Before I installed this free software, my computer was never this secure. I heartily endorse it
Microsoft's operating system, Windows, has never been renowned for its security, despite its functionality and adaptability. In order to further secure their computers, the majority of users rely on third-party software.
We have had a good amount of software for a while now that was created especially to give us extra security features. While many of these programs are free, some are paid, and they offer extra features beyond what Windows offers to help us set up our security and protection system.
This is exactly what we are discussing right now with a program that focuses on this kind of task and that many of you will enjoy. More specifically, we are discussing a program that allows us to turn off certain potentially vulnerable background features. In this manner, we can set up Windows to offer more security and protection when we use it every day.
In particular, we are talking about a program called Hardentools, which is available for free download on its GitHub page. In actuality, we are working with a program that has an intuitive and user-friendly interface and uses very little computer power. The executable file only needs to be downloaded and run on our Windows computer. Naturally, administrator permissions will be needed for the program to function.
We instantly locate the different system security-related features that we can turn on or off at that point. It is important to note that Microsoft has most of these features enabled by default in Windows.
As previously stated, a list of entries corresponding to hidden Windows functions will appear once the program is opened. Since they are active when Microsoft first displays them, the majority of them will be scanned by default.
As a result, all you need to do is uncheck the boxes next to the Windows functions you wish to deactivate right now. Here are some of the most crucial hidden operating system tools that you should turn off in this situation, among others:
- Office macros
- Office ActiveX.
- Adobe Reader Javascript.
- Show file extensions.
- Automatic association of file formats.
- Automatic execution of processes and programs.
- Windows Defender protection for potentially dangerous applications.
As you can see, among the options we can activate or deactivate, we find not only those directly related to the operating system. We also found potentially vulnerable features related to programs such as some Adobe programs, the system's built-in antivirus, or the company's Office suite.
These are software solutions installed on many computers around the world, and in many cases, they make our computers more vulnerable. Therefore, using Hardentools, we can make our Windows system more secure by disabling them in seconds.
- Link: Hardentools