Personal Computers

Although Windows and OS X are easy to use and convenient, they both are far from secure. Your OS provides the interface between hardware and your applications, so if compromised can have detrimental effects.

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Essential

System updates contain fixes/patches for security issues, improve performance, and sometimes add new features. Install new updates when prompted.

Essential

Use BitLocker for Windows, FileVault on MacOS, or LUKS on Linux, to enable full disk encryption. This prevents unauthorized access if your computer is lost or stolen.

Essential

Maintaining encrypted backups prevents loss due to ransomware, theft, or damage. Consider using Cryptomator for cloud files or VeraCrypt for USB drives.

Essential

USB devices can pose serious threats. Consider making a USB sanitizer with CIRCLean to safely check USB devices.

Essential

Lock your computer when away and set it to require a password on resume from screensaver or sleep to prevent unauthorized access.

Essential

Voice-controlled assistants can have privacy implications due to data sent back for processing. Disable or limit their listening capabilities.

Essential

Keep installed applications to a minimum to reduce exposure to vulnerabilities and regularly clear application caches.

Essential

Control which apps have access to your location, camera, microphone, contacts, and other sensitive information.

Essential

Limit the amount of usage information or feedback sent to the cloud to protect your privacy.

Essential

Use a strong password instead of biometrics or short PINs for unlocking your computer to enhance security.

Essential

Shut down your device when not in use, especially if your disk is encrypted, to keep data secure.

Optional

Use a local account only to prevent data syncing and exposure. Avoid using sync services that compromise privacy.

Optional

Disable network sharing features you are not using to close gateways to common threats.

Optional

Use an unprivileged user account for daily tasks and only elevate permissions for administrative changes to mitigate vulnerabilities.

Optional

Cover your webcam when not in use and consider blocking unauthorized audio recording to protect privacy.

Optional

Use a screen privacy filter in public spaces to prevent shoulder surfing and protect sensitive information.

Optional

Use a Kensington Lock to secure your laptop in public spaces and consider port locks to prevent unauthorized physical access.

Optional

Use a power bank or AC wall charger instead of your PC to avoid security risks associated with USB connections.

Optional

Modify or randomize your MAC address to protect against tracking across different WiFi networks.

Optional

Install a firewall app to monitor and block unwanted internet access by certain applications, protecting against remote access attacks and privacy breaches.

Optional

Use key stroke encryption tools to protect against software keyloggers recording your keystrokes.

Optional

Be vigilant for hardware keyloggers when using public or unfamiliar computers by checking keyboard connections.

Optional

Lock your PC when away and consider using USBGuard or similar tools to protect against keystroke injection attacks.

Optional

Rely on built-in security tools and avoid free anti-virus applications due to their potential for privacy invasion and data collection.

Advanced

Regularly check for rootkits to detect and mitigate full system control threats using tools like chkrootkit.

Advanced

Enable a BIOS or UEFI password to add an additional security layer during boot-up, though be aware of its limitations.

Advanced

Consider switching to Linux or a security-focused distro like QubeOS or Tails for enhanced privacy and security.

Advanced

Use virtual machines for risky activities or testing suspicious software to isolate potential threats from your primary system.

Advanced

Isolate different programs and data sources from one another as much as possible to limit the extent of potential breaches.

Advanced

Disable unnecessary Windows "features" and services that run in the background to reduce data collection and resource use.

Advanced

Ensure that Secure Boot is enabled to prevent malware from replacing your boot loader and other critical software.

Advanced

Take steps to protect SSH access from attacks by changing the default port, using SSH keys, and configuring firewalls.

Advanced

Turn off services listening on external ports that are not needed to protect against remote exploits and improve security.

Advanced

Restrict privileged access to limit the damage that can be done if a system is compromised.

Advanced

Deploy canary tokens to detect unauthorized access to your files or emails faster and gather information about the intruder.

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