Recent comments in /f/OpSec
Rambler wrote
Reply to by !deleted846
Is there anything else we should look for when deciding on a safe?
Think about placement. Ideally your safe will be in it's final resting place, so to speak, once you've placed it. Out of sight. You'd think this would be obvious but I've had friends who have visible safes in their garage or office or whatever. Even without talking about it, someone may think, "I wonder whats in there?"
So, out of sight. Out of mind.
If you own your home, embedding the safe into the house itself isn't a bad idea. Is it in a closet? Build a it into the wall by building a shelf above it and making it impossible for the safe to now be removed. Not that they could with ease before, because it's mounted to the floor joist and wall studs. And now you just built a wall around it and put a normal cabinet door in front of it to make it all look like original closet storage, or something.
Honestly though, if you just need a safe that'll store paper, maybe some important documents and a small amount of jewelry it makes it so much easier to hide it in a place where it can be secured out of sight. If we're talking a big gun safe... There is a reason why a lot of people just have it mounted in their garage or living room. They're heavy as fuck, the size of a refrigerator or larger and there is the idea that, "That summabitch too heavy for anyone to steal" but it can still be broken into.
And a note about locking mechanisms: Combinations can (easily) be forgotten. Trust me on this, lol. You're convinced you'll remember it, don't need to write it down, etc. Then you have no need to open the safe for a year and are scratching your head when you need to get in. On the flip side, keys can be found and keys can be stolen or locks can be picked. Hand/finger print safes rely on a battery, which can last a long time but not last forever.
If you're storing things that would be absolutely devastating to lose, you've got a lot to think about. If it's some guns, documents like passport or birth certificate and maybe a few thousand dollars worth of valuables then really any mid-range fireproof safe that can be mounted/secured to a wall or floor joists and be hidden should probably do.
Wingless wrote
This is awful, but so predictable. Barrett Brown is much too brave for my taste - the brooding island empire with no constitution and censorship laws against everything is no place I want to visit nowadays, let alone protest in. I was thinking he might come to his senses and do something more sensible, like fly off to court lovely Alexandra Elbakyan. They could have done great things together.
smartypants wrote (edited )
Reply to comment by spc50 in Chinese team finds security vulnerabilities in Apple M1 chip devices and iPhone 12 Pro - CnTechPost by div1337
That is on version of OS from a few revisions ago : 11.0.1, not 11.2.x from nowadays.
I think its a big deal, but has no practical value in the wild.
smartypants wrote (edited )
Reply to Chinese team finds security vulnerabilities in Apple M1 chip devices and iPhone 12 Pro - CnTechPost by div1337
Probably only a little deal because 11.0.1 stopped shipping long ago and LOTS of patchess since 11.0.1 :
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201260
See? Current is 11.2.1, not 11.0.1, as per Apple
And many updates between.
If you bought a M1 computer 2 weeks ago it is shipped from China with OS : 11.1 (not 11.0.1) and Also 2 weeks ago firmware version is "6723.61.3". Also if you plugged in that computer, it tries , if you let it, to immediately install a giant new OS update. The update removes ability to run old sideloaded iPhone apps on m1 macs, so some might stick with 11.1 (not 11.0.1) for a while before letting apple force 11.2.1
THOSE HACKS IN THAT LINK might not have value, if they only work on 11.0.1 version of older OS
spc50 wrote
Reply to Chinese team finds security vulnerabilities in Apple M1 chip devices and iPhone 12 Pro - CnTechPost by div1337
In b4 Apple fanboys soft sell this as no big deal :)
Rambler wrote
Reply to Jumpstarting OPSEC - Cash and online payments by spc50
Good read, for sure.
Do you have any trouble using these cards anywhere? Do you use them for normal online bill pay, online ordering from stores (or ebay/amazon, etc)?
What happens if you, say... Put $200 on a card to pay some bills and you have a $1.28 balance left over or something on the card. Anyway to transfer that to another card or do you just lose it if you can't find a small purchase to apply that balance towards? (So in a way, an added fee to the original card purchase?)
spc50 OP wrote
Reply to comment by div1337 in Jumpstarting OPSEC - Cash and online payments by spc50
Amen! Support small biz always. Most workers are employed by small businesses.
However, with all the tax complexity and tech infiltration, those smart registers are hell on earth.
Avoid signing up for rewards / frequent buyer stuff unless you provide them with manufactured data. A good straw man just for that is recommended. Or a few... Give the person their own VOIP number, own freebie privacy email address, etc.
div1337 wrote
Reply to Jumpstarting OPSEC - Cash and online payments by spc50
I think another good thing to be in a habit of doing is support local small businesses. You are significantly more likely to be tracked by McDonald than your local takeaway shop.
spc50 OP wrote
Reply to comment by div1337 in Jumpstarting OPSEC - Cash and online payments by spc50
Nothing is bulletproof.
OPSEC and general sanity is a process of refinement. Have to practice the craft or you just become another tool in their box.
div1337 wrote
Reply to Jumpstarting OPSEC - Cash and online payments by spc50
I think it's futile to aim for 100% anonymity. We should not make it easy to track us for sure but we must also be prepared to fight in the open.
dontvisitmyintentions wrote
Reply to by !deleted846
In addition to keeping it out of sight, consider a decoy
For example, a broken safe (like a firesafe with a cracked wall or broken lock) or a heavy box that could pass for one, from a thrift store or craigslist. Make it look nice on the outside, put some low-value keepsakes, costume jewelry, or funny money, and non-sensitive copies or fakes of documents in there.
Stick it somewhere out of sight but not out of reach: under the bed, front corner of the closet, a dark shelf. Then if it's been tampered with, you know you have a problem, and it may satisfy them that it's your only hidden stash.