Advanced Plus Security TairikuOkami's Configuration 2021

Last updated
May 29, 2021
How it's used?
For home and private use
Operating system
Other operating system
Live OS: Kubuntu 20.10 / Linux Mint 20.1
On-device encryption
Log-in security
    • Biometrics (Windows Hello PIN, TouchID, Face, Iris, Fingerprint)
Security updates
Allow security updates and latest features
User Access Control
Always notify
Smart App Control
Network firewall
Real-time security
Firewall security
Microsoft Defender Firewall
About custom security
Periodic malware scanners
Windows Repair Toolbox (Malware removal): Autoruns + HitmanPro + NPE + RogueKiller
Malware sample testing
I do not participate in malware testing
Browser(s) and extensions
Microsoft Edge with Smartscreen
AdGuard AdBlocker (blocks cookie notices, trackers)
Bitwarden (a secure and free password manager for all of your devices)
Checker Plus for Gmail (Windows notifications, read or delete emails without opening Gmail)
Cookie AutoDelete (cleans cache, cookies, indexedDB, localstorage, plugindata, service workers)
Enhancer for YouTube (autoplays HD and removes ADs)
Feedly Notifier (reading news from RSS aggregator Feedly)
Selection Search (use the right-click menu to search for selected text in any search engines)
Disabled #heavy-ad-privacy-mitigations
Disabled #edge-omnibox-ui-hide-steady-state-url-scheme
Disabled #edge-omnibox-ui-hide-steady-state-url-trivial-subdomains
Disabled #enable-quic
Disabled #edge-show-feature-recommendations
Enabled #block-insecure-private-network-requests
Enabled #disallow-doc-written-script-loads
Secure DNS
Desktop VPN
TOR Browser (occasionally)
Password manager
Bitwarden (browser extension)
Maintenance tools
File and Photo backup
System recovery
Risk factors
    • Browsing to popular websites
    • Browsing to unknown / untrusted / shady sites
    • Opening email attachments
    • Buying from online stores, entering banks card details
    • Logging into my bank account
    • Gaming
    • Streaming audio/video content from trusted sites or paid subscriptions
    • Streaming audio/video content from shady sites
Computer specs
Notable changes
31-Dec-20 Replaced Yandex with Edge
03-Jan-21 Reinstated CleanBrowsing
16-Jan-21 Google/Microsoft allowed
23-Jan-21 Microsoft Edge sent to hell
23-Jan-21 Google Chrome/Search comes
31-Jan-21 Removed POPPeeper/MailoJunk
10-Feb-21 Cleanbrowsing went nuts (political)
21-Feb-21 Installed 21H1 Dev to finally get DoH
08-Apr-21 Switched from Chrome to Brave
22-Apr-21 Back to Edge (last man standing)
26-May-21 NextDNS (adult content & malware)
26-May-21 Malwarebytes Windows Firewall Control
29-May-21 Lesson learnt (the evil has spread here too)
What I'm looking for?

Looking for medium feedback.

TairikuOkami

Level 35
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Content Creator
Well-known
May 13, 2017
2,452
Disabled IPv6, Telemetry, WSH, some services. Removed Powershell, Windows features except NET Framework.
I limited apps to connect only to their retrospective IPs to avoid malicious redirects, like in the CCleaner's case.
Browser is allowed to connect via HTTPS, Steam is forced to use HTTPS, emails are opened via webmail.
I use PatchMyPC/DriverEasy to keep software/drivers updated + Softpedia's Notifier for the rest.

Anti-ransomware - backup folder - denied access to SYSTEM, Users permissions are set to read only.
I turn off PC with Wise Cleaners + tweaks, to remove startup entries/policies and to restore my settings.
Browser's cache, Desktop, Downloads and Temp folders are stored in the RAMDisk, where malware likes to hide.
In case of an emergency (ransomware) I can hit Reset and Windows will boot with all those reset to the previous state.

Adguard
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Malwarebytes Windows Firewall Control
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Windows Calm Edition :sleep:
Untitled.jpg

Note to myself, why I can not ever use AdGuard DNS :cautious:
capture_05052021_015947.jpg
 
Last edited:

TairikuOkami

Level 35
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May 13, 2017
2,452
Why WD disabled?
It causes a terrible slow down, system feels sluggish overall, icons in explorer are loading one by one, it is like when I had my first PC with Windows 95. Whenever I enable it, it is the same. I would not mind running a realtime AV, but I have yet to find one, that would not bother me, Fortinet came close though. Hopefully a new cloud AV will emerge soon.

P.S. Not to mention AVs removing "normal" files like Nirsoft, Process Hacker and my tweaks. Exceptions do not exactly work, especially when you keep updating those files.
 
Last edited:

TairikuOkami

Level 35
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Verified
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May 13, 2017
2,452
I have just tried out some AVs: BD blocked everything as mentioned, Sophos wanted me to restart (forever and ever), Kaspersky crashed my browser, same old same old. 😅

I really like Kaspersky's icon, it reminds me of Panda AV's icon, it used to have. I would use it for that reason alone, but it just does not like me either.

capture_12252020_154315.jpg


tenor.gif

EDIT: Comodo AV was the worst so far, it brought browsing to the crawl and I could not download nor save anything, not even screenshots, lol.
 
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TairikuOkami

Level 35
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May 13, 2017
2,452
Are You sure is it because Kaspersky? :unsure:
Yes, I visited paypal, tried to open certificates and crash, even with the web protection and SSL injection disabled, once uninstalled, all went back to normal.
I have not seen BSOD nor apps crash for years, I suppose, that is what AVs are good, one of the reason I stopped using them, it solved tons of random problems.
 

TairikuOkami

Level 35
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Verified
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May 13, 2017
2,452
You have probably heavily tweaked system and browsers, maybe with too many restrictions...
Indeed, missing powershell causes confusion to some apps and I could not even restore backup, because SYSTEM was not allowed to access the file. 😇
 

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TairikuOkami

Level 35
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Verified
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Content Creator
Well-known
May 13, 2017
2,452
OK, after going through almost all free AVs, I am back with Panda Cloud. I almost got stuck with Adaware, but there are a few issues with it. For once, it does not report everything it does. It disabled showing hidden/system files and it blocked reverting the change (via tweaks), it has to be done manually to confirm it, so who knows, what else it hides?! But the most disturbing are definition updates. Roughly 500MB gets written per each update, that resulted in about 6GB written to my SSD in 6 hours, that is just insane. I stopped using Panda previously, because it slowed down browsing, but maybe the culprit was CleanbrowsingDNS. Either way it works with DoH and Quad9. 🐼 ✔️
 

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Vitali Ortzi

Level 22
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Top Poster
Well-known
Dec 12, 2016
1,147
It causes a terrible slow down, system feels sluggish overall, icons in explorer are loading one by one, it is like when I had my first PC with Windows 95. Whenever I enable it, it is the same. I would not mind running a realtime AV, but I have yet to find one, that would not bother me, Fortinet came close though. Hopefully a new cloud AV will emerge soon.

P.S. Not to mention AVs removing "normal" files like Nirsoft, Process Hacker and my tweaks. Exceptions do not exactly work, especially when you keep updating those files.
if you want an av you could use something like kaspersky and if you have false positive maybe eset
But both slow down the system a bit
Or you can use a whitelisting default deny security posture like comodo and voodoo But it can be a pain to manage if you're using scripts / unknown files in general
 

TairikuOkami

Level 35
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Verified
Top Poster
Content Creator
Well-known
May 13, 2017
2,452
I really really love your config but I want to ask why not just use a hardened Linux operation system at this stage ?
Games. Maybe when SteamOS gets a better hardware support I will reconsider, but thus far, it is not really a choice. Besides, I do not think, I could handle linux, I am BFU, when it comes to computers, I like to copy/paste and that is about it. I just want to use a computer, I do not want to think about settings, software, hardware, just install and forget. 😌
 

Lenny_Fox

Level 22
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Well-known
Oct 1, 2019
1,120
@TairikuOkami

I tried Panda Cloud free, but I can't even download txt files because the security scan invoked by Windows gets an error. I guess a Panda program is blocked in user folders. It is the only AV which has this problem on my PC (tried Kasperskt Free, Bitdefender Free, Panda Free, Avira Free, AVG Free, Avast, Sophos Free and Symantec semi legal managed free)
 

TairikuOkami

Level 35
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Content Creator
Well-known
May 13, 2017
2,452
I tried Panda Cloud free, but I can't even download txt files because the security scan invoked by Windows gets an error.
I have the opposite problem, it does not detect .txt. When I download eicar.com, it gets blocked, but eicar.txt can be downloaded/opened, it gets detected only when scanned.
 

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TairikuOkami

Level 35
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Content Creator
Well-known
May 13, 2017
2,452
Time to start the new year with something new, so I have switched to Edge. There are several annoyances (like it ignores removed interests), but overall it seems OK.

I like Yandex's GUI, but that is about it. It is a month behind in security updates. Spell check gets disabled at every launch, its protected mode is no use with password manager disabled. I used it mainly for dnscrypt, I switched to DoH and Yandex has removed it from flags, so it can not be even setup, like other hidden settings, eg the new anti-tracking.

By the way, anyone knows, what domain to allow to store cookies to get rid of this warning? It is probably causing an extremely slow browser's launch.
 

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Gandalf_The_Grey

Level 76
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Honorary Member
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Apr 24, 2016
6,505
Time to start the new year with something new, so I have switched to Edge. There are several annoyances (like it ignores removed interests), but overall it seems OK.

I like Yandex's GUI, but that is about it. It is a month behind in security updates. Spell check gets disabled at every launch, its protected mode is no use with password manager disabled. I used it mainly for dnscrypt, I switched to DoH and Yandex has removed it from flags, so it can not be even setup, like other hidden settings, eg the new anti-tracking.

By the way, anyone knows, what domain to allow to store cookies to get rid of this warning? It is probably causing an extremely slow browser's launch.
I believe it is: ntp.msn.com
Mentioned here: How to speed up Edge and make it load faster
 

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