Advanced Plus Security Marana's Security Config 2020

[Marana]

I currently use this security configuration in most of the personal computers in our home. For the most parts, it is used on some other computers, too.

N.B. I deliberately use both H_C and OSA since to me they seem to complement each other quite nicely. For example, I cannot use H_C to block runonce.exe totally, since some of my applications need it. So, I have created a custom block rule plus a few exclusion rules for runonce.exe in OSA. I have never experienced any issues with running both in parallel. I also have successfully used OSA along with SSRP before migrating to H_C.

 

[Sampei Nihira]

I guess you use the "Canvas Fingerprint Defender" extension for Edge Chromium.
It does not seem to me very efficient if we consider that the extension that devised the "noise theory" has not been developed since 2017.
The extension, it seems to me, that intervenes only in a single form of fingerprinting, the Canvas Fingerprinting.

 

[Marana]

Can't disagree with you. CanvasBlocker is one of the things I'm still missing from Firefox (IIRC it was more versatile)...

 

[harlan4096]

@Marana:

In Virus and Malware Removal Tools, I would definitely add EmsiSoft Emergengy Kit...

 

[Marana]

I'm prepared to download it as soon as I'll get my first infection!

During the years I have occasionally tried various second opinion scanners (including e.g. EEK and HitmanPro), and at some point of time I even had a licensed version of HMP, but that was already for some years ago... From what I remember of my own tests and what I have read more recently, EEK is nowadays my favorite.

 

[Sampei Nihira]

Can't disagree with you. CanvasBlocker is one of the things I'm still missing from Firefox (IIRC it was more versatile)...

ScriptSafe for the fingerprint protection aspect, although dated, works quite well.
At least with Chrome, this should be checked in Edge/Chromium.

 

[ForgottenSeer 823865]

N.B. I deliberately use both H_C and OSA since to me they seem to complement each other quite nicely. For example, I cannot use H_C to block runonce.exe totally, since some of my applications need it.

Why H_C on Enterprise? i also uses Enterprise and i was told from its dev , that it is not necessary, since you have Applocker and SRP.
So is it for convenience?

About OSA i had to install it since the use of wildcards on Applocker and SRP are quite "inconsistent".

note that it seems that SRP or Applocker rules are executed before OSA ones

 

[Marana]

@Umbra Yes, just for convenience reasons.

I actually tried Applocker for a short period of time a few years ago, but having already used to the usability of SSRP (which I at that time had used already for some years) I reverted back to SSRP.

I then followed the development of H_C with interest for some time and played around with it for a few months last year. And by the end of the year I decided to give it a go when I upgraded from 1607 to 1809.

I still like SSRP's user interface very much and I think that for layperson it might be more easily manageable than H_C - but of course this would be like comparing apples with oranges, and such comparison would not be fair for H_C with its superior functionality. And of course it was exactly H_C's more versatile functionality that eventually made me to make the decision.

 

[Marana]

ScriptSafe for the fingerprint protection aspect, although dated, works quite well.
At least with Chrome, this should be checked in Edge/Chromium.

Thank you for pointing that out. I'll take a look on it!

 

[Sampei Nihira]

Thank you for pointing that out. I'll take a look on it!

I did a quick test myself.
As in Chrome, the Client Rectangle Blocker * is inefficient.
Although I don't use 4 Fingerprinting settings.

Another problem that the extension does not block the JS Fonts.

The combination with other extensions to remedy this * could in some cases cause an overlap of deleterious effects.

 

[Zorro]

I want to ask, what kind of "Firewall Hardening" program?

 

[silversurfer]

I want to ask, what kind of "Firewall Hardening" program?

You may meant that tool "Firewall Hardening" by @Andy Ful

AndyFul/Hard_Configurator

GUI to Manage Software Restriction Policies and harden Windows Home OS - AndyFul/Hard_Configurator

github.com

 

[Zorro]

You may meant that tool "Firewall Hardening" by @Andy Ful

And I thought it was a separate program As I understand it, it looks like the rules for the firewall in SysHardener.

 

[Andy Ful]

And I thought it was a separate program As I understand it, it looks like the rules for the firewall in SysHardener.

SysHardener can block many important LOLBins via Windows Firewall.
SysHardener does not use Firewall Policies, but standard Firewall rules. FirewallHardening has also some important additional rules and allows the user to add custom rules.
SysHardener does not have the log of blocked outbound connections.

 

[Marana]

And I thought it was a separate program As I understand it, it looks like the rules for the firewall in SysHardener.

Sorry, I should have documented it more clearly. I'll fix it...

 

[Marana]

I purchased a new phone recently and while migrating all the data from my old phone to the new one I decided to start taking care of my phone backups in a more systematic way than previously...

So I purchased a license for MTPDrive which allows to automatically allocate a drive letter to the phone whenever it is connected to my PC via USB cable. Then I created a new backup profile in my SecondCopy backup software configuration to automatically backup all the phone data that is relevant to me whenever the phone pops up as a disk drive in the PC. So now all my phone call logs, SMS and MMS messages, photos, downloaded files, WhatsApp databases, Nova Launcher settings etc. are automatically backed up at least a few times in a week.

SecondCopy is configured to perform an "Exact copy" backup of the relevant phone files to my PC and save the previous version of all modified and deleted files in a parallel archive directory in my PC backup disk.

I also fine tuned my homebrewed temp file cleaner utility to purge all files older than one month in the archive directory. So now I have an automatically maintained, well organized one month long backup history of all my important phone data in my PC disk, and all I have to do is plug the phone into the USB cable (which I do to charge my phone anyway).

My fortnightly replication procedure (that I use to replicate my PC backups alternatively to two external disks that I store in remote locations) now replicates also the phone backups along with the regular Macrium backup files.

Previously I used to backup my phone data only occasionally and manually, and e.g. call logs and SMS messages were practically unprotected... So, now I feel I have at least somewhat better protection of my phone data than previously