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Q Wealth Report is a newsletter about freedom, wealth, and privacy. We know you are probably not a computer expert. But if freedom, wealth and privacy concern you, it is very important that you take five or ten minutes to read this article properly! At the bottom of this page we will also offer you a free SSL-secured e-mail account to get started.
A factor overlooked by most internet surfers, in their rush to upload their personal information, photos and even details of their movements to social networking sites for posterity, is the threat to our privacy - and therefore our freedom - posed by today's internet. Whether you are looking to protect your assets by banking offshore, accessing online bank and brokerage accounts, or whether you are simply seeking to communicate with like minded individuals in your business or personal life - like it or not - you need computer security!
Topics covered in this article include technlogies like offshore VPN or Virtual
Private Networking from Panama, fully portable Cryptosticks, secure e-mail
and anonymous web browsing, and even a totally secure laptop (yes they do exist).
Using these technologies protecting yourself against viruses, trojans, keyloggers
and similar malware designed to steal your identity, the contents of your bank
accounts, and who knows... your soul! We're going to talk about recommended
solutions from SecureLaptop.org,
powered by Cryptohippie
and Rayservers technology.
Identity theft, hacking of financial accounts, and illegal surveillance
by governments are major concerns to anyone who is informed regarding
electronic security. Our 'leaders', as usual, go about bragging how their
ever-greater control of everything will make you safe… and that you should
just trust them and just go back to sleep. As usual, their solution is
generating some very nasty unexpected consequences!
Although globetrotting (both in real life and in the virtual world)
opens up many opportunities, it also brings its own set of unique problems.
Both in The Q Wealth Report our flagship privacy newsletter available to
our paid-up subscribers, and in our free weekly e-mail newsletter we
frequently examine these issues. We suggest practical high-tech but user
friendly solution designed with two simple things in mind: your privacy
and your security.
To find a solution, first analyze the threat
Computer crime used to be the province of angry, nasty hackers, who stole credit card numbers and sold them on eBay-type platforms. But, those days are mostly gone. The growing attention of banks, police, consumer saviors, and credit card processors drove the hackers to the mafias, and forced them to work together.
Today, the goal for stolen data is quality. The payoff comes in massive credit card frauds, operating illegal businesses, emptying bank accounts, blackmail, and associated organized criminal activities.
Stolen data is seldom traded anymore. Instead it goes to data refineries,
where large blocks of data are upgraded by using additional data for cross
referencing. Then, specific persons or firms are targeted for additional
data theft if they look interesting.
The critical factors here are cross-referencing and unique identifiers
(for example Social Security Numbers). In other words, the mafias need
verified data. And the best verified data comes from… you guessed it..
Governments! Government data is fantastically valuable to the mafias. It is very accurate, seldom outdated, comes in large packages, and it comes with unique identifiers.
By fighting against privacy and for "consumer protection," the governments of the world have created a system that is prone to high scale, high volume, coordinated attacks, which are perfect for mafia groups. And, make no mistake, this is big business. The 2007 SANS report pegged the profits from cyber-crime at $180 Billion! (Illegal drugs came in at only $140 Billion.) No more recent statistics are available, but now as of 2010 anecdotal evidence shows us the problem is much bigger.
The Coming Windfall for the Cybercrime Mafias
If you think cyber-crime is bad now, just wait until government control-freaks get their new ID schemes into place. You've probably heard about RFID Biometric Passports and contactless credit cards, Real ID in the USA, and the National ID card scheme in the UK. It stands to get much worse..
Biometric ID is the Holy Grail of cyber-crime; the dream gift of mobsters everywhere. With it, the crooks will get ultra-rich, buy up all sorts of assets, and quite possibly crash the consumer credit system altogether. Imagine for a moment a world where credit and ATM cards suddenly stopped working from one day to the next! It couldn't happen? I wouldn't be so sure!
By optimizing central control, governments have created a perfect environment for cyber-crime. And they are working overtime to make it even better.
The one technology that would massively reduce cyber-crime is anonymous digital cash. No information to read means no information to steal and abuse. Unfortunately, anonymous digital cash is frowned upon by authorities worldwide. Privately issued anonymous currencies, often backed by gold, are absolutely the last thing governments want... because by their very nature they would be impossible to control, tax or devalue. No more creating fiat money out of thin air!
Protecting Your Identity Online
Protecting your online life is fairly easily accomplished. You can get reasonable security by installing a few pieces of software that should take half an hour. The cost is some in the range of one dollar per day. Or you can get a completely secure pre-configured laptop shipped to your door, and simply use that machine for anything remotely sensitive.
But before we get to solutions, you really should understand the situation you face.
Your E-Mail is Like an Open Book
Probably the biggest single threat is your email. Your emails are like
an open book. They contain many details of your business and your family
life. They are notoriously insecure. For that reason, they are a prime
target for people who want to spy on you. Who you communicate and do
business with are no one's business but your own. Because of this, you
should set up your email to be truly secure.
There are three primary threats to e-mail privacy:
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Outsiders being able to read your messages.
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Outsiders being able to see with whom you are communicating, even if they cannot read the messages.
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Outsiders and Recipients of your mail being able to see your physical location or other non- public personal information.
All of these can be addressed very adequately by off the shelf solutions we will
recommend below. Read on for details....
Secure Your Web Browsing
Besides email, the other application people use most on the Internet is web browsing (for computer dummies, that's what you are doing now!) To remain safe here, you have to buy access to a secure network.
But first, you should know this: All websites log each and every access. Even if you just view an introductory home page such as this one, your 'IP' (Internet Protocol) address is logged. Your IP address can be traced back to your real world home address. Most site administrators do precisely nothing with this information they have on you. It is mainly used for statistical purposes, such as "from what part of the world are people visiting our swell website?"
But if someone is watching either you, or a particular website you have logged on to, that information is out there - for ever! Who knows when one of those mafia data refineries may link it to some other bit of info they have picked up on you.
A good secure network acts as your proxy. In other words, it takes your instructions (such as "get me the homepage of www.offshorebank.com"), executes them for you and sends the pages you request back to you. To the machine on the far end, where the information you are viewing is actually kept, only your proxy's information appears. You are anonymous!
As with email, free, anonymous proxy services are always available on the net, but, do not use them! You want someone who has something to lose by providing bad service or stealing (or maybe just "losing") your information.
There are two ways you can protect your internet surfing: a software solution (Virtual Private Networking) or a hardware solution - a physical box that you plug in between your computer and the internet.
Q Wealth's Recommended One Stop Shop for Online Privacy Protection
We've been following developments in the online privacy field since back in
the nineties when we first published the Computer Security Toolkit. This is an
essential topic for us and our readers. Over the years we have tried pretty much everything, both paid for and free solutions. We've visited with and enjoyed time with some of the very interesting people who make this field their business.
Some of what we tried was rubbish, but most was good. The problem, however, was making everything mesh together. You take one service from one provider, then a piece of software from another. Then, when you have a little compatibility problem, the 'guru' has turned off his Skype for a week and gone into deep coding mode. What do you do?
So we were very happy last year when a small group of people well known and trusted by us, decided to set up a 'one stop shop' - offering a complete computer security solution in one place. Their site is here: SecureLaptop.org - Computer Security Solutions http://www.securelaptop.org/
At SecureLaptop.org you can count on friendly advice and support - both before and after your purchase. Their full time techie is always reachable by Skype or phone if you have a question. And they can customize just about everything depending on your needs. They can take the best services from leading brands like Cryptohippie and Rayservers and make them work together.
SecureLaptop.org's flagship product is a Totally Secure Laptop designed for those who wish to leave the security to the experts and make sure they have a plug and play, out-of-the-box product that offers not just secure e-mail and surfing, but also strong local encryption to protect data on the laptop against physical theft or seizure.
They also offer special deals to Q Wealth readers. As part of the special deal we have set up with them, for a limited time, Q Wealth membership comes with a free SSL-secured e-mail account. That means that whenever you want to communicate with us - for example to take advantage of your free e-mail consultation with Peter Macfarlane - nobody can eavesdrop. They can also help you get set up with PGP and other encryption solutions.
If you are already a Q Wealth member, be sure to ask about a discount on your purchase at SecureLaptop.org. If you are not yet part of our ranks, what are you waiting for? Join today, then just fire off a quick e-mail to our office requesting your secure e-mail account. Just one of the many benefits to privacy seekers of a Q Wealth membership.
Finally, don't forget to sign up to our free Q Bytes weekly e-mail letter, which frequently includes updates on computer security topics.
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