Can the techie types here suggest a secure OS for all of us.

Granted that almost any effort can be penetrated by the the US National Security Agency (NSA) or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), we can still make an effort to protect ourselves.

Would someone who has a strong computer past make suggestions?

Each OS has its pros and cons. The best thing one can do to insure security is to be a security-conscious user.

The vast majority of security "issues" are user-initiated...

ETA:
Perhaps using one of the Linux distros because it is less widely used than Windows would be an additional control.

reply to post by rectangle


I would suggest using WIRESHARK for a start to monitor internet activity such as your ingoing and outgoing information, i also use Ghostsurf to mask my IP by working through an array of annoymous hubs and its also usefull for tracing the source of a cyberattack, then for virus software im running Kaspersky, some poeple wouldnt agree with me on Kasper but i think its simple and ita never caused me problems But yeah all my stuff seems to protect me very well indeed

iOS. ...... oh, wait. You said "secure". lol.

reply to post by rectangle


Almost everyone is going to say linux.

But it really depends on how security-concious you are. I mean, installing an anti-virus, firewall, anti-spyware/adware, doesn't ammount to crap if you're just going to go on a bunch of malicious websites and download things willy nilly without any sort of judgement on your end. No matter what operating system you use, you are still in danger of your own carelessness.

I use Ubuntu 10.04
I sacrifice windows games,
for a safe, secure, internet browsing.
Free of viruses.
Free of any negatives against the computer.


Free of updates i need to pay for.
Free of updating my anti-virus every month, which is updating my anti virus for the virus the company made themself to sell the anti virus.
Free itself.
Check it out,

www.ubuntu.com...

reply to post by rectangle
Try Ubuntu the hackers have yet to exploit this free software. It's way better than any Microsoft or Apple OS. In fact I would think that most hackers use this OS over any other.....So why exploit it

No such thing. Even with the most "secure" systems, it is the user that provides the ultimate defense.

I has installed Ubuntu in one of my PC Hard Drives and there's bigger threats: CIA, NSA, and DHS

reply to post by masonicon


Bigger threats because you installed Ubuntu?

Originally posted by Fiberx
No such thing. Even with the most "secure" systems, it is the user that provides the ultimate defense.

edit on 2-12-2010 by Fiberx because: (no reason given)

Hi,
I use ubuntu as stated above.
I've been pretty safe as far as browsing,
and with no cost.

If something really came up,
I could switch, but i haven't yet.
If this guy was asking
'What is the most secure OS i can use to protect my browsing since i'm a high profile target on the internet'
I don't think ubuntu would work for him.

However for the average user,
Ubuntu is the best

A Linux OS is not safe at all from the type of people you are probably wanting to avoid. Linux is Open Source, meaning anyone can get their hands on the source code and find/make a backdoor. May seem counter-intuitive but Windows is the best option merely because you can find a 'gaggle' of applications to help monitor/secure your browsing needs. Best bets are using anti-virus, anti-malware for all those pesky trojans and worms and look into IP masking services for those wanting to track you down.

Unplug your ethernet cable. BAM! Secure OS.

TOR is a must have for browsing.

Routing your IP through foreign nations is easy, although the downside is your speed slows down a bit.

Still an awesome tradeoff for added security.

Apart from writing your own OS there is never going to be a "secure OS"

Since when has "TOR" been an OS as this is what was asked in the op?

reply to post by rectangle


Use what best works for you, then have common sense and good practices, some people use Linux, some use Mac OS, other Windows, all have their issues and all have ways to be hacked, most of those, if not all, come from user error, clicking a link that leads to a virus, installing software taken from an unknown site and so on.

In my case, i use a combination of all the above, i use Windows/Mac OS for work, linux for experimenting and other stuff, i spend most of my time with Windows and Mac OS, due to work, its been years since the last time i got a virus on my PC, Mac OS has more security because of its smaller user base, Linux is mostly the same, everyone targets Windows because there's way more installed systems, is not really about which system is more secure, is more about what system is being targeted the most, if everyone were trying to hack Mac OS there would be tons of viruses and Apple would be having a hard time trying to keep up, as MS does, same would happen with Linux, but since nobody is trying to do that on those systems, they are more 'secure'.

As far as alphabet agencies, if they want to go through your stuff, they will, so there's no point trying to keep away from them, best approach to that would be, go offline permanently, or, have a 'important stuff' computer which is always offline, then have a second one for Internet access, copy stuff between both of them with USB drives or something like that, don't connect your 'stuff' machine to any network, that way, nothing/no one can get access, as an alternative, don't do anything funny and nothing wrong will come your way

That USB drive could be infected very easily with a zoo virus the anti virus definitions never covered.




reply to post by Kaifan

reply to post by rectangle


OpenBSD has a reputation for being the most secure OS, with "only two remote holes in the default install, in a heck of a long time!"... but then again, their default install kind of redefines the very meaning of "minimalistic". Expect to be doing a lot of reading and troubleshooting, especially if you're just now migrating from Windows.

www.openbsd.org...

Qubes is another OS with a strong focus on security. It takes a rather unique approach to it: they aim to "to build security on the “Security by Isolation” principle." Basically every application is made to run inside a virtual machine. This concept is further explained in their FAQ and Architecture sections. Among its limitations: you can't install it on a 32-bit CPU, and it doesn't run 3D games.

qubes-os.org...




That said... Linux + common sense '10 as a combo already provides a more than acceptable level of security, unless you're really paranoid, or have some special needs...
I always suggest CrunchBang Linux or Linux Mint. The latter is probably the most newbie-friendly distro around.

crunchbanglinux.org...
www.linuxmint.com...

reply to post by TedHodgson


some people may not agree with kapersky but here is 1 example for all of you that happened to me 2 years ago while on this site.
while typing in a piece on the killing of JFK kapersky `s popup says you are being hacked by the CIA -OPTION ALLOW OR DISALOW good bye.it shut them down instantly .

Mac OS? Very secure and has everything you need. Linux is great, but it can be a steep learning curve for new users and some hardware won't work with it.
it really depends on what you want to do. If you just want secure browsing on the internet, there are several ways you can do that on your pc. You can setup a virtual machine using software like Virtualbox - *free from www.virtualbox.org Or you can use software like Sandboxie to isolate application files from the regular os.

There are a few options. good luck.