Question about BBHF security

[BigEmperor]

This may seem like a stupid question but it is a sincere question.

There are posts here offering free software or other types of downloads. My question is how do I take advantage of these while still feeling secure about my stuff and not have to worry about viruses, or ransomware, or ID theft etc.

Do you use VPN? Do you use a different computer than your production computer so if you get hacked you just reformat? Do you use special security software to scan what you are downloading? Do you open and use it somewhere in the cloud? Maybe all of the above and more? How much is too much?

There may be posts already about this but I couldn't find them. It would be great and probably helpful to a lot of others if some of the experienced members could detail exactly what precautions you use. Might be good for all of us to get some different opinions to share. Thanks!

[lala]

(07-25-2018 09:34 AM)BigEmperor Wrote:  This may seem like a stupid question but it is a sincere question.

There are posts here offering free software or other types of downloads. My question is how do I take advantage of these while still feeling secure about my stuff and not have to worry about viruses, or ransomware, or ID theft etc.

Do you use VPN? Do you use a different computer than your production computer so if you get hacked you just reformat? Do you use special security software to scan what you are downloading? Do you open and use it somewhere in the cloud? Maybe all of the above and more? How much is too much?

There may be posts already about this but I couldn't find them. It would be great and probably helpful to a lot of others if some of the experienced members could detail exactly what precautions you use. Might be good for all of us to get some different opinions to share. Thanks!

Hi BigEmperor, first and foremost is you scan it on

Code:

http://virustotal.com/

also works if you have any of your anti virus running.

but sometimes there is a false positive especially those cracked version,

it also help to read first the comments on all users who already tested it, too much virus or false alarm is quite risky, so i recommend running it on sandbox

Code:

https://www.sandboxie.com/

Thanks.

Regards,
Lala

[feefiefohfum]

Adding to what Lala has already said,

Using a good firewall to prevent apps from "phoning home" helps.

Using VPN helps (provided the VPN actually maintains bare minimum logs and discards them after 24-48 hours).

Experimenting on a production system is a risky affair. If you are able to afford different systems for production and experimentation, then by all means go for it. If not, but if you have a sufficiently powerful system, at least consider running VMs to sandbox at the OS level so that if a VM gets compromised, you could fire off a new clean instance and be back up in no time. If even that is not possible, then sandbox at the application level.

If you feel something about a software smells fishy (no, I'm not talking about a can of tuna), the least you can do is express your concern on the forum (in the right section) and see whether someone else had a nasty experience and is able to shed more light.

Last but not the least, to quote Smithnowt, common sense and presence of mind are the best forms of security one can get.

E.g.: If you suddenly find some of your files are inaccessible or have weird extensions, immediately pulling the plug (i.e. taking the system offline) can help in limiting the damage. OTOH, if you decide to use the same system to browse for a solution, then you are just allowing the malware to spread.

Cheers,
FFFF

[PixelPenelope]

Thanks for explaining Lala and FFFF.. I was wondering about this as well. Lots of stuff here and I think it will just take time to know what to trust and what not to.. I run everything on VMWare first.. never my working computer. :) I'll setup a VPN too though.. that's a good idea.

What about posting here as well? Do you post through a VPN? Any tips on securely posting content? This is something I can search and lookup as well, but figured I'd ask in case anyone has any good tips. (Sorry if this is a newbie question)

[feefiefohfum]

Running on a VM is a good call.

I used VPN on and off in the past, which is probably worse than not using a VPN at all - so I currently do not use one for the forums. Then again, I mostly post and use coupons or general topics... and not into apps or the black hat side of things.

You can use a VPN for secure posting (or better yet use Tor with VPN, however, if the exit node is compromised, then this would be moot), but this needs to be consistent for a website day in day out - using the same only for certain sections or posts would be pointless.

Cheers,
FFFF

[BigEmperor]

Thank you for taking the time for both posts. Really appreciate it. Reps added and deserved!