yigido's Recommended Apps & Extensions & Tips

The following softwares are just my recommendations. Use it with your own risks, read their EULA! All softwares links in this post are original links which forwards their own websites

I assume that your PC is clean from malwares, adwares! If you are encountering any malicious activities on your PC.
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From now on, I assume you are cleaned from malwares :slight_smile: First of all I want to suggest security software. I love free softwares by the way.

Before installing one of my suggests, please uninstall your current security softwares with this guide’s instructions

Security Solutions

  • COMODO Internet Securty. CIS is very good and a legend to protect clean computers from malwares :slight_smile: It’s detection is low but containment technology covers it. It is a complete suite for protecting PC. My first always CIS :-TU
  • If you want alternative, Kaspersky Security Cloud. It is free bare antivirus solution from Kaspersky

VPN

At this title, free is not always good choice :slight_smile: Paid solutions are better. My choice is Proton VPN

Browser

This choice is very controversial :slight_smile: But the following list is my choices.

  • LibreWolf A fork of Firefox, focused on privacy, security and freedom.
    • No Telemetry, No experiments, adware, annoyances, or unnecessary distractions from Mozilla(!)
    • Privacy-conscious search providers: DuckDuckGo, Searx, Qwant and more.
    • Pre-installed AdBlocker add-on : uBlock Origin
    • Hardened to maximize privacy, without sacrificing usability.
    • Fast Updates, LibreWolf is always built from the latest Firefox stable source, for up-to-date security and features along with stability.
    • Open Source, everyone can participate in the development of LibreWolf. GitLab
      (Note:It is just Firefox with a lot of about:config changes bundled with uBlock Origin. You can make this browser from Firefox with their changes!)
  • Ungoogled Chromium Chromium based
    • Disable functionality specific to Google domains (e.g. Google Host Detector, Google URL Tracker, Google Cloud Messaging, Google Hotwording, etc.)
    • Block internal requests to Google at runtime. This feature is a fail-safe measure for the above, in case Google changes or introduces new components that our patches do not disable. This feature is implemented by replacing many Google web domains in the source code with non-existent alternatives ending in qjz9zk (known as domain substitution
    • Strip binaries from the source code
      and other key features - Eloston’s Github
  • Mozilla Firefox - Open-source, customized with add-ons
    • You can tweak for more privacy option without breaking usability. You can check Firefox Hardening Guide :-La or just use LibreWolf mentioned above :wink:
  • Pale Moon - If sky falls :slight_smile:

Extensions (for browsers)

  • AdBlocker. I am using AdGuard Extension. AdGuard’s browser extension is open-source. I am contributing their filters for everyone’s sake. They have language-specific filters.
  • Password Manager. I suggest Bitwarden. If you are using LastPass, I strongly recommend Bitwarden instead. You can transfer your passwords to Bitwarden easily. Import from LastPass
  • Encrypt the Web! Use HTTPS Everywhere EFF is deprecating HTTPS-Everywhere as most browsers now have an HTTPS-Only feature. Please enable the setting “HTTPS-Only Mode” in your browser
  • Local CDN Emulators. If you are using Firefox or LibreWolf, local CDN emulator doesn’t required with Total Cookie Protection (TCP), which is enabled if you’ve set Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP) to Strict… Otherwise, use Decentraleyes. Protects you against tracking through “free”, centralized, content delivery.
  • YouTube SponsorBlock. SponsorBlock is an open-source crowdsourced browser extension and open API for skipping sponsor segments in YouTube videos. It saves so much time. Just use & contribute it.
  • Dark Reader, enables dark theme for ALL website. It is very good to prevent eye-strain.
  • Use FastForward to skip annoying URL “shorteners”
  • Simple Translate
  • Search by Image, reverse image search extension

Security Extensions (for browsers)

First of all, we can mention AdGuard here. It already blocks known trackers & ads from loading into browser. Ad networks spreads all possible PUP/PUA examples.
Security extensions in this section must protect against malicious & phishing websites.

Attention! Just pick one of them!

  • Malwarebytes Browser Guard, it is also blocks ads-trackers, malicious sites, phishing sites, scams & gLTD site (Block suspicious top level domains (TLD) that are frequently used by scam or phishing sites.)
  • Netcraft extension, Real-time protection from malicious sites including phishing, fake shops, and malicious scripts such as JavaScript skimmers and cryptocurrency miners.
  • Bitdefender TrafficLight, malware & phishing filtering + link scanner.
  • Comodo Online Security, for now there is only available on Chrome store, blocks phishing & malicious sites. (bundled with Comodo Dragon browser)

For Privacy/Cleaning software

Actually, Windows Disk Cleanup is enough for me.
If you want a software to do this. Glary Utilities is very good software to clean all junk files, obsolute registery entries. You may want to give it a try!

For Updating Softwares

Updating softwares can cover known vulnerabilities so I strongly suggest update your softwares. Most software updaters offer unrelated softwares. I do not offer IObit or other antivirus vendor updaters. They bundled with unwanted apps. Stay away from them.

  • PatchMyPC Home Updater great portable software to update. The PatchMyPC only updates softwares which uses clean installers. If you are company which bundles other softwares in your setup, you cannot be listed in PatchMyPC list. Strongly recommend this software.
  • UCheck Updater, you can install it or you can use portable version of it. Very nice software which works very well. It has paid version too, but no need to pay for updating softwares. You will like it. After installing it, open, scan your PC, update your out-dated softwares. Done!

For Stopping Windows Data Collection & Tracking

O&O ShutUp10++ is portable, free and great tool to control all tweaks of Windows spying on PC. You can give it a try.


Notice: Stay away from the following PUP-PUA installer sites. Just suggestion for further security of yourselves

Avoid following websites;
Softonic : https://en.softonic.com/
UptoDown : https://en.uptodown.com/
Software Informer : https://software.informer.com/
CHIPde : https://www.chip.de/download/
CNet Downloads : https://www.download.cnet.com/
Freewarefiles : http://www.freewarefiles.com/
Brothersoft : http://www.brothersoft.com/
Wizcase : https://www.wizcase.com/
Sourceforge.net : https://sourceforge.net/ (Sourceforge is grey area. Some installers may still safe.)

Safe Website (for now);
Softpedia : https://www.softpedia.com/
FossHub : https://www.fosshub.com/
MajorGeeks : https://www.majorgeeks.com/
FilePuma : https://www.filepuma.com/


I may add & remove something in time…[/list]