Freeware Files: 5 Apps for Locking Down Your System, Hardcore

Posted 06/01/2010 at 8:01am | by David Murphy

23

Comments

Print

"Privacy" is the word that's on the lips of anyone even remotely connected to the Web 2.0 nowadays. But I don't care much about that. What you do on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, or whatever, is your own business--and, worse, there aren't really third-party applications that you can download and use to self-assess your potential privacy pitfalls. You're on your own there.

However, when it comes to Windows--oh, yes, there's much we can talk about when it comes to the Windows operating system. There are always newer and stronger ways to protect your PC from intrusion, from third-party access via an unscrupulous exploit or unintended network connection to the raw, physical tricks one can use to gain access to your protected information. Makes my skin crawl just thinking about it, it does.

So, without further ado, let's take a little joyride through some unique free and open-source applications that you can use to lock down your PC without removing all traces of usability from your operating system. For just about the only thing worse than a computer nobody else can get into is a computer that you, yourself, have to jump through 30 hoops just to get into. These apps aren't going to be that, you have my word.

Luxand Blink!

Do you have a webcam?  No?  Stop reading. If you do, however, then you're in for a real treat with Luxand Blink!  I can't tell you how it works, but this awesome (and free) application transforms your simple webcam into a security gateway. Instead of logging into your system using a boring ol' typed-in password, Luxand Blink! takes a shot of your mug and uses a wicked facial recognition system to log you in. Just stare blankly into your webcam--it's the fastest login you'll ever have.

Beyond that, Luxand Blink! can also log a picture anytime someone logs into your PC period. It's a useful (and fun) trick to see if anyone has accessed--or tried to access--your system without your knowledge.

Download it here!

USB Guardian

Here's the deal--if you're ingenious or just plain good at reading instructions on the internet, it's super-easy to build a USB-based device that can autorun some kind of disastrous file or batch command on a person's PC. But I'm not about to show you how to do that. Rather, USB Guardian is a great freeware tool that helps you prevent this kind of activity on your own system.

The programs works like this: Whenever a USB device connects up to your system, the program runs in the background to scan and disable any autorun.inf files on the drive. If said autorun file references any additional executables, USB Guardian disables those as well. You can access the drive as normal and, should you determine that the autorun is safe, unlock the various files via USB Guardian's simple interface.

Download it here!

Antivirus-Multi

Sometimes, one virus scanner isn't enough. If you have a particular directory that you want to keep as scanned and secured as possible (like, say, your default downloads directory), then it's worth your while to check out Antivirus-Multi. This simple application uses the command-line interface of antivirus scanners to run multiple scans of a given directory with a large swath of programs at once.  The configuration isn't the easiest in the world, and you need the .NET Framework 3.5 installed prior to using the app, but that's a small price to pay for extreme system security, right?

Download it here!

Wondershare Time Freeze

Virtualization software is nothing new; I've covered a ton of these various apps before. For those new, however, here's the quick summary--if you want to install programs or fiddle around without messing up the actual contents of your system, you do your modifications in a virtual environment. Said software doesn't actually affect the normal working condition of your system and you can wipe/delete/turn-on/turn-off the virtualized OS at your leisure.

Wondershare Time Freeze--free for a limited time only--works directly with your operating system to shield the "real" contents of your system with a "protection mode" that you can toggle on and off. Install apps in the protected mode and, if you don't like the changes, you can delete all the modifications by rebooting your system. However--and this is the cool part--you can let said changes pass through the protected mode and actually affect your system with the touch of a button as well. It's one thing to block your system from modifications; it's another story entirely to allow them!

One caveat: Wondershare Time Freeze only works with 32-bit versions of the Windows OS.

Download it here!

UserAssistView

This one's easy. Windows runs an internal list of all the programs or applications that have been launched on the system by the active user. If you'd like to gain access to that list for whatever discernable reason (who the heck ran virushardcoreohno.exe?), all you need to do is fire up the easy-to-use application UserAssistView. You'll get a detailed list of everything that's been launched on the system, though that might not help you much in tracking down whoever the actual person was that did things to/on your machine...

Download it here!

David Murphy (@ Acererak) is a technology journalist and former Maximum PC editor. He writes weekly columns about the wide world of open-source as well as weekly roundups of awesome, freebie software. Befriend him on Twitter, especially if you have an awesome app or game you're dying to recommend!