How to browse the Internet safely like an IT pro!

reply to post by digital01anarchy


well thats the thing with IT security. There is no 100% secure system as we all know.

Im sure it is totally plausible that a virus could infect linux and then windows. I just think its not one of the first things we should worry about, especially if you are running adobe flash on your machine

A good post OP. S&F.

A tip of the hat to SonOfTheLawOfOne, and miniatus as well.

Most end users will never try this method. But for those few who do, the thread will have been well worth your time, and other members additional input. One thing I might add is, the more ram in your machine the better. That way you can alot more to the vm for much smoother running.

I do realize though, you were trying to keep things basic, and not produce an additional cost to the end user. Well done.

reply to post by Klassified


Thanks for your response!

This thread was intended to be a good beginner guide for someone who wanted to learn more about virtualization or linux. I wasn't trying to make it into a "who knows more" contest, but rather provide a good knowledge base for these topics.

Nice tutorial

But so far sandboxie has worked flawlessly for me and does not use the resources that a VM does.

possibly a half stupid idea but run in a virtual machine a really old version of operating system.

something like windows 95.

reason being most viruses are coded for newer operating systems.
hence the older is will not support these functions.

I one did try Ubuntu with wine installed and ran up over 20gb of different viruses.
a funny evening that was.
no virus could successfully run at all.
we even had a packet analyser running sniffing what was coming out from the infected Ubuntu PC.

at the end of the day it was a massive nonevent.
I just could not get a windows virus to run properly on an Ubuntu PC
top marks to Linux.

reply to post by VonDoomen


Great thread and thanks for the info
I would just like to say that I have been using Ubuntu for about 3 years now it is fantastic my computer boots up quicker runs better the internet is quick and best of all its free, windows is second hat expensive rubbish in comparison
star op and thanks again

when windows 8 comes out I think a lot of people are going to be fed up (if they use it on a desktop at least).

on a tablet it could make sense but there again the tablet market is already saturated between iOS and android.
HP and black berry failed in the tablet market, what's Microsoft got that other tablets haven't ?

the point I am making is that windows 8 will make quite a few people question 'do I actually need windows' ?
also windows 8 biggest problem is windows 7.

microsoft are shoving the next operating system out of the door too quickly after windows 7

reply to post by VonDoomen


AWESOME..~!! Still reading..

S&F for sure.. thx you~!

Why don't you just download Thor Browser Bundle. Its already made safe, just disable _javascript. You can use normal web via Thor, meaning that your IP CANNOT be traced. People only see IPs of ghost computers Thor uses for endpoints, and ghost computers are moved all the time and their IPs changed.

In Thor, you are completely Anonymous, using it to search WWW is not as safe as deep web though.

www.torproject.org...

remember to read later

i for one would like to thank you OP for your informative post on helping unaware people better protect them selves from the dark and unknown world (to them) of internet scary's.

to the few 'bashing' the OP, just remember everyone isn't tech savy, hell id say that 95% of people dont know how viruses work or how to protect their pc against attack, other than to "have an anti virus and spyware program and update regularly" . thats all people know, and thats all they do. if you think you have a better and EASIER solution (with steps) please please post a thread and explain to the ones who have no idea.

good job OP and to those who go along with better understanding of internet security from the post.
kudos and good day squire.

A VMWare virtual machine uses a NIC that is bridged to the physical NIC on the host computer, or it wouldn't be able to access the internet. This means that the virtual machine is nothing more than another node on your home network and can be tracked and manipulated just like your physical machine. VMs are good for virus containment as you said, as well as testing software in an environment seperate from the physical host machine.

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 :/

Well while that is safe and handy, it's not practical. I would recommend anyone to download srware-iron, its an browser based on googles open source code, and has all trackers from google stripped. From there grab any plug-in you want from this thread, under the chrome section. Linky Also when it comes to linux, Ubuntu while popular, is not the most stable. You should use Linux Mint, Crunchbang, or my current favourite sabayon. hmm and the safest you can be is with common sense.

reply to post by BIGPoJo


really I do...minus the porn sites, but even then with the correct browser set-up and lack of windows os, there really isn't much out there that can do harm.

I guess I wil be the next IT Security professional to weigh in on this post.

While this method is not 100 percent secure (The only secure computer is one that is turned off and encased in concrete) as the other posters mentioned, the OP's method represents a huge improvement in security compared to how the vast majority of people surf the internet.

I mean, compare browsing through Firefox on Unbuntu running in a VM environment to Windows 7 or XP using IE, in addition to many people not using malware protection or outdated protection and it's not really a comparison at all.

The best thing about this post is that the OP presented the information clearly, concisely and exactly at the level of his target audience and I applaud that. I definitely agree that the average computer user would be able to follow these instructions and complete this setup.

Well done!! S&F

I mean, compare browsing through Firefox on Unbuntu running in a VM environment to Windows 7 or XP using IE, in addition to many people not using malware protection or outdated protection and it's not really a comparison at all.

reply to post by tsawyer2


why do you need malware protection? I know many people using winblows that run a bare naked system, it's all about common sense, and the right browser, as well as the right browser plug-ins.
.

Thank you for trying to help us.
it will never stop it all. but you can only do your best.

Ubuntu is catching up with windows.
you just dont here about it in the news.
a lot of big company use linux.
as it is free and easy to re'wright the soft ware.

I use a second small computer for
the web browsing that is slightly danger-es.
with AVG, Zone alarm & spybot. all free.
and I get very little problems.

I use IP hide to.
and back track.

Great post OP and very easy to understand. I've tinkered a little into VM side of things so this for sure helped refresh my memory.

reply to post by VonDoomen


Thanks...I am a complete idiot when it comes to the computer and several have been destroyed and I have no idea how it happens. The last one was repaired by clearing it an re-installing windows and it has run slow every since. Plus cost me 100$.