Why is Zero Trace Pen considered one of the most secure operating systems available today? Because it makes use of compartmentalization. Keeping things separate is probably the best way to avoid anyone from tracking you.
What do I mean by that? Let‘s say you bought a burner phone and a sim card, with cash, at a location with no security cameras and you plan to use it as a trap phone. You can safely assume that the phone is anonymous as far as you‘re concerned. But, if you called your mother, spouse, or child with that phone it‘s instantly burnt. There is a log somewhere out there about that call and you can rest assured that it‘s going to be found by law enforcement.
Doesn‘t matter if you‘re a hacker, market admin, forum admin, regular user, or just a privacy-conscious individual, because this goes for everyone. The same way you don‘t tell you‘re family you‘re selling cocaine online, apply that to every aspect of your digital life.
“If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. If sovereign and subject are in accord, put a division between them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected .”
Another example of compartmentalization is this. We all know all kinds of people, from junkies to guys with PhDs and even everything in-between. Everyone has a friend who they smoke weed with, a friend they go out drinking with, friends who they can bring home to meet your parents, etc. This is how it‘s done. Some things in life simply don‘t mix. So don‘t mix your online identities, because if you do, sooner or later they will be tied together and back to you.
Security is not convenient and you can‘t have it both ways. But applying these or similar „patterns“ to your digital life will exponentially improve your operational security.
Keep in mind I haven‘t even scratched the surface but said enough to get you thinking on your own OPSEC. Evade single point of failure, enforce the usage of PGP when transmitting important information, use full-disk encryption, change your passwords on regular basis, don‘t mix crime and personal life, use open-source software as opposed to closed-source, and most important thing keep your fucking mouth shut!
Nobody needs to know what you have done, what are you going to do, where your stash-house is, how much money or drugs you have, and so on. A wise man once said, “A fish with its mouth closed never gets caught.”
