I’m the Never Ending Pie Throwing Robot, aka NEPTR.

Linux enthusiast, programmer, and privacy advocate. I’m nearly done with an IT Security degree.

TL;DR I am a nerd.

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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: November 20th, 2024

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  • Anything really. Just use Docker/Podman or LXC and then the base OS won’t matter.

    • Ubuntu is still fine
    • Debian I have personally used and it is good
    • I used openSUSE Slowroll for a while as well
    • Fedora server is just as good as RHEL derivatives IMO

    Next thing I am looking at is secureblue for Fedora CoreOS. Security matters and a rock solid base with hardened defaults is really nice. It also is Atomic and because it is effectively just CoreOS, you install it with a JSON file (I think). Using the provided example butane file it took like 30 seconds to install. Now I need to customize it further.





  • I still dont understand /e/OS. Just use LineageOS. It supports all the same devices and doesnt lag as far behind. You can choose to run an insecure OS if you like (see: all Windows 10 users) but definitely don’t recommend it to others.

    You cannot have privacy without at least basic security. Targeted attacks are not the most common kind of attack by long shot. Threat actors scan for vulnerable devices and use automated scripts to execute attacks. Android is one of the most exploited targets. With an outdated OS your browser could be exploited and used to get a sandbox escape, possibly chaining it into root escalation. It all depends on the vulnerabilities found and the longer you wait the more likely for the “stars to align” for the perfect attack. Look at CVE-2025-48593 for an example, zero-click RCE. In recent memory there was also a zero-click RCE utilizing specially crafted MMS, meaning an threat actor could send messages to all phone numbers and try the attack in mass.

    /e/OS is by far the most behind on updating security patch levels of the AOSP ROMs (at ~2 months), iode is ~1 and everything else is better than those two.

    Privacy without security is not real privacy, it is a mirage.

    Security without privacy is like a fortress with cameras inside, a known threat (eg. Gapps Android).

    Privacy with security is like a fortess with no known threats at all (eg. AOSP with timely security patches).

    Privacy without security is like a fortress where some of the locks have rusted through and if someone tries they can open the doors. It is like replacing the walls with cardboard. “No one can spy on me now” you say in your cardboard castle.



  • N.E.P.T.R@lemmy.blahaj.zonetoLinux@programming.dev
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    2 days ago

    @Uair@autistics.life

    Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu Linux. Make sure you are using a .deb which is meant for Ubuntu (or Debian). Laptop is Desktop, as in they are the same OS.

    Either double-click the .deb file and click the install button.

    Alternatively you might be able to right-click to get a context menu and click install from there.

    Last option, you could install the .deb from the terminal app. Open the terminal, type cd ~/Downloads (if the file is in your Downloads folder), then type sudo dpkg -i ./EXPRESSVPN.deb (replace EXPRESSVPN with the exact file name), press enter and type your password.

    All these install options do the same thing.

    Don’t worry about CPU architectures. If you dont know what that is, then ypu dont need to worry. If the .deb has x86, x64, or amd64, that is tbe right file. If it doesnt say anything then just choose the normal .deb.




  • It still gives metrics. And yes, Creepjs is not very useful against randomized values, though I noted it still because Brave fails (resulting in a persistent fingerprint) whereas Cromite succeeded to fool Creepjs. Both have many methods of fingerprinting protection.

    Checking the fingerprinting protections of Mullvad and Tor is better done with TorZillaPrint test page by Arkenfox. It is optimized to tell you whether you blend in correctly with RFP normalized values.






  • Maybe? But in reality the stat changes are to do with an influx of Chinese players that happens every year around this time. The vast majority of Chinese players use Windows.

    Also I had a friend try Linux, and while it isnt all sunshine and rainbows (and he is about the furthest from an IT guy i can think it), he gets a solid 40+ FPS more than Windows 10. I am not forcing him to use, he just defaults to it now because shit is way smoother, and the alternative is using W11 which can legit brick your SSD (not worth it in this economy).

    Also, I really don’t understand being attached to software or developing a personality around it. If Linux doesnt serve my needs I’ll simple use FreeBSD (or HardenedBSD). If that doesn’t work, I hope by that point RedoxOS is mature. Etc for any software.



  • TL;DR The only way to avoid a near unique fingerprint is Tor Browser

    Longer explanation: There are too many styles of fingerprinting protections: randomized and normalized.

    Librewolf inherits its fingerprint protections from Firefox (which intern was upstreamed from the Tor uplift project. It works by taking as many fingerprintable characteristics (refresh rate, canvas, resolution, theme, timezone, etc) and normalizes them to a static value to be shared by all browsers using the feature (privacy.resistFingerprinting in about:config). The benefit of normalizing is you appear more generic, though there are many limitations (biggest of which is OS because you cant hide that). The purpose design of these protections stems from the anonymization strategy of Tor which is to blend in with all other users so no individual can be differentiated based on identifiers. Since Librewolf has different a default settings profile to Tor (or Mullvad) and even vanilla Firefox with RFP enabled, the best you can hope is to blend in with other Librewolf users (which you really cant, especially if you install extensions or change [some] specific settings). Instead, the goal is just to fool naive fingerprinting scripts, nation states or any skilled adversary is out of the scope.

    Brave (or Cromite) uses the strategy of randomizing fingerprintable characteristics. This is only meant to fool naive FP scripts but in my opinion (when done right) is better at fooling naive scripts. The biggest problem is that these attempts by other browsers and not as comprehensive as Firefox. I think Cromite does a better job than Brave: it is the only browser which fools Creepjs that I have tried by creating a new FP on refresh. Cromite required some configuring to get to place I wanted it, but so does every browser.

    The advantage with Firefox forks is that vanilla Firefox has RFP and therefore so do the forks (though most dont enable), but you dont blend i with a crowd (making it far less effective than MB or Tor). The advantage of Brave or Cromite is a randomized FP, bit since it isnt upstreamed (and Google will never do that) you stand out like a sore thumb. Either way is fine though for basically everyone.

    The only browsers I know that work against Creepjs are as follows:

    • Mullvad (persistent FP)
    • Tor (persistent FP)
    • Cromite (randomized FP)