NGO in a Box - Security Edition
INTERNET & COMMUNICATIONS TOOLS
These days it is safe to assume that a lot of us browse the Internet on a regular basis. There are now more web pages on the Internet then people on this planet. Quite a few of us use email to communicate with each other, because it is both cost and time efficient. You may also be using Internet chat, Internet phone, Internet banking, etc., and as we move more of our life over to the Internet, we must realise that by joining a worldwide network we make this information accessible to everyone on it. Surprised? Information privacy was never built into the structures of the Internet, and it's only now that civil society is beginning to realise the risks and possible damages of not protecting yourself against viruses, spam and, in extreme cases, surveillance, hacking and censorship.
The following section could have been as long as the rest of the CD, since there are so many tools on and about the Internet. However we have chosen a few specifics that deal with browsing the Internet, sending email and Internet phone/chat. All tools below are free-to-use, and the time you will spend understanding, installing and adapting them for yourself will be greatly rewarded by your increased digital privacy and security.
Mozilla Firefox
A popular, free and open-source Internet browser. Seamlessly integrates
into your operating system and automatically imports your previous
browser favourites/bookmarks. It excels in preventing pop-ups and
offers advanced level of browser security. Also comes with a useful
anonymous proxy plug-in.
Plug-ins - Plug-ins - also called
"extensions" provide additional functionality and features. Included on
this CD is a selection that will add extra security and privacy
features to the default (standard) version of Mozilla. These plug-ins
are all free. Further details and information about them can be found
on the extensions section on the Mozilla Firefox website.
See references to security materials:
Thunderbird
next generation e-mail client. Thunderbird makes emailing safer,
faster, and easier than ever before with the help of the industry's
best implementations of features such as intelligent spam filters, a
built-in spell checker, extension support, automatic encryption and
much more.
Plug-ins - also called "extensions" provide
additional functionality and features. Included on this CD is a
selection that will add extra security and privacy features to the
default (standard) version of Thunderbird. These plugins are all free.
2 and information about them can be found on the extensions section on the Mozilla Thunderbird website
Portable Thunderbirdis a fully functional package of Thunderbird optimised for use on a
USB key drive. It has some specially selected optimisations to make it
perform faster and extend the life of your USB key as well as a
specialized launcher that will allow most of your favourite extensions
to work as you switch computers. It will also work from a CDRW drive
(in packet mode), ZIP drives, external hard drives, some MP3 players,
flash RAM cards and more.
Hushmail
is a Web-based e-mail service (meaning you can access it from your
Internet web browser) that lets you send and receive email with good
security. Hushmail messages, and their attachments are encrypted using
Open PGP standard algorithms. These offer users heightened levels of
security. Messages are encrypted before leaving the sender's computer
and remain encrypted until after they arrive to the recipient's
machine, where the contents are automatically decrypted. Encrypting a
message is as simple as clicking a mouse. Note: 1) You must access your
free Hushmail account at least once every three weeks or it will be
deleted. Alternatively, you can purchase an account and be free from
some account limitations. 2) Hushmail's security works if communicating
with other Hushmail users. If you use it to send messages to, say, a
Hotmail account, the overall security is nullified. 3) To operate on
your computer, Hushmail requires that you use Internet Explorer version
5 (and above) or Mozilla Firefox, and the Java program must also be
installed.
RiseUp
A secure and light weight webmail interface from the activists at
RiseUp.net Registration on the website is free, but you need to be
either invited by already existing RiseUp users or write to them
requesting an account. Can also be set up to run in a mail client like
Thunderbird.
Gaim
a multi-protocol instant-messaging (IM) client. One of its biggest
advantages is that you can use it with most other instant-messaging
service networks available on the Internet today (like AIM, ICQ, MSN
Messenger, Yahoo!, IRC, Jabber, Gadu-Gadu, and Zephyr). Gaim users can
log in to multiple accounts on multiple messaging networks
simultaneously. This means that you can be chatting with friends on AOL
Instant Messenger, talking to a friend on Yahoo Messenger, and sitting
in an IRC channel all at the same time. Another advantage is that there
is a plug-in available (see below) that allows you to encrypt your
chats for increased security of your Internet communications. Whilst
most other instant messaging services bring some Adware and spyware
when installed, Gaim is reputably free of these annoyances.
Plug-ins - Included on this CD is a selection that will add extra security and privacy features to the default (standard) version of Gaim. These plugins are all free.
Skype
this program is like a telephone for your computer. You can make a
phone call to another computer or to any telephone around the world. We
include this program because it offers you better security than a
normal telephone (it encrypts the communication) and can reduce your
call costs. Charges to call land-line or mobile numbers around the
world are minimal.
Internet browsing with anonymity
Your computer has an address called an Internet Protocol (IP) address, which identifies it uniquely on the Internet. It is a bit like a postal zip code. Any website can read this address easily. Visit the website www.showmyip.com or www.hostip.info to see this in action. In some countries, the authorities use a website's IP to block access to that website. Therefore to be able to access a blocked website you must find a way around this. One solution is to connect through a proxy server. Basically, you connect to a proxy server and then you can browse any Internet page through it, as that proxy server will not have the same browsing restrictions as you do. The SwitchProxy (mentioned above) does this by managing the connections to the proxy servers - the middleman in your wish to connect to a particular website. Think of a proxy server as of your ambassador to another country. You give the ambassador a message. (S)he takes it to that country and then brings a reply back to you. The other country knows who the ambassador is but does not know who you are. This is the function of the anonymous proxy server on the Internet. You send the proxy server the address of the website you want, it then brings the site back to you. A program, managing the anonymous proxy connections (like SwitchProxy), also allows you to choose among different proxy servers around the world and to swap them intermittently. In this way it will appear to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) that the only sites you visit are the proxy servers. So your ISP will not be able to track the websites you are visiting. The ISP only knows who your ambassador/s is/are, they do not know whom the ambassador is visiting.
TOR
When you use Tor, instead of taking a direct route from your computer
to a server, your request on the Tor network will take a random pathway
through several routing proxies that will randomise your tracks so that
no observer at any single point can tell where your requests are coming
from or going to. Tor can be used as a gateway to the Internet, or
hidden services can be accessed inside the Tor network. Like the
Freenet and GNUnet networks, Tor can be used to circumvent content
filters, censorship laws, and other restrictions on communication.
Unlike Freenet, which is a distributed, encrypted, data store, Tor aims
to simply create a framework for anonymous communication. When using TOR, your Internet connections mayt be slower, however they will still work.
To make the Tor program function, you must also install a program
called Privoxy. Together they can help to anonymise your Internet
activity. They also help you access websites that could be otherwise
blocked in your country. They need only to be set up once and will run
in the background without any further intervention.
Torpark - is a project that attempts to intergrate the Tor client
and the Firefox browser into an easy one-file install, that can be run
from a USB memory stick. Plug it into any Internet terminal whether at
home, school, or in a public Internet cafe. Launch the program by
clicking on Torpark.exe and it will open a built-in copy of the Firfox
browser and build a Tor circuit connection that will allow you to
browse the Internet bypassing website censorship. Very handy for
anonymous browsing without having to install the whole Tor client.
Please note that the source code of Torpark is closed and therefore its
overall security cannot be independently verified. The project is not
developed or supported by the Tor team.