jmau111

cheat sheet attack/defense https://github.com/jmau111-org/powershell_commands

XSS without alert

Practical security guide that contains useful links to learn Linux internals and security (attack/defense).

I tried to summarize what I've learned so far, but, of course, it's neither exhaustive nor suited for targeted attacks.

You clearly made your point but comparing this tool with my introduction seems a bit unfair ^^.

Indeed, I was not thinking about that level of attacks. However, if individuals and organizations do not understand the minimum required to secure their instances, they can't stand a chance against advanced threat actors and skilled adversaries.

Thanks for your detailed explanations.

To me, the comparison does not make sense and was definitely not my intention when I mentioned Linux in the guide.

It's just that privesc and kernel exploits is possible under some conditions on Linux.

indeed, but the point was this malicious scripts usually try to install programs, like droppers.

This tool looks sharp, but why do you say "HardeningKitty is a good start." It seems to be an all-in-one solution to harden your system, and not an introduction, like my guide.

> The biggest help with that has been uBlock origin

It seems that browsers and extensions handle a huge part of the global security for users, maybe even more than the OSes.

Nope. It's not a statement, it's just not in the guide.

Not to mention kernel exploits, local privesc, unmaintained or abandoned distros, and many other issues.

I've seen so many people relying on the OS and thinking themselves as power users just by using it with default settings. I think it's a mistake, hence my comparison.

Attacking a secured Windows system is not at everybody's reach. Doesn't mean it can't be done, but it's something I don't like to read in security news, like finding and exploiting 0days will be easy for attackers.

It's not and can take some time. There's even a huge market for initial access. In contrast, exploiting a vulnerable Linux system (e.g., unpatched) is documented everywhere.

?

I've tried to analyze the situation with objective arguments, but it seems to make me appear as a Windows/Microsoft advocate or fan boy, which is a bit ironic.

Many security news worried about actively exploited 0-days, but many of these vulnerabilities are addressed or mitigated. It's not perfect at all but talented people have budgets to work on it.

I wonder if the figures you mentioned are that relevant. Cybercriminals usually attack juicy flaws, and windows systems might be more attractive.

erf, that's what I mean by "download and install all patches," but I'll try to write that better if it's confusing.

Performance is important, as you don't want to have a dysfunctional system, but, typically, you have to disable important security mechanisms to force the install.

You lose on both sides.

Users have reported various performance issues. It does not make 11 worse than 10. It's more secure to keep windows 10 if your hardware is too old.

> Everything I listed above can be solved by a single sysadmin with group policy and 30 minutes to kill, and they wont reoccur.

Good point. I tried to highlight that (not relying on default policies).

This is not what I mean actually. Windows simplifies some procedures, which can be beneficial for most users. I'm a big Linux fan boy, but it's easy to mess up your config and get a false impression of security, especially with some distros.

I understand that problematic, but it's worth it.

While it's true, such scripts usually install crap using the victim's privileges behind the scene.

> the guide recommends application updates only for enterprise users

No. Maybe read this part https://github.com/jmau111-org/windows_security#7-recommenta...

> strong passwords [...] counter to NIST and other accepted guidelines

I don't think it's the case. Even if it is, I would disagree with that point of view.

> It should be mentioned that common Windows antivirus and endpoint security software is in itself a security risk [...] Similarly, phishing attacks are enabled by common Windows-based applications such as Outlook

Lots of confusions here, to me, but thanks for your comment overall. In fact, the guide tries to keep things simple but could certainly be improved on some points.

Thoughts on Windows Security, misknown mitigations, and solutions to keep the system safe.

Personal thoughts of OS security from a casual user and a DEV's perspectives.

Hi, what you're saying is technically accurate, but Firefox and Duckduckgo are still far better than chrome + google session + google search + gmail.

Although, I've edited the post, as it could be misleading.