Have you ever been looking for screwdrivers, USB flash drives, or your keys, but found them where you put them in a conspicuous place? We have. As many prolific treasure hunters know, hiding things in the open is a good way to make sure people ignore them.
[Jacob Strieb] Has been studying various methods of password protection and hiding browser bookmarks.He called his latest technology “Bookmark knocking”, he made a demo on his Github account.
Why hide bookmarks? The browser’s collection of bookmarks can reveal the habits, interests, and needs of the person placing them. Bookmarks for gifts, domestic abuse support sites, and other private destinations are best kept away from prying eyes.
Inspired by port knocking (opening connections to specific network ports in order to access through the firewall), bookmark knocking requires clicking the bookmark in a specific order to open the link. When the bookmarks are accessed in the correct order, the third bookmark will show hidden sites. This is not only a novel way to hide things, but it is also very cool to use!
We particularly appreciate [Jacob]Motivation: Help the vulnerable to protect themselves in any way possible. This is a reliable reminder that when technology is used for noble purposes, it can be elevated to a higher position. Be sure to check the demo so you can try it yourself!
If disguising the data surprises you, you may need to find a clever way to embed the data directly into the bash script, or hide the WiFi-enabled microcontroller in the USB cable. Do you have your favorite “hidden in sight” hacker? Please be sure to let us know through the reminder hotline.