Silk Road forums

Discussion => Newbie discussion => Topic started by: afflicted on July 07, 2013, 05:30 pm

Title: newbie query - security
Post by: afflicted on July 07, 2013, 05:30 pm
Ok, so I use a VPN (BT GUARD) Im using tor, I thought this was enough ? already I'm learning about PGP , tails ........ so in essence everything im typing in the forum is not secure, why is pgp needed ? is it for e mail outside of tor? and what is tails? I have the iso image but am unsure what to do with it? also I have Kleopatra and am clueless............ grrrrrrr yours frustrated and incompetent afflicted. 
Title: Re: newbie query - security
Post by: mcguire39 on July 07, 2013, 05:39 pm
The VPN, if configured so that traffic goes through the VPN then to the tor entry node, helps obfuscate from your ISP and other snoopers that your IP address is accessing Tor.

PGP in the SR context is normally used when placing an order to encrypt your name and address, so that only the vendor can access that information.

Tails is an image that helps you to use Tor on pretty much any computer without leaving any trace later that Tor was used on it. Basically you put it on a USB stick or possibly DVD and boot from that.

Kleopatra is for managing keys and doing PGP encryption, but it's not nearly as easy to use as something like GPG4USB.
Title: Re: newbie query - security
Post by: afflicted on July 07, 2013, 05:50 pm
Thanks for your patience and prompt reply ,ok so I should ditch kleopatra and take a look at gpg4usb.  "IF" i want to access tor on another pc, I need tails otherwise tails is not necessary, gpg4usb is compatible with Kleopatra I'm guessing .........
Title: Re: newbie query - security
Post by: /I_Surf_Worm_Holes on July 07, 2013, 06:03 pm
afflicted,

I want to suggest to you that if you are not very savvy with computer network technology that you install tails and get a feel for it.  It does come with a variety of software you may like - a pgp tool, IRC tool, and much more. You may find that you really like it, or at the least you may find some inspriation toward some other method of anon computing. 

Just a simple suggestion.
Title: Re: newbie query - security
Post by: Beasters on July 07, 2013, 06:34 pm
There's a lot to cover when you first start out. There are so many great posts in the different sections to read. Definitely read posts in the security section.
Title: Re: newbie query - security
Post by: basedglob on July 07, 2013, 06:44 pm
I agree with the man above. Make yourself a tails live usb and use that for all your tor needs. You won't look back.
Title: Re: newbie query - security
Post by: afflicted on July 07, 2013, 09:23 pm
gentlemen thank you for your time much appreciated
Title: Re: newbie query - security
Post by: mcguire39 on July 07, 2013, 11:09 pm
gpg4usb is compatible with Kleopatra I'm guessing .........

You don't need both; they both support PGP encryption/decryption and signing. GPG4USB is easier to use because it has a built in text editor and allows operations directly from the clipboard (copy/paste). Kleopatra wants to just work with files already saved on the computer.