# The Art Of Staying Hidden Online | Ultimate Guide **URL:** \ **Category:** Tutorials & Methods\ **Tags:** hacking, privacy, freebies, tips-tricks\ **Created:** [March 14, 2023, 11:05am UTC](https://onehack.st/t/the-art-of-staying-hidden-online-ultimate-guide/234388 "2023-03-14T11:05:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TheStrength](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/thestrength/32/46753_2.png) [@TheStrength](https://onehack.st/u/TheStrength)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 11:05am UTC](https://onehack.st/t/the-art-of-staying-hidden-online-ultimate-guide/234388/1 "2023-03-14T11:05:42Z")
This guide will include every bit of information that you will need while browsing darknet sites and participating in darknet activity. To which extent you use the tips pointed out below is entirely up to you. It also depends on whether or not being identified as a certain darknet personality could mean a life sentence or death. Please read carefully through those articles (all articles can be visited without JavaScript and are clearnet links!): [This Guide](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/woralexandre-cazes-dark-web-dark-net-hanged-thailand-bangkok-narcoticssuicide-drug-trafficking-money-laundering-extradition-pornography-bitcoina7843626.html) Did they scare you? No? Well then you are stupid, crazy or simply that smart that there is nothing you could possibly learn from this guide. If you still want to continue, feel free to share your opinions and thanks afterwards. Following, you will find a list of what this guide will cover: A. OpSec 1. Behaviour online & offline 2. Usernames & Password 2.1. Personality Cross-interfering 3. Trust B. TechSec 4. The right OS 5. Encryption 6. TOR Setup 7. PGP C. HOW TO VANISH 1. How to vanish online 2. How to vanish offline Now that everything I needed to say is out of the way, let’s start this adventure! **==OPSEC==** OpSec (Operational Security) is the term used to describe any action you take (or don’t take) in order to keep your real identity a secret online. 1. Behaviour online Behaviour online is probably the most important aspect to take care of if you are serious about staying in the shadows. Your behaviour must be excellent, never forget that the Internet never forgets… and never forgives! And by excellent I don’t mean your manners (still, don’t be an asshole!) but more what you say and post online. With other words - if you’re thinking about saying something that could identify you - DON’T. Unfortunately, LEA is so sophisticated nowadays that your name or IP or address isn’t the only thing that might be dangerous to tell online. Here’s a list of potentially dangerous information you should NEVER GIVE ANYONE!: • Name(First Name and Past Name!),past surnames,nicknames from other services or clearnet,surnames,… - Address (not partially, not at all!) - Age - Your social status (many friends,lives alone,has a wife/husband,has 1/2/3/9 kids etc.) - Weather (it’s always sunny in OnionLand!) - Current Time - Any clearnet activities not done with the TOR Browser - And many more! Everytime you are about to post something, read carefully through what you are about to share. Always think of messages and posts as if it is your ticket to Hell. And indeed, it is. Do not piss of people, talk only when absolutely necessary and don’t get provoqued by idiots. You’ll enjoy your warm coffee browsing through the DNet while they will be the ones feeling “love from behind” in a cell. Do not talk about your darknet activity! It is none of anyone’s business besides yourself. Trust nobody - not even offline when it comes to that. 1. Usernames & Passwords Do not use lame usernames & passwords! Make sure that they do not contain personally identifying information (your mom’s first name combined with the date you bought your kitten is NOT a good password) as well as that the password is filled with random Digits, at least 10 digits long. Just to make it absolutely clear: BAD USERNAME&PASS: WisconsinMan49 darknetpass123 GOOD USERNAME&PASS: ExodusRainbow s881bnxu5%%1=jsz& I know the examples above are a bit drastic but you get my point. 2.1 Personality Cross-Interfering Also, you should make sure to NEVER use the same usernames & passwords on TOR that you used on clearnet at any time. Preferably change your username & password for each and every service you come along! This also counts for the Behaviour Online (view point 1). Try to avoid acting on Tor like you act on the clearnet. (Don’t access the same site, for example). 1. Trust “Trust” is a word you should try to forget permanently. You can trust your grandma, but not the guy you will sell 50 grams of coke. DO NOT fall for anyone. Even if they seem to 100% legit and you know them for over 3 years and you are best buddies online - STILL TREAT HIM THE SAME LIKE ANYONE ELSE! Do not TRUST. I cannot stress this enough. Just a quick reminder: Some Silk Road Mods serve life sentences for having trusted the wrong person! B. Techsec 2. The right OS Is there really the perfect operating system for darknet activity? No. There isn’t. Are there solutions that are way better than the average windows+outdated TBB? Yes. Definitely. YES! If you want to game, go with windows. If you need to do graphical tasks, go with MAC. If you want to browse the darknet, use a pro-security, pro-anonymity Linux Distro. Linux Distros worth mentioning here. Whonix: [https://www.whonix.org/](https://www.whonix.org/) Qubes: [https://www.qubes-os.org/](https://www.qubes-os.org/) Tails: [https://tails.boum.org/](https://tails.boum.org/) They all have their pros and cons. For this guide, we will proceed assuming that you use Tails. However, Qubes and Whonix are great OSs and I definitely recommend checking them out. However, for beginners, Tails is an awesome solution as it takes care of most of the technical anonymization for you. E.g., it runs all internet traffick through the TOR network, which means that all outgoing and incoming datapackages are encrypted and anonimyzed. Tails Homepage: [https://tails.boum.org/](https://tails.boum.org/) Download & Install Tails: [https://tails.boum.o…l/index.en.html](https://tails.boum.org/install/index.en.html) 3. Encryption Encryption is extremely important, not to say crucial to your security and anonymity. You want to be encryption crazy! Encrypt everything, your drives, your flashdrives, your OS, your SD-Cards, everything. Make sure to use STRONG password (look up Usernames & Passwords). Good encryption software: VeraCrypt: [https://www.veracryp…code/VeraCrypt/](https://www.veracrypt.fr/code/VeraCrypt/) The good thing about Tails? If you choose to keep a persistent volume (the ability to save files after shutting down Tails) Tails asks you for a password. Tails encryption is extremely strong, so no need to use VeraCrypt for that. However, for your external or seperated internal drives you want to use VeraCrypt. Try to use different passwords. Never leave your device out of reach and unencrypted! The least you want is someone finding out about your darknet activity offline. 4. TOR-Setup 3.TOR needs to be secured to restrict dangerous or malicious attacks. For that, follow the steps: When you open a new browser window, click on the shield on the right upper corner. Set the security button to “Highest”. Type “about:config” into the address bar. Ignore the warning and click on the proceed button. Search for “java” and disable (toggle) “javascript.enabled”. This will block most of malicious files some sites can hold. Also, since you’re using Tails, a rather unknown OS, most virus are not made for your operating environment, but rather for Windows. 5. PGP PGP (Pretty good privacy) is a sophisticated tool to encrypt/decrypt messages that are encrypted with powerful 2096bits. Check out GnuPG: [https://gnupg.org/](https://gnupg.org/) For Tails users, click on the clipboard at the upper right corner on your screen. Press “Manage Keys”. Proceed with this tutorial from there: [https://darkweblink…e-pgp-in-tails/](https://darkweblink.com/a-proper-wayto-use-pgp-in-tails/) C.HOW TO VANISH If you followed these steps, vanishing shouldn’t be a piece of cake, but definitely easier than expected. 6. Vanishing online Delete every account you ever had. Ask Site Admins to delete your accounts. If you cannot delete your account, at least delete every post you ever made. Delete Mails. Delete your PGP key-pair. If possible, spread misinformation about your persona (if you have reached a certain persona, otherwise, it would not be productive). Delete any software and files you kept. Format the drive 2 times for security reasons. 7. Vanishing offline DESTROY your hardware. Shatter it into thousand pieces and throw it away at different trashbins, lakes, rivers or anything else. Just make sure it is really destroyed. Decide if you need to leave the country. Get rid of everything that could be tied to you having anything to do with illegal activity. That also includes your pipes, needles and your unlicensed shotgun. Get rid of anything police could see as reason enough to arrest you. If you get arrested anyway, do not talk until you see your lawyer. Thank you for reading through the article. Now go and read it a second time. The information must be in your memories 4 EVA! ---
**Author:** ![WickedSick](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/wickedsick/32/118905_2.png) [@WickedSick](https://onehack.st/u/WickedSick)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 12:47pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/the-art-of-staying-hidden-online-ultimate-guide/234388/2 "2023-03-14T12:47:24Z")
Thanks for sharing! Privacy on the internet is quite important and always an interesting topic for me to learn more and more. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Bunuda\_Denemeli\_AS\_v](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/bunuda_denemeli_as_v/32/117963_2.png) [@Bunuda\_Denemeli\_AS\_v](https://onehack.st/u/Bunuda_Denemeli_AS_v)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 3:21pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/the-art-of-staying-hidden-online-ultimate-guide/234388/3 "2023-03-14T15:21:50Z")
Thank you very much, very informative ---
**Author:** ![venugopal\_ganesh](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/venugopal_ganesh/32/29440_2.png) [@venugopal\_ganesh](https://onehack.st/u/venugopal_ganesh)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2023, 3:04am UTC](https://onehack.st/t/the-art-of-staying-hidden-online-ultimate-guide/234388/4 "2023-03-15T03:04:43Z")
Thanks, man! privacy matters. ---
**Author:** ![Cj\_B](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/cj_b/32/149701_2.png) [@Cj\_B](https://onehack.st/u/Cj_B)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2024, 1:35pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/the-art-of-staying-hidden-online-ultimate-guide/234388/5 "2024-10-14T13:35:53Z")
Thank for the awesome article Strength. I might even read it a 3rd time!