How do you erase all records of websites that you've visited?

General Questions
#1

On my computer at home, I use Netscape and IE to access the internet. Every once in a while, I’ll go to a site with “questionable” material in it. Being the paranoid that I am (in case I die in a plane crash, and some other family member tries to check the websites that I’ve visited), I try to erase all record of the web pages that I’ve visited. I erase the cache, followed by the history, followed by the cookies.

Is that all I need to do, or am I missing something? Don’t worry, I don’t do anything illegal.

#2

It’s not enough for IE, if you are using windows. I forget what the name is (search SDMB for the thread on Windows and hidden files or directories. The hamsters are too tired to fetch me anything) but there is a directory that seems to serve no purpose but keeps an extra copy of your surfing history for IE.

If you are just worried about embarrassment if someone looks at the cache, cookies or history list, that should do it. If you don’t want the embarrassment of a questionable web site name being auto-completed in the URL bar, that should also do it. If you want to completely remove any reference of your visit, it gets trickier.

#3

Standard method is to delete the cache (including the cookies using windows explorer), history, and all the autocompletes.

The problem is that when someone goes sniffing around, they find empty patches that indicate you’ve been trying to cover your tracks.

#4

historykill.com will do exactly what you want, but you will have trouble getting sites to recognize you. The first time I used it I found an extra 130megs of space on my drive. It is free.

#5

Don’t forget those evil “index.dat” files in the cookies and cache directories.

Also, you would not believe the trails left behind in the registry. SpyBot will remove many of them for you.

#6

Historykill.com runs it for 21 times to completely obliterate the offending site. This is farther than it can be located. If you are downlowding illegal stuff, F**k you

#7

Not necessary. There’s no reason to jump to such conclusions.

#8

Ah bojon, part of your post belongs in the pit. It’s a bit more than frowned upon to attack a Doper outside of the pit. I’m sure a Mod will come along and explain that to you, not to mention the board rules on this.

Getting back to the OP, there are commercial products out there which will do exactly what you want. If you are that concerned about leaving an e-trail for your heirs to find, don’t hopscotch your way around your system.

Try this Google search.

#9

Does Historykill work on Macs? I doesn’t seem so from their website.

On the other hand, I’m using Safari as a web browers, and it has a “Reset Safari” option, which says:

“Resetting Safari erases your browsing history, empties the cache, clears the Downloads window, and removes cookies. It also removes any saved names and passwords or other AutoFill text and clears Google search entries.”

Is that sufficient? Does it actually remove everything that could trace my internet activity?

I’m not doing anything even remotely illegal - just curious.

#10

Just who are you talking to here, sunshine?

#11

But none of this would be any good on a company network computer that has snoopware watching what you do and recording site visits on a separate machine. I’ve read that with the appropriate software, the network administrator can replay everyting that has appeared on your screen - Yikes!

#12

What does historykill.com do 21 times? And why? I’m a little confused.

#13

There are many, many opportunities for monitoring by network admins. First off, they can use sniffer servers to capture every single web page, link, file you’ve downloaded, etc. These generate nicely formatted reports (which I have seen…) that show “Employee X opened IE at 11:45:34, clicked on this link at this time, downloaded this file at this time, opened a new window at this time, entered an AdultCheck password of this at this time…”

Windows XP offers numerous ways that Domain Admins can monitor and record everything you do. Some people even go to the extent of installing keystroke loggers as an Admin service on every single corporate desktop - so everything you type gets logged, and then they can do text searches of the files (remotely while you are on the network) to see what you’ve been typing.

Una, who has personally watched it be done. And who thankfully knows how to circumvent all of it.

#14

Una, can you give us some tips? In particular, how much can you delete/block/circumvent manually, without downloading Discwasher, Evidence Eraser etc?

#15

When I do a Google search with IE, it suggests words I’ve recently searched for. How do I shut that off?

#16

I believe that’s IE’s autocomplete feature, again. If so, clearing your history and turning off autocomplete should do the trick.

#17

Here is a nice little utility that will erase your MRU ( most recently used ) files. MRU Blaster

#18

Don’t forget the “Typed URLs” entry in the registry.

#19

Including proxy logging ? ISA logs ? Content Filter Logs ? Sniffers & Packet Header Checkers ? ? To circumvent this you will need a level of amin access yourself shorly ?

If you send a packet on a corporate network you can do nowt to prevent it being analysed for what it is. The best circumvention policy to avoid admin staff reviewing where you’ve been is to give them nothing to look at.

I have yet to come accross a company outside of government that will have admins with the time to dedicate to review the logs that Una has been looking at. THey come in handy when you have a target in mind and are trying to make a case but can you imagine reviewing them for an organisation of any size ?

Even when you are blocked by proxy blacklists from accessing a site it would be rare that that would prompt a further investigation …after all IS now know you didnt look at soemthing.

Lets take an example , a monthly report of a proxy will easily identify TOP 10 users being warned of a contravenetion. Then there logs will be looked at , anything else suspicious ? after hours activity for example , then we might expect that access logs will be looked and in case things might go legal , sniffers and keyloggers etc , will be introduced.

#20

Umm…I posted a lengthy bit this morning of how to lock down an XP system to protect it from people snooping on you, and it seems to have been deleted, as I was able to return back and view it later. I have not received a mail or other note, but can only believe that the content was objectionable or else that the Board had a problem and ate it. :confused: