traditional web browsers. The CIA onion site users can also use the site to contact the CIA anonymously and without being tracked.

What is an Onion Site?

Onion is a top-level-domain that use the .onion suffix for its websites. Onion addresses end in .onion rather than .com, .net, .org etc… They are accessed via the Tor network. Their web addresses (URLs) are generally long strings of alpha-numeric characters but can have words in them. Both the information provider (website) and the web user are protected because data is encrypted and hard to trace. Onion sites do not return the server’s IP address which would, in turn, reveals the server’s network location. There are thousands of online sites, some are public like the new CIA onion site. But thousands are private and Tor users must know the address to find it.

What is a Tor Site?

The internet that the average person knows is referred to as surface web or clearnet. Deep web sites are not indexed by search engines such as Google and Bing. The dark web or darknet is part of the deep web. Tor is the largest darknet and its sites use the .onion suffix.

What is Tor Browser?

Tor web browser is a web browser that is used to surf the internet privately. It can be used to surf any website and is no more difficult to use than Google Chrome or Apple Safari. Tor is a free and open source browser developed by the Tor Project which is a US 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The latest stable release is Tor Browser 8.5a12.

The name “Tor” is short for The Onion Router. The web browser uses a network of relays developed by the US Navy to encrypt to hide government intelligence communications. Tor Browser is effective at hiding users’ locations and preventing their online activity from being tracked back to its source. Tor Browser users are protected against tracking, surveillance, and censorship. Cookies are deleted at the end of a browsing session. These modifications ensure your privacy and security are protected in the browser. However, your internet service provider (ISP) can see that you’re connected to Tor although the ISP cannot see your activity. Also, it is possible for an exit node to spy on your activity if the user goes to an unsecured HTTP website while using Tor Browser.

Tor Browser is not a virtual private network (VPN) and is usually much slower to use. Tor is not illegal to use. However, it is illegal to browse or download certain content, like child pornography, and or buy certain services or goods, like hacked credit card numbers.

How to Access to CIA Onion Website

The new CIA onion website is only accessible with a secure web browser like Tor Browser. If you don’t have Tor, you can download it to your computer or mobile device. Tor Browser is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux machines. A Tor mobile browser is available for Android devices.

Go to https://www.torproject.org to download and install the Tor web browser. Be sure to select the correct download for your device
Open Tor browser
Go to the CIA onion site at ciadotgov4sjwlzihbbgxnqg3xiyrg7so2r2o3lt5wz5ypk4sxyjstad.onion

The CIA’s onion website is identical to its surface website. Even its children’s area is the same. The only difference is that when you are using Tor Browser and are on the onion website, your activity is completely anonymous.

Tor Browser is not the only way to securely browse the internet. Alternative encrypted browsers include Brave Browser. Those interested in privacy could also use a VPN. To up your security another level use Tor together with a VPN. With a Tor over VPN connections, users connect to a VPN first then connect to Tor. VPN users need to trust the service that they use as the VPN provider has access to their actual IP address.

VPN services encrypt all the traffic on your device, not just the data in the web browser. NordVPN’s Onion over VPN service allows users to connect to Tor without Tor browser. However, to protect exit nodes, users must use VPN over Tor service, by connecting to Tor first then the VPN, which is more complicated.

Michelle Dvorak

Michelle writes about cyber security, data privacy focusing on social media privacy as well as how to protect your IoT devices. She She has worked in internet technology for over 20 years and owns METRONY, LLC. Michelle earned a B.S. in Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Michelle published a guide to Cyber Security for Business Travelers

www.metrony.com/

What is Tor Browser?

2019-01-28 by Michelle Dvorak

What is Tor Web Browser and Is It Illegal?

Tor browser is a web browsing application that allows a user to browse the internet anonymously. Tor is named for its origins and formerly named The Onion Routing project, or Tor Project. The browser was launched in September 2002 and released to the public in August 2004.

Tor is not a VPN and does not guarantee encrypted data. It protects a user’s privacy. Encryption is only for the sake of anonymous web traffic between nodes. However, Tor does not block the fact that the user is accessing a website through Tor. Websites and servers can gather information about the people accessing them including which web browser they are using and what type of device is being used. Some websites restrict access if it is detected that the traffic coming through Tor.

Is it Illegal to Use the Tor Browser?

It is not illegal to use the Tor browser as long as you are using for legal activities. Tor browser is commonly associated with the dark web and because of this it is a misconception that Tor browser is illegal to use, but it is not. It is intended o protect your privacy and conceal your identity.

Tor can be used to surf the dark web and non-darknet websites. Is it not illegal to access the Deep Web. The dark web, also called the darknet or deep web, hosts a wealth of legal information. However, it is strongly associated with illegal activities and bounties from hackers, but it does have legitimate and useful content too. It is safe to use the darknet as long as you are careful about your activities, do not download anything illegal or stolen, and do not conduct illegal activities yourself.

It is illegal to use Tor browser, or any other browser, app, tool, or service, to carry out activities that are illegal. For example, the dark web is a haven for hackers and criminals to sell data they have acquired through phishing emails, data breaches, or spoof websites. So, it not illegal to use Tor browser or even to access the dark web unless you are engaged in something sketchy.

Is it safe to use Tor Browser?

Yes, it is safe to use Tor browser. Like all programs, apps, software, and hardware the best practice is to keep everything patched and up to date with the latest security fixes. Allow your devices to take an update as soon as it becomes available.

Is Tor Browser Free?

Tor browser is part of an open source project and it is totally free to download and use. It was written by and is maintained through the efforts its founders with the help of sponsors. The Tor Project, Inc., a research-education nonprofit organization based in Massachusetts, maintains Tor browser. Like other open source software, the source code is downloadable. Users can edit and add functionality at will.

Can Tor Be Traced?

In October 2013, Edward Snowden blogged about leaked NSA documents that proved the US National Security Agency (NSA) tracked Tor use. The leaked NSA documents showed that the agency tracks Tor by running their own Tor nodes, using zero-day vulnerability of Firefox browser, and by tracking user’ browser Cookies

How Do I Browse Tor?

Download desktop Tor browser right from The Tor Project website. A mobile version of Tor is also available for Android device users. For IOS device users, you can use the Onion Browser to get a similar experience as the Tor Browser. For Android users, the download Tor from the Google Play Store.

Can Tor Be Used for Normal Web Browsing?

Tor is a legitimate and safe web browser that can be used for surfing websites and shopping online just like Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Safari.

Michelle Dvorak

www.metrony.com/

How to Delete Your Credit Card from Google Chrome

2018-08-08 by Michelle Dvorak

How to Delete Your Credit Card from Google’s Chrome Browser

Did you know that Google Chrome may be storing your credit card number, so you can make purchases online faster and easier? Well so can anyone else who uses your computer! Protect your money and delete your credit card and other payment information in Google Chrome. In case you did not know it, the world’s most popular web browser, Chrome, has a feature that allows users to payment information, including credit cards and your PayPal login! You see signs of this life hack each time you purchase something online using Chrome. However, what you may not realize is that is posed a bit of a security risk.

Many people, including me, use the autofill feature in Chrome and other web browsers like Firefox. I am a dedicated Firefox user because Chrome uses too much memory and then of course there’s all that user tracking! However, I was an avid Chrome user until last year when I switched to Firefox. I was reading about the latest Chrome update which has enhanced security features to prevent people from ending up on malicious websites. I was trying to check my security settings to see if I had the update when I came across the payment information.

Much to my surprise there is a toggle switch in Chrome that says, “Allow sites to check if you have payment methods saved!”

Follow these steps to Delete Your Credit Card Information in your Chrome Browser

Open your Chrome browser.
At the top right, tap the three dots menu
Select “Settings”
Select “Privacy and Security”
Under ‘Passwords and forms’, select “AutoFill settings”

chrome://settings/autofill

Scroll down to the credit cards section
Find your credit card information and delete it

Websites that accept credit cards, can access this payment information if your settings allow them to. This poses a security risk as anyone using your computer can make a purchase with your saved data. To be safe, remove all credit card and payment information from Chrome an any other browser you use. If you still wish to store your information and need to, the at least block access to it from third party sites.

I have a credit card stored in Chrome because I pay for additional storage on Google Docs. I don’t want to save my credit card in Chrome, but I seems that Google did that automatically. Interestingly enough, the stored card overview only showed that I had one credit card stored to buy disk space, but when I click through to delete it from Chrome, I found that my PayPal login was stored as well, even though I always choose, “no” indicating that I do not want to update the information.

How to Stop Websites from Accessing Your Payment Information in Chrome

In Chrome, tap the three dots in the upper right corner of your screen
Select “settings”
From the left hamburger menu” choose “Advanced”
Select “Privacy and Security”
Scroll down and change “Allow sites to check if you have payment methods saved” Change this to off if it is not already
This will stop other ecommerce websites for checking and using your payment information that is stored in Chrome

To stop saving payment information in Google Chrome

Open your Chrome browser
At the top right, tap the three dots menu
Select “Settings”
Select “Privacy and Security”
Under ‘Passwords and forms’, select “AutoFill settings”
Change “AutoFill forms” to off

Take it one step-further and secure your credit card numbers by deleting them from Chrome all together. While you are in the neighborhood you can set “Allow sites to check if you have payment methods saved” to off as well. I also have “Automatically send some system information and page content to Google to help detect dangerous apps and sites” set to off. Google doesn’t need to know any more about me!

Interestingly enough, Chrome would not allow me delete my PayPal information. It claimed that it was tied to a subscription. When I looked at the supposed account history, I saw that it had never been charged and the subscription was unmade. So now I must track this one down have this battle with Google Chrome.

Michelle Dvorak

www.metrony.com/

Update Firefox to Patch Security Vulnerability

2018-02-01 by Michelle Dvorak

Update Firefox to Patch Security Vulnerability

Mozilla issued a critical advisory to want users to patch Firefox in order to repair a security vulnerability. Firefox version 57, known as Firefox Quantum, left a vulnerability open. The exploit is in Firefox 57’s user interface code. The exploit made it possible to for a hacker to run unsanitized HTML on a user’s computer. In case you are not familiar with the term, unsanitized HTML, is web browser programming that has not been escaped of special characters and balanced with delimiters. Unsanitized can break an HTML web page and possible expose the database to corruption.

The Firefox vulnerability only affects desktop Firefox browsers. Firefox mobile apps are not affected.

Chrome (not at all related to Google’s browser by the same name) is a Firefox user interface that allows for user customized elements. The customizations are supposed to be confined to the logged in user, however an admin user could affect the entire machine. A hacker logged in as an admin could inject malicious code and hack the computer.

The exploit was present in three past releases for Firefox – 56,57, and Firefox 58. Users should immediately update Firefox Quantum to patch the vulnerability.

Firefox is an open source web browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation. Firefox is the second most popular web browser worldwide. It is second only to Google Chrome.

How do I Update Firefox?

Firefox updates itself by default. If it has not occurred already, users can manually update Firefox by opening the browser and then selecting the hamburger menu in the upper right corner. Select help then About Firefox. Firefox will check for updates on its own and begin to download a patch automatically. If the download does not being, users can download a fresh version here

Michelle Dvorak

www.metrony.com/

Is Firefox Web Browsing Private?

2017-12-04 by Michelle Dvorak

Is Firefox Browsing Private?

I’ve been using the Mozilla Firefox web browser for years. Firefox has always been one of the true developer’s browsers. It’s where i turn when i really need to test a website or other web functions.

A major feature, or more accurately missing feature of Firefox is its lack of association with internet giant Google and its parent company Alphabet. Google and its free web services are globally popular but they come at a price. It’s no secret that Google tracks its users and then monetizes it by using it for itself and sells it to advertisers. Google’s popular browser chrome, tracks your web browsing activity, including websites you look at and purchases you make. Have you ever used Chrome to book a hotel reservation and then noticed a reminder in Chrome search results page? Well that’s because Google tracked your purchase from the consideration phase to the commitment. Google also tracks your smartphone’s location, your usage on Google Maps, and your viewing preferences on its video sharing platform, and search engine, YouTube.com.

Firefox is a good alternative to Chrome is you want to preserve your right to privacy. Mozilla just released a faster, less memory hogging version of Firefox – one of its more extensive and best updates yet. But are you safe from tracking? Well, I thought so, but it is worth paying a visit to your Firefox privacy setting to ensure all is well.
Location-Aware Browsing is always opt-in in Firefox. No location information is ever sent without your permission. At no time is the name or location of the website you are visiting, or are any cookies, ever shared with Google Location Services.

How do I turn off Firefox Browser Location Data?

If you wish to disable the feature completely, please follow this set of steps:

Type geo.enabled
Double click on the geo.enabled preference
Location-Aware Browsing is now disabled

How do I revoke Firefox permission granted to a website?

Navigate to the site to which you’ve given permission

Go to the Tools menu, then select Page Info

Select the Permissions tab

Change the setting for Share Location

About Google Chrome Browser

Google Chrome is a freeware web browser first released in 2008 and developed by Google IT was originally for Microsoft Windows but was later ported to Linux, macOS, iOS and Android. As of Q2 2017 Chrome has a 63% worldwide usage share of the desktop web browser market as a desktop browser and 50% share on smartphones

About Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox (or simply Firefox) is a free and open-source[18] web browser for Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems. Firefox was created in 2002. As of September 2017, Firefox has between 5.96% and 13.6% of worldwide usage as a “desktop” browser, making it the second most popular web browse

After tolerating a slow and bloated Chrome for too long, I’m finally using Firefox as my full-time browser. I imported all my passwords, bookmarks, and history from chrome. It took a bit of learning, but i have profiles set up and can open them simultaneously. Get the latest Firefox download here.

Michelle Dvorak

www.metrony.com/

Safari Update – Protect Your Data

2017-05-28 by Michelle Dvorak

The Safari Update – How to Protect Your Data

A recent Apple Safari browser update included a patch that blocks browser visits to a maliciously crafted web page. The ransomware scam may lead to an application denial of service – meaning the users would not be able to open Safari. The latest version is Safari 10.1.1.

Hackers used JavaScript popups to block users from accessing Safari and demand ransom in the form of ITunes gift cards to return owner access to Safari.The scam included intimidating messages as part of the ransomware attack.

How do I get the Safari Update?

The latest version of Safari is available from the official Apple downloads page. Information about the security patch is not available in the Apple security center.

On 28 March 2017 Apple released iOS 10.3 which then received another minor update. On 15 May 2017, Apple released an update iOS 10.3.2 which included bug fixes and improvements to the security of iPhones and iPads. Other May updates release with this same software security patch include macOS Sierra 10.12.5, Security Update 2017-002 El Capitan, and Security Update 2017-002 Yosemite. The update also included Safari 10.1.1.

macOS 10 Cheetah replaced OS X in August of 2001, however, Apple included an update to OSX in this patch. The most up-to-date versions are now OS X v10.11 “El Capitan” and macOS v10.12 Sierra.

How Can I Protect My Website Data Online?

Safari is considered one of the most secure browsers on the web. This week Google announced that is using users’ app data to track their purchases online and offline. Meaning, Google is tracking and storing the purchasing behaviors of their users and storing that data along with personally identifiable information. The internet giant is doing this by coordinating data from its Chrome browser, Youtube, Google Maps app, and credit card data. In fact, any app that is developed on or becomes available through the Google Play store can be used to supply data to Google’s tracking program. Google is making this information available to advertisers, without the personal identifiers, to prove its ads are effective. Much of this activity goes on without the knowledge of Chrome browser users.

Changing web browsers on your laptop and mobile devices are ways to protect your web browser and credit card data. Google us using Google apps and properties as well as vendor relationships to mine data. Safari is not a Google app and therefore not part of the program.

Michelle Dvorak