Review My Security Setup!

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

I am enumerating my security set up on my computer. As this forum has a lot of experts, would be great to have your review on the setup and what further additions/alterations you would advice…

I think it will be beneficial for all newbies. Whatsay?

Prelim details (plz read to understand the limitations):
System:
CPU: Celeron 1 Ghz FSB 133 Mhz
RAM: 128 MB SDRAM
OS: Windows XP SP2

{Please comment/ review only what follows, the advice on the above parameters is self-evident} :slight_smile:

System measures:

  • Always access the net through a ‘limited’ account, not through the administrator account
  • Use the Admin account only when need to install/update some software from net, or for program update of Avast.
  • All administrative services starting with the word ‘Remote…’ set to disabled except for ‘Remote Procedure Call (RPC)’
  • administrative services ‘TCP/IP NetBIOS helper’ and ‘Telnet’ also set as disabled

Net related measures
#BROWSER: Firefox 2.0.0.16. IE NEVER used!
#FF extensions used:

  • Noscript
  • Adblock Plus
  • WOT
  • Mcafee Site advisor (recently installed, i believe only one of WOT OR this one required)
    #Cookies behavior set as “Accept cookies from sites” Yes
    ‘Keep cookies until:’ = “Ask me everytime”
    Default is to block all cookies on first ask, until they interfere with browsing experience. Then to allow them as “allow for session”

Java plug-in: Sun Java 1.6.0.6 (got to upgrade to their latest version 1.6.0.7)

Security related software installed:

Anti-virus: Avast Home free version 4.8 (latest)

Firewall: Zone Alarm free version 6.5.737.000 (this is an old version, but works on my limited resource comp)

Anti-spyware: Spybot 1.6 (latest)

(note: it offers realtime antispyware protection known as ‘TeaTimer’ but i have it off due to resource hogging)

Anti-malware: MB antimalware 1.25.0.0 (latest)

An attempt at compiling secure surfing guidelines.
{The following shall keep getting modified based upon responses to this thread}

My recommendations for fellow NUNEs
(Normal Users Non Experts)

[size=9pt]Please note that i myself am a NUNE!

[color=blue]
ESSENTIAL
[/size]

  1. Use a secondary account for net activity, not the administrator account.
  2. Disable the adminstrative services beginning with “Remote…” unless your computer is part of a network OR you access your comp remotely through net OR need to allow some one (eg. repair expert) to access your comp remotely through the net.
  3. Use a good Anti-virus program. (I recommend Avast Home among the free available ones)
  4. Use a firewall software program
  5. Use a antispyware and a antimalware program to periodically scan your computer for spyware/malware.

URGED

  1. Use some browser other than IE for normal net browsing. (i recommend Firefox , because of its useful extensions)
  2. Upgrade your RAM, as most of the protection programs nowadays are resource-intensive. Also, the more programs you keep installing, the more load on the RAM.
  3. Clean out your browsing cache (in Firefox) after each net session.
2

i would add a disk imaging software like acronis true image(paid) or macrium reflect(free)http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.asp to back up your pc an exact image
i have used both

3

you windows is out of date leaving you vulnerable
run the secunia inspector to see if you software is up to date
how do you use windows update without IE? is IE installed?
Firefox 3?
right - get that Java up to date

there is a new “light” version of t-timer check it out
A HOSTS file uses little resources and provides substantial protection

Spybot Search and Destroy Immunize (update every Wednesday and re-immunize also take virtually no resources

Win patrol is light on resources and provides substantial protection if you do not just click yes to every alert Win Patrol protects your settings and Hosts file

you do NOT need both site advisers
ZA works fine I’m using 6.1 on this machine
I’d recommend more ram but for the price of 1gb sdram you could get a new motherboard and new ram
see if you can scrounge some more someplace
how much will your motherboard handle?

4

@bri
Thanks for the early reply & good suggestion. Yes, data backup has to be considered as an integral part of security.

@wyr
Thanks for detailed reply. Great to be communicating with u again.
I am feeling really really guilty to be answering the first point… i have never updated the OS. I think that itself wud throw my remaining security features for a toss! The main reason is that i have set up winXP on a 2.5GB partition, currently with ~800MB free space. When i once started an update, just initial 2-3 updates reduced free space to ~600 mB. I dont have space enough for SP3…
Incidentally, is it ok if i just obtain SP3 on a cd? i mean that wud have taken care of updates at least upto then.

I was one of the 8 million Guiness record contributors for FF3 (even downloaded a cool certificate for it!!) but am yet to install it. Two reasons, waiting for 3.0.1 and two i have read few features r not privacy savvy.

Yup, will update that java pronto. Always have to uninstall the previous versions, before clean installing new, as java jre installs alongwith not over the previous versions.

New ‘light’ version of teatimer is still beta (tea timer 1.6.0.1 beta) and reviews on their forum say the memory usage is not much different, infact sometimes more. The prob is that 30-35MB RAM for a realtime scanner is par for the course, its just my RAM. Their forum has ppl with 1GB RAM cribbing about it using 35MB… send them to me, and my comp!!

HOSTS file is taken care of by Spybot whenever i update defs and immunize my system. (But wyr, we also have to rmbr that a hosts file of >500-600 KB wud slow down a system noticeably.)

Thanks abt that tip abt Winpatrol. Have dwnloaded from their site, yet to install. (A question: their own site mentions it to be free, while Cnet download.com is stating it to be a trial version. So installed from the author site)

Yes, i realize that two site advisors are redundant. But wyr, in many cases the rating of mcafee SA and of WOT do not match. A site being shown as “green” by one is showing as “red” by the others, and many times vice-versa. Which one do i trust?

I agree, old versions of ZA free are fine, new ones (7 onwards) are bloatware.

Yes, thats a huge stumbling block. If it had been DDRAM, it was very cheap to buy, but i hav inquired and SDRAM is very costly. I am just saving money, wud be more worthwhile to go in for a full new piece than upgrading periodically my 9yr old gig.

5

:slight_smile: Hi :

Since McAfee’s Site Advisor had a major security flaw a while back, most of
us favor the FREE “Finjan” from http://securebrowsing.finjan.com/index.html
with a secondary use of “Linkscanner” from
http://linkscanner.explabs.com/linkscanner/default.asp .

6

Go with SP3 for WinXP
Go with Firefox 3.

Use Flashblock; dump Noscript.
Add Customize Google if you use any Google services and set all “secure” and “anonymize” options.
WOT and finjan don’t offer any additional functionality over Firefox 3’s “attack” and “forgery” protections, IMHO.
Adblock Plus rocks!

Possibly overkill, but I run PeerGuardian 2 and use the spy and p2p lists. Keep the lists updated, of course.

Dump Spybot and MB and go with PC Tools Threatfire.

I have recently installed Comodo Memory Firewall. Jury is still out on its effectiveness, but it’s fairly transparent, stable and uses only 7 MB of memory.

Run CCleaner as needed. (This would help free up space on your 2.5 GB partition, particularly if you have “Hotfix Uninstallers” selected for cleanup.)

As well as Java, also keep Flash updated.

A properly populated and maintained HOSTS file is extremely effective but only if one is well versed with the Windows DNS client service and the behavior of its resident DNS cache.

Speaking of DNS, use openDNS servers. Go to http://opendns.com/ and click “Get Started.”

Alternative imaging solutions can be had from TeraByte Unlimited. I use their Image For DOS (elegantly simple, highly effective), having liberated me from years of Ghost and Acronis hell.

There are several more services you can disable to free up system resources. You can learn more at:
http://www.blackviper.com/index.html
SP2 info is archived at:
http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/Archive/servicecfg.htm
You can start by disabling Computer Browser and Indexing Service right now. :slight_smile:

Cheers!

7

i been using acronis true image 11 and never had any problems(very good product,imo)
mb antimalware doesnt hurt to stay on your pc its on demand only(free version)nice program,not using resources

8

can you not get some free ram from a school or company that is upgrading computers?

you are staying on top of t-timer development- good (as you know there is no free lunch)
perhaps the best you can do is win-patrol

I do not see any slowdown from MVPS size hosts file
I update mvps then Immunize in that order as mvps erases spybot hosts

dallas has some good points
Black Viper website and ALSO disable everything you do not need at startup

pc tools threatfire is not the same as on-demand scanners Spybot, MBAM, Ad-Aware, SuperAntiSpy free etc
I do not know if you have the resources for threatfire
someone else could discuss the HIPS and other aids BOClean, REg Run, System safety monitor etc
remember only 128k and xp here