For the newly paranoid......

[Jack Harer]

I see a lot of threads on getting "busted" as the result of our activities here, in areas that should be for other stuff. If you've already posted or uploaded pics, now's a hell of a time to get worried about it. But from now on, you have this.....
If you're on ANY forum that discusses illegal activity, I got 3 words for you. (OK, 4!) Tor Browser, and True Crypt.
Tor Browser bounces your traffic, encrypted, around the globe thru a network of volunteers keeping your identity safe. It's a free program, open source, and very secure. NSA type secure. Tor is a secure browser based on firefox that can even be installed on a flash drive, so that even if you use a public computer, you can still be anonymous. It's available for windows, Linux, Android, and has chat and email functions. Get it. Use it.
www.torproject.org

True Crypt is an open source encryption program based on "hidden volumes" (steganography) I say it's open source and thats good because so many people are in on the source code. If, say, the Government wanted to be able to get hold of the encryption algorithm, there would be no one person or group they could intimidate to gain that advantage. With true 256 bit AES encryption, it is truly a safe and secure way to store your information that even the NSA would take a few years cracking with a brute force attack. Again, It's free, so get it. Use it. Then, if the worst happens and you get your files used against you or your browsing habits get brought into court, I can honestly say I told you so.
www.truecrypt.org

PS, I use linux (Ubuntu) because it's open source and again it's free. I am ABSOLUTELY convinced that there is a back door in every copy of windows, and if Bill didn't put it there, the government did. Too many people across the globe are involved with the development of Ubuntu/Linux for it to be possible for any group or agency to put a back door into it. It would be found and closed within a couple of hours.
www.ubuntu.com
Don't post pics of anything taken with a smart phone, even if you disable location services. The XIF data contains the GPS coordinates. Don't "hot link" pics of your grow from services like PhotoBucket. In fact, don't post or upload pics of your illicit activity to any of those services. Use common sense. Face book is out, too.

Safe Surfing!!
JH

 

[forgetfulpenguin]

I'd highly recommend you read the link in my sig and consider using a live cd for web browsing like TAILS (DEB based).
http://tails.boum.org/

Tor is only going to work if you understand it's vulnerabilities. Adrian Crenshaw gave a talk at Defcon 19 that gives a basic overview of possible attacks. He created a video for people who didn't see the speech.
http://www.irongeek.com/i.php?page=videos/cipherspaces-darknets-an-overview-of-attack-strategies

Truecrypt encryption will only protect you if the encrypted data isn't being accessed when the computer is seized. Even if the computer is off you have to maintain plausible denyability or the court may compel you to reveal the password (IIRC this is legal in most of UK and inconsistent in the US)
http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/?s=plausible-deniability

This is a LEO guide to defeating encryption like truecrypt.
http://cryptome.org/isp-spy/crypto-spy.pdf

And beware the evil maid
http://theinvisiblethings.blogspot.com/2009/10/evil-maid-goes-after-truecrypt.html

You should always strip the metadata from any photo you post. Jhead if one of many programs that can do it if you don't feel like picking the file apart with a hex editor.

edit: Also tor is not a browser. They do offer tor as a bundle with a hacked version of firefox that leaks less data then just configuring your regular browser to use tor.

 

[irieie]

i use firefox and i installed the tor button and tor onto my computer. when i try to use it and go on this site, i am not allowed to connect to the server. this is a problem. i know this is one reason why some members have left this site. what is the deal?

 

[Jack Harer]

Thanx Penguin. Good stuff. Tor has a new version out, but I'm looking at what you put out there. Good stuff! LEO also has a tool developed by Microsoft called CoFEE that can bypass BIOS passwords, find hidden or encrypted files and extract forensic evidence. SUPPOSEDLY Bill G was incensed at Child Pornography and developed the tool for LEO. I have a counter measure called (Ironically enough) DeCAF (TRUE!) That when it detects forensic tools (like evil maid, or CoFEE), it immediately shuts down all USB ports, erases temp files, and deletes or spoofs IP addys and MAC addys, and a lot more. There are others out there as well that can even detect encrypted files. I doubt they could crack the TOR encryption algorithm, but they'll know it's there.

Irie, I have a flash drive with Tor installed on it and have no problems getting here. I only use Tor (Yeah, I admit I'm slacking) on other peoples computers, or public computers. That way it leaves no trace of you ever being on the comp. I have no idea why you can't access this site. Go to Office Depot, Staples, or Wally World and get a 5 gig stick. Install Tor on it and launch from there.

 

[asafan69]

Who's been getting "busted"? And I would assume that it's mostly guys with large grow operations. I'm sure the average one or two planter is still relatively safe.

 

[forgetfulpenguin]

Jack you will leave traces on the host system and the host system can spy on you. You will need to boot into your own OS and pray the hardware isn't compromised. Also a malicious third-party can change data on flash drives; use non-rewritable media where possible.

Also DeCAF can only detect CoFEE and not other forensic tools or tool-sets. Honestly it seemed like more of a PR stunt then anything.

asafan69 I feel that basic measures like plausibly deniable disk encryption and internet obfuscation are basic requirements for noncriminals. It doesn't even scratch the surface of what I'd recommend for any grower.

It may sound paranoid but LEO are getting a digital baptism by fire thanks to white collar criminals and pedophiles. Some people have even called for using ECHELON like systems to combat criminals. I see nothing stopping the governments involved from sharing intelligence with LEO. Keep in mind that the European parliament has gone so far as to recommend that citizens use cryptography to avoid letting ECHELON spy on them.

The TSA will already fuck with your computer when you travel. The FBI has already been caught reading email with the carnivore. The ACLU alreadu found that the government puts out about 30,000 National Security Letters each year! The NSA has been caught installing fiber-optic splitters in US communications gear so they can spy on the internet in real-time. Companies and subsidiaries like Narus (owned by Boeing) pride themselves in developing things like supercomputers to help governments (including oppressive regimes in the Middle East) spy on citizens. Obama has already asserted the president has right to have US citizens assassinated without due process and without regard for international law That is what is publicly known; god and Government only knows what has yet to come to light.

Even more frightening are the increasingly comprehensive dossiers that corporations are compiling on their "beloved consumers." I can hardly blame them though, after all the constitution does nothing to stop people from spying on you and thanks to the internet people are not willing but happy to give up information that they would never reveal in person. Entire corporations exist to simply mine data on citizens. Companies like Facebook and Google have amassed unfathomable quantities of personal information.

What has been discussed in this thread is some of what you should do if you like the idea of actually having some right to digital privacy.

 

[redivider]

tin foil stock must be going through the roof!!!

it's called a warrant.

without it, none of their activities will ever see the light of day in court.

they can spy as much as they want. i don't look at kiddie porn, and as of this writing, pictures of pot weren't illegal.

everybody CHILL

 

[forgetfulpenguin]

it's called a warrant.

How are you so ignorant that you don't know the police use payed informants to get warrants without useable evidence? If they think you are growing all they have to do is pay someone to say they saw the plants! If they are feeling cheap they can just threaten a crack head with arrest! Oh that would be so hard for them to do!

Also what the are you going to do when the pigs raid you and look through your computer? But gee I guess felons like us have no reason to use plausibly deniable encryption even though it's free and a fucking moron can set it up.

 

[Prefontaine]

How are you so ignorant that you don't know the police use payed informants to get warrants without useable evidence? If they think you are growing all they have to do is pay someone to say they saw the plants! If they are feeling cheap they can just threaten a crack head with arrest! Oh that would be so hard for them to do!

Also what the are you going to do when the pigs raid you and look through your computer? But gee I guess felons like us have no reason to use plausibly deniable encryption even though it's free and a fucking moron can set it up.

First, because of the patriot act a search warrant is not necessary to listen to your calls and check your internet records or financial records this does include electricity bank accounts etc..., these can all be used to acquire a search warrant for any of your properties, what makes you think you have civil rights? While you where sleeping you lost them all.

 

[redivider]

PARANOOIIIIDDDDD

you have to be suspected of TERRORISM for the patriot act to come into play.

you guys seem to think everything's an episode of law and order, where the police seep out every last loophole and the law & evidence always seems to just fall into their lap and they'll follow through... well, no.

lol

if you don't tell anybody about your grow, nobody physically sees your grow, and you don't sell any pot...

then that marijuana is confined to your protected space and only you going up to a cop and confessing will get you caught.

 

[BluBerri]

PARANOOIIIIDDDDD

you have to be suspected of TERRORISM for the patriot act to come into play.

you guys seem to think everything's an episode of law and order, where the police seep out every last loophole and the law & evidence always seems to just fall into their lap and they'll follow through... well, no.

lol

if you don't tell anybody about your grow, nobody physically sees your grow, and you don't sell any pot...

then that marijuana is confined to your protected space and only you going up to a cop and confessing will get you caught.

Actually, the fact that you even typed the "T" word in -- It throws a trigger.....
So whether your on the net or on your phone -- they have a list of key words -- when any of the key words are typed, spoken -- what have you -- you are being monitored and your calls are being recorded --

I'm going to look for a couple of links... when I find em, I'll post em.

 

[BluBerri]

if you don't tell anybody about your grow, nobody physically sees your grow, and you don't sell any pot...

then that marijuana is confined to your protected space and only you going up to a cop and confessing will get you caught.

This I completely agree with!

 

[BluBerri]

Here are a few links regarding cyberspace -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPvtoCrr9vo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iCwRaCJsf0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pivuvVum4hU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUjWNniDXQ8&feature=related

Having trouble finding the other one -- When I do, I will post it up though.

 

[redivider]

people really need to chill.

if you google the 'T' word, you'll find over 1,000,000 hits, most of them reports, articles journals.

they're not as concerned with the words you use as with their context. juxtapose that with your behavior, and they get a full picture of whether or not you are some psycho, or if you are just a citizen commenting on current events.

what you really do need to know is that the biggest bust source for cops are SNITCHES.

keep clear of snitches and you'll be fine.

btw, some marijuana pictures on your computer won't be as incriminating as the plants themselves in your attic. so if they do bust down your door, your fucked.

no amount of truecrypt, tor or what not is going to save you there.

 

[Jack Harer]

PARANOOIIIIDDDDD

you have to be suspected of TERRORISM for the patriot act to come into play.

you guys seem to think everything's an episode of law and order, where the police seep out every last loophole and the law & evidence always seems to just fall into their lap and they'll follow through... well, no.

lol

if you don't tell anybody about your grow, nobody physically sees your grow, and you don't sell any pot...

then that marijuana is confined to your protected space and only you going up to a cop and confessing will get you caught.

All of this is, of course, all depends on how bad they want you. What peguin says is the absolute truth. They CAN do (and are doing) everything he says. Carnivore and Echelon are old hat. The upside is that the NSA probably wont get involved with growers (yet). These security measures we mention are for your own sakes. Use them or don't, but scoff at your peril. Was a time not long ago, that these measures would stymie the locals and the state boys. Not any longer. Technology is improving and getting easier to implement by local LEO exponentially.

Redivider, you oughta actually read the PATRIOT act and FISA. You become an enemy combatant when charged with anything, or even SUSPECTED of anything under PATRIOT, and the constitution (whats left of it) goes out the window. No KNock entry, warrantless searches can and do happen. Ronald Reagan declared that drugs (Marijuana) was the single greatest threat to National Security. How long do you think it's gonna take before we become threats ourselves? They promised not to use PATRIOT and FISA against American citizens, yet it is now being used to combat Gangs and Cybercrime (Child porn, cyber theft, etc) here at home against as yet unconvicted Americans. You don't think that PATRIOT and FISA affect you, but the DO affect everyone. The European Nations don't have that qualm about using anything to spy on their citizens. Any intelligence shared by them with our government about YOU isn't spying. Someone else did the spying, the cops would be only acting on a "tip". And I'm sure you know that not ONLY Americans are here on this site.
Again, the NSA ain't getting nvolved, but the state and locals are just now starting to flex their muscles under PATRIOT. The future is gonna get ugly. Don't be an ostrich. Stay on top of things if you can.

 

[Prefontaine]

PARANOOIIIIDDDDD

you have to be suspected of TERRORISM for the patriot act to come into play.

you guys seem to think everything's an episode of law and order, where the police seep out every last loophole and the law & evidence always seems to just fall into their lap and they'll follow through... well, no.

lol

if you don't tell anybody about your grow, nobody physically sees your grow, and you don't sell any pot...

then that marijuana is confined to your protected space and only you going up to a cop and confessing will get you caught.

According to the US government any activity involving organized crime, including the manufacture and distribution of drugs is a terrorist activity, or havent you been paying attention the last ten years.

 

[Prefontaine]

people really need to chill.

if you google the 'T' word, you'll find over 1,000,000 hits, most of them reports, articles journals.

they're not as concerned with the words you use as with their context. juxtapose that with your behavior, and they get a full picture of whether or not you are some psycho, or if you are just a citizen commenting on current events.

what you really do need to know is that the biggest bust source for cops are SNITCHES.

keep clear of snitches and you'll be fine.

btw, some marijuana pictures on your computer won't be as incriminating as the plants themselves in your attic. so if they do bust down your door, your fucked.

no amount of truecrypt, tor or what not is going to save you there.

except that the DEA can and will prosecute you retroactively if they have proof that you have grown 100 plants in your life, ie from pictures you have taken etc...

 

[redivider]

All of this is, of course, all depends on how bad they want you. What peguin says is the absolute truth. They CAN do (and are doing) everything he says. Carnivore and Echelon are old hat. The upside is that the NSA probably wont get involved with growers (yet). These security measures we mention are for your own sakes. Use them or don't, but scoff at your peril. Was a time not long ago, that these measures would stymie the locals and the state boys. Not any longer. Technology is improving and getting easier to implement by local LEO exponentially.

Redivider, you oughta actually read the PATRIOT act and FISA. You become an enemy combatant when charged with anything, or even SUSPECTED of anything under PATRIOT, and the constitution (whats left of it) goes out the window. No KNock entry, warrantless searches can and do happen. Ronald Reagan declared that drugs (Marijuana) was the single greatest threat to National Security. How long do you think it's gonna take before we become threats ourselves? They promised not to use PATRIOT and FISA against American citizens, yet it is now being used to combat Gangs and Cybercrime (Child porn, cyber theft, etc) here at home against as yet unconvicted Americans. You don't think that PATRIOT and FISA affect you, but the DO affect everyone. The European Nations don't have that qualm about using anything to spy on their citizens. Any intelligence shared by them with our government about YOU isn't spying. Someone else did the spying, the cops would be only acting on a "tip". And I'm sure you know that not ONLY Americans are here on this site.
Again, the NSA ain't getting nvolved, but the state and locals are just now starting to flex their muscles under PATRIOT. The future is gonna get ugly. Don't be an ostrich. Stay on top of things if you can.

the patriot act is meant to expire, and it will expire. we don't need the patriot act for the NSA to spy on us.

lol

you really need to go to a psychiatrist if your gonna be that paranoid. child pornographers should rot in a jail cell for all i care, i'm not into that shit. they don't need the patriot act to investigate cyber theft, it just speeds up the process.

you think i don't know the law, you are gravely mistaken.

i know it well enough i'm not paranoid about it. it is you that needs to read up on case law and instances of the patriot act being applied, you'll be very surprised that the patriot act isn't as big a threat as you'd think. lol...

go ahead, wait for that door to bust in, live in fear... i'll enjoy my time on earth....

go see a therapist. your delusion goes beyond reason and any factual claim.

 

[redivider]

except that the DEA can and will prosecute you retroactively if they have proof that you have grown 100 plants in your life, ie from pictures you have taken etc...

no they can't. the courts have already said that pictures of pot plants isn't the same as pot plants.

i can have 1,000,000 pictures of pot plants in my computer. they aren't illegal.

until somebody writes a law that says: pictures of pot plants are illegal. then i'm safe. lol FAIL

 

[Prefontaine]

the patriot act is meant to expire, and it will expire. we don't need the patriot act for the NSA to spy on us.

lol

you really need to go to a psychiatrist if your gonna be that paranoid. child pornographers should rot in a jail cell for all i care, i'm not into that shit. they don't need the patriot act to investigate cyber theft, it just speeds up the process.

you think i don't know the law, you are gravely mistaken.

i know it well enough i'm not paranoid about it. it is you that needs to read up on case law and instances of the patriot act being applied, you'll be very surprised that the patriot act isn't as big a threat as you'd think. lol...

go ahead, wait for that door to bust in, live in fear... i'll enjoy my time on earth....

go see a therapist. your delusion goes beyond reason and any factual claim.

except that Obama signed for the patriot act to continue for a few more years, and it can and will be continued again and again.