Encrypt all the things!

also

adb shell "pm list packages -e" | grep cal

I didn't remove Google Calendar

that's my point - google shit breaks because you're removing other stuff that doesn't appear related, as it's all so linked up

It's also safer to disable apps first - saves reinstalling & potentially losing data

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 app.name

Yeah, I'm a kinda shoot first, ask questions later guy though.

Anyway, looks like it was the Samsung Contacts shit it was upset about. Putting those two fuckers back on seems to have shut it up again.

Thanks for this, I need a bit of time to read over but looks very helpful.

I've started trialing Syncthing on your recommendation, so far so good. I'm a bit concerned about potential data loss as I've had a few conflicts initially, I guess using the trashbin version control would put my mind at ease here. Also I don't have the storage capacity on my phone so I guess the solution here is to setup my NAS then I can grab files from there if I'm in a fix, this doesn't happen very often.

Whilst researching this I'm came across Logseq. Wow, open source, markdown notes app. It's a bit tricky to start and not very intuitive but after a bit of time something has clicked with me, so I'm doing a little test syncing this across my devices.

Russia’s Sandworm hackers attempted a third blackout in Ukraine

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/04/russias-sandworm-hackers-attempted-a-third-blackout-in-ukraine/

Meanwhile, cyber insurers in London I spoke to this week all feel it’s only a matter of time before another systemic NotPetya style attack.

I'm still using ivpn. Any reason not to? I think VB switched to something else but why?

If I do continue with it, is there any reason not to use their own iVPN app? Currently I use OpenVPN and manually add iVPN config files.

Mullvad is the paranoid "I'm doing things I probably shouldn't online" choice... and it's pretty damn good for "I'd like to see what Netflix in the US has on offer".

I also use Tailscale for the personal VPN stuff... meaning creating a LAN connected to home even when remote, or defining an exit node so that traffic from my mobile can go via my home connection.

I mostly just use iVPN for using dirty wifi connections in hotels and stuff. So, less paranoid use case, just a bit of protection. I was thinking of just going to the iVPN app so I didn't have to refresh their profiles when they get updated (I noticed in Belgium most of my profiles no longer worked).

I do sometimes use it to get foreign content but not very often.

Oh, that was something else I was going to look at - setting up my PC to be remotely accessible from overseas - how best to do that securely?

I mostly just use iVPN for using dirty wifi connections in hotels and stuff.

Just use Mullvad

Oh, that was something else I was going to look at - setting up my PC to be remotely accessible from overseas - how best to do that securely?

Install Tailscale on everything... Tailscale is both a VPN client and VPN server, it uses Wireguard inside, and it has an external authentication which creates the encrypted distributed hash table that allows for auto-discovery of the other devices associated to that account.

Meaning a home machine with Tailscale running, and a remote machine with Tailscale running see each other and can tell you an IP address of the other machine.

In this default mode... so long as you have things exposed on the machines, i.e. remote desktop, ssh access, file sharing, etc... then this is all now available using the IPs they advertise.

Default mode = your LAN just went global.

But you can also do more things... like configure one to be an exit node (i.e. your home machine), which allows the other (the remote one) to route all traffic via it.

Exit node mode = one of your machines is now a traditional VPN for your other machines.

And you can still go further, you can configure an exit node to also grant access to things that machine can see like the local LAN... i.e. the exit node can be configured to also share 192.168.1.x

Exit node + allow local access = Traditional VPN + you have a jump box to a local network.

And it's all through one binary, and unbelievably simple to configure.

Just use Mullvad

Urgh, change. My ivpn runs out in July so I guess I could look at swapping. Looks like it has its own client - I take it I can run it on Android and Windows? Does it have London exit node? Aussie?

Ok, Tailscale sounds quite useful. I don't have much of a local network that I'd need to access, I just wanted to be able to say, dump photos onto my PC from overseas or pull a file from the PC and maybe remote onto the PC to view a browser tab I'd left open and forgotten some info from.

Yep, lots of exit nodes. Yes, Android and Windows

How do you pay for it? They talk of crypto and cash payments :D

Wow, 5EU per month. Cheaper than iVPN

Ok, that was too easy. Looks like I'm now a mullvad user. Now need to remember to cancel ivpn before it renews :)

I assume related but the Windows client just ran and clobbered all the icons in my task bar. Very odd. All the apps are running but the taskbar just emptied of app icons.

Killing Explorer didn't help, getting the taskbar to redraw with small large didn't help, but then they all just came back. Maybe something else killed them. Seems a bit too convenient that the Mullvad taskbar icon was the only thing left visible though.

Location set to London but IP reported as Romania.
Had to set it to a specific Wireguard London exit point to actually get a London IP. Just setting it to Location=London wasn't enough.

https://mullvad.net/en/help/search/?q=location#68

Some websites or apps think I am in Romania or Sweden, but I have selected a server in the USA or UK #

You can verify the location using https://mullvad.net/check . There are a number of different geolocation databases and it can take some time before they get the correct information and for the websites to update to the latest version of it. When connected to Los Angeles or New York some websites show the location as Romania. You can use another city like Chicago instead. When connected to London some websites show the location as Sweden. You can use gb1 or gb6 in London or any of the Manchester servers instead. How: You can select a specific server in the app by using the down-arrow on the right side of the country and city.

DuckDuckGo browser allows Microsoft trackers due to search agreement

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/

"Follina"

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2022/05/31/mysterious-follina-zero-day-hole-in-office-what-to-do/

You might want to remove HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ms-msdt if you have Office shit installed.

That is not a great article... this one is better (shows the sample code): https://thehackernews.com/2022/05/watch-out-researchers-spot-new.html

This works for me: https://0ut3r.space/2022/03/06/windows-defender/

Protects against it perfectly fine... I was alerted by Defender and it was blocked.

I'll concede, most people aren't doing this stuff... but when done Windows is pretty damn secure.

Additionally the attack URL was blocked by Google Safe Browsing, which means that NextDNS was already blocking it... so if you use NextDNS you already had the destination which contained the JavaScript used to elevate the attack blocked.

That URI can be seen on this page: https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/4a24048f81afbe9fb62e7a6a49adbd1faf41f266b5f9feecdceb567aec096784/behavior (the one called RDF*.html)

I don't really care about how the exploit works. I'd read another one on that. This was the link with the simplest fix though.

I'll have a look at that Defender thing at some point. I've never really messed with Defender.

Off topic sorry but wasnt sure best thread for this.
Need to replace the cable between phone socket and router.

Currently got this
https://www.cabledepot.co.uk/5m-bt-phone-extension-cable-male-to-female-p-2249.html

Is there a better/ faster type of this cable or are they all basically the same.

I've installed this on a few things recently and, as you say, it is very simple and just seems to work. Much easier than messing about with OpenVPN and generating users and stuff.

The only issue I have is that you can't use it without admin rights (Windows). I've had a look and can't spot any portable options or anything. I don't suppose you've come across the same thing and have a solution?

They are all basically the same - the wiring between your house and the exchange will be much more shonky.

Hmm, nope. I only have a couple of Windows machine and I'm admin on them.

One for the "if you've got nothing to hide" brigade...

https://www.wired.com/story/modified-elephant-planted-evidence-hacking-police/

OpenSSH moves to quantum-conmputing-resistant encryption. Just in case.