Hot Take Software security in 2026 - Practical tips for the mildly paranoid

[lokamoka820]

I just came across this wonderful article and wanted to share it with the community. While it might not offer much to advanced members, I hope it proves helpful to everyone else!

The "modern" Web is one giant pile of crap. If you disagree, you should probably close this article now, as pretty much anything I write here won't really matter. If you believe social media, vertical videos and apps are cool and amazing, have at it. On the other hand, if you still practice sensible computing, use your desktop as a good, trusty tool, find little joy in smartphones, and you feel concerned about the direction the Internet is going in, then you may want to stick around for some good old-fashioned security tips from a dinosaur.

In this guide, I want to talk about what you can do to make your online experience slightly less sufferable. I can't promise any great satisfaction, but I can perhaps lessen your pain. Furthermore, with "AI" blurring the lines between lightweight crap and heavyweight crap that passes off as the Web today, you really need to exercise extra caution, if you want your Internet to be quiet and pristine. Let's commence.

Table of Contents​

1. Word of caution
2. Browsing security
   1. Browser choice
   2. Secondary browser choice?
   3. Browser extensions and adblocking
   4. Browser settings
3. Mail security
   1. Day to day emailing
      1. Action and urgency
      2. No action and no urgency
      3. Examine mail header
   2. Links
   3. Attachments
4. Downloads (of any kind)
   1. Software installers
      1. Finding the right software
      2. Multi-engine scan
      3. Testing new software in isolation
      4. Sandboxing in Windows
      5. Sandboxing in Linux
      6. Running Windows software in Linux
   2. Documents
   3. Media files
5. Non-default programs
6. Practical mitigations in common software
   1. Use EMET (in older versions of Windows)
   2. Use Exploit Protection (in Windows 10 onwards)
   3. Use Linux sandboxing mechanisms
   4. Additional hardening and mitigations
7. Automatic updates (or rather, not)
   1. Kernel livepatching
   2. System imaging
8. Smartphone security
   1. How to find "safe" apps
   2. Android specific tweaks
   3. iOS (iPhone) specific tweaks
9. Cloud security
10. Networking devices and gadgets
11. Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
12. Password management
    1. What about passkeys?
13. Conclusion

Software security in 2026 - Practical tips for the mildly paranoid

Long, detailed, thorough guide on modern Internet security, including precaution and caveats, browser security, primary and secondary browser choice, adblocking extensions, mail security, day-to-day mail practices like plain-text mail and punycode handling, mail urgency and legitimacy, how to...

www.dedoimedo.com

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

Mrkvonic (I say hello) is a dinosaur, just like me and @LinuxFan58

In this article, he begins his discussion with browsers and email clients.

Why?

Once you’ve hardened everything else in “install-and-forget” mode, all that’s left is........

This is the most important lesson of this treatise.

 

[LinuxFan58]

Love the title "mildly paranoid"