v0xp0pul1 Always operate with a zero trust mindset. Do not trust anything, whether it’s your hardware, software, world wide web or anyone you interact with virtually or physically. (No I ain’t paranoid but stay with me). Your hardware is your first layer of defense. Always keep your OS and tools patched and updated. Keep your camera deactivated or covered when not in use, and there are Webcam covers you can purchase for your laptop. Suggested operating system for android device is GrapheneOS, but don’t brick your android. Never connect to free/public/unknown wifi hotspots, unless you know what you are doing. Your traffic can be snooped on easily with tools like Wireshark. Similarly, never connect your devices to any random charging cables to avoid “Juice Jacking”. Get a paid VPN. ExpressVPN, Surfshark, Mullvad, or NordVPN. Never use free VPN apps or even modded ones being distributed openly, as all your traffic goes to someone’s remote server and can be snooped on. VPN will help you hide your location, unblock restricted access, bypass MEGA.CO.NZ limits and sometimes give you great discounts. If you want to buy Nord VPN 2 year plan for free, use https://www.rakuten.ca/nordvpn and get 100% cashback using California as your address. Your browsing habits matter a lot. Use a good browser, such as Firefox with uBO Lite for suppressing advertisements and Privacy Badger for disabling tracking. Even browsers like DuckDuckGo have shared your data with Microsoft and can’t be trusted. Do not click random links. They can steal your cookies, track your location, inject virus or malicious scripts, create a backdoor or turn your device into a zombie node. If you are suspicious of a link, check the website registration in WHOIS https://www.whois.com/ and identify the owner/registration date. Recent registration date is always suspicious. To encrypt your data, use VERACRYPT. To ensure your links last longer, make sure the files you are sharing are zipped/rarred with a password and the links are further encrypted using BASE64 https://www.base64encode.org/. Similarly, do not share any premium links generated by someone, to some other forum. You risk getting traced. Nothing lasts forever. Neither Megaupload nor Zippyshare did, nor will anything you are using right now. Hence, buy physical drives and store your data where you can access them irrespective of data regulation changes or some autocratic a$$hole pulling strings. So, reduce your reliance on Telegram/terabox. When torrenting in Germany or UK, use Qbittorrent AFTER binding your VPN to the torrent client. If you use Nord VPN for eq, you can use one of the many servers and input your details straight into QBittorrent proxy. Then check for DNS leak and you can be rest assured no IPv6 is leaking. Prefer private trackers like TORRENTLEECH.ORG which opens its registrations quite frequently, and it is really easy to maintain ratio using a cheap seedbox. If you still need to download from public trackers, make sure your use VPN. Kill switches may or may not work. Be cautious. If your VPN connection drops, the swarm can immediately trace you. And that’s where ISP/copyright notices auto emerge. Active forums like these are ALWAYS under radar. While the forum owner takes all precautions such as secure hosting and data encryption, you are responsible for who you interact with or trust on the forum and elsewhere. I have seen The CLICK (erstwhile BZ) mods and admins turn rogue and hijack entire domain/steal data, and that’s where Zero Trust comes. This forum could be blacklisted by certain ISPs even without a court order. In that case, use a free service called CLOUDFLARE DNS. Change your DNS to 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1, or use CLOUDFLARE WARP application if available, or get Cloudflare Zero Trust (you just need to add your credit card for Zero Trust and you get upto 50 devices for free). All of these variations are totally free. If you use the app, you won’t be able to use a VPN. Disable telemetry and data collection - Like all self-proclaimed free/open source tools, there are lots of ad measurements, usage statistics and other telemetry hidden in the settings. Make sure to set these options off in Privacy & Security options. Refrain from engaging in socio-political or religious discussions. These issues are sensitive and sometimes form the basis of a large-scale sabotage. There are other, more suitable outlets for sharing your views. Discussing them on this forum won’t persuade NATO/UN/Your PM/Your “Vidhayak Chacha” to take action. The weakest link is always the human element. Social engineering exists in many forms, whether it’s e-whoring, AI-cloning, or phishing, and never works in the victim’s favor. No, milfs living a mile away aren’t sex-starved. No, that hot russian chick ain’t travelling to you if you paid for her ticket. If only life were so ecstatic and easy for us nerds….
