Advice Request What kind of Security Advice is considered pure garbage?

[Ink]

A lot of people claim to know best and give inaccurate, or dangerous security advice when it comes to Internet Security for home users.

What is the worse security advice you have received for computer security?

 

[ForgottenSeer 85179]

What is the worse security advice you have received for computer security?

Definitely turning off UAC and/ or Windows Updates.

 

[RoboMan]

"Don't use antivirus, it's useless. Antivirus companies make the virus themselves. The best antivirus is common sense."

Who would win? Common sense vs ransomware spreading through a loacl network? Make your bets.

 

[EndangeredPootis]

Disabling automatic updates, to add to it, even though windows have given them plenty of time to update, when it does eventually update and force restart the users computer they then complain about how it ruined what they were working on, like cmon it had given you plenty of warnings and time.

 

[ForgottenSeer 89360]

"Don't use antivirus, it's useless. Antivirus companies make the virus themselves. The best antivirus is common sense."

Who would win? Common sense vs ransomware spreading through a loacl network? Make your bets.

100% agree.
Common sense won't help you much when a vicious js is running in your browser.
I wanna mention 4 rubbish advises:

1. Recommending system hardening, HIPS (&HIPS-like) utilities, or any other sort of programs that wait on user to take a decision.
This is either a security or usability disaster and is guaranteed to bring you calls 3:00 in the morning.
Security is professionals' s job, it's not for users to decide what's good and bad.

2. Recommending users to install too many products at once.
Just one product from a reputable company is enough for a home user, when combined with an ad-blocking extension and VPN. Overdone combos are unlikely to improve anyone's security posture and are likely to bring unworthy performance hit, bugs and weird situations that not everyone can handle.

3. Don't worry about malware, it's a Mac.
MacOS might be more secure than Windows by default due to its limitations, but is far cry from being invincible. Anti-Phishing and anti-malware tools should be ran at all times.

4. Don't worry, you're not famous, nobody will target you.
Whilst home users are really, far less likely to be the target of advanced and sophisticated attacks, measures should still be taken to insure information and identity are as secure, as possible.

 

[Dave Russo]

I paid to have a virus removes (yes it was recommended)60 dollars thrown away

 

[Arequire]

Forcing people to change their passwords every X number of days.

 

[plat]

"Windows is spyware and a bloated mess. Switch to Linux."

Disclaimer: nuttin' against Linux, mind you. But saw this recommended elsewhere, when the user was having an issue with Windows.

 

[ForgottenSeer 89360]

"Windows is spyware and a bloated mess. Switch to Linux."

Disclaimer: nuttin' against Linux, mind you. But saw this recommended elsewhere, when the user was having an issue with Windows.

This will solve one issue and bring 1000 more. Not a wise advise

 

[ichito]

@McMcbrad
Absolutely I can't agree with your 4 "rubbish advices". It's to big generalisation and because in my country we have night already, I'll try to say more tomorrow...stay vigiliant

 

[bayasdev]

"Windows updates are viruses and make your PC slower" , back in the Windows 7/8 days I used to hear many "computer technicians" assuring that.

 

[ForgottenSeer 89360]

Windows updates are viruses and make your PC slower, back in the Windows 7/8 days I used to hear many "computer technicians" assuring that.

Oh this tip also circulates regarding mobile updates... people don't want to update their phones because they will "become slow"... not that they weren't right at one point... we remember the Apple case

 

[bayasdev]

"Windows is spyware and a bloated mess. Switch to Linux."

Disclaimer: nuttin' against Linux, mind you. But saw this recommended elsewhere, when the user was having an issue with Windows.

you missed the hacker known as 4chan recommending to install Gentoo instead of deleting System32

 

[TheBlueCreeper512]

"Windows is spyware and a bloated mess. Switch to Linux."

Disclaimer: nuttin' against Linux, mind you. But saw this recommended elsewhere, when the user was having an issue with Windows.

We have to deal with people saying this almost every week on /r/Windows10.

 

[danb]

100% agree.
Common sense won't help you much when a vicious js is running in your browser.
I wanna mention 4 rubbish advises:

1. Recommending system hardening, HIPS (&HIPS-like) utilities, or any other sort of programs that wait on user to take a decision.
This is either a security or usability disaster and is guaranteed to bring you calls 3:00 in the morning.
Security is professionals' s job, it's not for users to decide what's good and bad.

2. Recommending users to install too many products at once.
Just one product from a reputable company is enough for a home user, when combined with an ad-blocking extension and VPN. Overdone combos are unlikely to improve anyone's security posture and are likely to bring unworthy performance hit, bugs and weird situations that not everyone can handle.

3. Don't worry about malware, it's a Mac.
MacOS might be more secure than Windows by default due to its limitations, but is far cry from being invincible. Anti-Phishing and anti-malware tools should be ran at all times.

4. Don't worry, you're not famous, nobody will target you.
Whilst home users are really, far less likely to be the target of advanced and sophisticated attacks, measures should still be taken to insure information and identity are as secure, as possible.

I completely agree on the system hardening. Why harden the system when it only breaks stuff and still leaves the system vulnerable? Reminds me of Trump’s half ass border wall. Not that we needed the wall in the first place.

And HIPS, yeah, prompt bombardment is never a good thing.

Having said that…Traditional and next-gen AV should make the auto-decision while deny-by-default should stop the user from accidently doing something stupid (and to act as an additional layer just in case the AV fails).

 

[ForgottenSeer 89360]

I completely agree on the system hardening. Why harden the system when it only breaks stuff and still leaves the system vulnerable? Reminds me of Trump’s half ass border wall. Not that we needed the wall in the first place.

And HIPS, yeah, prompt bombardment is never a good thing.

Having said that…Traditional and next-gen AV should make the auto-decision while deny-by-default should stop the user from accidently doing something stupid (and to act as an additional layer just in case the AV fails).

I believe it's called Poka Yoke
Also, frequent prompts lead to "security hatred" where the user just don't care anymore what they are pressing, they just want these prompts to go away.

 

[shmu26]

A lot of people claim to know best and give inaccurate, or dangerous security advice when it comes to Internet Security for home users.

What is the worse security advice you have received for computer security?

Stay on Windows XP, or now it's Windows 7. And never update your software.

 

[Cortex]

Someone I know said go to: MalwareTips Community for good advice

 

[Andy Ful]

...
I wanna mention 4 rubbish advises:

1. Recommending system hardening, HIPS (&HIPS-like) utilities, or any other sort of programs that wait on user to take a decision.
This is either a security or usability disaster and is guaranteed to bring you calls 3:00 in the morning.
Security is professionals' s job, it's not for users to decide what's good and bad.
...

It is probably true for recommendations when we do not know much about users' skills, preferences, and habits. It is mostly true for average users who cannot get help from an experienced user. But otherwise, it is not generally true and can highly depend on the Hardening/HIPS/Program configuration. Many MT members seem to be happy with programs that use YES/NO alerts. But it is also true that many of them try to kill the system with such programs.
An example of a useful feature based on user decision can be Windows SmartScreen.

Post edited.

 

[ForgottenSeer 89360]

It is probably true for recommendations when we do not know much about users' skills, preferences, and habits. It is mostly true for average users who cannot get help from an experienced user. But otherwise, it is not generally true and can highly depend on the Hardening/HIPS/Program configuration. Many MT members seem to be happy with programs that use YES/NO alerts.
An example of a useful feature based on user decision can be Windows SmartScreen.

Oh I am not talking about MT users, as we are knowledgeable and I don't believe someone would waste time on advising us.
I am talking about the average Joe who thinks trojan horse is one specific virus and not a whole group.