How To Enhance Privacy And Security In Firefox

Do you want to take the next step in protecting your privacy while browsing the web? Using the Firefox Open Source browser you can accomplish your security and privacy goals. With this guide I will show you how to keep your data private and stay secure online.

Configuration

Firefox was designed to be a extremely customizable web browser. It will allow you to tune nearly every aspect of your browsing experience. We shall start with the configuration inside of Firefox itself. Type  about:config into the address bar and push enter. You will see this:



First we will focus on a preference called network.http.sendRefererHeader. The value by default is 2, this is bad for privacy because it will show where you are coming from because it stores habits. This is mainly used by advertisers to generate better focused ads. To disable this setting you will need to navigate to network.http.sendRefererHeader by copying and pasting it into your search bar. Double click the integer and set the number to 0 like so:



The next thing we will focus on is the privacy options built in. Go to the options menu, then go to privacy and follow these settings to ensure you are not tracked.

Web Browsers

Now we will focus on search engines now that your browser won't be tracking you. Search engines will track what you do as well.

StartPage - A is a search engine that was launched  in 2009 by Ixquick and is the worlds most private search engine. They provide results from Google without giving up your identity or habits, keep no logs and are based offshore in The Netherlands.  They support these methods of encryption:

• TLS


• SSLv3


• TLS1.1


• TLS1.2

 

StartPage uses POST requests  instead of GET requests to give your your results by default which even if you have referrer headers enabled, it would prevent sites from knowing your search queries. StartPage also allows you to connect and search from servers outside of your country to separate yourself from the Government.

DuckDuckGo - Another alternative to Google and is similar in policies as StartPage as their privacy policy states they never keep logs. The difference between StartPage and DuckDuckGo is this search engine provides results from other places besides Google such as Wikipedia, Wolfram Alpha, Bing, Yahoo, Yandex,  and Yelp.

Add-Ons

Add-ons can help you lock down on the above settings, and really fine tune your privacy. Here is a list of recommended Add-ons.

1. NoScript


2. Self-Destructing Cookies


3. Better Privacy


4. HTTPS Everywhere


5. Disconnect


6. Adblock Edge


7. Last Pass


8. Ghostery

1. NoScript is one of the most recommended security addons for Firefox. It prevents  Javascript, Flash, Silverlight, and many others from running. This protects you from malicious scripts or any plug-ins can reveal your IP address. We advise that you Forbid Scripts Globally after installation and then whitelist the sites you frequently browse.

2. Self-Destructing Cookies detects and deleted cookies when they are no longer in use. When you install it the addon will automtaically delete all of your cokkies, but you can undelete them as needed as well as whitelist cookies you know you will need. Basically this addon will ensure that you only have the cookies you want, and not the ones that you do not wish to have.

3. Better Privacy is an addon that will clear your cache when idle and will elimitate the threat of Supercookies or Evercookies which are hard to get rid of and detect such as Flash cookies.

4. HTTPS Everywhere basically forces HHTPS on every site that has it, preventing MitM attacks.

5. Disconnect is a add-on that blocks over 2,000 sites from tracking you around the internet, helping increase bandwidth loss and load times, as well as remaining more private.

6. Adblock Edge is a fork of Adblock Plus that blocks ads that Adblock Plus allows by default.

7. LastPass is a password manager that help you remain secure online, you only need to remember your master password and the rest can be generated. Lastpass also has 2 factor authentication, and can preform security audits of all of your accounts to tell you if the site you were registered with has been hacked, and it can help recommend a course of action.

8. Ghostery detects trackers, bugs and more on many websites and will show you what is going on under the hood. While you will not need this if you have noscripts enabled for every site, it is good for detecting what is on your whitelisted websites so you know what they are tracking.

How to setup a Dynamic DNS - An Alternative to no-IP

So you need a Dynamic DNS and No-IP just doesn't cut it due to their recent legal issues? You have heard that No-IP has been compromised and need an alternative. We have an alternative for you, and in this tutorial we will show you step by step on how to set it up.

First of all, you must understand what a Dynamic DNS is. Basically it points a subdomain to your IP address to redirect anything connected to your IP address even if it changes. IP addresses will inevitably change. You also can connect to the Dynamic DNS directly instead of your IP, so you can keep your IP address to yourself. You can use this for game servers, personal networking and RDPs etc. 2

How to setup FreeDNS:

Step 1: Sign up at: http://freedns.afraid.org/signup/

Enter your details and send your activation email. Then check your email and you can proceed to step 2.



Step 2: Click on Dynamic DNS.

It may ask you to login. Once you have logged in you will need to navigate to the "Subdomain" section of the menu as seen below.



 

Step 3. Fill out the form with a domain, and subdomain to go with it. This will be your Dynamic DNS.



 

Once you have chosen your information it should look like this:



Step 4. Download the wget installer HERE.

Step 5. Go back to Dynamic DNS and you will see the below page. Click on wget scripts and it will download a .bat which you will need for the next step.



Step 6. Run the .bat file whenever you need your Dynamic DNS and it will Sync. You should run this before doing anything requiring a DNS.

 

 

Use the Tor Anonymous Network to anonymize Skype

Before we begin, you will need:

• ADVOR 


• New Skype Install - Use a new Skype account as well, as resolvers may already have your skype IP resolved and saved.


• Skype Firewall Blocker

Steps:

Navigate to https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/33446/twitch/skype.html
Select the check mark that says SOCKS5 and in the host box type 127.0.0.1 and in the port box type 9050


Download the file and save it to your desktop. Now Download the Skype Firewall Blocker, ADVOR andthe fresh install of Skype if you haven't done so already. To make sure you uninstalled any previous Skype installs, use GeekUninstaller.

Extract ADVOR.


Install Skype and don't run it yet. Close it. Now run the Skype Firewall blocker.

Right click the SkypeProxySettings registry file and click merge. When asked to confirm click yes.

Reboot your PC.
After you have rebooted open the ADVOR folder and run ADVOR as an administrator. Once opened click the connect button to start the relay.

ADVOR should now be started and running.

Start Skype and login with your fresh account. It may be slow to login at first but it will finish and you will be online.


 

If Skype fails to login then please navigate to the new identity tab as seen here:


Select a new country and a new node. Just so you know the U.S. works best and is the fastes generally.

You can check your Skype is now using a new IP by navigating to http://skidresolve.com/ and entering in your Skype name.

The IP should be a TOR exit router as shown below. If it is not, please follow the steps again.




Now whenever you want to use Skype simply launch ADVOR, connect, and you are safe and secure.