🔐Security Safety Tips

The Impact of Data Brokers: Uncovering Their Role in Data Breaches – Wolf & Company, P.C.Wolf & Company, P.C.

I am going to give you a few minutes to read the article above and let that explain to you what the correlation between data brokers and data breaches are...

Go ahead I'll wait.

After reading the article above, wouldn't you want to know how best to remove yourself and loved ones from the Internet. Here are the best articles and knowledge bases to do just that!

JustDeleteMe

Incogni - Personal Information Removal ServiceIncogni_com

• Ensure that you are not using any social media sites (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) as attackers can use these to target your organization (i.e., find a birthday post)

  • Better yet, do not post pictures about vacations that you are currently on as this will leave your house open to burglary.

• If you need to buy anything off Amazon, do not use your home address, utilize the Amazon bins at Whole Foods or other Amazon affiliated retail stores.

  • Buy Amazon gift cards from grocery stores with cash.

• Remove yourself from popular data broker sites (i.e., TruePeopleSearch and ThatsThem)

IntelTechniques Data Removal Workbook

• Utilize a password manager

  • I utilize two (one password manager for the master password of the other password manager)

  • Both passwords are over 64 characters in length (good luck)

Public Areas

• When walking around public areas, ensure that your phone is not set to "Automatically join networks" as you might accidentally join an Evil Twin network (aka Rogue Access Point).

• If you need to access the internet from public areas (i.e., Transit, Airports, Coffee Shops), utilize cellular service, rather than WiFi.

  • Do not use banking applications or any other sensitive applications over public wireless networks, just please don't.

• If you cannot use cellular service, use a virtual private network (VPN).

• Do not leave your personal device unlocked and in an open area, always lock your personal device and take it with you.

• Do not pick up and insert random USBs (I mean do I need to explain more?).

• Utilize a secure and private operating system to do work with (i.e., GrapheneOS or LineageOS).

• Utilize privacy screens to prevent shoulder surfing or peeking.

• Park far away from the structure you are entering to prevent being blocked off in case of an emergency.

Home Life

• Utilize a secure router with a secure operating system (i.e., OPNSense or DDWrt).

• Use a whole home virtual private network (VPN).

• Regularly audit your home devices to ensure that you have full asset management.

• If you are maintaining websites for clients or friends, utilize a mesh-network VPN (i.e., Tailscale).

• Only open ports on the websites that are necessary for viewing (i.e., HTTP/HTTPS).

• Follow a good setup guide for maintaining the server: https://github.com/imthenachoman/How-To-Secure-A-Linux-Server

• Ensure that there is good segmentation between IoT devices and other devices.

• Use a strong WiFi password.

• Remove your home from Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Bing Maps that have street view.

• Remove your home from Zillow.com and other MLS sites.

• Sign up for Informed Delivery for UPS.