How can I secure WindowsXP?(registry hacks)

[preben]

Hi everyone!!

First of, thank you all for beeing so helpful.

I've been tinkering a bit with registry keys to tune my XP. But that's mostly look and feel.

Do you guys and gals, have any good security related registry hacks to make Windows XP more secure?

I've started by disabling auto-complete, and other basic stuff. But if you have some reg's lying around, please share )

/ Preben

[Andromeda43]

XP is as full of security holes as a piece of swiss cheese.

M$ probably won't be doing anything to fix them either.

One person who has taken it upon himself to fix several of

the worse holes is Steve Gibson.

www.grc.com

Take a look at his web site and download all his little fixes.

or you can download them all in one package Here.

Just download and unzip the package:

GRC.com.zip

Run each program to fix a particular security problem.

That will do more to patch security holes than all the registry tweaks you could do.

Good Luck,

Andromeda43 B)

[Aegis]

Patch up, use a firewall, antivirus, antispyware, the usual...

[Brando569]

it takes alotta work to secure XP. a good program to do this via reg hacks is a program called safeXP i highly recommend it!

[hougtimo]

nLite provides a good lot of tweaks for security - just as many as safe XP IMO

[Delprat]

I do not recommend to use things like "SafeXP"... Windows security takes far more than clicking on a few tenth checkboxes.

And windows provides ALL the needed tools to configure it... just look at the included "help center" (but not in XP Home)

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[TheTOM_SK]

SafeXP and WWDC help to secure the worst security holes in WinXP easily.

You can use Belarc Advisor to check, if your PC has all updates, proper settings.

HERE you can download my reg tweaks (ods & xls). I use them to secure my PC.

Edited June 20, 2006 by TheTOM_SK

[Brando569]

I do not recommend to use things like "SafeXP"... Windows security takes far more than clicking on a few tenth checkboxes.

And windows provides ALL the needed tools to configure it... just look at the included "help center" (but not in XP Home)

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i disagree, safexp is one of the easiest tools to use when you want to take steps to start securing windows xp. ofcourse this wont help with local security but it does help a great bit in securing xp compared to leaving it how it was. As for help center, its a waste of space. the answers it gives you are either really vague or cycical (makes you go in circles). ive always removed it but yet my dad wants it in his xp even though he know its a piece of crap...

if you really want to know how to secure windows xp pick up a copy of Hacking Exposed 5th edition. It gives you information on almost every major hole that hackers/worms/virii/etc exploit, how it works and how to fix it. if anyone is really into security I HIGHLY recommend this book. not only does it cover windows but it covers linux too. check it out

[Delprat]

i disagree, safexp is one of the easiest tools to use when you want to take steps to start securing windows xp. ofcourse this wont help with local security but it does help a great bit in securing xp compared to leaving it how it was. As for help center, its a waste of space. the answers it gives you are either really vague or cycical (makes you go in circles). ive always removed it but yet my dad wants it in his xp even though he know its a piece of crap...

SafeXP is not an "easy-to-use tool to start securing windows xp".

It's entirely based on a total misconception of "security" : you will not get a more secure system if you disable some services, you will only get it less stable. The key in security is the configuration of these services (and many more things, like permissions), in other words, it's what SafeXP does not offer.

The help center, if used online, gives more relevant links.

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[chardex]

nice jobs done dudes

[redxii]

Don't run as administrator.

http://blogs.msdn.com/aaron_margosis/default.aspx

[-I-]

vista helps (a small bit:P)

if you disable all the 'goodies <throughup>' its a quite nice to play with OS

[TheTOM_SK]

Tweaking WinXP is like tweaking a car, it is great to see how it it getting better, safer and faster. Everyone, who tunes his OS or any other software knows the feeling.

Edited June 23, 2006 by TheTOM_SK

[Mordac85]

Delprat has his point. If you truly want to secure your box you need to know what is being fixed, why it needs it and how it's done. Never trust an app or GUI to do the work for you unless you.

There are countless holes, but it really depends on what you need to do as to whether it's a "hole" or a "feature". I'd also recommend starting with Technet's Security Guide and advisories listed at CERT to get a feel for the major security problems in Windows. Also, don't forget any possible vulnerabilities in the non-Microsoft apps you have installed. They can end up being a larger hole than the underlying OS.

Once you get a good feel for the basics of Windows security, it's not a tough job to secure your system.

[Delprat]

Nice to see someone on the trusted computing side.

But you didn't finished your sentence : "unless you."

Unless you What ? (/me feels hungry )

I may suggest :

"unless you trust its creator and know what it does _exactly_ ?"

or :

"unless you created it ?"

One drawback of these two suggestions is that's a good way to end up paranoïd if you're investing too much of you in "security" ! (in french we says "ne pas prendre les choses trop à coeur")

Come on Mordac85, tell us (me) what you have in mind !

Securing an OS is an everyday job (and sometime "everyhour" since there's exploits immediately used). If you seach for "windows security" on the net, you'll get tons on sites like CERT (windowsecurity.com & ntsecurity.net are the first two after MS).

Then, securing applications will make you ask your boss to engage someone else (depends on what level of security you're willing to reach : see for example the old "Orange Book" from US DoD which shows examples of classified security levels)

[wayyyy offtopic]

In fact, if you want a secured system to store confidential data, use something old, like an Atari ST : less functions, less holes. And really ugly. If you saw Terminator 3, you see what i'm thinking about : the only hole is that enormous door

[/offtopic]

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