SetupSwarm

Post edited 03:02 – 28/05/2010 by Panuary

I like having a diverse portfolio of applications, one for virtual machines running different operating systems booting from USB Flash drives, but for some things I prefer to write my own. Here are those that I use which I find really helpful, and as always, I'll try to stick to one topic at a time.

Windows System

• Keyscrambler (to encrypt keystrokes and mitigate keylogging attempts)
• NoScript plug-in (not just to stop scripts, but to encrypt cookies, use ABE feature, and force URL entries to use 443 TCP rather than 80
• WinAmp – Classic Jukebox with Streamripper plug-in to record my unmetered radio streams
• Digsby – multi-protocol chat, disabled CPU/server-to-marketing feature (hashed user data entries)
• FFSJ – Fastest File Splitter and Joiner (Although I mainly use this to calculate MD5 checksums for files, can join .00x parts and encrypt)
• TrueCrypt – Encryption for system partition (I don't like Bitlocker because no TPM on my end)
• FileAlyzer – I like to know more about things
• GrabIt – News reader NNTP 119
• Foxit Reader – who needs Adobe anyway
• Adobe Flash – okay, so I need it, lol
• Sandboxie – when not on VM, use sandbox, haha
• XnView – to view things from different angles
• Endnote – Uni expects different referencing styles. I use this to save me time
• VirtualDub – fun with encoding
• Ollydbg – OSIX.net fun – for RE, learning how to debug and patch
• Java – what I wouldn't do, I live
• Skype / Chromium
• Rainmeter – I just like the desktop interface and updates (just needs a security tweak is all)
• Wordweb Pro – sometimes I want to find a word or unscramble one
• COMODO Internet Security – without the AV of course, it's a nice HIPS (sometimes)
• MS Windows Calculator – to calculate those difficult questions when solving problems like those below, and the first OSIX question
• Shadow Defender and system image backup *I used Norton Ghost a while now, but Acronis won me over
• VMWare or VirtualBox – the latter has fewer bugs
• DOSBOX or ScummVM – see above
• Plenty more, but that's all I'd like to list for now.

I use encryption to protect my confidential data from being read and/or stolen. If you mean why I encrypt the desktop PC, it's because anything being written to the drive could reveal some important information, especially when banking online or selling via eBay, or purchasing items over the Internet. I wouldn't want anyone poking around looking for easy-to-find data in my swap space, would you? But this is mainly because I have some FAT drives that don't provide what NTFS offers in relation to access control, so this is just another system of control.

Other than that, I don't think I have much to worry about, considering how my browser cache is set on a ramdisk (and I power off my PC), and running in DamnSmallLinux with proximitron custom filters etc… etc… and Hollywood visible lasers flashing about to blind would-be thieves…. LOL

I think I just described a really paranoid person just now…

Nah, the real reasons are all in the first paragraph. When I think that I am compromised I just DBAN the drive and then install a backup of a system image file. Not to mention I live quite close to where a few members of paradox got raided..