How Anonymous Are We?

[mrlessk]

Hello all,
FYI
Just saw this while checking out the latest news on CNN.com

Excerpts from the article:

"This Japanese case demonstrates how difficult it can be to stay anonymous on the Internet."

"The program allows users to trade files without revealing their Internet Protocol address"

"....the two Japanese men were apparently caught because they used a messaging function....."

Here is the entire CNN report:
Japan Arrests File Sharers (http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/12/08/sharing.arrests.ap/index.html)

mrlessk :mellow:

[CornerPocket]

Probably the key phrase" :huh:

"Freenet's creator, Ian Clarke, said the two Japanese men were apparently caught because they used a messaging function in Winny that was not anonymous."

[spanishpete]

if you ever get caught for any of this just burn all your files onto cd and then delete everything and then deny the lot let them prove in a court of law beyond any reasonable doubt that you did this crap. its the same as the tax people they put in silly demands that are impossible to prove and hope for the best but people are so silly all you have to do is say prove in court that i have done this and they will buckle.

[mrlessk]

Originally posted by spanishpete@9 December 2003 - 11:48
if you ever get caught for any of this just burn all your files onto cd and then delete everything .
As much as this sounds like a worthwhile contingency plan spanishpete, simply by the act of "deleting" your files does not completely remove them and any good investigator worth his salt, using special programs can seek out folders in other areas of your computer where files were deleted from your Recycle Bin, backed-up by your OS, in a hidden recovery folder, or just simply hidden from the average user (like myself).

Here are a couple of examples:
Recover deleted files (http://www.recovermyfiles.com/)

Recovering missing Data (http://www.data-recovery.com/)

I've often pondered over this dilemma. Anyone with a sure-fire way to completely remove access to "unwanted" files from your computer, other than running over your harddrive with a bulldozer and making it completely inoperable...please let me know.
Remember that quote... "where there's a will (or search warrant) there's a way"
mrlessk :newyear:

[james_bond_rulez]

well they can't get ur hdd without a warrant... so if you are not running databases of every movie/music/app that ever existed then they'll probably WONT get a search warrant and take all of ur computers.

users like us are vast and getting 4 million search warrants? nah :lol:

[mrlessk]

Originally posted by CornerPocket@9 December 2003 - 11:28


9/11/2003
In Memory of my Brother,
US Army Staff Sgt. Henry Ybarra, III
6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Six-Shooters (6/6 CAV)
"Operation Iraqi Freedom"

God bless him and all our heros!

[james_bond_rulez]

Originally posted by mrlessk+10 December 2003 - 02:50--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (mrlessk @ 10 December 2003 - 02:50)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-CornerPocket@9 December 2003 - 11:28


9/11/2003
In Memory of my Brother,
US Army Staff Sgt. Henry Ybarra, III
6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Six-Shooters (6/6 CAV)
"Operation Iraqi Freedom"

God bless him and all our heros&#33; [/b][/quote]
a little off topic dont u think? <_<

[Madchris]

Just get a second hard drive (external), make sure all your stuff is only on that hard drive(make sure virtual memory manifests itself on the hard drive) , and physically destroy the hard drive (a microwave oven should suffice) should you ever get caught.

[ThePlasticSurgeon]

Originally posted by Madchris@15 December 2003 - 18:11
Just get a second hard drive (external), make sure all your stuff is only on that hard drive(make sure virtual memory manifests itself on the hard drive) , and physically destroy the hard drive (a microwave oven should suffice) should you ever get caught.
I would actuallly improve on that situation. Since anything downloaded will prbably leave some trace on the master* drive, downloading files to the slave* drive will not be completely secure. I have another idea.
Get a clean hard drive
Install an OS and some programs on it
Add some files to make it seem like you use it often
Remove this drive and keep it in a safe place
Get your normal hard drive
Do all your downloading of stuff when this drive is in
If the police arrest you tell them you need a warrant
While they are getting a warrant take this drive out (hide or destroy it) and put the other one in

I doubt this would work though as your isp probably has kept some logs (they say they don&#39;t but they probably do).

*I can use these terms all I like. It&#39;s legal to say them where I live.

[h1]

http://www.evidence-eliminator.com

Most of what they say are lies, but the program is excellent (PC Magazine 5 stars)

[d8888]

1.eraser.sourceforge.net
Download eraser,use Peter Guttman&#39;s algorithm and shred your stuff 35 times.

2.Download Acronis Privacy Expert
If your are afraid of other traces(ex:Recently opened documents,swap files,system backups.......)

3.Download Acronis Drive cleanser or DBAN
Destroy whole hard drive&#33;Or you can put your HD into micro oven ^_^


Question:Is "shredding" the best way to keep privacy?
Answer:BUTTZZZZZ,wrong answer.You should never let "critical data" written into your Hard drive.I recommend PGP 8.0,use PGP disk to protect your data with Daffie-Hoffman 2048 bits encryption&#33;If emergency, you can shred the virtual disk file&#33;

And sorry for my broken English,I live in Taiwan ^_^

Oh&#33;forget to mention,shredding data with a lot of "00" is stupid,it is still recoverable,use Peter Guttman&#39;s algorithm(The strongest data destroying method)

[Cotton]

Format you HD, they will find nothing after a format.

And dont do what that guy said about burning you ILLEGAL data onto a cd thats just stupid, just format your hd forget about the shit you downloaded you can always redownload it.

But if they were coming after me i would just burn my HD just to be safe.

[james_bond_rulez]

Originally posted by Cotton@16 December 2003 - 21:06
Format you HD you fools, they will find nothing after a format.

And dont do what that guy said about burning you ILLEGAL data onto a cd thats just stupid, just format your hd forget about the shit you downloaded you can always redownload it.

But if they were coming after me i would just burn my HD just to be safe.
formattting ur hdd wont destroy the data u fool

anybody knows that

easily recoverable <_<

[Cotton]

Ur wrong&#33;&#33;

Format ur hd then try to recover.

It erases everything

[junkyardking]

Originally posted by Cotton@17 December 2003 - 06:28
Ur wrong&#33;&#33;

Format ur hd then try to recover.

It erases everything
You might not be able to recover the data, but a goverment agency can, there are even business which specialise in data recovery, actualy there was one guy who had a hard drive servely damaged in a house fire,
it had alot of business accounting on it he took it to one of these business and they recoved 70 - 80 % of the data, the only way to truely destroy the data is to destroy the hard drive itself, reformating and shreading dont cut it when it comes to the specialists. :D

[Cotton]

Just a question...

Can u completely remove ur HD from ur computer then put it back in, and it will still hold the information??

[james_bond_rulez]

Originally posted by Cotton@16 December 2003 - 22:44
Just a question...

Can u completely remove ur HD from ur computer then put it back in, and it will still hold the information??
of course it will <_<

what kind of question is this? :lol:

[RealitY]

Sheesh...

[d8888]

------------------------------------------------
it had alot of business accounting on it he took it to one of these business and they recoved 70 - 80 % of the data, the only way to truely destroy the data is to destroy the hard drive itself, reformating and shreading dont cut it when it comes to the specialists.
------------------------------------------------
I think it depend on the algorithm you select in shredding data.

Using a a pattern like "00 00 00 00 00...." is the worst way,while Peter Guttman&#39;s algorithm make it as possible to recover data by using 35 different random pattern.

According to a "business man" you said,data will be very difficult to recover if you overwrite it over 7 times.

The best method will be combining disk encryption and data shredding.

[james_bond_rulez]

Originally posted by d8888@17 December 2003 - 00:27
------------------------------------------------
it had alot of business accounting on it he took it to one of these business and they recoved 70 - 80 % of the data, the only way to truely destroy the data is to destroy the hard drive itself, reformating and shreading dont cut it when it comes to the specialists.
------------------------------------------------
I think it depend on the algorithm you select in shredding data.

Using a a pattern like "00 00 00 00 00...." is the worst way,while Peter Guttman&#39;s algorithm make it as possible to recover data by using 35 different random pattern.

According to a "business man" you said,data will be very difficult to recover if you overwrite it over 7 times.

The best method will be combining disk encryption and data shredding.
why dont you just nuke the hdd with a pipe bomb, it&#39;s easier on my eyes <_<
..

:lol: