Hello,
For the last five years, I have been a target of persistent hacking. Despite trying many solutions, I have been unable to keep any device clean. I believe security in laptops has improved (e.g., the Trusted Platform Module, TPM), and I want to try setting up a new device. However, I face a few challenges, and I hope that discussing them with the audience in this forum will help me make the best possible decisions.
One challenge is the internet service I use. I rent a small office where I have Cox internet service installed. Cox provides this service through cable. I requested a modem without wireless features, and they provided me with an Arris Touchstone CM8200 (you can view the device here: https://www.cox.com/residential/support/arris-cm8200.html). Soon after I began using it, I realized the modem was no longer supported by Arris. When I mentioned this to Cox's tech support, they said it did not matter because a modem without wireless features is very basic. So I continued to use it.
Another challenge is the lack of security in the office I rent. The doors have keypad locks, and I have found the door open more than once. The rent is cheap, and the landlord is careless about tenants, so I know that if I complain, they will tell me to find another place. I may end up moving, but for now, this office is not secure. I mention this to explain why I often disconnect the modem.
To mitigate persistent hacking, I took the modem with me whenever I left. Cox tech support warned me that having the modem disconnected for over 24 hours could cause it to stop working, but I don't believe this.
I think that a modem disconnected for a while can be reconnected to the cable, updated (which appears to happen automatically), and work. It may require a reset, but being disconnected from the internet for a while should not cause it to fail completely (the modems we buy at the store are often quite out of date). Recently, after the modem was disconnected for a few days, it wouldn’t connect to the internet. Despite several hard resets, the light that signals a connection to the internet has been established kept blinking for over an hour. I think this was a DoS attack rather than a malfunctioning modem. I stopped using the service, but I continue to pay for it. Although I can have the modem replaced, I think the internet service as provided to me is somehow vulnerable.
I prefer the Linux operating system and have zero trust in Windows, Chromebooks, and Macs. Each of these OS has been hacked soon after I powered on a new device, even without connecting it to the internet. Of the Linux distributions, I feel most secure with Fedora. One advantage of Fedora is that current distributions are signed by Microsoft, which means this OS can be run and installed on new machines with the TPM activated.
But how can I download the package and keep it clean?
I have no clean machines, and I know the computers in the public library and at FedEx are compromised. So, how can I download Fedora and make bootable media?
Thanx
For the last five years, I have been a target of persistent hacking. Despite trying many solutions, I have been unable to keep any device clean. I believe security in laptops has improved (e.g., the Trusted Platform Module, TPM), and I want to try setting up a new device. However, I face a few challenges, and I hope that discussing them with the audience in this forum will help me make the best possible decisions.
One challenge is the internet service I use. I rent a small office where I have Cox internet service installed. Cox provides this service through cable. I requested a modem without wireless features, and they provided me with an Arris Touchstone CM8200 (you can view the device here: https://www.cox.com/residential/support/arris-cm8200.html). Soon after I began using it, I realized the modem was no longer supported by Arris. When I mentioned this to Cox's tech support, they said it did not matter because a modem without wireless features is very basic. So I continued to use it.
Another challenge is the lack of security in the office I rent. The doors have keypad locks, and I have found the door open more than once. The rent is cheap, and the landlord is careless about tenants, so I know that if I complain, they will tell me to find another place. I may end up moving, but for now, this office is not secure. I mention this to explain why I often disconnect the modem.
To mitigate persistent hacking, I took the modem with me whenever I left. Cox tech support warned me that having the modem disconnected for over 24 hours could cause it to stop working, but I don't believe this.
I think that a modem disconnected for a while can be reconnected to the cable, updated (which appears to happen automatically), and work. It may require a reset, but being disconnected from the internet for a while should not cause it to fail completely (the modems we buy at the store are often quite out of date). Recently, after the modem was disconnected for a few days, it wouldn’t connect to the internet. Despite several hard resets, the light that signals a connection to the internet has been established kept blinking for over an hour. I think this was a DoS attack rather than a malfunctioning modem. I stopped using the service, but I continue to pay for it. Although I can have the modem replaced, I think the internet service as provided to me is somehow vulnerable.
I prefer the Linux operating system and have zero trust in Windows, Chromebooks, and Macs. Each of these OS has been hacked soon after I powered on a new device, even without connecting it to the internet. Of the Linux distributions, I feel most secure with Fedora. One advantage of Fedora is that current distributions are signed by Microsoft, which means this OS can be run and installed on new machines with the TPM activated.
But how can I download the package and keep it clean?
I have no clean machines, and I know the computers in the public library and at FedEx are compromised. So, how can I download Fedora and make bootable media?
Thanx
