Advanced Security ColonelMal's Security Config 2022

[ColonelMal]

I hope that this is within the rules of the Forum: My current configuration includes a subscription to Comodo Internet Security which will expire in about three months' time. I'm being proactive and I'm considering the configuration described below, in case I decide not to renew my CIS subscription.

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Nice config
I have some suggestions:

I would set UAC to always notify to prevent bypasses:

Gebert's straightforward mitigation advice to prevent UAC bypass attacks is setting UAC to "Always Notify." Doing so will always show the user UAC prompts before high-risk applications are executed.

Bypassing Windows 10 UAC with mock folders and DLL hijacking

A new technique uses a simplified process of DLL hijacking and mock directories to bypass Windows 10's UAC security feature and run elevated commands without alerting a user.

www.bleepingcomputer.com

Since you are using VoodooShield and Microsoft Defender you could try DefenderUI from @danb (or ConfigureDefender from @Andy Ful ) for more protection.

New Update - DefenderUI by VoodooShield - Turn on Hidden Security Features of Microsoft Defender

https://www.defenderui.com/ When Windows 11 was leaked, I was hoping we would see a usable Defender UI, but unfortunately it had not changed a bit. Defender is great under the hood but it is incredibly frustrating to use. It is also certainly not bulletproof and Redmond’s idea of zero trust...

malwaretips.com

DefenderUI

defenderui.com

ConfigureDefender utility for Windows 10/11

Post updated 21.07.2024 ConfigureDefender utility for Windows 10/11. New version 4.0.0.1 is available on the developer website (updated in July 2024): https://github.com/AndyFul/ConfigureDefender Softpedia (ver. 4..0.0.1)...

malwaretips.com

GitHub - AndyFul/ConfigureDefender: Utility for configuring Windows 10 built-in Defender antivirus settings.

Utility for configuring Windows 10 built-in Defender antivirus settings. - AndyFul/ConfigureDefender

github.com

For Google Chrome there is a Microsoft Defender Browser Protection extension:

Microsoft Defender Browser Protection - Chrome Web Store

Protect yourself against online threats, like phishing and malicious websites, with real-time protection from Microsoft.

chrome.google.com

Personally, I would replace AdBlock Plus with uBlock Origin:

GitHub - gorhill/uBlock: uBlock Origin - An efficient blocker for Chromium and Firefox. Fast and lean.

uBlock Origin - An efficient blocker for Chromium and Firefox. Fast and lean. - gorhill/uBlock

github.com

 

[silversurfer]

@ColonelMal I would like to know why you are using AdblockPlus, any user advantage for you personally?
As already mentioned by @Gandalf_The_Grey you may consider either uBlock Origin or even Adguard Browser Extension.

 

[M4RT1NE2]

You have a very good configuration. You can also add NextDNS as secure DNS

 

[L0ckJaw]

@ColonelMal I would like to know why you are using AdblockPlus, any user advantage for you personally?
As already mentioned by @Gandalf_The_Grey you may consider either uBlock Origin or even Adguard Browser Extension.

Also use Adblock plus ,
Ublock too hyped and too bloated.
Adguard has Russian ties so a no go for me.

Adblock plus is really great and a good YouTube Adblocker too. And it’s from Germany , GDPR compliant.

 

[silversurfer]

Also use Adblock plus ,
Ublock too hyped and too bloated.
Adguard has Russian ties so a no go for me.

Adblock plus is really great and a good YouTube Adblocker too. And it’s from Germany , GDPR compliant.

As I am from Germany, I know very well about the history of ABP. My question was more related to features of Adblock Plus and why @ColonelMal prefers using it?
You told us it's good for blocking ads on YT, so that's a valid advantage

But I believe we should avoid any political debate about software from Russia, otherwise you know what happens

 

[L0ckJaw]

As I am from Germany, I know very well about the history of ABP. My question was more related to features of Adblock Plus and why @ColonelMal prefers using it?
You told us it's good for blocking ads on YT, so that's a valid advantage

But I believe we should avoid any political debate about software from Russia, otherwise you know what happens

I’m not starting anything ,
Should I have said I don’t use adguard because I don’t like the logo ? I’m honest and direct I hate turning and twisting.

 

[SeriousHoax]

Adblock Plus is much worse in all types of resource consumption from initial CPU usage, background CPU usage, memory usage, web page loading delay, etc. compared to uBlock Origin which additionally is also more effective at blocking ads and trackers.

How Do Chrome Extensions Impact Browser Performance? | DebugBear

This article looks at how 1000 popular Chrome extensions impact the performance of the browser.

www.debugbear.com

 

[ColonelMal]

@ColonelMal I would like to know why you are using AdblockPlus, any user advantage for you personally?
As already mentioned by @Gandalf_The_Grey you may consider either uBlock Origin or even Adguard Browser Extension.

A few months ago I switched from Firefox to Google Chrome after many years' use of Firefox as my main browser. In setting up Chrome I added AdblockPlus as one of the extensions that I use. This was in contrast to Firefox with which I used uBlock Origin. The decision to change was not based on any in-depth investigation, but was taken based on which user reviews appeared to me to be more convincing!

 

[ColonelMal]

I added Sandboxie-Plus which I'll be using from now on.

 

[L0ckJaw]

Adblock Plus is much worse in all types of resource consumption from initial CPU usage, background CPU usage, memory usage, web page loading delay, etc. compared to uBlock Origin which additionally is also more effective at blocking ads and trackers.

How Do Chrome Extensions Impact Browser Performance? | DebugBear

This article looks at how 1000 popular Chrome extensions impact the performance of the browser.

www.debugbear.com

Dont agree with you, its very light, more than Adguard and Ublock.

 

[SeriousHoax]

Dont agree with you, its very light, more than Adguard and Ublock.

It's not really a thing about agreeing or disagreeing. It's a test carefully done which tried to show all the details. In a real world scenario, most users won't notice the difference in page loading speed impact since it's only a few milliseconds and the CPU and ram usage won't be noticed by anybody unless someone checks it by him/herself.

For example, now I don't notice any difference in page loading speed between uBlock Origin and Adguard. But if I open browser task manager then I can see that uBlock Origin uses less CPU and ram.

Anyway, I mentioned the article for everyone to see. uBlock Origin and Adguard are factually the best adblockers out there. In some cases, Adguard works better because they also create and maintain their own filter lists.

BTW, Adguard is not based in Russia anymore. They moved their headquarters to Cyprus in 2017 and fall under EU law.

This is a quote from 2017:

Yep, we've moved the HQ to Cyprus a couple of months ago.

There're quite a few reasons for doing it.

1. Cyprus is in EU and EU privacy laws make us (as an ad blocker) feel much more comfortable than any other place.
2. Currencies conversion. AG is a global product and selling it from Russia leads to losing a lot.
3. Tons of small but annoying limitations and restrictions. For instance, Russian PayPal automatically blocks accounts with more than $10k, you should keep an eye on the balance and withdraw funds to not allow this situation.
4. Relatively (comparing to other EU countries) low taxes for IT companies and IP Box regime.
5. Fewer "KGB" accusations

 

[ColonelMal]

I stopped using GoodSync and I changed over to FreeFileSync.

 

[ColonelMal]

I'm going with uBlock Origin instead of AdBlock Plus in Chrome.