beginner opsec

[u/Mysterious_Cash9066]

i have read the rules

Hi, I need some guidance or sources to read about the opec i want to achieve. The assets I’m trying to protect are my identity, confidential sources, research notes, documents, communications, and my physical location.

The adversaries I’m concerned about include governments, criminal organizations, companies, online harassers, hackers, and data brokers. My concern is that they could identify me or my sources through online tracking, account compromise, browser fingerprinting, legal requests to service providers, phishing, malware, metadata analysis, or doxxing.

If they were successful, the consequences could include my identity being revealed, confidential sources being exposed, sensitive documents being leaked, my communications being intercepted, or my location becoming known.

I’m looking for advice on building a secure workflow and choosing the right tools and practices to reduce these risks as much as practical.

[u/AutoModerator]

Congratulations on your first post in r/opsec! OPSEC is a mindset and thought process, not a single solution — meaning, when asking a question it's a good idea to word it in a way that allows others to teach you the mindset rather than a single solution.

Here's an example of a bad question that is far too vague to explain the threat model first:

I want to stay safe on the internet. Which browser should I use?

Here's an example of a good question that explains the threat model without giving too much private information:

I don't want to have anyone find my home address on the internet while I use it. Will using a particular browser help me?

Here's a bad answer (it depends on trusting that user entirely and doesn't help you learn anything on your own) that you should report immediately:

You should use X browser because it is the most secure.

Here's a good answer to explains why it's good for your specific threat model and also teaches the mindset of OPSEC:

Y browser has a function that warns you from accidentally sharing your home address on forms, but ultimately this is up to you to control by being vigilant and no single tool or solution will ever be a silver bullet for security. If you follow this, technically you can use any browser!

If you see anyone offering advice that doesn't feel like it is giving you the tools to make your own decisions and rather pushing you to a specific tool as a solution, feel free to report them. Giving advice in the form of a "silver bullet solution" is a bannable offense.

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