Browsing in "private mode" isn't as private as you think

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Computerworld - Browsing in "private mode" isn't as private as users think, a researcher said today.

"There are some traces left behind [by all browsers] that could reveal some of the sites that you've been to," said Collin Jackson, an assistant research professor at the Silicon Valley campus of Carnegie Mellon University. Jackson, along with three colleagues from Stanford University, will present their findings later today at the Usenix Security Symposium in Washington, D.C.

Internet Explorer (IE), Firefox, Chrome and Safari offer private browsing intended to cloak a user from Web sites and erase all browsing evidence from the PC or Mac.

...

IE, Firefox and Safari, for instance, leave traces of SSL (secure socket layer) encryption keys even when run in private mode, while IE and Safari on Windows preserve self-signed SSL certificates in a "vault" file that could be read by others to track the browser's path across the Web.

Firefox also retains evidence of some certificates, particularly non-standard certificates used by some government agencies, in a file that can be mined by others, the four researchers said in their paper.

...

"This is an important feature for users to have, and the fact that it's not perfect is no reason to avoid using it on the Web," said Jackson.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9180493/Browsers_private_modes_leak_info_say_researchers

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

What about Incognito mode in Chrome? That's what I use when I am doing my tip top secret sleuthing.

[Ban Hammer 14,358]

What about Incognito mode in Chrome? That's what I use when I am doing my tip top secret sleuthing.

is that code for porn sites?

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What about Incognito mode in Chrome? That's what I use when I am doing my tip top secret sleuthing.

The article makes no mention of specifics, other than to say that it was included in the study and all of the browsers in the study left behind traces.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

The article makes no mention of specifics, other than to say that it was included in the study and all of the browsers in the study left behind traces.

Hrmmm. It's not the porn I worry about, it's the bordeline stalker behaviour I engaged in last year on an old laptop. That laptop was (I hope) scrubbed clean and I gave it to the person whose movements and online activity I was stalking. Maven FAIL.

[mawilson 2,133]

The article makes no mention of specifics, other than to say that it was included in the study and all of the browsers in the study left behind traces.

When was the last time you saw a porn site with an SSL certificate?

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When was the last time you saw a porn site with an SSL certificate?

Porn may be the most common reason people browse incognito but I am certain it isn't the only one.

[mawilson 2,133]

Porn may be the most common reason people browse incognito but I am certain it isn't the only one.

Well your ISP keeps access logs, as do the web sites you visit (and probably the likes of the FBI/CIA/NSA, even though it's illegal for them to do so.)

Drive-by wi-fi access is still the best way to cover your tracks.