INTERNET
SECURITY .. THE SECRET SERVICES
Whether its e-mails,
messages, documents, photos, or even videos, there'll always be spies
hackers, snoopy colleagues, or even professional competitors who would like
nothing better than to intercept your correspondence, and get their hands on
your stuff. Now, keeping all this information secure is a 24x7 activity.
Thankfully, there are
resources on the Internet some which are super fun to use as well as a few
apps that are quite effective against espionage
MESSAGES THAT SELF DESTRUCT
How many of you remember that scene
from Mission Impossible II where secret agent Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise,
gets a message from his spy master that self-destructs as soon as he reads it?
Well, Privnote is a web message service that's not as dramatic as its movie
counterpart, but follows the same principle of self destruction.
The service does not require you to
register or sign up. Simply write your note, and you're provided with a link.
Copy and paste that link into an e-mail (or instant message) to send it to your
intended recipient. When that person clicks the link for the first time, they
will see the note in their browser, after which, the note will automatically
self-destruct so no one not even that very same person can read it again.
The link won't work anymore. You can also choose to be notified when your note
is read by leaving your e-mail and entering a reference
code.http:www.privnote.com
HIDE MESSAGES IN IMAGES
Steganography is the science of
hiding mes sages within another message in such a way that no one apart from
the sender and intended recipient knows of its existence.
For a brilliant way to create your
own steganographic messages, visit Mozaiq. Upload any image to the site (.png
or .jpeg only). Type your secret message, but not more than 1024 characters.
Choose a password, and then click on “Hide Your Message“.
Moziac will create a downloadable
.png image file, which looks exactly like the original, but with your message
encrypted within. You can rename the picture to something of your choice, but
other than that, no other modifications including converting into another
file format should be made to the picture. You can then send the file to your
friends who will have to visit mozaiq.orgdecrypt and follow the instructions to
read the secret message. Just make sure you message them about the password
you've set.mozaiq.orgencrypt
ENCRYPT YOUR E-MAIL
Not as gimmicky as Mozaiq, but Top Secret
E-Mail is an internet service that promises to get the job done just as well.
To create a cryptic message, simply click on the “Encode a Message Now“ button,
choose a case-sensitive password, and then type out your message. After you're
done, click “Encode Now“.
The site processes your message and
password using complex algorithms and spews out garbled alphanumeric text,
which you can then send to your friend.
On receiving the text, your buddy
will simply have to type in the password and copy paste the text you sent him
into the “Decode a Message Now“ box and Voila! The good thing about this
service is that there is no word limit for what you can encode, so you can send
huge encrypted e-mails.
You can also consider Info Encrypt
a service that's similar to Top Secret E-Mail to send coded missives to your
friends and colleagues.http:www.topsecretemail.com http:www.infoencrypt.com
PROTECT YOUR CHATS
ChatSecure lets you chat with
friends on Google Hangouts (formerly Google Chat) and Jabber over an encrypted
connection on your phone. Missives are not stored in the handset's system
memory, so they cannot be accessed by third-party apps either.In order to start
an “off-the-record“ conversation, your friends must also have this app
installed on their handset. Once this mode is switched on, the app uses 128-bit
AES encryption to protect your messages. You can also set a passcode to prevent
strangers from gaining access to your chats. ChatSecure also includes a feature
wherein you can set up a messaging group with friends and colleagues who are
connected to the same Wi-Fi point. This is very handy when you don't want to
use the internet connection or are in an office that has web restrictions in
place.
Alternatively , you can also try
Telegram, a free instant messaging app that encrypts messages using 256-bit
symmetric AES encryption. It also lets you securely send files of any type, and
you can even set a self-destruct timer to them.
CHATSECURE:
Android, iOS, Kindle Fire | Free
TELEGRAM:
web.telegram.org, Android, iOS,
Windows Phone | Free
SECURE DATA...
There is always a threat that
hackers might break into your cloud stor age services or gain access to your
e-mail account. You can stay ahead of the snoop er's game by encrypting your
confidential and personal files before storing or sharing them online.
Viivo, a security service for
smartphones as well as Windows and Mac computers, uses 256bit AES encryption.
Simply select the files you want to upload, after which the app encrypts, and
then lets you choose the destination storage service. It lets you connect to
Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, OneDrive and also add the files as an attachment in
your e-mail app. The file can only be decrypted by you on a PC or handset that
has the software installed.
The recipient of your Viivo
encrypted file will also need the app on his handset or PC.When he tries to
decrypt the file, you are sent a notification seeking approval. And the file
only opens at his end after you allow it.
Moreover, all files are
automatically compressed before they are sent, so as to keep a check on data
usage.Android, iOS, PC, Mac | Free
...AND STORAGE
Alternatively, you could consider
switching to Mega. This service en crypts all your files locally on your PC or
smartphone before uploading it. This ensures that even Mega employees cannot
view your file contents. You get 50GB of free online space and only users with
the encryption key , can access and view the encoded content.mega.nz, Android,
BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Phone | Free
LOCK YOUR APPS
Now that you know how to encrypt
your chats and secure your data on the cloud, what about the apps on your
phone? To prevent a stranger from going through your text messages or your
child to have a field day on the Google Play Store, install AppLock and choose
apps you want to lock down with a single passcode or pattern. You can even hide
select pictures, videos or albums from the Gallery app.In fact, AppLock itself
can be hidden from view to prevent anybody from trying to disable or uninstall
it altogether.
It also lets you create multiple
guest profiles where you can individually specify the apps and functions that
other users can access.Android | Free
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Savio D'Souza & Ashutosh Desai
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TNN
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TOI4JUL15
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