How to make Windows more secure
By Ancillotti
n other articles I wrote for OSNews, I said that computers "against" with up to ten years of age could be restored and be useful. In my last article , I highlighted and evaluated several ways to restore these computers. One approach is to keep your existing Windows installation and give a clean system.The advantage is that you keep the license for Windows, installed programs and drivers, but this approach also gives some work, as discussed in this article.
There are three main points to be covered in a cleaning system on a Windows strangers, and we will take care of them in this order:
Security;
Anonymity;
Performance improvement.
This article addresses the issue of security and anonymity. In next month's article, I will talk about performance improvement. This one is based on my free guide How to protect your privacy and Windows (in English). The guide was published two years ago but is still relevant for those who want to take a hurdle in Windows. I will use the content of the guide here, but I'll leave out the illustrations and the most detailed.
In this article we will cover the points of greatest prominence. The goal is to answer the question: how to protect a Windows system on which we know nothing?
Orientation
This article assumes that you have already decided to revitalize the Windows. If you're still in doubt whether or not this is a good solution to restore computers, take a look at previous articles in the series.
I'll assume that you are improving the security of Windows XP, since he was a leading consumer product from Microsoft between 2001 and 2007. The tips in this article also apply to Windows 7 and Vista, but the examples are based on XP.
I assume that the copy of Windows is on an unknown computer, ie a computer that you've never seen before and about which you know nothing. If you already know well the computer that will rise again, maybe you can skip some steps.
It is important to understand that due to the modus operandi of rootkits and other similar technologies, can never be sure that an unknown computer that uses Windows is fully protected. To fully guarantee safety, even just erasing the whole drive and installing an operating system from scratch. But in practical terms, the procedures in this Article shall ensure adequate protection for the most common scenarios.
When dealing with an unknown computer, we will probably have to drop the password protection. There are many approaches to this problem before, I had excellent results with the free Offline NT Password and Registry Editor . It excludes the administrator password, allowing you to log in to it without entering password. To give protection to Windows, not even logging in as a user who has administrator rights.
Be sure to reset the password for the Administrator account after obtaining access. As you know, the Windows passwords do not offer much protection if someone has physical access to your computer. Still, they are vital in protecting against unauthorized remote access (to protect your data from someone with physical access to the computer, use the encryption built-in Windows or a competitor's free ).
You can give more security and anonymity to Windows without the need to buy some software. All programs mentioned in this article are free, unless stated otherwise.
Where is a good idea to back up Windows before making modifications to it. Use the System Restore feature of Windows or the protection system to make a backup or create a restore point: Click Start> All Programs> System Tools> System Restore.
Firewall
The first thing to do to make Windows more secure is to check whether there is a firewall active. Firewalls prevent unauthorized connection to the computer from the outside. Connect to the Internet with Windows without a firewall means that soon the security will be compromised. You will not want to waste time making a deal with antimalware programs on Windows without a firewall to make ends meet.
Depending on the version of Windows XP, two different firewalls may be included in the system. Both protect your computer from incoming connections, but none of them blocks unauthorized outbound connections. Windows Vista 7 and bring a firewall that can block outgoing connections, but by default this feature is turned off. The Windows ME, 98 and 95 do not come with firewall.
In addition to protection against intrusion attempts, an unknown computer will be safe only if the firewall gives protection on the output as well. After all, maybe the computer is already compromised and is sending information to the outside world without your knowledge. The firewall included in XP does not warns you when it happens. Moreover, neither the Windows 7 and Vista - unless you have been specifically configured to block unauthorized outbound connections. Learn how to enable the output protection on the firewall in Windows 7 and Vista here and here (in English).
The outbound filtering does not guarantee that there is no information being sent if the computer is compromised, but it can prevent many of these attempts. See this TechNet article (in English) for details on what the output protection firewall can and can not do.
Who are restoring the XP and need a two-way firewall with complete protection in both directions can try the free programs listed at The Free Country:
The ZoneAlarm is easy to install, and practically configures itself. The Gizmo's Freeware site has good reviews of free software, including firewalls and also presents the views of users.
Firewall Test
After configuring the firewall, it's time to test how the computer comes out fighting external intrusion attempts with ShieldsUP! . This program is testing and warns if it encounters some security vulnerability (the most concerned about privacy will like to see information identification of the system passes to sites visited).
Make sure the firewall blocks outgoing connections unauthorized downloading at the same site leaktest . Just pass the test program with the firewalls protecting bidirectional.
Malware
After securing the perimeter, we will identify and eliminate malware on this computer. Malware includes viruses, trojans, keyloggers, dialers, rootkits, botware, spyware, worms and adware. I recommend that you install and run multiple programs antimalware free, one after another, following this procedure:
Download the antimalware program;
Install it (see if there are no conflicts with other anti-malware programs installed);
Update the program with the latest antimalware definition or "signature files";
Make a thorough check (s) of disc (s) with the program;
Remove the threat (of an automatic or manual);
If you find threats, run the program again to see if they were removed.
Install and run anti-malware programs one after another, and not at the same time, to avoid possible conflicts. It can be a bit confusing to identify which threats (real or potential) should be removed if you're presented with a long list of them in several different programs simultaneously. Using one program after another is also easier to deal with false positives. Run the programs in sequence takes longer but is more precisely to ensure that all malware is identified and removed.
If a program will automatically find and delete malware, run it again to ensure that the malware was removed. If you find persistent threats that the antimalware not be able to automatically remove, you need to go deeper into the process with a program like HiJackThis.
Why use more than one antimalware program? Because no antimalware program has a detection rate of 100%. Antimalware programs have strengthsspecific, and each one does better at detecting different threats .
Many people tell me that you trust the antimalware program XYZ, and that others need not use because XYZ says the system is clean. It is stuck. When the antimalware XYZ says that he found nothing, it means that HE did not find anything, which is no guarantee that the system is free from threats. Do not understand? Then read about the complexities of malware detection in comparative programs. Or take a peek at this list which shows how the detection rates vary and as no program comes close to a rate of 100%.
The table below lists the effective anti-malware tools I used. The two middle columns indicate whether the free version of the program offers no protection or real-time and / or resources to check records in batch. First you take a deep scan on the disks to clean the computer. Then install the real-time protection. Free products are always changing their degree of protection, then the columns of the medium can be outdated if you're reading this article long after publication.
With the pardon of manufacturers, I'm listing the products in order of abbreviated name. The links lead directly to the websites of each manufacturer.Most of the time, just click on the Download tab to download the free version.
Product:Protection inreal-time?Verification
disk free?Comments:Ad-awarePartial (only for files)yesBest known for preventing, detecting and removing adwareavast!yesyesGood program for general purposesAvirayesyesGood program for general purposesAVGyesyesGood program for general purposesa2 (or a-squared)
Emsisoft known as Anti-MalwarenotyesGood general purpose tester. The real-time protection was excluded from the latest free version.ClamWinPartial
(Only for email)yesChecker slower than some others but it is painstaking and often provide different results and useful.HiJackThisnotyesBest product for the removal of threats that other products fail to remove automaticamente.Exige their involvement and knowledge.MalwarebytesnotyesGood general-purpose testerRootkitRevealernotyesSpecializing in a major threat: rootkits. Requires their involvement and knowledge.Spybot Search and DestroyyesyesBest known for the removal and spyware detectionSpywareBlasteryesnotBest known for the defense of Internet Explorer and Active XSpywareGuardyesnotBest known for preventing spywareWinPatrolyesnotBest known for preventing invasions
You can find good summaries on free anti-malware programs in the pages of The Free Country on antivirus, spyware and browser protection, andintrusion prevention (all in English). The Gizmo's Freeware is a good list of programs they consider to be the best free, and comparative analysis. The free download site CNET also offers good product evaluations.
Delete Microsoft's tools from the table above because I have no experience with them. Microsoft antimalware programs have evolved, starting from theWindows Live OneCare (once known as Windows OneCare Live), passing the Windows Defender (formerly Microsoft AntiSpyware) and arriving at the current product, the Microsoft Security Essentials (or MSE). In the meantime, Windows Update began offering the Removal Tool Malicious Software from Microsoft .
Phew! That way busier! The good news is that with its free product, the MSE , Microsoft began to attack the malware with a very effective product.Congratulations to Microsoft for providing free MSE. He does not come built into Windows, then you must download it and install it.
Spyware and Adware
The next stage in the protection of this PC is unknown identify and eliminate unnecessary processes in these locations:
List automatic startup;
System tray;
Services;
Scheduler.
It is common for spyware and adware remain hidden in such places. The typical consumer computers are clogged with unnecessary programs, and many of them are spyware. Use the free program WinPatrol to manage and make clean in these four locations.
The same applies to Internet Explorer, and you should examine the installed add-ons - BHOs (Browser Help Object), toolbars and extensions. WinPatrol is easy to disable and delete what you do not want to use. Most computers with Windows installed is full of add-ons for IE users who do not even know exist.
Make a hurdle in these four sites not only increases performance but also safety.
Software Updates
A key vector for malware attack are common applications that most users do not update. Among them have Windows itself, the PDF reader and Adobe Flash, browsers like Internet Explorer and Firefox, e-mail clients like Outlook and Outlook Express, media players like RealPlayer and other applications widely used. To ensure safety, you must have the software up to date.
Start with Windows, by downloading and installing all possible updates for it. Updates vary according to your version of Windows. If for some time that this computer is not used, the Windows updates can come in several groups, and the application of each of them requires a restart to the next group is installed. It is common to have to spend an entire day downloading and installing Windows updates on computers too outdated.
A serious problem in the revitalization of Windows with respect to the termination of product support from Microsoft that you are using. Windows XP is in the middle of the road to lose support from Microsoft. Other versions of Windows has not supported a long time. If this is a concern for you, check out thisdiscussion in my previous article about the difficulties in the choice of operating systems for restoration. This article assumes that you have already decided to make Windows more secure.
After updating Windows, we will update the other programs. Take your time to check if the automatic update option is enabled on each. Or, for better control, consolidate and manage all application updates with Windows Scheduler.
If you have many programs to update, can be a good run the Secunia Software Inspector (which is free). He warns if there are outdated programs and helps ensure that all bug fixes are installed.
Security settings of Windows
In an unknown computer, you can not assume that previous users were following any procedure recommended security policy of Windows. Check for example, the settings for file sharing, disk drives and printers. Look for known security flaws that have surfaced over the years as Windows Messenger or other instant messaging tools, check the remote access services such as Remote Assistance and Terminal Services, configure Internet Explorer the way you normally would set about to enable scripting and security related issues; disable AutoPlay for CDs, DVDs and USB drives; disable the automatic display of messages in Outlook; check if there are disks or shared folders for bittorrent. Do what you do to make Windows more secure for you.
His list of common security configurations of Windows may be different from mine, what matters is to apply the security settings of Windows in the same way it would use on your computer.
How to make your computer anonymous
In my view, make the anonymous computer is to remove all references to previous users that may exist in it. Some people think that it is not worth wasting time with this procedure, since the use of computers are not affected by it. For others it is an essential step. Suppose, for example, that a previous user has stored music, software, movies, pictures or pornographic material downloaded illegally. It's good to make sure that all this is completely eliminated from your computer before passing it to someone else. I will highlight the main aspects of this process of anonymity.
To start, delete the data pertaining to previous users. If users have followed the convention of storing your files in My Documents (or Documents), find them and delete them is a trivial procedure. The Windows search feature makes finding files of specific types, stored in different locations, such as photos, videos, music, etc. Office files. Be sure to exclude other large files that are no longer useful, such as zips and isos.
Use programs like Eraser to securely delete files by overwriting them. Another option is the last free version of BCWipe. Remember, a deleted file to be overwritten so that it is no longer possible to recover it with appropriate tools . This is because after you delete files and empty the Windows recycle bin removes only a pointer to the file on disk. It does not affect the file itself, and you can retrieve it with an appropriate tool as Windows does not make use the space occupied by the file in question.
In the United States, the organs of the law use software that scans the entire disk and find files that were not excluded with certainty (ie overwritten).American courts generally consider any file found on a computer belongs to its owner. That is, if you get a computer from a stranger and do not secure the exclusion of illegal file, you can be prosecuted for possession of them!
Another procedure is to delete old user accounts and replace them by its own set of users. Every new account must have an appropriate level of authorization. Make sure that all passwords created are good - long, mixing uppercase and lowercase letters, digits and special characters. Check if Windows is displaying the login screen required to be started (I get many computers that allow anyone to enter Windows directly, simply turn on the computer).
You can delete old users and their files, but it is difficult to remove information from users of the configuration files and applications locate and delete their profiles. Be sure to safely delete the email stored on your computer. The hardest thing is to ensure that all references to users are removed from the registry. Maybe you can use the Windows Registry Editor to find the names and logins of users and remove their references in the registry. But this procedure can also be nearly impossible, depending on how the computer was used and the applications that were installed and configured.
Among the items that need to be safely deleted to remove all traces of previous users are temporary files, temporary internet files, history, cookies, Flash cookies, DOM storage, recently typed URLs, history forms, automatic completion of research, list of recently used files, log files, and index.dat files.Windows keeps a list of all sites that all computer users visited. It can be in two different places, depending on the AutoComplete feature of Internet Explorer to be or not activated.
CCleaner deletes most of the data that can be used to track previous users. He is a free program, but automatically installs the Yahoo Toolbar! In Internet Explorer, as far as I know without asking permission to do so. If you want to avoid this inconvenience, download an older version of the programFileHippo .
To complete the work of CCleaner, use the PurgeIE for users of Internet Explorer, or its equivalent for Firefox, PurgeFox . Both are free for use for fifteen days and cost $ 19.95 for use beyond this.
The free program MRU-Blaster exclude all traces used recently.
My favorite approach to make an anonymous computer is to erase all traces of previous users, removing user accounts and their profiles, removing its files, running Disk Cleanup, CCleaner, the PurgeIE or PurgeFox, and searching and editing the registry . After that, I run the Eraser or BCWipe once to take care of the overwriting of all the unused parts of the disk, deleting any files securely "deleted." To close, use the defragmentation utility in Windows disk to improve performance.
Summary
Give protection to older computers with Windows may take some time, but is not particularly difficult. Can you take care of everything with free software.In this article, I presented the salient points of this process for computers that will be reused. It is vital to follow this procedure on computers that will be passed to other users and keep Windows installed.
With rootkits and other similar technologies, can never be sure that an unknown computer with Windows is fully protected. To fully guarantee safety, even just erasing the whole drive and installing an operating system from scratch. But in practical terms, the procedures in this Article shall ensure adequate protection for common situations.
Making anonymous Windows is superficially easy, but requires a good knowledge if you want to be more thorough. Many people think this process is not worthy of much concern, so I did it quite superficial here. But keep in mind that safely delete data from your old computer owner is important, because your files can contain music, videos, photos, programs, or pornographic material downloaded illegally.
Next month, I will explain how to improve the performance of unknown systems with Windows XP, based on my new guide that covers all versions of Windows, How to improve Windows performance . Meanwhile, leave your comments below and share your techniques for protection and anonymity to Windows.
Howard Fosdick is president of the FCI and independent consultant specializing in databases and operating systems. His hobby is restoring computers, a social work which contributes to the environment. Contact him by email at sign contactfci SBCGlobal dot net.
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