We talk permanently about our privacy on the Internet and that Windows 10 is not the best browsers in terms of security. We will show you in this article that this is not the case, Windows 10 is a very reliable operating system and can be shielded so that our privacy is in the best hands.
In this article we will talk about everything related to our computer security when we use this operating system. We will show you which tools are the most vulnerable that exist in Windows 10.
We will analyze each one of them and we will show you all the necessary steps to be able to configure each of the weak points that many times we leave activated without our knowledge.
Index:
Why is it important to maintain our privacy on the Internet?
Maintaining privacy on the Internet we are basically protecting our personal data, our tastes, our families and also our system.
We say that we protect our personal data because there are sites on the Internet where, when we are browsing, we extract information by completing forms , for example, where we have to dump each of the details in detail themselves and then use them for bad intentions.
We protect our tastes when we maintain privacy on the Internet, since when spy files are installed they can know which pages we visit frequently, which newspapers we like to read, from here they will also take out our level of education and also our political inclination.
This data will be used by companies, which will send us advertisements every time we browse these sites.
We also say that we have to take care of the privacy to protect our operating system , since if we do not have a good antivirus with firewall that works correctly, malicious files can be installed that can begin to destroy the directory of folders and even the system kernel.
Identifying the problems, what are the most vulnerable tools privacy violations in W10?
As they exist in all computer issues, there are elements that are more vulnerable than others in terms of security.
We will immediately introduce each of these tools :
The operating system
The vulnerabilities of the Windows operating system are often generated by errors in the update of the program, as for example there is a code in the update that is being incompatible with some other function already installed or designed in a previous directory.
This class of vulnerabilities also known as “ Exploit “, is corrected through patches that we call “ hotfixs “, hence the criterion that always we must have updated our operating system, because with the update you can install hotfixs.
We can classify vulnerabilities according to their degree of danger that can be generated in the operating system. Many of them owe their origin to:
Buffer overload, this occurs when the operating system cannot control an application which overloads the data in the lagoon and causes it to overflow and start copying that data to other storage places that are empty. Top can generate execute codes that can give an intruder administrator privileges.
Another error that the operating system has for which it makes it vulnerable is when it shares at the same time two or more processes with the same resource. This increases the likelihood of a stranger’s attack.
The networks
There are two ways that an operating system can be damaged analyzed from the point of view of the virus, one is that we install that malware through an external storage device.
And the other gateway is through the connection to networks , which can be from Internet or private networks , with which remote access is shared with other members of the same network.
For this last option in particular, it is very important to have a good firewall permanently active so that you can filter all kinds of harmful information.
If we talk about the Internet it is par excellence the network that most attacks the vulnerability in our operating system
The browser
Another vulnerable point that has an operating system is the browser, with the aggravating fact that it is commonly used by the user. It will depend a lot on the technological development of the browser.
Through the computer, this risk decreases when it is a secure software and we have it updated , different malware can be infiltrated that can harm the system. It is estimated that more than 90% of attacks come from URLs that have malware.
For all this it is that we recommend the use of recognized browsers and also the installation of “ secure plug-ins ”, which will detect the trust and security of the sites we visit, that is, with this we create extensions to increase security.
Cookies
Cookies are data that is stored through Internet browsing in our browser and that can cause very large damages to our system.
This information has a third-party code system that helps them to be installed in our operating system and hence be able to execute actions that can significantly damage our operating system.
The scripts
A script is a program that is inserted through an HTML file, which enters through the browser and works on it. These files are executed when we open a page through the browser, they are not hosted on our hard drive.
It is here that a vulnerability hole occurs, called “Cross Site Scripting (XSS)” , because if that is written they have embargo codes, our operating system is at risk.
That is, these files produce the “phishing” , which basically consists of supplanting an original website with a visually identical one and that has the possibility of stealing passwords or other data that are needed to enter the real site.
Ads
Ads are the most common and famous vulnerabilities that exist on websites. This technique is known as “ Window Spoofing “, which consists of showing windows containing false notification messages , for example, we have won a prize in money.
Clicking on them immediately installs codes in our operating system and can cause very large damages. This can be detected with antivirus in addition to the recommendation not to open these windows.
To prevent these nasty ads, we recommend installing Ghostery .
Cortana
Cortana is the voice assistant that Windows offers to interact with users, it is activated through «Hi Cortana» , you can access our computer when it is locked through it .
Although it is true Microsoft has already made a hotfixs or patch in its latest updates, it is advisable not to have Cortana activated because there is a possibility that when you start listening to the user’s voice, the team will it unlocks and it is the moment in which harmful files can be entered without the other security systems that have the operating system still being put into operation.
Is Windows the operating system with the most privacy vulnerabilities that exists ? Should I consider changing it?
While it’s true that Linux is considered safer than has an open source system, or MacOS that doesn’t allow certain codes on your system, Windows can Consider it as a safe operating system, as long as we consider some actions to shield it.
Windows is developed with closed code so no one, outside of Microsoft, can audit or modify it, even if people outside the company have detected vulnerabilities. The distributions that Windows has are through a payment system, so there are fewer users accessing the product activation.
All operating systems have security flaws, Windows is the exception so it is not exempt from the so-called “attacks from day zero” , that is, it is exposed to those attacks until the Microsoft engineers make the changes and release the updates. The problem is that many people do not make these updates, leaving computers with a high probability of being violated.
Another problem for which Windows can be considered vulnerable is because of the number of applications that can be installed in it, being rarely controlled for security.
With the foregoing we can decide that it is not necessary to migrate from Windows simply we have to protect it force it in a better way so that its security level is highly reliable.
Next, we will detail what are the steps you must take into account to make it a private fortress.
Steps to configure Windows 10 and make it a private fortress
We show you the details to configure Windows 10 and make it highly resistant to different vulnerabilities:
Disable the Cortana assistant
To deactivate Cortana we will follow these steps :
- We go to clearlyHome started
- We select eachConfiguration every
- We write in the bar «Cortana»
- We click on «Search and Cortana Settings»
- We deactivate «Allow Cortana to respond when say Hi Cortana »
- We deactivate « Allow Cortana to listen to my commands when I press the Windows logo key + C »
- Deactivate «Use Cortana even if the device is locked»
Advertising ID
To deactivate the advertising identifier we will follow these steps:
- We go to clearlyHome started
- We select accounConfiguration every
- We click «Privacy»
- We choose trustedGeneral for
- We disable «Permissions for applications to use the advertising identifier …»
- We deactivate «Let websites offer relevant content …»
- Deactivate «It allows Windows to keep track of application launches … »
- We deactivate « Show me suggested content in the Settings application »
Configure activity history
To deactivate the configuration of the search history in Google we will have to make these indications one by one.
The first thing we will do is delete the history we have so far, for this we will perform these steps in Google Chrome :
- Open the browser
- Choose accountedHistorial for
- Select “Delete browsing data”
- We choose importantBasics for
- We select “Time interval”
- We click on « All »
Once we have deleted the data, what we will do is configure it so that we do not automatically have browsing history.
In order to perform this action we will do the following steps :
- Enter the browser
- Choose “Data and personalization”
- Select “Activity controls”
- We look for the option “ Web and application activity»
- We click on «Manage activity»
- We are looking for importantMorely
- And we select “Save activity for”
- We choose the time “Never”
- We click on subsequentlyNextly
- and choose consequently accept
When our browser is Firefox we will perform these steps :
- We select accounMenúpointed
- We choose «Privacy and security»
- We click on «History»
- Select the option «Use a customized configuration for the history»
- Activate the box «Clear the history when Firefox closes »
If we need to decide what kind of history we can delete we will make these additional cases:
- We will go to trustedConfiguration ……
- We select «Clear history when Firefox closes»
- And we choose “Preferences for cleaning history”
- We write what we need
- We click on “Accept”
- Press «Preferences for cleaning history»
- Select what we need
- Click on «Accept»