Is it possible to use the internet without anyone knowing you're using it?

[Thelps]

I'm interested in finding ways to use the internet completely anonymously and without being logged by other machines or having other people aware of my internet usage.

Shouldn't this be somewhat easy to accomplish?

 

[ccampy]

More likely explanation files have been delete by user errors or software on your pc and have been overwritten by Another program making recovery impossible


Its very unlikely anyone would hack your pc and gain the level of control needed to delete files and just do that more likely they wou be installing spyware to try and steal bank details ect

That sort of thing would bw more likely in a commercial or government environment

 

[USAFRet]

@USAFRet

-Files used to check the integrity and security of my PC's contents.

-I know the files were deleted because they're no longer in the folder where I saved them. Spent a few hours running searches for them, also.

-No errors are reported by the computer so recovery applications (as employing Occam's razor as suggested by 13th Monkey) is low on the priorities checklist. Hardware fault is extremely unlikely, it's a new HDD and hasn't errored yet.

-I ask myself the same question every day. This anomalous activity has been going on for years. I don't hold any state secrets, I don't commit crime online. I'm not conspiring against anyone and I don't publish controversial material.

Massive 'WTF?!' near-daily to do with my computer and the internet.

My previous post is not a far cry from the original question. It's why I asked the original question in the first place. I wanted to justify my question and give context.

"Files used to check the integrity and security of my PC's contents. "
Such as? Possibly something in Windows Update?

For being 'a far cry from'...yes it was.
Your original came with no backstory, just "Is it possible to use the internet without anyone knowing you're using it? "

Keyword - "anyone".
And the answer to that is "No, not really".
You are connected to someone elses server, using and someone else is providing you the basic connection.

 

[popatim]

The idea that someone smart enough to trace you and then hack into your computer and delete just a few security files does not make sense to me.
A; Why? Those files make no sense to steal or delete. A hacker of this skill would have more nefarious intentions IMO.
B: A hacker with this skill would want to leave his entry point/method open for further access and therefor would have corrupted your files rather then leave evidence of a breach for you to investigate and close.
C: Files get lost and corrupted on pc's all the time, most without ever being noticed. The PC file system is not perfect and windows does not check for data integrity. Research windows bit rot if you would like further info on this.

As already mentioned, if you have dedicated ISP then they know who and where you are and the best anonymity you will get is by connecting to a non-logging VPN. To get more 'hidden' you will need to visit various places where they offer their guests wifi and then connect to a non-logging VPN service. Just remember that someone always knows your assigned IP and Mac or the internet would not even work. Those data packets do have to get there and back to your pc, right?

As for the missing files; if the files are important then they should have been backed up. Keep in mind that a backup is an extra copy of the file stored on another device. This device should be something able to be detached from the system, internet, and power to protect it from viruses, power glitches, accidental deletions....

Once a file is discovered to be missing and not backed up, running recovery becomes of prime importance. The longer you wait the less likely recovery is possible because windows will eventually get around to filling in that space marked as empty (your file is really still sitting there until then). In the case of an SSD this would need to be done before garbage collection or trim could do their jobs and Zero-fill the empty space (ie - your time to recover is much shorter on an ssd).

 

[USAFRet]

As for the missing files; if the files are important then they should have been backed up. Keep in mind that a backup is an extra copy of the file stored on another device. This device should be something able to be detached from the system, internet, and power to protect it from viruses, power glitches, accidental deletions....

Exactly this.
Upon discovery of the 'missing files', why wasn't the system restored from the backup image?

 

[13thmonkey]

I don't think that the point is the loss of the information, it's the purported cause of the loss of the information, with the assumption being some kind of bad actor causing the loss of this and only this, so how can it be proven that it was not a bad actor but some kind of system issue or other non nefarious cause.

 

[Rookie_MIB]

My issue stems from the fact that less than a week ago I had files deleted from my PC. I attribute this to an individual or group of individuals tracking my online activity and therefore 'spying' on me.

I know people track online activity anyway but I don't tolerate someone tracking my every move and forming judgements or opinions on me and using that as a rationale to take control of my own property (my computer).

I consider that invasion of privacy, and almost a form of home invasion.

My response is to acquire the closest level to absolute internet-anonymity possible in order to protect myself, my right to privacy and my work, which I do on my computer.

Does that sound reasonable to all of you?

Well that's very different from what your original question was phrased as.

Your original question was (paraphrasing): How do I use the internet without anyone knowing what I'm doing.

Now its: I believe my computer was hacked and someone is monitoring my activities.

Is it possible for people to thwart being tracked? Yes. How would you go about doing it and leave as few (or zero) fingerprints out there?

1) VPN with a no-log policy. You'll need to access the internet, and the ONLY way to obfuscate your presence reliably is a secure no-log VPN.
2) I would suggest having a single main work computer with WIFI access to your router which then pops out to the internet. Everything else is on the local network, and connects to the internet ONLY through the main work computers WIFI access. This allows you to completely shut off network access by turning off a single WIFI connection. This also allows all other computers to access the internet ONLY through a VPN connection. This keeps every packet obfuscated.
3) You can leave the main computer on, but you'll need to make a habit of turning on your WIFI when you're using it, and turning OFF your WIFI when you're done.
4) You'll also need to make sure your VPN is connected ANY time you're connected to the internet.
5) I would also consider keeping any sensitive data on a separate drive (perhaps a USB drive). Plug it in when you're working. Unplug it when you're done.
6) Lastly (and almost everyone fails to do this), assuming a Windows machine, create a separate Admin level user and a separate working user (non-Admin). You work under the non-privileged user, only switching to Admin level for certain things. I know I'm guilty of this myself - but my stuff isn't critical.

Will this actually stop NSA level snoops? Perhaps.

 

[HOkay]

I just want to compliment USAFRet on being so polite despite the unhelpful responses from the OP.

On topic, there is a very very small chance someone is remotely deleting files on your PC. As stated, a trustworthy VPN (they require an awful lot of trust) do the best job at hiding internet activity, but it sounds like you should run a couple of malware scans as you might have got something dodgy from an infected website. Malware Bytes is great, definitely download & run that, do you have an anti virus program? If not get one, a free one is better than nothing. It's much more likely that you have some generic malware than are being remotely logged into. Also get a decent firewall program if you're that worried.

 

[Gerald Attrick]

Generally, in a nutshell, it is theoretically impossible for SOMEONE to not know who is doing what. When you send data requests for a webpage out, it has to have a return route which points to you.

The best way of course to hide what you're doing is have an intermediary receive the requests, then resend them. As the data comes back in, it knows where it's supposed to go and so it re-routes it to you. Now, if that intermediary has a strict no-log policy, it becomes impossible for anyone then to know what data is going where.

That is, in a nutshell, what a VPN does. Virtual Private Network. They have computers which act as 'routers' of sorts, which mask the true IP address of the person requesting the data. This allows you to surf anonymously, assuming of course that the VPN is committed to no-log policy. It's usually not free for a 'good' provider, but the cost is nominal for those interested in true internet anonymity.

 

[Gerald Attrick]

Your comments about VPNs are quite correct, although they totally contradict your opening remarks. Actually, they do an outstanding job of destroying any "... return route which points to you." Moreover, all traffic between the user's computer and any of the VPN's servers is encrypted. As a result, the relevant ISP only knows that its paying customer is sending some gibberish to a site whose location is, likely as not, incorrectly identified. If you log into a server located in, say, Chicago, don't be surprised if your home page gives you a brief weather report for some city in New Jersey.

Over the years, I've used three VPN providers. The "best of breed," IMHO, is Epressvpn." This opinion is confirmed by almost every "top ten" listing you can find on the net. Among many other virtues, this provider adheres to a strict "no log" policy. Not surprising, it's the most expensive of the bunch. At the moment, it costs a few cents less than $100 per annum. Of course, there are lots of free VPNs but, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

 

[Rookie_MIB]

Your comments about VPNs are quite correct, although they totally contradict your opening remarks. Actually, they do an outstanding job of destroying any "... return route which points to you." Moreover, all traffic between the user's computer and any of the VPN's servers is encrypted. As a result, the relevant ISP only knows that its paying customer is sending some gibberish to a site whose location is, likely as not, incorrectly identified. If you log into a server located in, say, Chicago, don't be surprised if your home page gives you a brief weather report for some city in New Jersey.

Over the years, I've used three VPN providers. The "best of breed," IMHO, is Epressvpn." This opinion is confirmed by almost every "top ten" listing you can find on the net. Among many other virtues, this provider adheres to a strict "no log" policy. Not surprising, it's the most expensive of the bunch. At the moment, it costs a few cents less than $100 per annum. Of course, there are lots of free VPNs but, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

They don't contradict the opening remarks, his exact question was having to do with COMPLETELY hiding his identity. That is impossible to do. There is always a way to trace the data, and the only reason that a VPN 'cant' is because they choose not to log. What if they were presented with a court order to specifically log any data coming from a particular web page and where it was sent to? And they complied with the legit court order? Then the VPN user would be exposed.

Or, someone in the control room of the VPN could monitor traffic in/out and see what's going on. There are dozens of scenarios where the security could be compromised. So - as I mentioned, it relies on a certain modicum of trust that a VPN provider is not logging. Trust is quite often misplaced. While a VPN with a no log policy is a pretty good guarantee that their users will not be exposed, it is not 100% certain - which the OP was looking for.

 

[Smlarkin]

I'm interested in finding ways to use the internet completely anonymously and without being logged by other machines or having other people aware of my internet usage.

Shouldn't this be somewhat easy to accomplish?

Well you could set up a private server running Linux so that your name never is listed. That will give you privacy.
Of course that is what Hillary Clinton did but the government server she sent to got hacked.
No one realized this because it was a very emotional charged election. You would face the same problem in that who ever you sent to
could be compromised.

 

[Nevering]

Generally, in a nutshell, it is theoretically impossible for SOMEONE to not know who is doing what. When you send data requests for a webpage out, it has to have a return route which points to you.

The best way of course to hide what you're doing is have an intermediary receive the requests, then resend them. As the data comes back in, it knows where it's supposed to go and so it re-routes it to you. Now, if that intermediary has a strict no-log policy, it becomes impossible for anyone then to know what data is going where.

That is, in a nutshell, what a VPN does. Virtual Private Network. They have computers which act as 'routers' of sorts, which mask the true IP address of the person requesting the data. This allows you to surf anonymously, assuming of course that the VPN is committed to no-log policy. It's usually not free for a 'good' provider, but the cost is nominal for those interested in true internet anonymity.

Anything can be hacked. Any traffic can be sniffed and decrypted . For more security at the Tails OS and the TOR browser. Be aware that these also can be compromised .

 

[ex_bubblehead]

This thread has now run its course and will be closed.