Advanced Plus Security Kongo's Computer Security Config 2024

Last updated
Feb 25, 2024
How it's used?
For home and private use
Operating system
Windows 11
On-device encryption
BitLocker Device Encryption for Windows
Log-in security
    • Hardware security key
Security updates
Allow security updates and latest features
Update channels
Allow stable updates only
User Access Control
Always notify
Smart App Control
Off
Network firewall
Enabled
About WiFi router
- Speedport Smart 4
- Firewalla Blue +
Real-time security
Deep Instinct Endpoint Protection
Firewall security
Microsoft Defender Firewall with Advanced Security
About custom security

Hardening tools:
- Firewall Hardening (blocking outbound connections of LOLBins)
- Run by SmartScreen (forces SmartScreen to scan files of choice)

- STOP/DJVU Ransomware Vaccine (immunizes system against this type of ransomware)
- O&O ShutUp10 (recommended settings)
- O&O AppBuster (removed unecessary Windows 11 apps)
- Windows Sandbox



System settings:
- Microsoft Defender running in sandbox (inactive)
- Reputation Based Protections (all modules enabled)
- Smart App Control enabled

- Data Execution Prevention set to AlwaysOn
- Core Isolation: Memory Integrity enabled
-
Kernel-mode Hardware-enforced Stack Protection enabled
- Secure Boot enabled
- Drives encrypted via TPM (BitLocker)
- Windows Update Delivery Optimization disabled
- AutoPlay disabled
- Network Discovery disabled (Public Firewall profile)
- PowerShell --> Constrained Language Mode
- Hide extensions for known file types --> disabled
- Show hidden files --> enabled

- Virtualization enabled (allows Application Sandboxing)
- Custom Exploit Protection Settings for Firefox:
Code:
Block low integrity images - ON
Block remote images - ON
Block untrusted fonts - ON
Control flow guard (CFG) - ON
Data execution prevention (DEP) - ON + Enable thunk emulation - CHECKED
Disable extension points - ON
Force randomization for images (Mandatory ASLR) - ON + Do not allow stripped images - CHECKED
Randomize memory allocations (Bottom-up ASLR) - ON
Validate exception chains (SEHOP) - ON
Validate handle usage - ON
Validate heap integrity - ON
Validate image dependency integrity - ON

Thanks to @oldschool for sharing! :)

ㅤㅤㅤHardware Firewall (Firewalla Blue Plus):
- Active Protect (Strict)
- Ad Block (Strict)
- OISD blocklist enabled in Firewalla
- New Device Quarantine (restricted internet access for newly connected devices)

- Geo-IP Filtering (blocking connections from and to Russian + Chinese IPs)
- Unbound DNS enabled for all devices
‎‎‎ㅤ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎
Periodic malware scanners
Norton Power Eraser, X-Sec and AdwCleaner
Malware sample testing
I do participate in malware testing. See details about my testing environment below.
Environment for malware testing
‎‎‎ㅤㅤㅤ
VMware Workstation Player + Mullvad VPN on host machine while connected to the guest network.

Online Malware Analysis Platforms that I use:


- FileScan.iO
- Intenzer Analyze
- Hybrid Analysis
- VirusTotal
- Sophos Intelix
- Valkyrie
- ANY.RUN
-
Triage
- Kaspersky Threat Intelligence Portal
-
Docguard.iO
- PolySwarm
- Yomi
- Neiki.Dev
- ThreatZone
- UnpacMe


--> Currently I am barely testing
Browser(s) and extensions

Mozilla Firefox v. 124.0.2

Extensions:
- uBlock Origin Lite
- SafeToOpen

- Bitwarden


Browser privacy and security settings:
- Tracking protection: Strict (enables Total Cookie Protection)
- Enable secure DNS using: Max Protection
- HTTPS-only-mode enabled
- DuckDuckGo set as search engine
- Pocket disabled
- Sending DNT-requests disabled (enabling makes you more identifiable and barely gives any advantage on most sites.)
- Clearing browsing data on exit
- Search suggestions disabled
- Websites overview disabled
- Blocking incoming location, camera and microphone requests
- AutoPlay for audio and video disabled
- Firefox telemetry disabled (also in about:config)
- Blocking pop-ups
- Warn when websites try to install addons enabled
- Protection against fraudulent content and dangerous software enabled



about:config tweaks:
- network.dns.echconfig.enabled =
true
- network.dns.use_https_rr_as_altsvc = true
- fission.autostart = true
- pdfjs.enableScripting =
false
- network.IDN_show_punycode = true
- security.ssl.require_safe_negotiation = true

- geo.enabled = false
- webgl.disabled = true
- network.trr.mode =
3 (NextDNS)

ㅤㅤ
Secure DNS

- NextDNS with DoH + OISD blocklist (Firefox exclusively)
- Unbound DNS (Network-wide)


Desktop VPN
Proton VPN with Secure Core, NetShield and Permanent Kill Switch
Password manager
Bitwarden Premium
Maintenance tools
PatchMyPC, RuckZuck, UpdateHub, HiBit Uninstaller and Windows built in tools for cleaning and optimization
File and Photo backup
backup to external drive when necessary
Active subscriptions
    • Google One Standard 200GB
System recovery
Aomei Backupper
Risk factors
    • Browsing to popular websites
    • Browsing to unknown / untrusted / shady sites
    • Opening email attachments
    • Buying from online stores, entering banks card details
    • Downloading software and files from reputable sites
    • Gaming
    • Streaming audio/video content from shady sites
    • Downloading malware samples
Computer specs
GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 360 TI
CPU: Intel I5 12600K
RAM: 16 GB DDR4-3200 Crucial
Hard disks: 500 GB Samsung 970 EVO Plus + 1 TB Western Digital Blue
Notable changes
- Updated for year 2024
What I'm looking for?

Looking for minimum feedback.

Kongo

Level 35
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Feb 25, 2017
2,492
Sending referer only on eTLD+1 is the best approach I think.
Had this before, but thought spoofing it completely doesn't have any negative side effects. I personally didn't find any site that broke cause of that entry, but as it can be a security risk according to @qua3k opinion, I will disable it. AdGuard extension actually also has an option to spoof the referrer, so I just might set the about:config entry to default and use their option. :unsure:

Unbenannt.PNG
 

oldschool

Level 82
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Mar 29, 2018
7,102
AdGuard extension actually also has an option to spoof the referrer, so I just might set the about:config entry to default and use their option. :unsure:
Or you could try this:
Code:
network.http.referer.trimmingPolicy=2
network.http.referer.XOriginPolicy=2
network.http.referer.XOriginTrimmingPolicy=2
I've had no breakage so far with above combo, but it can vary depending on your browsing behaviour. If you have breakage, a different combo as shown here: Tweaking Referrers For Privacy in Firefox
 

Kongo

Level 35
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Feb 25, 2017
2,492
I also refer to these
The last one is quite conservative but shows various options.
I think I stick with AdGuards referrer spoofing as it is enabled by default when enabling Stealth Mode as far as I know. So it would have a lower impact on my fingerprint than also playing in the about:config settings when I am using AdGuard already anyway.
 

qua3k

Level 1
Jul 18, 2021
19
Had this before, but thought spoofing it completely doesn't have any negative side effects. I personally didn't find any site that broke cause of that entry, but as it can be a security risk according to @qua3k opinion, I will disable it. AdGuard extension actually also has an option to spoof the referrer, so I just might set the about:config entry to default and use their option. :unsure:

View attachment 259875
Stop spoofing the referrer. There are sites that check referrer as part of CSRF protection and you will break sites by doing so. You should avoid messing with referrer settings in the first place; browsers already default to a sufficiently strict strict-origin-when-cross-origin for requests without an explicit Referrer-Policy. What you’re setting will break sites.
 

Kongo

Level 35
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Feb 25, 2017
2,492
- replaced Malwarebytes Browser Guard with uBlock Origin in Medium Mode
- removed ClearURLs as I have the AdGuard URL Tracking blocklist enabled in uBlock Origin
- removed LocalCDN
- removed FirewallHardening, ConfigureDefender and KeyScrambler
+ added Sophos Home Premium
 
Last edited:

Kongo

Level 35
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Feb 25, 2017
2,492
I guess I'm in my switching security software every day phase... 😅

- removed Sophos Home Premium
+ added ConfigureDefender, Simple Windows Hardening, Firewall Hardening and KeyScrambler
+ blocking potentially insecure third-party content within uBlock Origin
 
Last edited:

Zartarra

Level 7
Verified
Well-known
May 9, 2019
314
- replaced Malwarebytes Browser Guard with uBlock Origin in Medium Mode
- removed ClearURLs as I have the AdGuard URL Tracking blocklist enabled in uBlock Origin
- removed LocalCDN
- removed FirewallHardening, ConfigureDefender and KeyScrambler
+ added Sophos Home Premium
Hello @SecureKongo

Has SHP still an issue with the ADguard filtering?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kongo

Kongo

Level 35
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Feb 25, 2017
2,492
are you still happy with Immunet? It was a little bit buggy in the past on my system and
with a lot of leftovers after deinstallation.
It was a little buggy. The UI crashed from time to time and I constantly had a CPU usage between 2-4% and a RAM usage of 600mb which shouldn't be the case with my specs. After all the system didn't really feel slow or sluggish in any way. Protection-wise I can't really say much, as I didn't really test it. All I can say is that the signatures Clam+Cloud are acceptable and that Immunet detects malicious scripts (VBS,JS etc.) and other file extensions with static scan which many other AVs don't. If you use HiBit Uninstaller to uninstall Immunet then you should switch to another, as Immunets proactive protection component seems to block some actions performed by HiBit when you uninstall software.

PS:
I saw some videos about Immunet on youtube and they didn't have the CPU and RAM usage problem like on my system.
 

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