Advanced Plus Security Gandalf_The_Grey's Security Configuration for 2019

[LDogg]

Good config. Love some of the pairings you have here as well.

~LDogg

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Installed Emsisoft Anti-Malware because I'm using their extensions already, have an active license and have great respect for the company and their employees. Kept Window Defender for periodic scanning and Hard_Configurator.

 

[Andy Ful]

Installed Emsisoft Anti-Malware because I'm using their extensions already, have an active license and have great respect for the company and their employees. Kept Window Defender for periodic scanning and Hard_Configurator.

Emsisoft is one of my favorite AVs, too.
The staff is very helpful and kind.

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

I'm thinking of changing AV again.
This time it's going to be Ziggo Safe Online 17.4 (= F-Secure).
Free for me from my ISP and better with malicious and phishing urls.

For myself I will combine it with Hard Configurator from @Andy Ful .

For my kids and older relatives I'm thinking about combining Ziggo Safe Online with SysHardener from @NoVirusThanks
Will that be enough protection or do i also need to add something like OSArmor?

 

[harlan4096]

For kids probably it would be enough, You always may even enable stronger settings in NVT SH...

 

[Andy Ful]

I'm thinking of changing AV again.
This time it's going to be Ziggo Safe Online 17.4 (= F-Secure).
Free for me from my ISP and better with malicious and phishing urls.

For myself I will combine it with Hard Configurator from @Andy Ful .

For my kids and older relatives I'm thinking about combining Ziggo Safe Online with SysHardener from @NoVirusThanks
Will that be enough protection or do i also need to add something like OSArmor?

Do your kids use Admin account or SUA?

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Do your kids use Admin account or SUA?

We all use an Admin account (Microsoft account).

 

[sepik]

Excellent setup for the whole family! Stay at Syshardener, because of no confusing popups what OSA does.
-sepik

 

[Windows_Security]

I would opt for the same setup every where. With Hard Configurator Software Restriction Policies installed except for Administrators, all updates and (richt click admin) installs won't be blocked. I use this and fine tune it on my own PC, until zero problems (chrome update works etc) and then copy it to other PC's. I use SysHardener and Hard_Configurator together (because HC is not signed and I also set UAC to block elevation of unsigned). They both dont eat CPU cycles. On my Windows 7 Desktop I used Ziggo's F-secure version for a while, worked fine with both.

 

[Andy Ful]

The children install games frequently, which like to install/update in the UserSpace. This requires more attention & work & skill from parents, when using H_C default deny-setup, because the parents have to install some games and applications. On the other side, this is also much safer, than using restricted default-allow setup. The best solution is using a gaming platform like Steam, because the games are installed/updated in one folder, that can be whitelisted.
'AV + SysHardener' is pretty good as a starting setup. If Gandalf_The_Grey will master H_C and will still like it, then he will know which setup will be the best for children.

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Thanks to @Windows_Security @Andy Ful and @shmu26 I have accepted the challenge and changed my security config for myself and my kids to Hard Configurator and Ziggo Safe online (= F-Secure Safe).
The updated AdGuard browser extension is helped by I don't care about cookies and Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 DNS.

 

[Andy Ful]

Thanks to @Windows_Security @Andy Ful and @shmu26 I have accepted the challenge and changed my security config for myself and my kids to Hard Configurator and Ziggo Safe online (= F-Secure Safe).
The updated AdGuard browser extension is helped by I don't care about cookies and Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 DNS.

Please let me know, if you will encounter difficulties.

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Please let me know, if you will encounter difficulties.

Thanks for the great support I will let you know in the HC thread.
I will inspect the Blocked Events / Security Logs regularly and they will be the first step in troubleshooting any issues.

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Removed Ziggo Safe Online because it's banking protection locked me out of a banking site.
Back to Emsisoft Anti-Malware and thinking about, but not sure just going for Windows Defender.
Finally removed CCleaner due to lost trust since Avast took over:
CCleaner Free update introduces Tools menu Popup annoyance - gHacks Tech News
Added PrivaZer Donors version and Autoruns to compensate the loss of CCleaner.

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Removed Hard Configurator: too much trouble for me when updating, installing and removing software on 3 laptops.
Kept it on the systems of my mother and mother in law because they have a more static config.
Removed the AdGuard extension because uBlock Origin simply does a better job.
Removed PrivaZer because it's just too slow.
Added back CCleaner Pro 5.56.003 Beta, because it's simply the best progran for me.
The last 2 stable versions have a problem cleaning Google Chrome cookies (known issue on some systems).
Solved in the latest beta build.

So my config is now Kaspersky Security Cloud Free with NoVirusThanks OSArmor and as adblocker uBlock Origin.

Also trying out the new Microsoft Edge version 74.1.96.24 (Official build) dev (64-bit).
Liking it a lot. Faster than Google Chrome stable version 73.0.3683.103.

 

[plat]

Removed PrivaZer because it's just too slow.

PrivaZer is a comparative snail. It does use Windows modules like Disk Cleanup, I wonder if that's partly the reason.
I always read your configurations, they're so neat and clean.

Spoiler

 

[stefanos]

Removed Hard Configurator: too much trouble for me when updating, installing and removing software on 3 laptops.
Kept it on the systems of my mother and mother in law because they have a more static config.
Removed the AdGuard extension because uBlock Origin simply does a better job.
Removed PrivaZer because it's just too slow.
Added back CCleaner Pro 5.56.003 Beta, because it's simply the best progran for me.
The last 2 stable versions have a problem cleaning Google Chrome cookies (known issue on some systems).
Solved in the latest beta build.

So my config is now Kaspersky Security Cloud Free with NoVirusThanks OSArmor and as adblocker uBlock Origin.

Also trying out the new Microsoft Edge version 74.1.96.24 (Official build) dev (64-bit).
Liking it a lot. Faster than Google Chrome stable version 73.0.3683.103.

Agree with you for Ccleaner

 

[oldschool]

Added back CCleaner Pro 5.56.003 Beta, because it's simply the best progran for me.

Is this the slim version? What bloat does it come with?

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Is this the slim version? What bloat does it come with?

Beta is without any bloat. Like the slim version.
Just did an update to the just released version 5.56.7144.

 

[Moonhorse]

PrivaZer is a comparative snail. It does use Windows modules like Disk Cleanup, I wonder if that's partly the reason.
I always read your configurations, they're so neat and clean.

Spoiler

View attachment 212166

First scan of privazer is slow indeed, but after that its much faster....i usually just run privazer once a week before going bed...it takes around 5-10 minutes and shut downs pc automatically after

If the browser cleanup is only reason to run privazer, there is the browser clean up wich takes as long as ccleaner default scan

With privazer its just much harder to recover deleted items, so i wouldnt run it daily..set up weekly clean up or something...with ccleaner i always ended up cleaning before i shut down pc