Sorry for the longer-than-I-want silences, but life has been busy and interesting. One of the things I’ve been dealing with are computer related. About six weeks ago, I discovered somone had “fingerprinted” my main browser. What this means is that even with VPNs and such, if you use that browser you can be tracked.
Now, lots of people try to fingerprint systems these days, as the data on where you go and what you look at makes them money. Governments can do it to track what you do online for investigations. Some governments (and others) do it gain dirt and leverage. The question always is, do you let on you know or do you take immediate action.
I chose to wait in part because I wanted to see if I could gain any data; have some fun via false trails (was tempted to take them to the worst photos on the net, such as fake nudes of Mad Maxine or Bella Abzug in a tutu); and, see if I could detect any intrusions.
Thing is, there may have been some penetration of my systems. Can’t prove, but have been going through and trying to check some things. I also realized I was off schedule on backups and such, so I’ve been working on that and trying to secure my system. Going to have to dump the main browser and get a new one. Secondary browser is fingerprinted, but it is a fingerprint shared with about 20 million other computers so not too worried about it.
So, things may be a bit spotty for a while longer as I continue to try to deal with this. And, yes, I am doing this off the main, compromised browser. Sometimes you just have to say “hi guys” and see if any cockroaches scatter. It’s probably nothing, but this day and age why take chances? I’m not on Sharyl Atkinson’s level, but things do happen.
Hang tight, because I see some interesting things on the horizon. Some political, some social, and some otherwise. Keep your guard up, be prepared, keep your family and friends close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. If you want to know some of what it is going for, read here. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.