Win7 security in 2021

[razorboy]

I'm not asking a specific technical question, but I have looked for threads regarding Win7's security matters going into 2021 and I did not find them. There must be some, but I may be looking in the wrong place. Is there a thread or threads on this topic?
Thanks.

 

[iko22]

Hi razorboy,

The threads that you may be looking for are titled under the heading of "End of Line (EOL) support", or "Windows 7 EOL", or similar.

 

[razorboy]

Thank you.

 

[Alejandro85]

A starting point is always to Google it
Doing so will yield some results from this forum (including this very same thread) plus many external ones.
As a starting point, look at Windows 7 security in 2021 - Google.

Of course, you'll find many links talking about antiviruses too, not about security, and possibly many unrelated things, but take that as a starting point.
Are you looking for something in particular?

 

[razorboy]

A starting point is always to Google it
Doing so will yield some results from this forum (including this very same thread) plus many external ones.
As a starting point, look at Windows 7 security in 2021 - Google.

Of course, you'll find many links talking about antiviruses too, not about security, and possibly many unrelated things, but take that as a starting point.
Are you looking for something in particular?

Thanks, but I don't use Google products and I did internet searches before posting the question. Iko's reply eventually lead me to 0Patch, so I seem to be pointed in the right direction.

 

[file3456]

Define "security?"

What does security mean to you? Does it mean having the ability to use your favorite social media websites like Facebook or Twitter in the most "secure" fashion? Or online banking, or the fear of some black hoodie, Guy Fawkes wearing hacker that somehow managed to get into your supposed "insecure" OS due to lack of precious "updates?"

Without writing a massive volume that could be archived at the Library of Congress, I'll just tell you now that in large part "updates" are a fallacy on so many levels. This idea one must have the latest and greatest with all of it's wonderful and fanciful "updates" to stay away from the Guy Fawkes wearing boogie man is in large part a way to get you onto a new platform. A new OS is really not needed at present right now. Not until some major hardware and software evolution's take place like with HTTP/TLS for example, or 80% of all games requiring DX 12, hardware or just software that needs .Net versions that don't run in 7, and all the rest.

Updates are important, especially on the server front, but I'd only roll with critical only which is in principal what in most part an update should be. Unfortunately for 10 that's impossible from what I know.

I can tell you that you can update, and update, and UPDATE! to your little heart's content, but you will STILL get hacked, and you will STILL get malware on your computer. I could toss together something polymorphic and create a reverse shell and not a single cruddy little update will stop it. And that's just the OS. Many people don't even think of their router or modem. There's a Python script that can take over a router and now it has been turned into what is called a zombie botnet. A stepping stone if you will for the hacker to go from your IP to a corporate server or what ever the hell where all traces lead back to your ISP, your home and your equipment. I see these infected routers and modems try to hit my site and fail all the time. So from this perspective, you can gain entry into a router and probably NetBIOS your little butt through the local network and into all your wonderful IoT devices that lack code signing and practical security that the manufacture's are too cheap to add to their products. It WILL take an act of Congress I'm afraid. In fact, the largest DDoS was conducted by a take over of several thousand IP camera and other IoT devices.

So back to the whole "update" thing. I personally have never committed myself to the great patch Tuesday fanfare since I ran Windows 98se. I only have but a handful of updates installed for hardware and software requirements. And do you wanna hear something crazy? I've never gotten a malware infection and never been hacked beyond my router flashed with third-party firmware. For one, I run my niche browser Pale Moon in Sandboxie. I do the same for Firefox and UnGoogled Chromium. Every once in a while I scan the living crap out of my computer with tools most people never even heard of let alone use. I'm looking for things like alternative data streams, DLL hooks, hidden DLLs, boot code malware, and any and all new modules installed since I last ran a scan of the whole system. Then I do a full 1:1 disk clone so if disaster should strike (never has yet) I can clone back from my external HDD and it'll be like nothing happened outside of some small amounts of provisionary data loss between cloning cycles. I also augment my backup strategy with encrypted data backups stored in various places. When I download a file, no matter what file it is, I scan it at Virus Total. Of course I know if a file is self executing and all that rot. On top of that I monitor the NIC (Network Interface Card) for what goes in and out and watch hard drive changes to files and the registry. Despite all that, I'm left to wonder with a sense of sadness if I'll ever get malware that'll have me pull out my disk clone. As the Donkey said to Shrek, "I'm all aloneee."

Now Windows 7 went EOL in January of 2020. And looking at the current known CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) for Windows 7 in 2020, I only count ten. The rest may have been patched. CVE -
Search Results


And I count nineteen for 2020 for Windows 10. CVE -
Search Results

But wait, it gets better. Windows 7 was released way back in October of 2009 and as of today has reportedly garnered some 1,200+ CVEs in that time frame.

Windows 10 was released in July of 2015 and so far has garnered some 1,100 CVEs in its five year life span.

Now some of those CVEs for 7 and 10 are not really 10 and 7 related per say, and I did round the numbers down.

Now doing the math, Windows 10 netted an average of 220 CVEs per year since its inception. Where's Windows 7 netted an average of 109 CVEs per year since its inception. However, the major, and I mean MAJOR difference here is that Windows 10 already caught up to Windows 7's CVE count in only five short years.

What does this all mean? It means Windows 10 has a serious lack of QC (Quality Control) both on the internals of the OS security as well as the "updates" being jammed down everyone's mouth that can and WILL mess your day up but good. Refer to my signature below.

Nothing is free, it all has a cost. Windows 10 wasn't offered by Redmond because they wanted to be nice. They have systematically turned the idea of a PC (Personal Computer) into a data mining machine. I have Windows 10 LTSC installed in VMware and I have recorded tons of traffic going in and out of the NIC. In all, about 20 or more ASNs (Autonomous System Numbers. Whole groups of IP addressees at the BGP, Border Gateway Protocol level). This is in sharp comparison to 7 or XP where no such thing existed in a virgin install except local network traffic talking back and forth, Windows time and that built-in facility to tell you whether you have Internet or not. That little yellow exclamation mark you see over your NIC if you have no Internet? That's the direct result of a periodic ping to a CDN (Content Delivery Network) called Akamai. If that ping fails then Windows assumes you have no Internet ability and thus shows that little yellow exclamation mark over your network adapter icon in the task bar.

Windows 10 as a "PC" OS? More like just for gaming. You want real SOHO (Small Home Office) personal computing without the "man" making a buck off your behalf, roll Linux, check out Qubes. I would NEVER roll Win 10 in my office or workplace. They'd all run Linux, and I'm sure my IT staff would thank me.


-Off topic


Sorry William "Tell" Gates. You might as well just focus on blotting out the sun in the name of a religion known as "climate change/global warming" what ever the word du jour. I'm old enough to remember when toxic waste was a huge "issue." They even centered movie and TV show plots around it. Even a cartoon called Toxic Crusader.

Blotting Out the Sun to Save the Earth? Seriously? - EcoWatch

Bill Gates backs plan to tackle climate change by blocking out the sun

Like 10, what could go wrong!? LOL!


Now where's my damn hoodie and Time Warner owned Guy Fawkes mask?

 

[michael diemer]

Great post F22, really enjoyed it!

 

[file3456]

You're welcome. I was in a typing mood last night and kinda got carried away. And with another thread here on the site as well. LOL

Question: I'm by no means a language arts extraordinaire. Did it have decent composition and understanding?

I wouldn't mind being a tech blogger or something (don't laugh), but I don't really have a great command of writing concepts like I should, and to top it off never took any college classes. Right now I'd like to focus on A+ certification and CompTIA and maybe CCNA which can all be studied and had on the Internet. I'd like to do something in the field of cybersecurity. I wanted to fly for FedEx or UPS or maybe even Amazon, but the FAR prevents me from doing that due to my health issues. I couldn't even fly privately. So the next best thing is computer work since a majority of my life is tied to all facets of computing. It's so bad I have to force myself to leave my computer and just go for a walk every once in a while. It can be very unhealthy. Being sedentary all the time is NOT! healthy at all. Especially for your heart. That much I know.

PS: I've always wanted to visit Maine and the east coast. Been to a lot of states but as far east I've ever been was Chicago since I was born in that area and have family that live there. The food there is pretty damn decent. I bet Maine has really decent lobster and maple syrup. And I love the water! Ever since I went to Newport beach in California I was hooked to the ocean and would just love to live near the ocean. If I had the money I'd like to see about the Keys though because I like the warmth. Been here in CO for a quarter of a century and it's getting mighty old. Visiting here would be nice though, especially Rocky Mountain national park. It's $25 just for a resident pass and some $70 for an annual pass. Where's the pot and lotto money going! LOL Been to the Stanley hotel a few times. Doesn't really impress me. In fact, I found the place to be very archaic and creepy. Well, it was in the Shining. LOL

Anyway...

 

[michael diemer]

Well, I was an English major at one time, and your writing is very good. It flows well, is logical and consistent, and holds the reader's attention. It reads in a nice conversational style, very easy to grasp. so I would say you are a very decent writer.

I was originally from Chicago also, though my family moved to Pittsburgh when I was 4. I moved to Maine in 1988 and have never looked back. I have always wanted to live here. Low population density, tremendous natural beauty, and the Winters are not as bad as their reputation, just a bit too long. I've been to Colorado and Arizona, never farther West. you know, the thing about how the country got tipped somewhere in the past, and most of the nuts ended up in California? Perhaps it should be called The People's Republic Of California? where's the Terminator when you need him?

As for Lobster, I don't eat it, or anything else that comes out of the ocean. although my wife likes seaweed. We're plant-based gustatory radicals, and have been so since the eighties. One of the few take-aways from the radical days of the sixties and seventies. There was some good that came out of all that, but also some really weird stuff, like Erhard Seminar Training.

Anyway, it's always fun to read a really good rant now and then. I would write more myself but I'm a terrible typist. Two fingers all the way. how I got through grad school I'll never know. Especially with a second-hand mechanical typewriter. And lots of white-out. Copies made with carbon paper. no spell-check, either. The good old days...

 

[file3456]

Well, I was an English major at one time, and your writing is very good. It flows well, is logical and consistent, and holds the reader's attention. It reads in a nice conversational style, very easy to grasp. so I would say you are a very decent writer.

Well, that's very encouraging to hear. I've never been to college and do plan on taking cybersecurity classes one day. I know I can obtain a boat load of certificates on the Internet, but I think I should at least get a BA under my belt. Not sure if I want a masters in cybersecurity though. I may be deemed "over qualified." I want to either work for a Visa financial services data center or roll my own business in the realm of cryptocurrency. I honestly think there's some big time money to be had in the realm of cryptocurrency. I'd like to create my own exchange and do things how I think they should be done. My company would also focus on leasing server resources for mining different cryptocurrency. I'm also an inventor and have loads of ideas many of which have already been patented by others who beat me to it. My two primary motto's are: it takes money to make money, and nothing in life is free. So with that I need the capital to hire a patent agent, the filling fee and marketing fees. Then hopefully I can license out my idea and get some checks in the mail.

you know, the thing about how the country got tipped somewhere in the past, and most of the nuts ended up in California? Perhaps it should be called The People's Republic Of California? where's the Terminator when you need him?

I believe the country started to become divided post 9/11 and that apex was reached sometime in April of 2003. This was when Operation Iraqi Freedom began. I remember Operation Desert Storm and back then it seemed like the whole damn nation was onboard. Not so the second time. Then again, there was more to it than what we (the people) were lead to believe and all that. But the whole of the operation dubbed Operation Iraqi Freedom was just that and I'll never forget the ink stained fingers. But yeah, that little war there was the apex to this great divide I reckon. Now it's morphed into something straight out of Alice in Wonderland. That tea party scene is like Congress. LOL

Speaking of the Terminator. In the movie, Skynet was located in California. I believe in San Fran. or at least in Silicon Valley. In the first movie I believe John Connor and some loyalists went there to blow the hell out of it. I'm a huge fan of the Terminator and the Matrix. The Matrix is like a hybrid of the Terminator. Those two movies are like an epiphany to how things will go moving forward in the future. Like how the old 1950s Sci-Fi books and movies foretold man walking on the moon and other things. In fact, if you went back to the '50s and told someone that in the 21st century people would have a phone capable of accessing and communicating with people and information all over the world though something called the Internet they'd think you were nuts.

Moving forward from our present day I see holographic projection in replace of a screen and interaction with said holographic projection. You'll see people walking down the sidewalk like in New York interacting with a holographic projected image in front of their face. The advent of 5G will help to usher this on. AI will take a hold in all manners of transportation. Whether that will be car, plane, train, boat or submarine. In fact, there will be many hundreds of mini subs for military purposes along with their AI ground counterparts. Boston Dynamics is helping that along now. For me, I can't wait to be at a nursing home where a robot is wiping my butt. LOL!

As for Lobster, I don't eat it, or anything else that comes out of the ocean. although my wife likes seaweed. We're plant-based gustatory radicals, and have been so since the eighties. One of the few take-aways from the radical days of the sixties and seventies. There was some good that came out of all that, but also some really weird stuff, like Erhard Seminar Training.

I don't suppose your generation had the idea of eating the placenta after birth back then, did they? I even saw on Twitter some brief headline about eating crap. Next thing you know they'll want to eat Tide pods. Oh wait... LOL

I believe I've eaten seaweed. Maybe it was kelp. I've also had this Japanese food back when I was in the fourth grade that was rolled in rice paper and dipped in this really salty fish blood. It was actually really good. LOL The grocery store here sells California rolls and what have you and I've been known to buy those every once in a while when I can afford it. Though, those don't have raw fish. I refrain from the raw fish thing due to the possibility of worms. Been there done that... It's fine every once in a while, but too much will do that too you.

Anyway, it's always fun to read a really good rant now and then. I would write more myself but I'm a terrible typist. Two fingers all the way. how I got through grad school I'll never know. Especially with a second-hand mechanical typewriter. And lots of white-out. Copies made with carbon paper. no spell-check, either. The good old days...

When I was in 7th grade middle school I took typing and it was using an electric typewriter. Then latter on in my 8th grade typing class it was on computer. All of the schools I attended used Apple and Macintosh. On the Macintosh computers they ran this OS desktop called At Ease that I was quite fond of. I kept trying to hack into Admin. accounts. I even read the whole At Ease book so I could understand it all. I yearned to own my own computer one day but neither I or my parents could afford one. It wasn't until 2003 I got my first real computer. A Dell Latitude c610 laptop. I promptly plugged the phone line into it, found a dial-up ISP and surfed the Internet all damn night. I had a second shift job so I could in theory get away with that. But I was going to bed at like 6 AM and had to be up by 2 PM I think it was. Well, I was still late to work and ended up getting fired. LOL! Damn computer...

Back to typewriters. One Christmas I asked for and got a kid's typewriter. It was part plastic and metal and I'd sit in the front room with that thing typing "family weather reports." I have a knack for science so I loved to chart trends in the weather. I also charted trends in the stock market between middle school and high school. LOL! I have no idea why. It was just my own little project. I'd go into the school library after school got out, grab the Wall Street Journal and chart my own fictitious stocks I bought in a graphing program on the Macintosh and print it out. I remember telling a friend of mine back in 2000 that he should buy Verizon stock. Boy, would that have been an investment with massive dividend payouts. Now they have FIOS and 5G.

At any rate, I done gone typed yet another book. Time to squeeze a squid for ink. LOL

PS: You joined here one year after 2012 when the Mayan calendar ended and people predicted the end of the world, and about thirteen years after another end of the world theory known as Y2K. Yet here were are with COVID-19. I bet they'll say Nostradamus predicted that one. After all, it's only after the fact the prediction becomes foretold.