Verizon Tracking Customer's Online Activity

A recent article published by the Electronic Frontier Foundation has brought to light some startling news. Verizon Wireless is modifying its users' traffic while on their network to insert a tracking code that allows websites to monitor your browsing habits regardless of your privacy or cookie settings on your computer, overriding end-user privacy settings.  This tracking affects all browsing data through HTTP connections (regular web traffic), including application data. While Verizon claims to be using it to enhance advertising, it also opens the door to gross breaches in user privacy.

The header is nearly invisible and remains even if a user deletes all of their browsing data and cookies. The tracker is not optional or able to be disabled and even tracks users while in the 'Private Browsing' mode of their browser. It also bypasses several other privacy functions, such as 'Do Not Track' option on some devices. 

The tracker only reads plain text and isn't able to read encrypted traffic so encrypting your connection is the only way to prevent the tracker from recording your data. You can use HTTPS, an encrypted proxy, Tor, or a VPN service like GoTrusted. Only a VPN or Tor will provide full protection in this case.

The news doesn't stop with Verizon. AT&T has said they are also testing a similar tracker for use on its networks and you can likely expect other carriers to follow suit.

New Version of GoTrusted Available

A new Windows version (v2.3.8.3) of GoTrusted is available for download. The new version should help with connection stability, especially for certain regions such as China. You can find the new version by logging in under 'Existing Users' on the main site and selecting the 'Download GoTrusted Secure Tunnel' link.

As always support is available if you have any questions or issues so don't hesitate to contact them!

New Mac Version Available

Version 2.2.7.6 is now live for Mac users! This version has some new updates that should further improve stability, especially in certain regions.

You can find the link to download under your account settings or by going here.

As always, GoTrusted support is available if you run into any issues!

Upgrade Notice for Existing Users

Users connecting to GoTrusted on older software may be presented with a update splash screen when they open their internet browser. If you are receiving this screen you will need to upgrade the GoTrusted client to the latest version found here or by logging in under 'Existing Users' and selecting the download link.

As always our support is available if you have any questions or concerns!

TrueCrypt Services Suddenly Discontinued

TrueCrypt let its users know that it would be discontinuing services abruptly by redirecting its website to a message on SourceForge.net, a web-based source code repository. The sudden discontinuation has surprised users and security experts alike. 

TrueCrypt was an open source freeware utility that allowed its users to fully and easily encrypt data on their hard disks. It was released in 2004 by anonymous developers. They have never identified themselves in the 10 years the TrueCrypt has been active and still remain unidentified.

The end of life announcement came as a short message posted on TrueCrypt's SourceForge page that read "WARNING: Using TrueCrypt is not secure as it may contain unfixed security issues." It also urged users to other alternative like Windows Bit Locker. No other reason has been stated for the sudden and bizarre demise of TrueCrypt.

We strongly suggest any TrueCrypt users seek out alternatives as soon as possible. Users should also take precautions and have the GoTrusted VPN service running anytime they're sending or receiving data. These steps will be the best way to insure your privacy is maintained.

You can read more about the TrueCrypt story on ArsTecnica.

GoTrusted is Supporting #ResetTheNet

On June 5th, Reset The Net, an organization that champions net privacy, is launching a campaign to promote security measures to protect Internet privacy from government surveillance.   The #ResetTheNet campaign targets websites that you use and also what you can do on your own with privacy tools like GoTrusted VPN.  See their video...

New Version and Servers Available Now

We're excited to announce a couple new updates for the GoTrusted service.

We have two new versions available for both PC and Mac which are now live.  Mac version 2.2.6.6 and Windows version 2.3.6.5!

Users should see improved performance with the new versions. Due to popular demand we've also added new Canadian servers and an option to access them from the new client's settings menu.

Current users can find the new version by logging in under 'Existing Users' on our website and selecting the 'Download GoTrusted Client' link.

New flaw found in iOS 7 devices

A new flaw in iOS 7 has been found on the heels of Apple's recent encryption issue. This new flaw could be used to log everything a user does on their phone. The flaw was discovered by FireEye, a security firm, who is now working with Apple to fix the issue. 

FireEye has stated that this was possible by making an app that recorded any and all keystrokes used on an iOS 7 device. The app would then send all recorded keystrokes to a remote server. Any app using this malicious code could run in the background without the user being aware. The readout of the screen presses could then be used to reconstruct what the user was accessing making it possible to obtain passwords, bank information, or anything else input into the phone by the user.

Until Apple releases a patch for the vulnerability, the only way to prevent attacks is to open the iOS task manager and stop questionable apps from running in the background. Users can open the task manager by pressing the home button twice. You can read more about the issue on ArsTechnica.

Massive Security Flaw Found in iOS and OS X 10.9 Mavericks

There is a newly discovered security flaw present in Apple's iOS and OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) that has many people concerned. The flaw is believed to be caused by a single repeated line of code and effectively leaves hundreds of millions iOS and OS X Mavericks devices open to hackers. 

The flaw allows for a man-in-the-middle attack to be executed on anyone connected to the same wifi hotspot an attacker might be using. These kinds of attacks occur when an attacker intercepts the 
information being sent between two parties - you to your bank's website for example - and then impersonates each party to the other.  This allows the attacker to access any and all information
you're sending out. Banking information, credit cards, social media postings, email, and any website login information are all able to be intercepted while connected to the same wifi hotspot. 

This effectively makes public wifi hotspots a perfect location to perform the attacks. A stranger can sit in a busy coffee shop, run the attack, and gather information without any of the victims ever knowing anything was amiss. This is the kind of scenario where a VPN service like GoTrusted becomes invaluable. Anyone connected to our service would be protected from such an attack. Our encryption would make it impossible for the attacker to read any of the information coming over the connection. Making sure your your personal information is kept personal.

It's not entirely clear how long the flaw has been present. It could date back to when the iPhone 4 was released in 2010 or may have been introduced with past software updates. All iOS are urged to not use any public Wifi until they update their iOS version with the new patch. Apple has not released a timeline for the OS X Mavericks to be patched so users should make sure their GoTrusted is running if connecting to any public networks. You can read more about the security flaw here and a more detailed rundown on the flaw on Krebs on Security.

Sochi Olympics Visitor's Devices Being Hacked

Visitors visiting Sochi for this year's Winter Olympics are facing a huge privacy concern according to a new report by NBC.

In the report they tested how long it would take their two new devices (a Mac and an Android phone) to be hacked when they accessed public Wifi while in Sochi. The first connection was made at a local coffee shop. Within minutes the phone was being probed by hackers. Intrusion attempts followed and eventually the device was compromised. Once compromised hackers were able to take any data they wanted off of the phone as well as setting up a tap to listen to conversations, follow the internet traffic of the phone, and read emails. When the laptop was hooked up to the hotel's Wifi they had a similar outcome in a similar amount of time.

The U.S. State Department has also rung in on the issue saying Americans visiting Sochi should have "no expectation of privacy." Sochi is expected to receive tens of thousands of visitors with the Olympics. The influx of high traffic and weak law enforcement, in regards to hacking, has privacy advocates on edge.

Anyone hoping to maintain their privacy is urged to use a VPN service like GoTrusted as well as making sure their devices are encrypted and password protected. Storing sensitive information in a non-internet connected device (like an external hard drive or USB stick) is also a good idea.

Microsoft to Cease Windows XP Support

Microsoft has announced that it will no longer be supporting XP or Office 2003 starting on April 8th, 2014.

XP has been actively supported the past 11 years with system and security updates. According to Net Applications, a metrics company that tracks the percentage of users on each operating system, the XP install base is still at 37% globally.

Some people are taking Microsofts advice to upgrade their OS.  The global percentage of computers using XP dropped from the 40% it was at previously, but 37% is still a significant number.

Come April 8th you can expect XP machines to no longer automatically update and security updates to no longer be issued. Many believe this will be the starting gun for hacker groups to find security holes. Without updates these possible security holes will remain open and the operating system exposed.

Now's the time to think about upgrading if you were on the fence before. Upgrading your OS and running your GoTrusted Tunnel will ensure you remain safe while browsing online.