Untracker by Robotlinux --- very interesting privacy app

Howtos Extra Apps
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Anybody here tried this?

It looks good, almost too good.
I haven't downloaded or installed said application yet but definitely will give it a go ..... maybe by testing through a dualboot install of Robolinux....and maybe incorporate into Elive from there.

Read here why dualboot or even chroot (specifically step 3):
https://www.robolinux.org/u11/UT/untracker/A-index.html

Thanks to Jack .M Germain's review pointing me to untrack's existance. :smiley14:

Anyway there's some neat tricks to garner some income if you look at the homepage. :nod:

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John Martinson aka "The Robo"
Robolinux.org

It's almost me but not quite :madness:

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Hi!

Perhaps interesting for loo$edow$ things?

But about Untracker, it seems to be "just" a tool to set MAC & IP random addresses with an ad hoc scheme; It asks at installation for a process to match the exact original hardware: I feel that a bit strange..?
I can't (haven't time to study that) make a UI for such a tool, but already macchanger can e.g. change automatically the MAC at each new boot...
So a "simple" macchanger + IPmasquarading combined UI should make it (and would be very nice)... IMHO

Salutations!

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Yes, it would seem to be a tool to spoof mac addresses (easy enough) and apparently specifically tailored for the available hardware.
The reasoning of the latter isn't entirely clear to me either but I intend to find out.

The Robolinux site is very unclear as to what sum ($) is going to be needed and although they state the provided link will remain valid, I suspect it will only work on a certain hardware set ....requiring similar payment for any other machine.

Now what does that remind me of? :thinking:

Normally I'd assume this a scam but I cannot imagine an aspiring Linux distro doing something as stupid as that....so for now I'm giving the benefit of the doubt and intend to look at the code.

  • By the looks of the screenshots that are shown it does seem to deliver more tools than just spoofing.

All in all, it probably is exactly what you summarize there and then adding a GUI for the scripts. A script would need to know what hardware to spoof (or need to scan for it every time it starts) so there is a certain, round about logic there.

I can even imagine a script to script the tailor made scripts there, providing the data is delivered in the right format . :nod:

We'll see .....maybe. As I haven't a lot of spare time either ATM.
Doing 70 Hrs workweeks for now, albeit over 6 days. :shocked:
Hopefully things will calm down a tad in the next few weeks. :work:

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Thanks a lot, this was under my radar..
Will definitely give it a spin on my EliteBook 2540p -
and by reading the article -
methinks that I will stay with it (RobotLinux), especially because it offers the Cinnamon DE to which am too familiar :wink:
.
(mhm, looks like bad grammar?)

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Is that me that doesn't understand it or what ? If I'm in a local network (my house) and connected to a router connected with my ISP. The rooter mac won't change ???? I'm still going thru my ISP servers to DNS or other services. In what way changing my mac address would make me so hidden ???? I foresee local problem with my local IP address if I have ports opened to the exterior for some reason (ssh or https or else) ?

Anybody can light my candle ?

Regards,
BT

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Well, since each MAC is unique, it would be some sort of fingerprint.

But I think your point about it going through your ISP is why it bundles a VPN.

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This is effecting your client PC's MAC.
As @TheTechRobo already pointed out - all this is about the unique ID and the therefore created fingerprint of yours and (!) of the machine that you are using.
QUOTE:
"It is a fact that Google and Facebook plus many other iPhone & Android apps and even computer applications are stealing your MAC addresses and are selling your unique identity to extremely EVIL Spy Agencies and other unscrupulous entities"....

We (the moderators) have had this discussion very hot
and very controvers herein many times earlier /
to make it short -
we agreed with @triantares point of view:
Make it hard as possible for 'them' to surveillance you and disturb your privacy.
Disturb 'them' whenever you can.
Avoid obvious fingerprints.

Additional my own point of view, also agreed:
When you are targeted -
there is nothing and none & I actually say zero -
that you could do to be anonymous.
Point.

As per @triantares recommendation - this will help to understand
what it could do and what not here again the link just in case that you missed it:

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A router is only a pass-through and it's mac address will indeed be harvested too. Rest assured that once you install a new router, everything will be exactly as it was before.

Once you start spoofing your mac address you'll know how much difference that makes. :shocked:

For one: You'll have to make yourself known to a site again and again as cookies won't function as expected.... and your router will keep handing out new local IP adresses as DHCP bases it's recognition on those mac addresses too.

Online "fingerprinting" is done in a lot of ways ...... using the mac addresses of the hardware is one, another is the browser i.e never have it fullscreen ... if you do, your screen size will be known as well as the resolution.
There's a lot more, as the people out there collecting a digital image of you are smart and have extremely deep pockets.

Frankly, I haven't looked into "untracker" yet but have some reservations as to how it could be foolproof. :thinking:

Sorry for being brief, I've had a long day again and ....... I think that @LupusE is able to give a much more coherent explanation on how NAT works, whereas I'd have to look it up to refresh my memory.

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I don't know how to start. Understanding NAT won't help here.

The MAC is individual and bound to a network device. Lets take a look at the OSI Layer, we're talking about Layer 2 (Ethernet Frame/Data Link). But the tracker will work much higher at 7 (Application).

Sidenote: We're only using NAT; because IPv4 won't provide enough Addresses. It will be solved by using IPv6 ...

What is the advantage of a static MAC?
Think big. In an Enterprise environment, it is good to route packages, based on the MAC. Just take the Laptop from the WLAN in your office and take it to the conference room. The network is knowing your MAC and can provide exact the same permissions, without any manual reconfiguration.

Why should I want a stealth mode?
When I am in a war or hunting, I don't want to be seen. But every day? Many private firewalls offering a 'stealth mode'. This means the system will drop ICMP requests, and don't send an answer. But a lot of applications (Game Server, file transfer services, Printer/Scanner (send to PC)..) are using Ping to check if the system is available. I choose not to be seen and choose not to use comfort.

In case of untracker, I'll see the same double side. the ad-companies can't see me and analyze my behavior. But in the end I don't see less ads, only less relevant.

The MAC is not the only fixed value. There could be also a fixed IP (common in company networks), the hostname is relevant, the opened sites.

Every morning workdays between 8:40 and 10:00h I'll open elive, xkcd, dilbert, questionablecontent, LinkedIn and my github ... My 5 minute routine at the first coffee. Regardless of the MAC, IP, Hostname, everyone who has access to some of the 5 websites is able to track me, no matter how my MAC, GEO IP or Operating System ...

Instead of 'how can I be better than the system', just ask 'do I want to expose this information?'
Today I'll keep track of some wish lists at amazon, I share documents at googledrive and watch movies via netflix. This don't mean I have secrets and some excel files are local and some music is still only on my phone.
Just try to be healthy paranoid. 'They'll' get the data anyways. and when 'they' have to guess, based on location, age and size of your shoes.

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That does seem to be the trade off but taking a closer look ..... it doesn't have to be like that. It's what big tech has created and not coincidentally..
It's a similar uphill battle we face when using FOSS ..... you get some more freedom and control but it has a cost, as in more effort.

The internet has gone from being an open communication platform for all to a controlled arena where big money is made out of those using it.

I think this (small web) is a viable option in creating and controlling our own online entities:

Or for more full information on the thoughts behind it:

Methinks Elive could do more there like having the software already built-in and ready to deploy, i.e there could be mutual benefit.

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I don't think there is a right or wrong. It is philosophy.
Because of that, I've choose to underline the post with 'personal experience'. I've intentionally wrote from my perspective, I don't assume everyone (or at least some) will do it the same way.

It is not a technical issue, so I'm not an expert here :slight_smile:

For the Elive project, I appreciate the goal to create well informed users and give easy access to the needed tools. Everyone should be able to make an own decision and based on that to use a tool or not.
I don't know the requirements for untracker/robolinux, but in general security/privacy often needs more power (ram, cpu, ...). We shouldn't underestimate the use of Elive on limited hardware.

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Agreed there,
I wasn't promoting untracker there ...... I think it's a bag of troubles and misconfigurations with potentially a lot of unpleasantly surprised disgruntled users.

I was referring to the private personal server software Aral Balkan is developping, there.