Regarding the personal firewalls, I agree that they can be a bit time consuming to configure, but to say they have cost poker players more money than hackers is a bit far fetched IMO.

what are the differences between windows firewall, windows defender, and comodo firewall?
does comodo take up a lot more space? or just have more popup windows?
im confused because u talk about how bad firewalls are, but then it seems like u reccomend windows firewall.




also, i'm confused about what NAT is. where can i get it (or did u say it comes with routers now)?is it easy to set up Tomato or untangle (sounds complicated and not so importan)?
very helpful vids, tyvvm

Windows Defender is an anti-malware program that can also be used to edit start-up programs. I recommend only using it to disable start-up programs then disable it because its anti-malware functionality sucks. In my previous series I show how to disable Windows Defender.

Re: Firewalls - I only take issue with so-called "personal firewalls" otherwise known as software firewalls. My stance is pretty well summed up by this article. Personal firewalls are mostly snake-oil.
I recommend leaving the Windows firewall enabled because its effect on a system's performance is negligible and requires almost zero interaction from the user. The truth is the only time the Windows firewall will be doing any work is when you're on an untrusted network. The danger of being on an untrusted network can also be mitigated by disabling unneeded services.

Don't get too caught up in trying to understand NAT. Just know that you should be using a router and not plugging directly into your cable modem. NAT drops connections that it doesn't understand such as connections initiated outside your network. This make it difficult for someone outside your local network to get information about your system.

Tomato is easy to setup and I recommend it mainly for reliability reasons.

Untangle is not easy to setup, but it is definitely an attainable solution even for a novice if you're willing to put in some time.

What if I use a modem-router? Will it be the same thing?

That is fine too.

If we do all these things can we safely look at porn?

Very informative tutorial-thanks

Yes, but downloading pirated porn torrents is still dangerous and illegal.

Free--

Browsing with Sandboxie, heck even install your poker soft in it.

Firefox/Noscript/Better Privacy

Surun
Paid--

Xerobank
Faronics Antiexecutable

hey funkyworms, whats the reason behind using keypass if you are saving your passwords in firefox.

Secondly, if using both is necessary, does it matter if the password for keypass and firefox are the same.

Thanks as always.

Just a note: It's Keepass, not keypass. Keypass is a similar commercial password manager. Keepass is a free and open-source password manager and is the one I recommend.

Keepass offers many more features than the Firefox password manager. It has a password generator and can save more than just website passwords. There are also some sites that tell Firefox not to remember passwords and you will not be given the option to have passwords saved for those sites. In other words, Keepass is your master vault. All of your passwords should be stored there first and then, if available, stored in Firefox.

The Firefox password manager is there for convenience. It's much faster than opening up Keepass every time you need a password without sacrificing any security.

I only consider Keepass necessary. Firefox is only for convenience. And yes, I believe it is ok to use the same password for the two password managers. If you're capable of remembering two master passwords, feel free to use different ones.

any suggestions on how to use keepass for accounts you want to access through I-phone apps/safari?

i notice there is an app in the appstore, but the reviews do not look good.

Unfortunately I don't have access to an iPhone for testing purposes (donations accepted). I have reviewed iKeepass but I can not recommend it yet.

Hi funkyworms,

Very nice work on your video and security tips. I have a question tought.

Is using bitlocker in windows 7 the same as truecrypt?

thanks

Yes. They are designed to do the same thing: encrypt your system drive. Bitlocker in User Authentication Mode will function much like Truecrypt.

Thanks.

Can I put my firefox master password in keepass and just copy paste it in firefox when I need to. Is it less secure this way?

Also do you have any link, video to create my portable database. I really struggle doing it.

Yes you can do this but I'm not sure why you would want to. The idea behind using Firefox to save your passwords is so that you don't have to open Keepass every time you want a website password.

I don't know what you mean by "portable database". Please explain.

I am tying to create a keepass portable database and I am just not able to.

I create a keepass database around the 2:50 mark in Part 1. You just click New Database > then name the database > then set the master password.

funkyworms,

If I put KeePass on a USB drive-its useless to anyone as long as its protected by a password?

I will be purchasing a new PC in the next 30 days or so. Will you look over my system build before I buy-planning on getting a dell?

I would be happy to pay you for your time. your computer prowess is a godsend!

It's useless to anyone who doesn't know the password.


If you're just looking for advice on a build you can get free (even if slightly conflicting) advice by simply starting a thread in CTH.

I do offer personalized computer services, though. That's all I'm going to say about that here because this thread isn't meant to be a self-promotion. PM me or search around the forums if you'd like more info.

My question is: How do you put keepass portable on a usb drive using the current database I have on my computer? Is this possible?

Yes this is possible but whether or not your current database can be used depends on a few factors. For portable implementations of Keepass I recommend using version 1.x (the classic version).

I recommend http://www.portableapps.com for guides on implementing portable applications.

I'm pretty security conscience and use mostly free recommended programs along with a Linksys router.

Avira AV
SuperAntiSpyware Pro*
SpywareBlaster
Comodo Firewall w/D+
Firefox w/NoScript (you should also use a master password)

FileHippo Update Checker

* only $9.95 after a few days of using the free version



I'd be very surprised if I got hacked.

I need to bump this. Serious poker players use HEM and HEM requires us to do this.

I run UAC at it's maximum setting in Windows 7 without any problems. Just set the HEM processes to run as admin as adviced (HoldemManager, HMHud and DBControlPanel) and grant the UAC prompt when starting HEM.

It might be best to turn UAC off during the HEM install though and then turn it back on. I honestly don't remember if it's required, but better safe than sorry.