- List of Blog Posts

You should use RSS feed

2023-06-27T00:00:00+00:00

A large number of Internet users might have heard of RSS or atleast seen the RSS logo, but not many knows its function or how to use it.
Few years ago I was also in the same situation and even though RSS in itself is a vast field with plenty of uses, it isn't hard to get into it.

In a simple sense RSS is nothing more than a aggregator. RSS is an XML text file which would contain list of articles or content published by the website and end-user would use RSS reader to display and read the RSS feed. RSS allows users to subscribe to their favourite sources and receive updates automatically. Users can conveniently access all the latest articles, blog posts, videos, and more, in one place.

RSS reader that I personally use are Feeder</a> for mobile and Fluent Reader</a> for desktop.

RSS feed could not track you. It does not use any algorithm to push any content or bombard you with personalized ads. RSS for privacy!</a>
RSS lets you focus on the content and unlike social media delivers feed that matters to you.

VPN Security

2023-05-24T00:00:00+00:00

One of the most advertised IT asset is Virtual Private Network or VPN. It seems that every other Youtube creator are sponsored by a VPN provider.
VPN's are used by employees to securely connect to the company's private network from anywhere in the world.
Using a VPN does have its benefits for privacy but its main use case would be hiding personal IP address, i.e., IP masking, not the advertised military grade encryption as nearly the whole internet uses HTTPS+TLS for encryption.
However there are certain risks involved in using VPN. Indian government has made user data collection mandatory for all cloud based service (which includes VPN). This could then be used to track the user's activities.
If VPN configuration is not properly managed then it could result in DNS leak i.e., DNS requests are sent to your ISP instead of to the VPN server revealing true IP address.
Another (not so often mentioned) risk is SSL stripping. VPN providers are in the sweet spot of performing Man-in-the-Middle Attack. A malicious actor in that position could strip away the (SSL+TLS) encryption, which would expose your data for third parties to see.
Setting up our own secure VPN server has become easy with Open Source Software like OpenVPN and WireGuard. There are lots of resources for the same. We could use this script</a> or this one</a> to install our own server in under 5 minutes. It could give you more control over your privacy & security and be sure that no one else has access to your data.
--Edit--
Shady app does shady business under the hood.</h4>
Here it is another reason not to use untrusted VPN provider. A popular VPN app from playstore was functioning as a DDoS Botnet. This VPN was sending a uniquely crafted URL request and combining with over 5 million devices, it acted as a perfect tool for DDoSing. OG Source</a>.

Why I don't prefer LinkedIn

2023-04-27T00:00:00+00:00

I don't like using LinkedIn ~ a free to use social-networking platform. Giving personal information so that they could do something like behaviour analysis or share professional information with advertisers😒
LinkedIn makes it very easy for a user to give too much information and this could result in compromising of privacy and security. The 2020 Twitter hack</a> was a result of social engineering attack which was made possible through LinkedIn.
Because of no proper check anyone can make up any fact. Spam has become much common in LinkedIn, and malicious actors are using LinkedIn for fraudulent activities</a>.

Funny video - Why is LinkedIn so wierd?</a>