Defend Your Privacy Like a Pro Agent

In this guide, I'll walk you through practical techniques to protect your computer during critical missions where privacy isn't just a preference but a necessity that could keep you safe.

Why You Might Need Protection

Most surveillance tools for monitoring individuals in various settings are completely legal. However, there are situations where enhanced privacy becomes crucial - whether you're a lawyer protecting client communications or someone operating in sensitive environments.

Remember that these techniques have dual purposes and can be used for both legitimate protection and potentially harmful activities. Always stay within legal boundaries.

Avoiding surveillance isn't simple because of the digital trails our devices create. Every online action leaves footprints stored on servers that can be analyzed to understand user behavior.

Setting Up Your Secure Workstation

When building a secure computer, start by purchasing it with cash rather than cards. Upon first boot, adjust the BIOS settings to deactivate internal components like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LAN, and the camera.

For internet connectivity, use a disposable USB Wi-Fi device like the Netgear N300 that can be discarded if compromised. Install a security-focused operating system like Fedora Security Lab, and configure privacy measures before connecting to the internet.

Essential Privacy Techniques

1. Hide Your MAC Address

The MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces that can track your device across networks. We'll spoof this address using a Linux system service.

Create two files in /etc/systemd/system: hide_mac.sh and hide_mac.service:

#!/bin/bash

mac_new="d0:57:7b:11:39:c2"
net_interface="wlp2s0f3u2"

sudo macchanger --mac=$mac_new $net_interface

Update the net_interface variable with your Wi-Fi USB module name (found using ifconfig). After setting up the service and enabling it, your MAC address will be changed at every system boot.

2. Hide Your DNS Location

To prevent DNS leaks that could reveal your location, configure your own DNS servers instead of using your provider's:

#!/bin/bash

dns_default="192.168.0.1"
dns_opendns="208.67.222.222 208.67.220.220"
net_interface="wlp2s0f3u2"

if sudo resolvectl status | grep -q $dns_default; then
    sudo resolvectl dns $net_interface $dns_opendns
fi

Set this up as a system service that checks and updates your DNS settings regularly. Verify your protection by testing at dnsleaktest.com.

3. Use SSL-based OpenVPN

While DNS protection helps, your public IP address remains exposed. Using a VPN creates an encrypted tunnel for all your traffic, preventing anyone from determining your location or monitoring your communications:

#!/bin/bash

system_path="/etc/systemd/system"
mac_address="74:da:38:8b:a5:c2"
ping_server="208.67.220.220"
dns_default="192.168.0.1"

# Various security checks
# ...

# Establish VPN connection if needed
if ! sudo ifconfig | grep -q "tun1"; then
    vpn_config=$(shuf "$system_path/open_vpn.config" | head -n 1)
    sudo openvpn --config "$system_path/$vpn_config" --auth-user-pass "$system_path/vpnbook-password-tcp443.txt"
fi

This script randomly selects from available VPN configurations and establishes a connection. Free VPN configurations can be downloaded from services like VPN Book.

4. Set Up a Security Guard

To monitor for potential security breaches, create a service that checks your privacy protections and alerts you if anything fails:

#!/bin/bash

agent="GUARD"
mac_address="74:da:38:8b:a5:c2"
ping_server="208.67.220.220"
dns_default="192.168.0.1"

send_message()
{
   sudo -u username DISPLAY=:0 DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:path=/run/user/1000/bus notify-send $agent "$1"
}

# Check various security measures
# ...

This script delivers desktop notifications when any of your privacy protections fail, giving you immediate awareness of potential issues.

Troubleshooting

If your Linux services fail to function properly, you might need to disable SELinux by editing /etc/selinux/config and changing SELINUX=enforcing to SELINUX=disabled, then rebooting.

Additional Privacy Recommendations

Beyond these core techniques, consider these additional privacy enhancements:

• DuckDuckGo - A search engine that doesn't track your search history
• Tor Browser - Routes internet traffic through encrypted relays
• Email encryption - Protects your communications from eavesdropping
• XMPP with end-to-end encryption for secure messaging

Resources

Most scripts and Linux service declarations are available in this GitHub repository: Bash Scripts for Enhancing Privacy on Linux Workstations