Slimming of Security

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by whitedragon551, Mar 31, 2010.

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  1. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

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    Alright I run a pretty light setup as is, but Id like to make it lighter.

    The only 2 real time softwares are Comodos FW without Defense + and Avira Premium.

    I dont think Paragon is going anywhere as its a backup utility and has nothing to do with security. Its more of an insurance policy.

    Ive been wanting to sandbox my browsers and that would basically eliminate the need for Comodo. The issue is sandboxing and doing it properly.

    The FW is important because I use a laptop and attend college. I dont need any script kiddies get in my info, but on the other hand if they wanted to everything is wireless so they could get the info regardless of if I had a FW or not.

    I use FF with ABP. I dont use NoScript because I dont know how to configure it properly and I find it annoying. Is Spyware Blaster of value for FF or is it more wasted space?

    What should I eliminate?
     
  2. Watasha

    Watasha Registered Member

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    Why would sandbox eliminate the need for a good firewall? Also, why are you running Comodo's firewall without D+? o_O
     
  3. dw426

    dw426 Registered Member

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    Possibly because WhiteDragon doesn't feel the need for D+? :) As far as a sandbox replacing a firewall, why not? For instance, Sandboxie configured to not let anything run or access the net besides the browser/media player, whatever, makes outbound monitoring unnecessary really. Inbound can be settled with a router. If you don't get infected with keyloggers/trojans, or what have you, a firewall isn't going to do much but sit there and bug you about safe programs and processes, imho. SpywareBlaster basically does nothing but cookie control unless you use IE, then it is useful for Active X monitoring. NoScript I understand, it CAN be a pain. But, it's really not hard to configure it, and, through all the recent FF vulnerabilities, NoScript protected FF superbly.
     
  4. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

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    Because I have no need for HIPS.

    So far ditch Spyware Blaster and get NoScript.

    I can ditch Comodo for Win7 FW and use Sandboxie for browsers, xFire, etc.
     
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2010
  5. Watasha

    Watasha Registered Member

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    Nothing is foolproof.

    If you don't "need" D+ then you don't need Comodo, why you wouldn't use it is beyond me, it doesn't use any recourses to speak of. If we use the logic you guys have subscribed to then you don't need anything except for Sandboxie. So just get rid of everything. Again, NOTHING is foolproof.
     
  6. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

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    Your clearly not here to help.

    I dont want HIPS. Comodo can be used for more than HIPS. After all its main function is FW. I dont want just Sandboxie. I dont know how to configure it properly and it would result in hurting more than helping.
     
  7. lonelywolf

    lonelywolf Registered Member

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    I am running shadow defender alongside avira free when in shadow mode. When out of it vipre awaits.
    :D
    Very light on resources I must say. I could also exclude Vipre, with say Zemana and anvir task manager instead, all came out from various promotions and overall it is very light. My pc is basically non stop running so...o_O :)
     
  8. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

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    I checked out shadow defender breifly. I didnt like it as much as I thought and I tried out Returnil and didnt like that either.

    I wish there was something to sandbox net applications thats a little bit more basic than Sandboxie. Is there? I like how Avast allows you to add programs to auto-run in sandbox and it works in x64. I use Avira Premium. Has that been implemented yet and I missed it somehow?

    I got rid of Spyware Blaster and Comodo. I now use Windows 7 built in firewall and MVPS host file instead.

    Really the only thing I have left is to find a user friendly sandbox that I can get setup with little to no hassle for web browsers.
     
  9. lonelywolf

    lonelywolf Registered Member

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    Why? What's wrong with SD?
    By the way I am using these add-ons alongside Firefox...
    Adblock Plus
    BetterPrivacy
    Flashblock

    ...alongside Avira 10 free everything works smoothly, on x32 though.
     
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2010
  10. Peter 123

    Peter 123 Registered Member

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    Personally I am a - satisfied - user of Sandboxie and I would not like to miss it. But I admit that the configuration is a little bit tricky in case that you want to achieve a really high level of security.

    So perhaps you should give a try to another Sandbox called "SafeSpace":

    Homepage:
    http://www.artificialdynamics.com/content/products/personal-edition.aspx

    User Guide:
    http://www.artificialdynamics.com/assets/pdf/Artificial%20Dynamics%20SafeSpace%20User%20Guide.pdf

    Attention: They do not longer develop or support this software!
    But I think "SafeSpace" nevertheless remains an interesting alternative for those who do not want to use "Sandboxie".
     
  11. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

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    Nothing is wrong with it. Its just something Im not used to and I dont like change.

    Peter the only way I can use SafeSpace is if its Win7 x64 compatible.
     
  12. Watasha

    Watasha Registered Member

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    Why would you say I'm not here to help, because I didn't agree with you?

    Anyway, what I meant was; If you didn't want HIPS, why get a FW that has them integrated into it? There are other FW's that have no HIPS integrated into them at all. It makes more sense to get one of them than to get one with them and then disable them.
     
  13. Peter 123

    Peter 123 Registered Member

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    Sorry, I overlooked that you have Win7. So unfortunately my suggestion is of no use for you, as SafeSpace requires Windows XP or Windows Vista. :(
     
  14. jdd58

    jdd58 Registered Member

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  15. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

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    AdBlock Plus is really uncontested in its area. I doubt Ill change it.

    I think Avira, Windows FW, MBAM (On Demand), MVPS Host, and Sandboxie I should be set.
     
  16. elapsed

    elapsed Registered Member

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    It looks solid, but you should really "need" ABP when using MVPS. A few years back when I got rid of spybot+spywareblaster (only using them for immunization) I had to remember to properly remove the protection "unimmunize" before replacing them both with MVPS, although the main reason I use MVPS is ad blocking not malware blocking. I leave that up to my current setup.
     
  17. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

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    I didnt "undo" Spyware Blasters immunizations. Are you sure its needed?

    Also are you saying I dont need ABP with MVPS?

    Can anyone point me to a Sandboxie tutorial for x64?
     
  18. ratwing

    ratwing Guest

    "you don't need anything except for Sandboxie."

    Sarcasm, understood,but,I am beginning to thank you may be right!!

    @jdd58:

    Karma Blocker is a great find!!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 4, 2010
  19. Sully

    Sully Registered Member

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    What more can there be? Think about this for a moment. SBIE, out of the box, will let you run a browser in the 'sandbox'. It is segregated there from the rest of the system. It will allow anything to run in the sandbox as well, but it does exactly what you ask... it is a basic sandbox application that can work with net applications very well. It is very light, and very stable.

    If you like to have a bit more control over a sandbox, you can also do that. I am a big fan of Sandboxie, for sure. But I have been also looking for many years for that great, light, secure tool(s), especially concerning outbound network activity.

    I would encourage you to first figure out exactly what you need to have happen. SBIE might not be for you, but I don't think you are going to find a similar tool as well made as SBIE that is as easy either.

    If I were you, I would make some decisions on what I need, for example:

    I want my browser to be 'sandboxed' from my system. I want to not have to fuss with recovering files from the sandbox. I want only the browser and maybe adobe or flash to also be able to run. I want only the browser to have outbound network access.... this will allow me to use the browser in a fairly normal way, yet still contain it so I don't have to worry as much.

    Obviously Sandboxie can do all that. But maybe your actual needs are such that only a decent firewall is what you need. Either way, from your description I quoted above, I don't think you will find another sandbox type application in the same class as Sandboxie. It is possible I suppose, but doubtful.

    Sul.
     
  20. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

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    Sully you pretty much hit the nail on the head. I want to sandbox IE since I cant get rid of it and monitor who uses it and who doesnt and also sandbox FF and a few others. Other than that, thats about it.
     
  21. elapsed

    elapsed Registered Member

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    Yes you need to undo the immunization. This "immunization" as it's called is nothing more than a massive list of sites added to your registry/browser list that generally slows down browsing.

    Also, yes I'm saying that you probably have no use for ABP when using MVPSHF.
     
  22. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

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    Ok I guess since I didnt remove Spyware Blasters settings how do I go about getting rid of its "left behind" traces? Should I just reinstall and remove them?
     
  23. elapsed

    elapsed Registered Member

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    You could do that, or remove the lists manually which could take a while by loading up IE and opening up the unsafe zone list. In firefox it's in a few places such as the cookie block list, image block list, etc...
     
  24. DOSawaits

    DOSawaits Registered Member

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    I think you're pretty much in good shape considering enough security for a light system impact with Avira & Comodo, but something is changing in the industry, in their hunger for success in bubblehead lists like AV-comparitives, security companies are starting to throw all ethics about user-friendliness and the likes over the hedge, and so I can only suggest to use the previous versions of both these products. Avira v9 & Comodo v3. Of course you know that these will force you to use their latest ones, not because of better security but rather because of new income.
     
  25. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

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    Uh Comodo v4 and Avira v10 are also free. Price has nothing to do with this.
     
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