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+--- Thread: Deep Web Browsing, am I compromised? (/thread-149942.html)
Deep Web Browsing, am I compromised? - Erik - 04-28-2014 06:30 PM
Hello, I've just browsed the deep web using the tor browser for the past few hours, quite irresponsibly (by "irresponsibly" I mean: looking for publicized sites such as silk road, hidden wiki, etc... as well as not configuring the browser for optimal privacy/security). I'm wondering what the chances of me being hacked, watched, or put on some agency's watchlist? - and as a side note, what should I do?
Update: Although my antivirus cannot detect any virus, I have strong belief I have a virus on my computer. What can I do about it?
- Crrider13 - 04-28-2014 06:31 PM
Yes and no.
if you were just VISITING those sites, (unless they contained illegal underage content) , you may have gotten your IP adress logged somewhere, but most likely no one cares.
On the other hand, If any of the sites you visited DID contain underage content, or if you did something stupid like actually placing an order on the silk road, then you're probably screwed. If that is the case then I recommend you do the following: first, get an old microwave and an extension cord, second place the microwave (plugged in) somewhere a little ways away from your house, third place your computer inside and set it to cook for about 60min. Lastly, take whatever is left and bury it, preferably across the nearest city border or at least on property that's not yours. (do you have a neighbor you hate?) This is only necessary if you actually DID something illegal. for example: the hidden wiki has a lot of text and links but if all you did was read that page then you haven't broken any laws.
As far as getting hacked... flip a coin. That's one of the risks you take when you use the TOR network.
If the above steps are too drastic for you, you could just reformat your hard drive, reinstall your OS and hope for the best.
You should know that government agencies seized a lot of the sites on TOR a while ago.
As a good general rule just stay off TOR. It's not worth it.