During Typical Use Are You a Low, Medium or High Risk User ?

During Typical Use Are You a Low, Medium or High Risk User ?

  • Low Risk

    Votes: 14 46.7%
  • Medium Risk

    Votes: 15 50.0%
  • High Risk

    Votes: 1 3.3%

  • Total voters
    30
H

hjlbx

Thread author
Hello All,

During typical use are you a Low, Medium or High risk user?

Please select the category that best matches your computer management style...

Low Risk - Very rarely install new apps, use mostly digitally signed apps from trustworthy publishers, surf only to sites with good reputation. Rarely change system configuration. Upload files to Virus Total prior to install. Use no more than one of the most exploited apps: Microsoft Office Suite - Word, Excel, etc, Windows Media Player, Oracle Java or Java Runtime Environment, Adobe Acrobat or Reader, Adobe Flash Player, etc. Always keep Windows and installed apps updated.

Medium Risk - Occasionally install new apps including those not digitally signed and\or from a trustworthy publisher, surf regularly to social and other media sites. Occasionally change system configuration. Sometimes upload files to Virus Total prior to install. Use a couple exploitable apps. For the most part keep Windows and installed apps updated.

High Risk - Very often install new apps with no regard to digital signature nor publisher reputation, "Click-Happy" web exploration without restriction. Change system configuration often. Never upload files to Virus Total prior to install. Use most of the exploited apps. Do not pay attention to Windows and app updates.

NOTE:

I am not including malware testing and malicious URL discovery as these are obviously High risk activities and not typical use - no matter how careful you think you are and despite your impenetrable Enemy-of-the-State anti-NSA system configuration. :D

So what are your computing behaviors when you are not the Malware Destroyer ?
 
Last edited by a moderator:

jamescv7

Level 85
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Mar 15, 2011
13,070
Being advance user, my configuration reflects to range from low to medium risk due to the fact I'm relying on common sense and only Java and Flash Player are installed + maintained for updates. Wanted a strip down version where my needs are related to school works.

If I want to make a malware testing then virtual machine is not a problem, with proper configuration then no any untoward accident may happen.
 

WinXPert

Level 25
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Well-known
Jan 9, 2013
1,457
A mix of answers.

I test softwares regardless of source. Prudence dictates that I make a snapshot of my registry (which I often forgets) prior to testing different apps (not malware testing). So it's

Mid except this Sometimes upload files to Virus Total prior to install.

High except the "Click-Happy" web exploration without restriction. Sometimes I run dodgy softwares using a Virtual environment (Time Freeze, DF, SD) sometimes not.
 

Piteko21

Level 18
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Top Poster
Well-known
Sep 13, 2014
874
I'm an Medium Risk User- Occasionally install new apps including those not digitally signed and\or from a trustworthy publisher, surf regularly to social and other media sites. Occasionally change system configuration. Sometimes upload files to Virus Total prior to install.
but most of the time I browse with SandBoxie or the shadow defender active so I'm 98% protected more or less:D
 

Nico@FMA

Level 27
Verified
May 11, 2013
1,687
I would be: Low Risk - Very rarely install new apps, use mostly digitally signed apps from trustworthy publishers, surf only to sites with good reputation. Rarely change system configuration. Upload files to Virus Total prior to install. Use no more than one of the most exploited apps: Microsoft Office Suite - Word, Excel, etc, Windows Media Player, Oracle Java or Java Runtime Environment, Adobe Acrobat or Reader, Adobe Flash Player, etc. Always keep Windows and installed apps updated.

With the explicit exception of the virus total thing as this is bogus anyway. And since my computers are session based anyway even if i would install every single virus known to man, when the session ends its all gone.
Also digitally signed apps from trustworthy publishers is another big problem as some malware actually mimic's those digital signatures and windows itself is not capable of detecting which one is the "right" one.
 

Cats-4_Owners-2

Level 39
Verified
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Well-known
Dec 4, 2013
2,800
I believe I'm quite a low risk similarly to a number of our more cautious members here, and even a recovering "click-a-holic" like myself spends far more time in the sandbox than necessary, oftentimes just visiting MalwareTips!:D Even when I am test driving new software or extensions, usually downloaded from their developer's source, I always scan the files with everything I've got; & may forget I'm lurking in Shadow Defender's Shadow Mode, ..and 'darn',:confused: wouldn't you know it?o_O I have to remember to slip out of the sandbox & Shadow Mode first in order to make sure the patches or adblocker subscription I've just updated actually takes the next time!:rolleyes:

I'd like to be able to move fearlessly:cool: like @Nico@FMA because as Darth Vader said: "The Force is Strong is this one!"
c7081bcd37d3a62b0a4a9174cd8d714e68d873a0.jpg

"...even if i would install every single virus known to man, when the session ends its all gone." ~Nico@FMA
 
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Cats-4_Owners-2

Level 39
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Top Poster
Well-known
Dec 4, 2013
2,800
Yes, my thinking has fallen prey to the old Jedi mind trick, & only 'feels' safe which is why I must take :eek:cover!:D
Update: I admit it, I am a size 'medium' risk!;)
 
Last edited:
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jamescv7

Level 85
Verified
Honorary Member
Mar 15, 2011
13,070
Enterprise environment are really automatic at medium to high risk, and virtualization should be include as arsenal tool but data stealing will be never revert at all so web blocker to protect against phishing or make it as limited account to prevent higher privileges.
 

Nico@FMA

Level 27
Verified
May 11, 2013
1,687
I believe I'm quite a low risk similarly to a number of our more cautious members here, and even a recovering "click-a-holic" like myself spends far more time in the sandbox than necessary, oftentimes just visiting MalwareTips!:D Even when I am test driving new software or extensions, usually downloaded from their developer's source, I always scan the files with everything I've got; & may forget I'm lurking in Shadow Defender's Shadow Mode, ..and 'darn',:confused: wouldn't you know it?o_O I have to remember to slip out of the sandbox & Shadow Mode first in order to make sure the patches or adblocker subscription I've just updated actually takes the next time!:rolleyes:

I'd like to be able to move fearlessly:cool: like @Nico@FMA because as Darth Vader said: "The Force is Strong is this one!"
c7081bcd37d3a62b0a4a9174cd8d714e68d873a0.jpg

"...even if i would install every single virus known to man, when the session ends its all gone." ~Nico@FMA

Whaahahahahaha just pissing myself here looooooooooooooooool

Shadow Mode is session based. However, data can still be stolen on session-based systems.

Although,
Nico@FMA is talking about an Enterprise solution where everything can be blocked by custom configured rules. What he uses is much more powerful than what we home consumers use...

Granted you are totally right, i am not saying that my systems are like Fort Knox because obviously security flaws and vulnerabilities are always lurking around the corner to snatch another sorry computer user. However that being said technically there is pretty much nothing one could add to such system without losing productivity because in the end your pc still has to be able to do what its suppose to do.
So there is always some sort of trade off between blocking every security danger one could think of and being able to run programs properly without having to digg trough jungle of security applications and alerts.

Enterprise environment are really automatic at medium to high risk, and virtualization should be include as arsenal tool but data stealing will be never revert at all so web blocker to protect against phishing or make it as limited account to prevent higher privileges.

Yes most things are pretty much automatic because as i mentioned before enterprise systems need to be able to allow a good level of productivity and at least some performance and usability. Personally i am a professional computer user who knows his way around, but large companies have also lots of computer users that do not know what to do. So automation is a really big thing, unless you want to reconfigure the companies network and its protocols every single time because some employee made a wrong call.
So a enterprise system is pre-configured by a system admin or the person in charge of the digital security so that the end user does not have to make those calls and just an focus on his/her work.

Cheers
 
L

LabZero

Thread author
I inform well before installing new apps and I keep updated the OS.
But I have several system backups and if I have any doubt I run virtual environment.
Then medium/low risk user
 

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