The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan have figured out a way to “hack” the live video feeds of Predator drones.

In fact, there was nothing to hack.

Apparently, whomever created the Predator drones and wrote their software assumed the insurgents wouldn’t check the communications networks. Because they decided not to encrypt video feeds, leaving their entire intelligence gathering open to anyone with a satellite dish.

In this information age, encryption is becoming more and more important. Everything of any sensitivity needs to be encrypted. As we’ve seen with the Predator drones, millions of dollars on intelligence are wasted, if any schmuck with a satellite dish and a receiver can pick it up.

This software, which allows insurgents to download streams of Predator drones, was originally written to download music illegally. Skygrabber was written to hijack other people’s internet connections over satellite. And so, any unencrypted communication over satellite is downloadable, and more importantly, undetectable.

As private citizens, we need to become more encryption savvy. It’s up to us to know what’s encrypted, and what’s not. Because we now live in an age where the bad comment can come back to bite us thirty years down the road. Everything is being recorded online, somewhere. And it will be analyzed, if it is not encrypted.

More photos and insight available at JDHodges.

It’s been a while in the making, but the DemocraKey Version 3.0 has been released in two different flavors. There is a Minimal DemocraKey, and a Full DemocraKey. The new versions are both 100% Vista compatible, and a great improvement from Version 2.0.

Minimal DemocraKey
Minimal DemocraKey is a basic, secure install of the DemocraKey.

It includes:

• Tor Browser – For anonymous web browsing without using an insecure anonymous proxy
• Clamwin Portable – To check the host computer for viruses, and to clean before surfing anonymously
• Thunderbird Portable – Send anonymous email or encrypted email with Enigmail and GnuPGP
• TrueCrypt – Create hidden volumes and encrypt your files so they are unreadable

You can download the minimal version here.

Full DemocraKey
Full DemocraKey is a complete, secure portable USB suite. It includes all of the applications from within the minimal install, plus:

• AbiWord Portable – Write and open documents saved within your encrypted folders
• Gimp Portable – Open and edit images saved within your encrypted folders

You can download the full version of the DemocraKey here

Both versions are available for immediate download at Sourceforge. If you have any questions, feel free to drop them below.

So you’re stuck at work, and Myspace is banned. But you do a quick search, and you find some anonymous proxy servers. You check your back, and then proceed to navigate, just for a quick check.

Big Mistake.

Anonymous Proxy Servers are Insecure

Using a free proxy server is like broadcasting everything you do online to the most scandalous of users. Open proxy servers are mostly run by hackers and blackhats. Although there are a few good people running safe proxy servers, it’s impossible to tell the difference between the two.

A common attack used by hackers is the MITM (man in the middle) attack. Creating and posting “anonymous” proxy servers is the easiest way for them to get “in the middle”. When people use proxy servers, their internet traffic is routed through another server. This server can do any number of nefarious things before the traffic reaches Myspace or Facebook. It can sniff out a username and password, if it is designed to do so.

Encrypt your Traffic Instead

If you must log in to Facebook or Myspace where you’re not supposed to, at the very least, use encryption. There are a number of free software solutions that let you bypass blocked Facebook or Myspace, while keeping your information safe.

The most popular among these is Tor Project. The Tor allows you to install anonymous software on to a USB key and surf the internet securely.

If you want an even higher level of protection, look no further than a DemocraKey. The DemocraKey takes personal privacy to a whole new level, by encrypting even the software itself that runs while browsing banned websites. Because it has integrated anti-virus software, it can also check to make sure no keyloggers are installed on the machine before you start using it to browse. So, if you’re looking for the safest surfing possible, I highly recommend you download and install a DemocraKey.

If you’re still not sure, you can always purchase a DemocraKey kit. These come with 4GB USB keys ready to surf the internet at the highest level of protection.

Imagine carrying a portable security suite with you wherever you go. Walk up to any computer, quickly scan it for viruses, and then defeat any internet access blocks to view any website you want anonymously. It’s here, and the DemocraKey 2.0 Lite let’s you have it on your iPod.

First, download the DemocraKey software (50 meg download) here.

Plug in your iPod. It will take a few seconds, and iTunes will pop up. Close it, and run the DemocraKey installer.

Click next, and then click browse. Click on the My Computer button, and then find your iPod. Then click install. Let everything finish.

Double click My Computer, and then open up your iPod. The Portable Apps software will be installed. Run StartPortableApps. That’s it, the DemocraKey has been installed!

The Portable Apps icon will be in your system tray now. Click it, and then a menu will pop up that looks like this:

You now have three programs:

Clamwin
This is the anti virus software. Run this program to scan any computers you don’t trust. It will take a while to scan, but it’s very effective. You’ll usually want to select the C drive.

Thunderbird
This is the portable, secure email client. It uses GPG to encrypt emails you want to keep secure. Clicking it will start a wizard to walk you through its setup.

Torpark DemocraKey Mod
Finally we come to the meat and potatoes of the DemocraKey. This is a security enhanced version of the Mozilla 2.0 web browser, incorporating TOR seamlessly. Click this link, and you’re presented with a very familiar interface, after you connect to the TOR network:

Clicking the onion icon enables TOR and lets you circumvent your school/employer’s web blocker. It also allows you to surf anonymously, and doesn’t leave a trace of the websites you visit. In addition, you can visit “questionable” sites safely, because Firefox 2.0 has layers of protection from unscrupulous sites. You know you’re surfing anonymous when the tool bar looks like this:

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask bellow. If you want to contact me, send me an email at burningionatgmail.com. Thanks.

This is a BETA version of the DemocraKey 2.0 Lite. It works flawlessly for me, but I’d like to get feedback from everyone. So download it, try it out, and let me know what you think. It’s a work in progress, but I’m really excited about its potential.

Download from SourceForge here. (Or, you can help out and download the torrent here.)

DemocraKey 2.0 Lite (Beta)

A portable security suite to protect you while using different computers. Includes a virus scanner, secure web browser, and secure e-mail clients. Secure web browser has feature to hide your web browsing patterns from anyone tapping your web connection. In the future, will have file encryption to hide and password protect sensitive files. Right now it’s based on work done by John T. Haller at PortableApps.com
Features

• Protect your computer from viruses with a security enhanced version of Firefox
• Visit sites that are blocked by your school/employer/government
• Hide your internet actions with Tor
• Encrypt personal emails with GPG
• Scan your computer with portable built in Antivirus software
• Runs from any portable media – iPod, USB key, Digital Camera…
• It’s FREE and Open Source!

Again, I appreciate any and all feedback and help.

So, you’ve heard about it, but you aren’t sure what it does. What is a DemocraKey, exactly?

It’s software to protect your computer while you’re working on the internet.

It provides a layer of protection from viruses, a layer of protection from people trying to see what sites you’re visiting, and a layer of protection to stop hackers from viewing files you don’t want them to.

In a word, it does what computers already should do: Look out for your privacy and security.

A DemocraKey is a portable piece of software that works on any computer. Just walk up, plug in a DemocraKey, and you can be assured your files are much safer, your computer is better protected while browsing the web, and nobody will be able to tell which site you’re visiting.

So who can use a DemocraKey?

People in Restrictive Governments

If you live in a government that tries to regulate freedom of speech or thought on the internet, a DemocraKey will help you circumvent their restrictions while making it very difficult to catch you doing so. It is possible to build a DemocraKey nobody can prove exists, but really does. Neat stuff, huh?

People Traveling the World

It’s difficult to trust the security of third world internet cafes. Carrying a DemocraKey while traveling gives you a secure way to access your financial information while on the road, and makes sure none of your email can be read by a snooping government.

College Students

It happens to every male college student who isn’t computer saavy. Their computer gets a virus when they go to an “entertainment” site that installs software on their computer without asking them. Thanks to the software, they’re constantly being asked if they want to enlarge body parts or look at interesting pictures. Using a DemocraKey while surfing provides another layer of protection from these sort of sites. The DemocraKey makes it very difficult for them to install any software, and helps remove any that’s already on the computer. Breathe easy, you can take your laptop back home to your parents.

Lawyers

Are you working with information that can’t get out? Working with a DemocraKey ensures nobody can read or access documents without having both the DemocraKey and the passcode. It also helps keep your computer clean and free of keyloggers.

Everyone!

If you use a computer, you deserve privacy, and access to any information you want. The DemocraKey helps you find what you’re looking for without letting anyone else know what you’re into. So search for llamas drinking goat milk to your heart’s content, without worry. You’re protected.

So What’s the Catch?

There is no catch! The DemocraKey is 100% free and Open Source. It was created by people who care passionately about things like freedom of thought and personal privacy. We believe this technology should be accessible by everyone, not just the people who can afford it. So make your own and then make one for your friends. Give them away for all we care!