From 5908aa01264eac2fb85017eeb5f152bc7fc5009e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: TitanElectrons Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2023 17:28:37 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Improving blog posts info formatting + Adding reading time info --- blog/browser-setup/index.html | 2 +- blog/crypto-exchanges/index.html | 2 +- blog/discord-account/index.html | 2 +- blog/do-it-yourself/index.html | 2 +- blog/doas-sudo/index.html | 2 +- blog/dont-use-github/index.html | 2 +- blog/eid-mubarak-2023/index.html | 2 +- blog/email-encrypt/index.html | 2 +- blog/keep-it-minimal/index.html | 2 +- blog/keepass-syncthing/index.html | 2 +- blog/metal-usb/index.html | 2 +- blog/open-source-islam/index.html | 2 +- blog/oversimplification/index.html | 2 +- blog/passwd-2023/index.html | 2 +- blog/post-template/blog-template.html | 2 +- blog/public-insta/index.html | 2 +- blog/social-media/index.html | 3 ++- blog/switching-to-ffmpeg/index.html | 2 +- blog/terminal-apps/index.html | 2 +- blog/tfa-guide/index.html | 2 +- blog/torrenting/index.html | 2 +- 21 files changed, 22 insertions(+), 21 deletions(-) diff --git a/blog/browser-setup/index.html b/blog/browser-setup/index.html index 80b3071..c8c75ab 100644 --- a/blog/browser-setup/index.html +++ b/blog/browser-setup/index.html @@ -1 +1 @@ -(POST) My New Browser Setup

sf.cu > Blog > My New Browser Setup

My New Browser Setup

Posted on 17 March 2023

Categories: Software

I have a new browser setup on my desktop to increase my privacy and convenience. It is divided into two profiles that perform differently based on what I need to do in the moment.

What is it?

I use Librewolf as my browser. It is a fork of Firefox that is enhanced for privacy without heavily impacting user experience. I divided it into two profiles:

  1. Accounts (instances in which I need to login)
  2. Browsing (general website browsing)

Let me walk through how each profile is setup.

Profile Setup

Firstly, let me talk about common settings between both profiles.

Common In Both

On both profiles, I have my settings to optimize my privacy. On Firefox-based browsers, it is very easy to use these settings because most of them have little impact on convenience. I use Brave Search as my search engine and will switch to my own SearX instance when I get a good server. In terms of extensions, I have the 'uBlock Origin' extension installed setup to block JavaScript and remote fonts by default. I have the default lists along with all the others unchecked by default apart from language lists. I block every single domain from Google, Facebook, Microsoft and other websites which are known for tracking. If a website breaks, I whitelist that website in particular.

Accounts Profile

My accounts profile is optimized to work well with day-to-day logins and important websites. I use this profile for all websites where I can login like Google or Microsoft.

I use the following extensions:

  1. Cookie AutoDelete
    • Enabled with whitelisting to auto-delete cookies for websites which I open by accident.
    • Using extension instead of Librewolf's built-in setting because it currently does not work for me.
  2. Containers
    • For multiple accounts

Browsing Profile

My browsing profile runs in permanent private browsing mode so my cookies, cache and browsing history are automatically deleted when I close my browser. I use it for general web browsing like watching videos, viewing articles and more. I have most of the content I like in an RSS feed but this profile is useful for some websites which either do not have an RSS feed or I only need to use once.

For this profile, I use these extensions:

  1. Dark Reader
    • 'Invert Listed Only' mode turned on because most websites I use have dark mode turned on already.
  2. LibRedirect
    • To redirect common websites to their free, libre and open-source frontends.
    • Some examples are:
      • YouTube --> Invidious
      • Twitter --> Nitter
      • Reddit --> LibReddit
      • Medium --> Scribe
      • Wikipedia --> Wikiless
    • I highly recommend everyone to do the same because these frontends are lightweight and do not use JavaScript which makes them load swiftly.

Conclusion

This setup has been serving me extremely well. I will continue using this setup and building on it if any specific need arises.

>>> Reply To Me

Previous Post - Next Post

+(POST) My New Browser Setup

sf.cu > Blog > My New Browser Setup

My New Browser Setup

17 March 2023

2 min

Software

I have a new browser setup on my desktop to increase my privacy and convenience. It is divided into two profiles that perform differently based on what I need to do in the moment.

What is it?

I use Librewolf as my browser. It is a fork of Firefox that is enhanced for privacy without heavily impacting user experience. I divided it into two profiles:

  1. Accounts (instances in which I need to login)
  2. Browsing (general website browsing)

Let me walk through how each profile is setup.

Profile Setup

Firstly, let me talk about common settings between both profiles.

Common In Both

On both profiles, I have my settings to optimize my privacy. On Firefox-based browsers, it is very easy to use these settings because most of them have little impact on convenience. I use Brave Search as my search engine and will switch to my own SearX instance when I get a good server. In terms of extensions, I have the 'uBlock Origin' extension installed setup to block JavaScript and remote fonts by default. I have the default lists along with all the others unchecked by default apart from language lists. I block every single domain from Google, Facebook, Microsoft and other websites which are known for tracking. If a website breaks, I whitelist that website in particular.

Accounts Profile

My accounts profile is optimized to work well with day-to-day logins and important websites. I use this profile for all websites where I can login like Google or Microsoft.

I use the following extensions:

  1. Cookie AutoDelete
    • Enabled with whitelisting to auto-delete cookies for websites which I open by accident.
    • Using extension instead of Librewolf's built-in setting because it currently does not work for me.
  2. Containers
    • For multiple accounts

Browsing Profile

My browsing profile runs in permanent private browsing mode so my cookies, cache and browsing history are automatically deleted when I close my browser. I use it for general web browsing like watching videos, viewing articles and more. I have most of the content I like in an RSS feed but this profile is useful for some websites which either do not have an RSS feed or I only need to use once.

For this profile, I use these extensions:

  1. Dark Reader
    • 'Invert Listed Only' mode turned on because most websites I use have dark mode turned on already.
  2. LibRedirect
    • To redirect common websites to their free, libre and open-source frontends.
    • Some examples are:
      • YouTube --> Invidious
      • Twitter --> Nitter
      • Reddit --> LibReddit
      • Medium --> Scribe
      • Wikipedia --> Wikiless
    • I highly recommend everyone to do the same because these frontends are lightweight and do not use JavaScript which makes them load swiftly.

Conclusion

This setup has been serving me extremely well. I will continue using this setup and building on it if any specific need arises.

>>> Reply To Me

Previous Post - Next Post

diff --git a/blog/crypto-exchanges/index.html b/blog/crypto-exchanges/index.html index ded834e..7016847 100644 --- a/blog/crypto-exchanges/index.html +++ b/blog/crypto-exchanges/index.html @@ -1,2 +1,2 @@ -(POST) Keep Crypto Off Exchanges

sf.cu > Blog > Keep Crypto Off Exchanges

Keep Crypto Off Exchanges

Posted on 14 March 2023

Categories: Software && Technology

+(POST) Keep Crypto Off Exchanges

sf.cu > Blog > Keep Crypto Off Exchanges

Keep Crypto Off Exchanges

14 March 2023

3 min

Software && Technology

In this article, we will discover why it is horrible to keep cryptocurrency on exchanges. If you do not have time to read this article, please stop keeping your cryptocurrencies on exchanges. If you do, your crypto may get stolen or lost. If you are interested in the details, please keep reading.

Lack of Ownership

When you keep cryptocurrencies on exchanges like Coinbase, they have your private keys. Anyone who has your private keys can manage your wallet as if it is their own. They can send, receive and do whatever they want with your wallet. Even if the exchange you are trading on is trusted, if they shut down, you will lose your crypto. This happened a few times before and thousands of people lost all of their crypto. This is why exchanges should be used for what they are good at; purchasing crypto. Keep exchanges only for one purpose.

No Regulation

Currently, the whole crypto exchange industry has a severe lack of regulation. The fact that exchanges have your private keys means that they can freeze your account which would cut off your access to your own crypto. Governments can request such freezes. This may seem improbable but it happened in South Korea.

Hacking

Even if the exchange you are trading on is secure, they may store your private keys in plaintext. This happens much more than people think. If this happens, hackers can easily take control of people's wallets and send all the crypto to themselves. If a hack like this happens through Bitcoin, it can at least be tracked. However, many hackers convert their crypto to Monero which cannot be tracked. If this happens, you will never get your money back unless the hacker decides to return the money.

Conclusion

To sum it up, you should never store your crypto on exchanges because you do not own your own crypto. There is little regulation and your account or the exchange can also be hacked. All of these pose serious risks to your crypto. Just get a wallet like Electrum or Monero and start using it.

>>> Reply To Me

Previous Post - Next Post

diff --git a/blog/discord-account/index.html b/blog/discord-account/index.html index 0558adb..cdfc2a5 100644 --- a/blog/discord-account/index.html +++ b/blog/discord-account/index.html @@ -1 +1 @@ -(POST) Delete Your Discord

sf.cu > Blog > Delete Your Discord

Delete Your Discord

Posted on 22 March 2023

Categories: Software && Guides

As mentioned in the title, I have deleted my Discord account. This was obviously not without a reason. There are two reasons due to which I deleted my Discord account:

The most prominent reason is privacy but lack of use compelled me to actually take the plunge and delete my Discord account.

Privacy

Introduction

Discord is a hellhole for your privacy. Avoid it at all costs. In this section, I will show you the various things that Discord tracks.

DISCORD'S HISTORY

OpenFeint was a mobile social network for gaming. The Founder of OpenFeint was Jason Citron, the current CEO of Discord. OpenFeint received a class-action lawsuit for storing data like:

OpenFeint then revealed all of this data to any mobile game developer who asked for it and advertising networks.

Well, if they collected all of this data, you must have agreed to it, right?

No. The company never asked for your consent. This data collection involved over 100M mobile devices.

PRIVACY ISSUES

So, when you have the CEO of a company that did all of this data collection become the CEO of another company, what do you think he is going to do? The answer is obvious. Of course he will do the same thing.

Let us go over what privacy issues there currently are with Discord.

  1. All messages, including direct messages are unencrypted.
    • Do not share any sensitive information on it. It can be detrimental if you store a password on their servers as any Discord employee can view it.
  2. Discord collects every single thing you do.
    • Do not be surprised if they log the amount of times you breathe while using Discord. It is stored with your User ID, an event ID, a timestamp and a detailed explanation of everything you do.
  3. Discord collects information about game executables.
    • After scanning your game executables, Discord basically will have a tally of what games you play. If they are doing it for game executables, there is no doubt that they are doing it for other apps as well.
  4. Government agencies, gather round!
    • Discord's privacy policy states that your data will be given to any government organisation that asks for it.
  5. The privacy toggles in the Discord app do nothing.
    • All they do is tell the server to delete the data as soon as it receives it. There is no verification, let alone an audit to verify this.
  6. Your messages are with us... and everyone else.
    • When you delete your Discord account, your messages are still kept and your profile will simply be replaced by “Deleted Account”. If you used Discord for even more than a few days to talk with friends, your messages are more than enough to deanonymize you.
  7. Oh, and don't do it yourself.
    • You will get banned for using tools to delete messages on Discord.

ALL IN ALL...

... this is not all that Discord does. If we know that Discord does all of this, there is obviously more that they are doing that we do not know. You should always assume closed-source pieces of software are tracking you and sending your information to a third-party.

Lack of Use

I was not using Discord anymore so I deleted it. The reason is that my previous account got banned for botting when I did not do anything. I made a new account, chatted with three or four of my friends. Afterwards, the CounterHawks Discord server got banned. Due to this, I realized there is no use for my account and that there is no reason for me to support Discord.

Conclusion

I do not use Discord anymore and probably never will. Previously, it was difficult to delete my Discord account but Discord themselves have done all the hard work for me.

>>> Reply To Me

Previous Post - Next Post

+(POST) Delete Your Discord

sf.cu > Blog > Delete Your Discord

Delete Your Discord

22 March 2023

3 min

Software && Guides

As mentioned in the title, I have deleted my Discord account. This was obviously not without a reason. There are two reasons due to which I deleted my Discord account:

The most prominent reason is privacy but lack of use compelled me to actually take the plunge and delete my Discord account.

Privacy

Introduction

Discord is a hellhole for your privacy. Avoid it at all costs. In this section, I will show you the various things that Discord tracks.

DISCORD'S HISTORY

OpenFeint was a mobile social network for gaming. The Founder of OpenFeint was Jason Citron, the current CEO of Discord. OpenFeint received a class-action lawsuit for storing data like:

OpenFeint then revealed all of this data to any mobile game developer who asked for it and advertising networks.

Well, if they collected all of this data, you must have agreed to it, right?

No. The company never asked for your consent. This data collection involved over 100M mobile devices.

PRIVACY ISSUES

So, when you have the CEO of a company that did all of this data collection become the CEO of another company, what do you think he is going to do? The answer is obvious. Of course he will do the same thing.

Let us go over what privacy issues there currently are with Discord.

  1. All messages, including direct messages are unencrypted.
    • Do not share any sensitive information on it. It can be detrimental if you store a password on their servers as any Discord employee can view it.
  2. Discord collects every single thing you do.
    • Do not be surprised if they log the amount of times you breathe while using Discord. It is stored with your User ID, an event ID, a timestamp and a detailed explanation of everything you do.
  3. Discord collects information about game executables.
    • After scanning your game executables, Discord basically will have a tally of what games you play. If they are doing it for game executables, there is no doubt that they are doing it for other apps as well.
  4. Government agencies, gather round!
    • Discord's privacy policy states that your data will be given to any government organisation that asks for it.
  5. The privacy toggles in the Discord app do nothing.
    • All they do is tell the server to delete the data as soon as it receives it. There is no verification, let alone an audit to verify this.
  6. Your messages are with us... and everyone else.
    • When you delete your Discord account, your messages are still kept and your profile will simply be replaced by “Deleted Account”. If you used Discord for even more than a few days to talk with friends, your messages are more than enough to deanonymize you.
  7. Oh, and don't do it yourself.
    • You will get banned for using tools to delete messages on Discord.

ALL IN ALL...

... this is not all that Discord does. If we know that Discord does all of this, there is obviously more that they are doing that we do not know. You should always assume closed-source pieces of software are tracking you and sending your information to a third-party.

Lack of Use

I was not using Discord anymore so I deleted it. The reason is that my previous account got banned for botting when I did not do anything. I made a new account, chatted with three or four of my friends. Afterwards, the CounterHawks Discord server got banned. Due to this, I realized there is no use for my account and that there is no reason for me to support Discord.

Conclusion

I do not use Discord anymore and probably never will. Previously, it was difficult to delete my Discord account but Discord themselves have done all the hard work for me.

>>> Reply To Me

Previous Post - Next Post

diff --git a/blog/do-it-yourself/index.html b/blog/do-it-yourself/index.html index ce298b0..e77428f 100644 --- a/blog/do-it-yourself/index.html +++ b/blog/do-it-yourself/index.html @@ -15,7 +15,7 @@

sf.cu > Blog > Do It Yourself

Do It Yourself

-

Posted on 19 May 2023

Categories: Software

+

19 May 2023

2 min

Software

With regards to technology, the average person would rather buy a new computer when their WiFi stops working instead of taking it to a repair shop or fixing it themselves. They would rather buy a new smartphone when their screen cracks than repair it. They would also rather buy a device because of its looks and arbitrary specifications than one specific to their use case and their interests. They focus on the marketing of a company and become 'fanboys' of a specific company, buying nothing but their products, stating that the company in question makes the best products in the world. Self-servicing and repairability are not even factors in their decision to buy a device.

As an example, a plethora of technology enthusiasts still buy ThinkPads to this day. When others look at ThinkPads, they think whoever buys them is not making a good decision. They think ThinkPads look ugly. They do not focus on the usability of a device. ThinkPads are used because of their durability, repairability, fast performance, and more. The fact that they are made for businesses means that there is no profit for Lenovo in letting a ThinkPad break early. Instead, they earn money by selling long-lasting and durable devices that last individuals for years on end.

diff --git a/blog/doas-sudo/index.html b/blog/doas-sudo/index.html index 1bd7467..c03b5e1 100644 --- a/blog/doas-sudo/index.html +++ b/blog/doas-sudo/index.html @@ -1 +1 @@ -(POST) Use Doas Instead Of Sudo

sf.cu > Blog > Use Doas Instead Of Sudo

Use Doas Instead Of Sudo

Posted on 20 April 2023

Categories: Linux && Software && Guides

Sudo. It is often used by Linux users to perform commands with root privileges instead of being in a root shell all the time. However, there has recently been a vulnerability in sudo due to which people are switching to doas.

What is Doas?

OpenDoas or Doas is a portable version of the doas utility that is used on OpenBSD. OpenDoas can be installed on Unix-like system which includes Linux. It is designed to be more minimal and has less configuration options than sudo. If you are on a personal computer, then I highly recommend you switch to doas because it has a much smaller codebase which leaves less room for error.

However, if you are part of a professional environment with many individuals needing to use sudo, I recommend staying with sudo because it offers more configuration options to be used for groups and users.

Installing Doas

Doas is available on almost all major distributions. If your distribution is Debian-based (Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Zorin OS), simply type:

sudo apt install doas

If you run an Arch-based system (Artix, Arco, Endeavour, Manjaro), type:

sudo pacman -S opendoas

If you use RHEL-based systems (Fedora, CentOS), type:

sudo dnf install opendoas

Doas should now be installed but it will not work out of the box. There is one line that we need to add to the configuration file.

Configuring Doas

You have to configure doas as it is not included in most distributions by default but do not fret! One of its plus points is that its configuration is much better than sudo's.

To begin, edit the /etc/doas.conf file as root.

If you are the only user on your system and do not plan to allow other users to use your system, this line will suffice.

permit persist username as root

Many distributions have a group (wheel, sudoers) that are allowed to run sudo commands. If you would like to allow that group to send commands as root, type this:

permit persist :wheel as root

Using Doas

Using doas is incredibly simple. Just type doas instead of sudo. For example, if you usually type:

sudo pacman -Syu

then just type:

doas pacman -Syu

I also recommend aliasing doas to 'doas --' since it causes issues sometimes if you just use doas. Apart from that, this is it for the setup.

Conclusion

If you are the only person on your Linux machine, you should switch to doas. It is much more lightweight and is similar to sudo. It has a smaller codebase which, in my opinion, prevents exploits from popping up as often as sudo.

However, if you are in a professional environment, you should stick with sudo.

>>> Reply To Me

Previous Post - Next Post

+(POST) Use Doas Instead Of Sudo

sf.cu > Blog > Use Doas Instead Of Sudo

Use Doas Instead Of Sudo

20 April 2023

2 min

Linux && Software && Guides

Sudo. It is often used by Linux users to perform commands with root privileges instead of being in a root shell all the time. However, there has recently been a vulnerability in sudo due to which people are switching to doas.

What is Doas?

OpenDoas or Doas is a portable version of the doas utility that is used on OpenBSD. OpenDoas can be installed on Unix-like system which includes Linux. It is designed to be more minimal and has less configuration options than sudo. If you are on a personal computer, then I highly recommend you switch to doas because it has a much smaller codebase which leaves less room for error.

However, if you are part of a professional environment with many individuals needing to use sudo, I recommend staying with sudo because it offers more configuration options to be used for groups and users.

Installing Doas

Doas is available on almost all major distributions. If your distribution is Debian-based (Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Zorin OS), simply type:

sudo apt install doas

If you run an Arch-based system (Artix, Arco, Endeavour, Manjaro), type:

sudo pacman -S opendoas

If you use RHEL-based systems (Fedora, CentOS), type:

sudo dnf install opendoas

Doas should now be installed but it will not work out of the box. There is one line that we need to add to the configuration file.

Configuring Doas

You have to configure doas as it is not included in most distributions by default but do not fret! One of its plus points is that its configuration is much better than sudo's.

To begin, edit the /etc/doas.conf file as root.

If you are the only user on your system and do not plan to allow other users to use your system, this line will suffice.

permit persist username as root

Many distributions have a group (wheel, sudoers) that are allowed to run sudo commands. If you would like to allow that group to send commands as root, type this:

permit persist :wheel as root

Using Doas

Using doas is incredibly simple. Just type doas instead of sudo. For example, if you usually type:

sudo pacman -Syu

then just type:

doas pacman -Syu

I also recommend aliasing doas to 'doas --' since it causes issues sometimes if you just use doas. Apart from that, this is it for the setup.

Conclusion

If you are the only person on your Linux machine, you should switch to doas. It is much more lightweight and is similar to sudo. It has a smaller codebase which, in my opinion, prevents exploits from popping up as often as sudo.

However, if you are in a professional environment, you should stick with sudo.

>>> Reply To Me

Previous Post - Next Post

diff --git a/blog/dont-use-github/index.html b/blog/dont-use-github/index.html index 46f79b4..548968b 100644 --- a/blog/dont-use-github/index.html +++ b/blog/dont-use-github/index.html @@ -15,7 +15,7 @@

sf.cu > Blog > Don't Use GitHub

Don't Use GitHub

-

Posted on 27 May 2023

Categories: Software

+

27 May 2023

3 min

Software

If you are a developer, programmer or a coder who works with open-source software, you must have clicked this post in shock. First off, I would like to state that I am not telling everyone to stop making open-source software. What I am trying to say is that GitHub is one of the worst Git platforms to host your projects. We will cover why in this post.

Freedom!

Simply put, GitHub uses non-free software and non-free JavaScript on their website. It is shockingly ironic that the biggest open-source platform for anyone to use is itself a proprietary piece of software. It is also centralised, for-profit and politically active, which are all completely against free, libre and open-source software. These factors make it similar to SourceForge, which was abandoned by most of its users because of this very reason.

diff --git a/blog/eid-mubarak-2023/index.html b/blog/eid-mubarak-2023/index.html index e2ccc35..cdad4e5 100644 --- a/blog/eid-mubarak-2023/index.html +++ b/blog/eid-mubarak-2023/index.html @@ -1 +1 @@ -(POST) Eid Mubarak!

sf.cu > Blog > Eid Mubarak!

Eid Mubarak!

Posted on 21 April 2023

Categories: Other

I would like to wish an 🌙 AUSPICIOUS EID 🌙 to you and your family!

>>> Reply To Me

Previous Post - Next Post

+(POST) Eid Mubarak!

sf.cu > Blog > Eid Mubarak!

Eid Mubarak!

21 April 2023

Less than 1 min

Other

I would like to wish an 🌙 AUSPICIOUS EID 🌙 to you and your family!

>>> Reply To Me

Previous Post - Next Post

diff --git a/blog/email-encrypt/index.html b/blog/email-encrypt/index.html index 93c36f3..e9e0d6b 100644 --- a/blog/email-encrypt/index.html +++ b/blog/email-encrypt/index.html @@ -1 +1 @@ -(POST) How To Encrypt Emails

sf.cu > Blog > How To Encrypt Emails

How To Encrypt Emails

Posted on 14 March 2023

Categories: Software && Guides

In this article, I will show you how to encrypt emails. You can encrypt emails on almost any device. In this article, however, I will be focusing on Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo. I will also be focusing on making ProtonMail encrypt emails with Gmail.

Myths

Firstly, let us dispell a few myths. The first myth is a big one.

Gmail's Confidential mode does not encrypt your emails

Yes, you heard that right. Gmail's confidential mode does not encrypt your emails. Whenever I speak about email encryption, I hear something along the lines of:

“Why are you making things so complicated? Just use Gmail's confidential mode! It encrypts your emails for you!”

No, Gmail's confidential mode does not encrypt emails. It simply puts a password on your email.

ProtonMail does not encrypt emails sent to non-ProtonMail users

This is also a huge myth. ProtonMail encrypts emails sent to other ProtonMail users. However, they do not encrypt emails sent to or received from non-ProtonMail users. It collects less data about you and it stores your emails with encryption on their servers but the email itself is not encrypted on the other person's end.

Encryption for non-ProtonMail users works on a user-to-user basis. You have to have the encryption keys of the other person if they are a non-ProtonMail user and they also have to encrypt their emails manually. We will learn how to do this in this guide.

Online Email

Encrypting your emails online is a simple process.

Step 1: Get the Mailvelope extension

Mailvelope is a free, libre and open-source browser extension which allows you to not only encrypt emails using public keys but also has a keyserver which has a list of other people who use Mailvelope. Emails sent to other people using Mailvelope will automatically be encrypted.

Step 2: Set it up

Open the extension and generate your keypair if you do not have a keypair or import your keypair if you do have one.

Mailvelope Setup Screen

Step 3: Import other people's keys

Encourage all of your friends to get the Mailvelope extension. Afterwards, you can import their public keys. Henceforth, all emails will be encrypted. Many websites also give their own public key along with their emails so that you can encrypt them as well. If you have friends who use ProtonMail, go to the ProtonMail import section of this post.

Step 4: Send encrypted emails!

Whenever you go to compose an email, there will be a button like the image below. Just click on it and there will be a popup to compose your encrypted email. Just fill in the info and send your email!

Mailvelope Icon to send encrypted emails

Smartphones

Firstly, I would like to give a disclaimer. There is no way to use PGP encryption on iOS. Most encryption that is used on iOS is either paid or unavailable. On Android, you cannot encrypt emails using the native applications for Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo. Even if there is such a feature, you should not use their official clients due to their invasive tracking. To encrypt emails, we will use an email app called K-9 Mail. I believe that everyone should use K-9 Mail even if they are not encrypting their emails. It is a fantastic app.

K-9 Mail is a free and open-source email app that has a lot of features. I believe that no one should be writing emails on their phones but it is a great app to have just to make sure there is nothing urgent in your inbox.

Step 1: Get the app

K-9 Mail is on the Play Store, but do not get it from there. Get F-Droid and make it a habit to download apps you use and the alternatives to them through F-Droid. K-9 Mail is available on F-Droid and is a popular app there.

Step 2: Set it up

Follow the guide to enter your email address and get it working through K-9 Mail. I have tried Gmail and it works flawlessly. Other email providers will work well but some may not work at all.

Step 3: Get the OpenKeychain app

OpenKeychain is an app that allows you to import and manage PGP keys. It is also available on F-Droid.

Step 4: Generate/Import your key

Generate your key by pressing the option to create a key or import the key file.

Step 5: Setup K-9 Mail

Go back to K-9 Mail, go to settings, go to your account that you added, go to end-to-end encryption and enable it. Select your key. Turn on autocrypt mutual mode. That is it! You should see a lock icon whenever you are sending an email to someone if you have their PGP public key. If you need to import more keys, just go to the OpenKeychain app and import them.

Composing an encrypted email in K-9 Mail

Exporting ProtonMail Keys

To export your ProtonMail public keys, follow these steps.

  1. Login to your ProtonMail account
  2. Go to the settings
  3. Go to the section labelled 'Encryption and keys'
  4. Scroll down to 'Email encryption keys' and click 'Export'.

The image below is how it looks like in 2023.

ProtonMail Key Export Dashboard

You can now send these keys to anyone to import into their PGP keychain. They will then be able to encrypt emails when sending them to your ProtonMail address!

Conclusion

That is it! You have setup encryption on your emails. This is a great step as email itself is very unsecure, so this will boost your privacy and security by a lot. Sharing passwords through email has never been safe but encryption allows you to do it with a good range of security.

>>> Reply To Me

Previous Post - Next Post

+(POST) How To Encrypt Emails

sf.cu > Blog > How To Encrypt Emails

How To Encrypt Emails

14 March 2023

4 min

Software && Guides

In this article, I will show you how to encrypt emails. You can encrypt emails on almost any device. In this article, however, I will be focusing on Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo. I will also be focusing on making ProtonMail encrypt emails with Gmail.

Myths

Firstly, let us dispell a few myths. The first myth is a big one.

Gmail's Confidential mode does not encrypt your emails

Yes, you heard that right. Gmail's confidential mode does not encrypt your emails. Whenever I speak about email encryption, I hear something along the lines of:

“Why are you making things so complicated? Just use Gmail's confidential mode! It encrypts your emails for you!”

No, Gmail's confidential mode does not encrypt emails. It simply puts a password on your email.

ProtonMail does not encrypt emails sent to non-ProtonMail users

This is also a huge myth. ProtonMail encrypts emails sent to other ProtonMail users. However, they do not encrypt emails sent to or received from non-ProtonMail users. It collects less data about you and it stores your emails with encryption on their servers but the email itself is not encrypted on the other person's end.

Encryption for non-ProtonMail users works on a user-to-user basis. You have to have the encryption keys of the other person if they are a non-ProtonMail user and they also have to encrypt their emails manually. We will learn how to do this in this guide.

Online Email

Encrypting your emails online is a simple process.

Step 1: Get the Mailvelope extension

Mailvelope is a free, libre and open-source browser extension which allows you to not only encrypt emails using public keys but also has a keyserver which has a list of other people who use Mailvelope. Emails sent to other people using Mailvelope will automatically be encrypted.

Step 2: Set it up

Open the extension and generate your keypair if you do not have a keypair or import your keypair if you do have one.

Mailvelope Setup Screen

Step 3: Import other people's keys

Encourage all of your friends to get the Mailvelope extension. Afterwards, you can import their public keys. Henceforth, all emails will be encrypted. Many websites also give their own public key along with their emails so that you can encrypt them as well. If you have friends who use ProtonMail, go to the ProtonMail import section of this post.

Step 4: Send encrypted emails!

Whenever you go to compose an email, there will be a button like the image below. Just click on it and there will be a popup to compose your encrypted email. Just fill in the info and send your email!

Mailvelope Icon to send encrypted emails

Smartphones

Firstly, I would like to give a disclaimer. There is no way to use PGP encryption on iOS. Most encryption that is used on iOS is either paid or unavailable. On Android, you cannot encrypt emails using the native applications for Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo. Even if there is such a feature, you should not use their official clients due to their invasive tracking. To encrypt emails, we will use an email app called K-9 Mail. I believe that everyone should use K-9 Mail even if they are not encrypting their emails. It is a fantastic app.

K-9 Mail is a free and open-source email app that has a lot of features. I believe that no one should be writing emails on their phones but it is a great app to have just to make sure there is nothing urgent in your inbox.

Step 1: Get the app

K-9 Mail is on the Play Store, but do not get it from there. Get F-Droid and make it a habit to download apps you use and the alternatives to them through F-Droid. K-9 Mail is available on F-Droid and is a popular app there.

Step 2: Set it up

Follow the guide to enter your email address and get it working through K-9 Mail. I have tried Gmail and it works flawlessly. Other email providers will work well but some may not work at all.

Step 3: Get the OpenKeychain app

OpenKeychain is an app that allows you to import and manage PGP keys. It is also available on F-Droid.

Step 4: Generate/Import your key

Generate your key by pressing the option to create a key or import the key file.

Step 5: Setup K-9 Mail

Go back to K-9 Mail, go to settings, go to your account that you added, go to end-to-end encryption and enable it. Select your key. Turn on autocrypt mutual mode. That is it! You should see a lock icon whenever you are sending an email to someone if you have their PGP public key. If you need to import more keys, just go to the OpenKeychain app and import them.

Composing an encrypted email in K-9 Mail

Exporting ProtonMail Keys

To export your ProtonMail public keys, follow these steps.

  1. Login to your ProtonMail account
  2. Go to the settings
  3. Go to the section labelled 'Encryption and keys'
  4. Scroll down to 'Email encryption keys' and click 'Export'.

The image below is how it looks like in 2023.

ProtonMail Key Export Dashboard

You can now send these keys to anyone to import into their PGP keychain. They will then be able to encrypt emails when sending them to your ProtonMail address!

Conclusion

That is it! You have setup encryption on your emails. This is a great step as email itself is very unsecure, so this will boost your privacy and security by a lot. Sharing passwords through email has never been safe but encryption allows you to do it with a good range of security.

>>> Reply To Me

Previous Post - Next Post

diff --git a/blog/keep-it-minimal/index.html b/blog/keep-it-minimal/index.html index 26ebd61..5411687 100644 --- a/blog/keep-it-minimal/index.html +++ b/blog/keep-it-minimal/index.html @@ -13,7 +13,7 @@

sf.cu > Blog > Keep It Minimal

Keep It Minimal

-

Posted on 27 June 2023

Categories: Software

+

27 June 2023

3 min

Software

In technology, you should keep it simple as much as possible. The KISS philosophy and the UNIX philosophy especially must be followed if you want quality software. Most pieces of famous software nowadays do not follow this guideline and it is costing millions of people dearly.

Why Minimal?

Simply put, a piece of minimal software:

diff --git a/blog/keepass-syncthing/index.html b/blog/keepass-syncthing/index.html index c9f85ae..d3dcd18 100644 --- a/blog/keepass-syncthing/index.html +++ b/blog/keepass-syncthing/index.html @@ -13,7 +13,7 @@

sf.cu > Blog > KeePass + Syncthing

KeePass + Syncthing

-

Posted on 23 June 2023

Categories: Software

+

23 June 2023

2 min

Software

I have decided to switch from a self-hosted Vaultwarden (Bitwarden) instance to using KeePass along with Syncthing to sync it to all my devices. There are numerous reasons why I decided to make this change.

Security

The offline nature of KeePass makes it so that it is nearly impossible to crack. Connecting things to the internet makes it trivial for a script kiddie thousands of kilometers away from you to attempt to crack your passwords. A password manager is a place where all of your passwords are stored. Due to this very reason, I decided to upgrade my security by moving to a reputed piece of software.

diff --git a/blog/metal-usb/index.html b/blog/metal-usb/index.html index ed2915a..a1a8457 100644 --- a/blog/metal-usb/index.html +++ b/blog/metal-usb/index.html @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@

sf.cu > Blog > Buy Only Metal USBs

-

Buy Only Metal USBs

Posted on 6 May 2023

Categories: Technology +

Buy Only Metal USBs

6 May 2023

2 min

Technology

You should only buy metal USBs because they last longer. Metal USBs should be used for everything that a USB is used for. First, let me clarify what USBs are supposed to be used for:

Here is what USBs are not good for:

diff --git a/blog/open-source-islam/index.html b/blog/open-source-islam/index.html index d35266a..1d97d00 100644 --- a/blog/open-source-islam/index.html +++ b/blog/open-source-islam/index.html @@ -13,7 +13,7 @@

sf.cu > Blog > Open-Source Islam Apps?

Open-Source Islam Apps?

-

Posted on 02 July 2023

Categories: Software

+

02 July 2023

2 min

Software

I have tried finding open-source and free Islamic apps for a long time and it is tiring to do so. Most of the apps are Quran and prayer time apps which are perfect but we do not have apps for other parts of Islam like hadeeths, duas and even Qibla locating. If I do run across an app, its last update is always more than five years ago which is not ideal. There are two Islamic apps that I use on a daily basis that I absolutely love and will never switch from: