Advanced Plus Security Gandalf_The_Grey's PC Security Config

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

New config for the new year with the new tools released by @danb

VoodooShield CyberLock 7.0 | Page 6 | MalwareTips

Yes, remove the text in the parenthesis. And maybe we have to shorten a few others. Here are screenshots from version 6.82 in Dutch of the problem areas

malwaretips.com

 

[ForgottenSeer 92963]

Hi @Gandalf_The_Grey two questions

1. Could you explain what the benefits of Microsoft Editor are over the build-in spellcheckers (Word, Edge and Mail)?

2. Why do you prefer Foxit PDF reader over Edge PDF reader?

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Hi @Gandalf_The_Grey two questions

1. Could you explain what the benefits of Microsoft Editor are over the build-in spellcheckers (Word, Edge and Mail)?

2. Why do you prefer Foxit PDF reader over Edge PDF reader?

Hi Kees,

1) when you have a Microsoft 365 license it offers advanced grammar and style refinements like clarity, conciseness, formality, vocabulary suggestions, and more

Microsoft Editor checks grammar and more in documents, mail, and the web | Microsoft Support

Microsoft Editor uses enhanced proofing tools for Microsoft 365 subscribers. Identify spelling, grammar, and stylistic issues within your documents.

support.microsoft.com

It will be integrated in Edge:

Microsoft Editor now available in Edge Dev and Canary without needing an extension

Microsoft Editor now integrates with Edge Dev and Canary without having to use an extension.

www.windowscentral.com

Microsoft editor is already integrated in Word, Excel (the office programms).

2) I like Foxit for the Protected View, the thumbnails in Windows Explorer, and you can open a PDF inside MS Outlook, both were on the roadmap for MS edge.

Hopefully soon I don't need both anymore.

 

[YuanJiawj]

Solid as always! Thank you for sharing your config Sir. @Gandalf_The_Grey

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Cleaned my config and went from DefenderUI Free and VoodooShield to the all-in-one DefenderUI Pro.

 

[oldschool]

• Followed most of the tweaks from here: https://www.askvg.com/guide-make-windows-11-super-fast-on-slow-or-old-hardware-devices/

Thanks for this link. Can you give some idea of what you did or didn't use, e.g. the reg tweaks?

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Thanks for this link. Can you give some idea of what you did or didn't use, e.g. the reg tweaks?

• STEP 1: Disable or Turn Off Unnecessary Animations and Visual Effects ==> used
• STEP 2: Disable Glass Transparency Effects (Including All Animations) ==> did not use
  • METHOD 1: Disable Transparency Effects Using Accessibility Settings ==> did not use
  • METHOD 2: Disable Transparency Effects Using Personalization Settings ==> did not use
• STEP 3: Disable Unnecessary Features in Folder Options ==> used
• STEP 4: Disable or Remove Unwanted Programs from Windows 11 Startup ==> used
• STEP 5: Disable Sound Notifications and Alerts ==> used
• STEP 6: Turn Off Unnecessary Windows 11 Services that can be Disabled Safely ==> used but look at the description if a service is still needed in your config. For example "IP Helper (If you don’t use IPv6 connection)" I have an IPv6 connection... so, that service stays on automatic.

NOTE: Always set a service’s startup type to MANUAL and never set it to DISABLED. We suggest this because if a service is set to MANUAL start and Windows needs the service, it’ll be able to start the service and there will be no affect on OS functionality. But if a service is set to DISABLED and Windows requires that service, it’ll not be able to start the service and you may face problems.

• STEP 7: Ultimate Registry Tweaks to Speed Up Windows 11 ==> did not use, caused some problems with apps not responding
• STEP 8: Restore Classic Right-Click Context Menu in Windows 11 ==> did not use (learn to work with Windows 11)
• STEP 9: Restore Classic File Explorer with Ribbon in Windows 11 ==> did not use (learn to work with Windows 11)
• STEP 10: Restore Classic Taskbar and Start Menu in Windows 11 ==> did not use (learn to work with Windows 11)
• STEP 11: A Few Other Important Points to Remember ==> used (AV part is not up to date)

 

[Hyper78]

Cleaned my config and went from DefenderUI Free and VoodooShield to the all-in-one DefenderUI Pro.

Hello, do you have a link for the newest DefenderUI Pro.

 

[oldschool]

Hello, do you have a link for the newest DefenderUI Pro.

I believe this is it: https://defenderui.com/Download/InstallDefenderUIPro.exe

 

[JasonUK]

Cleaned my config and went from DefenderUI Free and VoodooShield to the all-in-one DefenderUI Pro.

Only reason I haven't done the same (when using VS & DUI) is that I found the alerts in DUI Pro didn't persist/stay on top so if multiple windows were open they could be missed unlike VS alerts. Haven't checked latest version of DUI Pro though so would be interested if you still experience this.

 

[Hyper78]

I believe this is it: https://defenderui.com/Download/InstallDefenderUIPro.exe

Thank you very much

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Only reason I haven't done the same (when using VS & DUI) is that I found the alerts in DUI Pro didn't persist/stay on top so if multiple windows were open they could be missed unlike VS alerts. Haven't checked latest version of DUI Pro though so would be interested if you still experience this.

I don't think that is still a problem, at least I haven't noticed that.

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Back to Ziggo Safe Online by F-Secure (F-Secure Safe).

• It had impressive results in the testing done by @Shadowra and in the HUB tests by @upnorth
• Malicious downloads are completely blocked and not partially downloaded like with the SmartScreen when using Microsoft Edge.
• It doesn't use a root certificate like Kaspersky does.
• It is noticeably light on the system and the slowdowns when shutting down are now resolved: F-Secure 18.2 released Thanks for that post @Bill K
• When I follow the analysis of current threats done by @Andy Ful adding Simple Windows Hardening and Documents Anti-Exploit closes any potential weaknesses for fileless and Microsoft Office based attacks. Thanks again @Andy Ful for your tools and your analysis
• EDIT: forgot to mention the (also) impressive results for banking protection done by AVLab.pl: AVLab.pl - Test of security solutions in blocking attacks on Internet banking

 

[Moonhorse]

Malicious downloads are completely blocked and not partially downloaded like with the SmartScreen when using Microsoft Edge.

With defender, does this make any reason to switch over?

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

With defender, does this make any reason to switch over?

I found (when using a second opinion scanner) that because I use file history as backup solution that the malicious files blocked by SmartScreen were also present in the file history backups.
If you use Disk Cleanup to clean your system including file history before doing a backup, they are no longer present.
So, it depends on your config.
If you don't use file history or clean file history regularly it is not a problem.
When we tested extensions with @Evjl's Rain I saw the same behavior with Emsisoft Browser Security, but not with for example Bitdefender TrafficLight.

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Thanks to this video posted by @SecureKongo I changed my DNS to Quad9 set in our router.

Here's Why DNS Matters w/ John Todd from Quad9 | Techlore | MalwareTips

malwaretips.com

 

[Pat MacKnife]

Is Quad9 any good ? its not as fast like cloudflare in my country , but i wonder about their uptime ? (if its down a lot or not)

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Is Quad9 any good ? its not as fast like cloudflare in my country , but i wonder about their uptime ? (if its down a lot or not)

So far so good...

What has your DNS up-time been?
Quad9 is a global anycast service. Multiple points of presence around the world mean redundancy is built into the system. If a resolver goes down, the traffic is automatically routed to the next closest resolver. To date, our uptime has been 99.999%.

Quad9 | A public and free DNS service for a better security and privacy

A public and free DNS service for a better security and privacy

www.quad9.net

Quad9 DNS Performance

Check the performance and uptime of Quad9 and compare to other DNS resolvers

www.dnsperf.com

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Quad9 is not as fast as my own ISP, so back to Ziggo.
Trying the new AdGuard extension.

 

[blackice]

Quad9 is not as fast as my own ISP, so back to Ziggo.
Trying the new AdGuard extension.

I spoke with Quad9 about some routing issues. Their speed wasn’t bad for name resolution, but not all their servers are setup for transit, and your ISP may route you elsewhere based on their network optimization. This causes issues with getting CDNs close to you, I was being routed halfway across the country to Chicago. Which was fine for DNS queries, but awful for getting CDNs based on the DNS server location half way across the US (a long way). I tried their EDNS Client Subnet, which helps with some CDNs, but others only accept edns info from Google or OpenDNS as they have agreements about how to handle the location data safely/privately. So, results were mostly good, but family streaming services buffered. Also their DoT implementation has a higher rate of failed requests.

All of this to say they responded quickly and worked with me to troubleshoot. The couldn’t fix the problem since they have no agreement with my ISP, but they are working on implementing more servers for transit to help alleviate these issues. And their “customer service” is fantastic! They were friendly, prompt, and helpful. Quad9 is an amazing not for profit, but for now we also went back to my ISP. It is lightning fast and have CDN caches in their edge services that you can’t beat the performance.

Sorry for the long winded post in your wall, but I really like Quad9 even if I don’t use them either.