How to browse the Internet safely like an IT pro!

Pretty cool stuff here and good info, but to me it kinda just seems like an ad for Ubuntu, which is fine I guess.

But a couple of things here:

1) If you have never tried linux and want to check it out, this is a great idea for doing it - but I would suggest using Kubuntu (which is Ubuntu with the "KDE" environment - if you just install Ubuntu, chances are you will have no clue how to do anything in it because it's set up completely different than windows is - it was actually developed for use on tablets and cellphones. Just a heads up, I found out the hard way. The KDE environment is a lot like Windows and is a lot easier to figure out where stuff is and how to use it.

2) While the whole Virtual Machine thing sounds pretty cool, and can come in handy for a few things - you can also simply install the Operating System right along side of Windows - simply download Wubi.

3) If you're REALLY concerned about getting viruses, trojans etc, then its 100 times better to just install Linux on a USB stick as mentioned above - then all you do is plug the USB stick into the computer and it will automactically load up. However, this won't ALWAYS work; any distribution is limited by its available drivers. In other words, if linux can't figure out what hardware is in your computer, it won't work until you tell it what drivers to use.

4) From what I've heard over the years, Mac OSX is actually the safest operating system - most people don't realize that it's also based off of Unix, however I have hardly ever used Mac's and I'm just stating what I've heard over the years - no idea if there's any truth to it these days or not.

5) I agree that at some point after Windows 8 is released, there will be all sorts of problems with it - this is because of the fact that it will be using a CLOUD.
While this is very good for some things such as backing up files, sharing them online, or doing a system restore - it will also create several problems. For example, if someone figures out how to infect the cloud with a virus / trojan, guess what - everyone connected to the cloud is also infected.

Cool post but Linux really? The first thing a user will try to do is create a shortcut on their desktop which in 12.04 is 3 command line steps...I'm an IT admin and about threw up when I could not do that let alone give correct rights to applications. I have not got a virus in 3 years with zero anti virus running on my computer you know how I do it? Don't click on stuff I don't know what it will lead too, do not open email attachments from ANYONE Don't click on random messages that pop up get off yahoo and use your browser wisely. I would bash IE but I seen recently it blocks a lot more stuff than the rest.

On a side note I would never ever recommend a vm with Ubuntu to an end users these people barely know how to google and all 7 of my vms write to my disk. 1st rule of IT the end user is always wrong, always.

As Time2think stated about the drivers. I totally forgot how much of a pain that will cause with a user... Say they click and change the nic settings to internal and go click happy well there goes their Internet and they have no idea what they did. Mac OS is safe I believe because it's not as wide spread as Windows is and people who make viruses make money, they now by default disable java in mountain lion becaus of the virus a few months back. Now that everyone can afford a Mac I feel we will be seeing a lot more.

I have repaired up to 40 infected hard drives a day.Most days around 20-30.I don't use any anti-anything or mali-anything no not nutin I use one program to keep bugs/cookies clean from my personal pc.By the way this site has more tracking cookies that any site Iv every been on.Keep your pc updated and don't go to porn sites thats where most infections come from(infections LOL)free.www.ghostery.com... FOR THE TRACKERS and free trial FOR THE VIRUS www.vipreantivirus.com... and for the MALWAER free www.malwarebytes.org...

With all this you can feel safe to go anywhere,and remember to update ur windows first.

reply to post by BIGPoJo

you old pro:/

Originally posted by miniatus

Originally posted by VonDoomen
reply to post by miniatus

 

If you would like to create a truecrypt tutorial for doing so, please be my guest!

But I must correct you, VMware is free. Im not sure why you think its not?

Vmware player is free, vmware's full product "Workstation" isn't .. the player product is limited in features.. so I wanted to at least give virtualbox an honorable mention since it's not feature limited and is free, there's no commercial version.

Truecrypt's website actually has a pretty straightforward tutorial already..for anyone who's interested in looking it over you can check it out here

www.truecrypt.org...

Player is free. You can still download "Server 2.0" which is free. And the entire VSphere Hypervisor ESXi is also free. I have run ESXi 5 on both dell workstations and sever hardware and you just load up a vSphere client on your desktop to manage and use it. Free-zy pee-zy.

I played with virtualbox. Meh.

In terms of virtual security you can also set a Windows VM to not write to disc when shut down so it reverts to its pristine state when you reboot. Same as the linux VM in the OP. This browser appliance concept has been around for some time and Linux is used because it is "free". Meaning, if you did this and used Windows you would technically need a Windows license for the VM. But you can do it the same with Windows.

Others have talked about creating a USB key with Linux on it. You can do that as well but if you can write to the flash on the key it can also get infected, although highly unlikely since it is Linux. Making a USB key is a bit of a pain too. There are some utilities which make it much easier such as the linux live USB creator which makes it for you. However, that may also be a stretch for most users.

The easiest thing to do which cannot be compromised is to burn the linux ISO to a DVD and boot into Live from it. Always clean and there is no possibility of the files ever being changed.

Originally posted by BIGPoJo
reply to post by VonDoomen

 

Not sure if anyone posted this or not. There may be a vm app web browser that you can download instead a full blown os. Some vms are specialized applications instead of full blown operating systems. Ps, most it pros browse the same way that normal people do. We don't go to porn sites or download shady software however :/

ChromeOS? www.thechromesource.com...

I know of a CMS that runs stand-alone as a VM, Im looking for a browser VM after reading your post...

reply to post by CheeseCurd


An easy way to do that is use PeerBlock which is another great free piece of software.

This softwares uses peer submitted lists of known bad IP's or malicious sites. My peerblock, if i remember correctly, is currently blocking over 800 million addresses!

Peerblock
iBlockList - this website allows you to download lists to incorporate into peerblock. Stick with the more popular lists such as Ads, spyware, hijacked, badpeers, ect.

You can also setup peerblock to block EVERY single IP address except for the ones you explicitly tell it to accept. This can take more know how and a lot more time to setup but can become very secure!

reply to post by Time2Think


Ya I will never go to network/cloud computing. Just seems like way to big of a target and you are relying on a lot one someone else to ensure security. Not to mention all the other yahoos on that cloud can potentially put you at risk! no thanks.

reply to post by VonDoomen


i can see that. a usb is pretty handy.

i have an idea. what if you put all your operating system on one hard drive and all your media on a second hard drive? would that help isolate a virus from infecting the whole system? my guess is a virus is looking for a windows file to infect. if all else fails, you can swap out the old hard drive containing your operating system and put a new hard drive.

speaking for myself and no one else, i think the ease at which anyone can use a computer, because of microsoft's plug and play operating system, has made a generation of end users who have no clue what to do when things go wrong. i am one of those people.

i am one of those people who is happy sipping coffee, reading ATS and hope to not get attacked by virus. to echo what another poster said, don't open any link from an unknown sender and don't visit adult sites.

i use microsoft security essentials. it has been pretty good at stopping stuff before it becomes a problem. i don't visit adult sites or open links. :-)

-subfab

reply to post by VonDoomen


Hi there.

I'm trying to set this up but getting the following message

Binary translation is incompatible with long mode on this platform. Disabling long mode. Without long mode support, the virtual machine will not be able to run 64-bit code. For more details see

This virtual machine is configured for 64-bit guest operating systems. However, 64-bit operation is not possible.
This host does not support Intel VT-x.

got a clue of what this means?

Originally posted by leolady
reply to post by VonDoomen

 

Hi there.

I'm trying to set this up but getting the following message

Binary translation is incompatible with long mode on this platform. Disabling long mode. Without long mode support, the virtual machine will not be able to run 64-bit code. For more details see

This virtual machine is configured for 64-bit guest operating systems. However, 64-bit operation is not possible.
This host does not support Intel VT-x.

got a clue of what this means?


YOU HAVE A 32 BIT SYSTEM

reply to post by Highergrounds


Well gee, when i go to computer, properties says 64 bit operation system ? lol Confused.

reply to post by leolady


Hey leolady!

Thanks for taking part in this thread. I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing problems during installation!
Thats never fun, especially when you have already invested a considerable amount of time in a project.

I have never experienced a problem like this so off the top of my head i am unsure how to resolve this issue!

I did a google search of the error you returned, which is always a good idea when you encounter an error as it is very likely that someone else has experienced this before hand.

The first link that came up was this-
Link - Teradata

This person seems to have encountered the same problem as you.
"I am trying to run TD 13.10, VMWare Player 4.0 on Win 7 SP1, 64-bit Intel Core 2 Duo."

The response was: "Check with your laptop vendor's customer support. Unless they have a BIOS update for virtualization support, you are out of luck."

So, the first thing you would have to do is see if "virtualization" is turned on or even available in your BIOS settings. However, going into your BIOS settings can be risky as you can seriously change how your computer operates, so it is not something I recommend for people unfamiliar with the BIOS. IF I were you, I would do what the above responder suggested, Contact customer service and inquire whether or not your laptop is capable of running a virtual machine.

From further research, I have read that Laptops seem to be the most problematic with virtual machines, as compared to desktop computers. To make matters even worse, there is a lot of variation in computer hardware.
For example, even 2 of the "same" laptops, say "Dell studio 1550" can have different hardware.

reply to post by subfab


MSE is a great tool to have running!
I also use
Spybot search and destroy
malwarebits
AVG
peerblock

It's good to have multiple anti-viruses as one may catch something that another AV does not. However I do not have them all running at the same time as that can seriously chew into system resources.

Of course, AV are an imperfect form of security as they typically rely their developer having knowledge of the virus or exploit, which typically means you are always vulnerable to zero day attacks. So as you said, the best form of security is smart and safe browsing. Stick to the well known sites, do not open or install anything you are not sure of, and of course, as you stated, stay away from the porn sites

reply to post by leolady


upon further research I found this tool.

Link - VMware.com

This is a standalone processor check utility which you can use without VMware Server or VMware Workstation to perform the same check and determine whether your CPU is supported for virtual machines with 64-bit guest operating systems.

you may want to consider giving it a try.

turn on VT in BIOS
How to turn on VT in BIOS

Your BIOS may look different depending on your particular machine.

reply to post by VonDoomen


Ok thank you for your help

reply to post by leolady


Im sorry this didnt work smoothly for you the first time!

Like i said, i have never experienced this error!

Dont let one set-back turn you off from computers though! Give your manufacturer a call and see if they can help

As another IT person I would like to ring in on the TOR, VPN proxy bit. Just because it's TOR doesn't mean it's safe. You have to understand you are accessing the internet through someones network. Well if you don't know the proxy server you are connecting to then you're at risk. You never want to login to an account while connected to a network you don't know. Only trust VPN's you know such as your workplace or your own personal VPN you setup yourself at home or if you pay for the service through a reputable provider that sells VPN, SSH service. Now I am not saying in a pinch you couldn't use TOR, but just keep this tidbit in the back of your mind. TOR is cool and all, but tread lightly because their is sharks out there.

Is there any particular reason why it would run slow? I mean real slow. Everything took properly it's just that it takes about 3 minutes to do a single task. I click Firefox and it will sit for a few minutes. Eventually it will come up and then when I click to type in an address that takes some time and then not to mention the search. I have 6GB set. What am I missing?