With all the Software Available Surely I Could Make Windows XP Secure?

[Rodney74]

I want to take a Retail Version of XP Cut it down with something like Win lite, then Secure the heck out of it, with AV, anti-Exe, Sandbox ETC

XP was very fast, and a nice OS...

Don't you think this is still possible to secure and use it daily, if not maybe Vista?

Ideas.

 

[Zero Knowledge]

No. XP is end of life 2 years ago. You can not secure it. You will get pwned for sure.

All the security software in the world won't save you.

 

[McLovin]

Personally there would be no point. You get to a stage with XP where you can secure it but because of how old the OS is and how many security flaws that are in the OS, it's best to play around with it in a virtual machine.

 

[AtlBo]

Even if it were possible to secure XP, think about this. No .NET beyond 4.0 and no directX beyond v. 9. This would limit the usefulness of the software you can even install in the first place.

I think you could adequately secure XP, considering you can even add EMET. However, I tried to install Comodo Firewall in a VM on XP SP3 though, and that didn't work for some reason. Not sure what went wrong or if it would work outside the VM.

I agree, play around in a VM and see what you can come up with. It would be interesting.

 

[shmu26]

install NVT ERP, and browse in sandboxie (it supports XP SP3).

and don't make mistakes...

 

[Ink]

Why bother? It's a waste of time. Time spent to slim down a dead OS, but to run Security software using unnecessary resources, a waste of energy.

In all seriousness "Who cares about XP"! You can do much better without over spending, an Android-OS build or lightweight Linux distro is far more secure (and modern) than any XP has to offer. Otherwise a new Windows 10 PC custom build if you extra $$.

If your PC was built for Windows XP, then it will not run Windows Vista due to demanding hardware requirements. Windows Vista requires a lot more power than was expected to run smooth, many found Windows 7 to run better than Vista. I don't understand why you think Vista is an alternate to XP.

All opinions are my own.

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@AtlBo EMET has limited functionality on Windows XP, than say Windows 7.

 

[whizkidraj]

Nice thread and thinking. @Rodney74. +1 for just thinking about it and laying it down here.

 

[509322]

I want to take a Retail Version of XP Cut it down with something like Win lite, then Secure the heck out of it, with AV, anti-Exe, Sandbox ETC

XP was very fast, and a nice OS...

Don't you think this is still possible to secure and use it daily, if not maybe Vista?

Ideas.

People still use XP, but the OS is obsolete in terms of security. More and more security soft vendors are dropping support for XP.

While we still support XP 32-bit, we recommend that you upgrade your OS if possible.

In order to protect XP, it would be foolish to use a default-allow security model. You really should lock the system down. Even then there are no guarantees. With XP you are on your own.

Bin it.

 

[AtlBo]

@AtlBo EMET has limited functionality on Windows XP, than say Windows 7.

Thanks. I see. Only support for up to EMET v 4.1 from MS. Just goes to show how limited software options are for XP. Yes it's true, there won't be anything for it two years from now but old versions of Comodo Firewall and old versions of a-vs I guess.

 

[Zero Knowledge]

I really don't see the big deal about XP. It probably has the worst security of any OS developed and has had and still has 100's of exploits. The only thing it has going for it is the lack of telemetry and spying crap in it. But it's always been a security nightmare.

 

[shmu26]

I really don't see the big deal about XP. It probably has the worst security of any OS developed and has had and still has 100's of exploits. The only thing it has going for it is the lack of telemetry and spying crap in it. But it's always been a security nightmare.

I use it in a VM, for legacy apps that require no internet access, and I do admire its simplicity and speed.
I would never consider running it on my host machine, though, because I am a security paranoid, and besides, I like to run the latest version of whatever software I'm using.

 

[Ink]

it's always been a security nightmare.

Vanilla Window XP shipped with no Anti-Spyware, Anti-Virus or Firewall. Goes to show the vast changes in OS security and Windows 10.

 

[Zero Knowledge]

Vanilla Window XP shipped with no Anti-Spyware, Anti-Virus or Firewall. Goes to show the vast changes in OS security and Windows 10.

Exactly my point. You can not make it secure. Microsoft did not care about security when XP launched. Now 15 years later they do care.

I still see way too many XP exploits reported in online exploit databases pop up every day. Most are rated as critical RCE exploits.

 

[shmu26]

look, if @Rodney74 wants to run windows XP, what's so terrible about that?
Retro can be cool.
He is willing to use an anti-exe and to run his browser in sandbox, so I don't see what's so suicidal about it.

NVT ERP + Sandboxie + Qihoo 360 should protect pretty well

 

[Ink]

look, if @Rodney74 wants to run windows XP, what's so terrible about that?
Retro can be cool.
He is willing to use an anti-exe and to run his browser in sandbox, so I don't see what's so suicidal about it.

NVT ERP + Sandboxie + Qihoo 360 should protect pretty well

Using Security as an excuse to make an unsupported OS secure. It just does not match up today's security standards. XP is no longer supported by Microsoft, software will eventually stop supporting XP and soon enough so will their Support teams.

 

[Stas]

He can use any OS he wants it's his choice, if he has very old hardware like single core CPU and 1gb or less ram Win7 might work very slow but on XP it'll be mush faster. He can secure it with 3'rd party firewall, good AV, Anti-Exe, Anti-Exploit or all in one Internet Security and make system backup.

 

[Aura]

There's no way to secure an OS that his full of holes at the system level.

 

[Stas]

There's no way to secure an OS that his full of holes at the system level.

It's not secure for business use but for home use like web browsing and media playback is ok.

 

[shmu26]

It's not secure for business use but for home use like web browsing and media playback is ok.

well, you are a sitting duck for web exploits, because browsers like chrome no longer support XP . That means you are missing all the latest patches and your browser is full of holes.
The solution is to run browser in sandbox, and empty sandbox before connecting to sensitive sites or entering important passwords.

media files are also vulnerable to exploits, so if you aren't sure about a download, play it in sandbox

 

[Stas]

Like i said secure it with 3'rd party firewall, good AV, Anti-Exe, Anti-Exploit or all in one Internet Security and make system backup.
Firefox is working on XP and Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit or HitmanPro.Alert or EMET can protect media player.