protect thyself

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nikos
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protect thyself

Post by nikos »

since this ransomware thingy is going crazy, and it is very hard to protect yourself against it, I had this idea: run internet explorer as a different user. So create a new user with standard rights, then shift-click on whatever browser you are using and pick run as menu command. Whatever goes through, it will only access some files you don't really need, and your personal documents will be safe

all the other recommendations to turn off flash and silverlight and whatnot, are not really possible because if you turn everything off almost no modern website will work...
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Re: protect thyself

Post by Simicro »

Or run the web browser in Sandboxie
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Re: protect thyself

Post by nikos »

if sandboxie was free...
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Re: protect thyself

Post by Kilmatead »

nikos wrote:if sandboxie was free...
Do your kids ever get ice-cream when you take them to the park, or do you just bring frozen-milk from home in a zip-lock bag, bash it up with a rock when you get there and lie to them? You are one miserly bugger. :D

Comodo Internet Security (yes, the same people who make way too much money from certificate-signatures) includes as a stock part of their (rather good) suite a virtualising sandbox which allows you to run anything you want sandboxed via-right-click. It works, and it's free. I don't personally use that aspect of its security, but it amuses me to know it's there if I ever feel the need. :shrug:

In fact, they make it a cornerstone of their safety paradigm, where all unrecognised/unsigned software is automatically run sandboxed unless you authorise it otherwise. Again, personally I find that a little heavy-handed, but it can be disabled.
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Re: protect thyself

Post by Tuxman »

nikos wrote:since this ransomware thingy is going crazy, and it is very hard to protect yourself against it
Things which are "hard" according to Nikos:
  • Using JavaScript whitelists and Adblockers.
  • Not opening .exe files from unknown sources.
  • Not opening .exe files which have a PDF icon.
  • Not opening .exe files which have a RAR icon.
How did you survive the internet into 2016?
Kilmatead wrote:Comodo Internet Security (yes, the same people who make way too much money from certificate-signatures) includes as a stock part of their (rather good) suite a virtualising sandbox which allows you to run anything you want sandboxed via-right-click. It works, and it's free.
Comodo? The company initially known for selling SSL certificates to evil-doers which has turned into a malware company recently?

Oh, yes.
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Re: protect thyself

Post by Kilmatead »

They are the largest seller of SSL certificates in the world, which means they get blamed for every evil-doer on the planet these days. No skin off my neck: Guns don't kill people, people kill people. And their "browser" is indeed rubbish - but then all Chrome-based browsers are rubbish. It's from Google - what do you expect? Like with all free-software, you have to pay attention to what you install - and Comodo's browser can be opted-out of quite easily.
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Re: protect thyself

Post by Tuxman »

The problem is that it's not opt-in.
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Re: protect thyself

Post by Kilmatead »

If it was opt-in nobody would use it! How else can you convince the kids to adopt silly useless things other than shoving it all down their throats? Aren't you the one on Win10? Kind of speaks for itself, doesn't it? Sure, you opted-in "voluntarily", but you were probably on drugs at the time.

"Relax," said the night man, "We are programmed to receive. You can check out any time you like but you can never leave".
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Re: protect thyself

Post by Tuxman »

I'm always on drugs. After all, I use web forums to actually discuss technology. I can't stand that while being sober.

The Irish should know that. :beer:
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Re: protect thyself

Post by Kilmatead »

The Irish have an interesting relationship with technology - on the one hand they love to prance and parade around the place about how many tech-multinationals set up shop here for the tax-breaks and superficial cultural perks, yet on the other hand they long to be the backwater country their parents falsely remember, where men died young of honest work and the silicosis, and women were turned stone-faced from the grim reality of being left behind in this awful world. They have never been any good at the middle-ground, so they just export the air of conviviality and céad míle fáilte that only tourists expect to be real, and hide their compromises in the shadows just like everyone else hides their noses in their phones.

Yes, the Irish know all about that. Oh - wait - this is Paddy's Day. Hmm. Must be more convivial, I must. Yay, green beer. Oh joy.
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Re: protect thyself

Post by Tuxman »

Green beer? You should have consumed it many years ago, I guess. On the other hand, it's rarely wise to consume.
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Re: protect thyself

Post by nikos »

Kilmatead wrote:Do your kids ever get ice-cream when you take them to the park, or do you just bring frozen-milk...
if you can do something for free, why install extra software and pay for the "privilege"? people like you will never become millonaires ;)
Tuxman wrote:Using JavaScript whitelists and Adblockers.. and another 1000 things
i proposed a solution that does all that in 1 step. Be my guest and manage your whitelists and a thousand addons. Also if you read the article, this plague also affects big name sites like BBC.com, so your whitelist solution isn't going to work
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Re: protect thyself

Post by Tuxman »

Why would I whitelist BBC's ad server? Also, would you really say that adding and subsequently using a new user profile is less "work" than installing an application (or even an - actually, one should be enough - add-on)?
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