Alright, so that's it. Now you've got a secure box, have spent no money (except for maybe a hardware router/firewall, which goes well with any OS), and you'll usually spend 15-30 minutes a month (for app research and Windows Updates) securing your box. That's quite a far cry from the 'hours and hours' being proclaimed by the anti-Windows Evangelists, isn't it? And you're not even running a spyware remover resident! Now, there are a few questions which will inevitably come up, so I'm going to address them here:
Q. Instead of using Windows, why not switch to something inherently more secure?
A. This is a good idea, and I would recommend that everyone explore the alternatives. I suppose anyone who knows about the alternatives and still chooses to run Windows does so for their own reasons. The reason why I do so is because I believe that Windows has the very best applications for what I use computers for. As a friend of mine so eloquently put it, "I don't like Windows - I like what I can run on Windows." Even hardcore anti-MS zealots have admitted that Windows is best for me to use, once they see the list of apps I'm using. Of course, there's always the political/religious aspect of computing, but some of us are getting too damn old to be idealists.
Q. What about cookies / file encryption / file erasing?
A. Personally, I view these as privacy issues rather than security-related. The only time this would be of concern is if somebody has access to your box, either because you didn't follow proper security precautions outlined here or because somebody with bad intentions has physical access to your machine. Obviously, if you are around people you don't trust, you need either log off or lock your computer when away from it - this is true of any OS.
Q. What about not running as Administrator?
A. I have found that some programs don't respond well to this, and it is generally a pain in the arse to pull off. Plus, I have never found it necessary, as I have always run as Administrator with no problems thus far.
Q. What about turning off some services and/or network protocols?
With a firewall installed, I haven't found it necessary to do any of this. Remember, this is a bare bones guide to security, and only things that are absolutely essential are included here.
As an extension to the previous question ...
Q. What happens if an app turns off the firewall?
Generally, a virus scanner would alert you of such an app on your machine. However, failing this, I have tried it before using ZoneAlarm - when another running program shuts down the firewall (as opposed to a user doing it from the UI), before it dies, it does something to your Internet connection so that when you try to visit a webpage, it'll redirect you to another web page that informs you of what has happened. I'm not sure if all firewalls do this, but I bet most of them do.
Q. How do you know that you have never been hacked/infected?
Well, how does anyone know? :) Truth is, I have been hit before, but only as a result of either purposely doing it as a test or not following my own rules (eg - not running anti-virus resident and not scanning files), and I have also seen other people's infected machines. So I know what the symptoms are when a machine is infected. Plus, I've used a variety of virus scanners and anti-adware tools in the past, so you would think at least one of them would've found something by now!
And what about speed, you ask? My friend Shane has already covered this quite nicely:
http://www.monroeworld.com/pchelp/tweakxp.php
The only thing I would add to what he wrote is to install this app, and turn on Windows classic folders.
Hmmm, no security issues and an OS that runs fast and smoother than a baby's butt. See, you don't have to ditch Windows in order to get these kinds of perks :)
About the author
I've been using Windows (in one flavor or another) for about 11 years now. I've also played with several other operating systems (some more than others), including Slackware, Gentoo, Debian, Suse, Redhat/Fedora, Knoppix, Mandrake, Linspire, Xandros, Libranet, LFS, FreeBSD, MacOS 8/9/OSX, etc. But my OS of choice is and has always been Windows. I'm not a Windows fanboy, I just believe in using the right tool for the job.
If you would like to see your thoughts or experiences with technology published, please consider writing an article for OSNews.
- "Windows security, Page 1/3"
- "Windows security, Page 2/3"
- "Windows security, Page 3/3"
