Evorim is free software which monitors and micromanages all processes, and subprocesses, on your computer with regard to internet access. It does this immensely better than anything else I've found, and I've been actively looking for years. You need it.
Attempting to manage internet security by hand, or even with other security tools, is a nightmare without end. And it is getting worse by the day. If you are not a security expert, and probably even if you think you are, you have no real idea how bad the problem is.
Evorim will quickly bring you up to speed on the problem and, even more remarkably, will provide an easy path to gaining control of your computer while still having access to the internet as YOU see fit.
Windows OS itself has dozens and dozens of trojan horses and Benedict Arnold "services" which track your every breath, fink out your privacy to Microsoft, and annoyingly shove "updates" up your ass whether you want them, require them, or not. Other programs do the same. They are generally not doing this for your benefit, but for theirs: you are their cow, and their business model calls for their cow to be milked often.
Nearly every other program on your computer attempts to do the same. It is like endless gang rape from all comers.
Since you guys are my friends, I decided to tell you how to end it -- and give yourself both increased piece of mind AND vastly improved awareness and security.
http://www.evorim.com/en/free-firewall
http://www.sevenforums.com/network-sharing/396971-how-block-all-programs-having-internet-access-except-specific-ones.html
Suggestions: download and install. Read the second link, even though the interface and options have changed somewhat.
You can AND SHOULD back up your default configuration before you start, since if you turn something off and later find out you need it, you may otherwise find yourself having to erase the program just to stop the blocking. Backing up your configuration is from within Evorim at the bottom of Settings-> General-> EXPORT SETTINGS.
I also suggest you set "Start with Windoze" under "Application". And maybe "Derive domain names" and maybe audio playback under Presentation. Both under the same tab. And then EXPORT setting again.
You may need to play with it a little bit to fine tune it to your preferences, but it learns very quickly. Start using your computer with your internet connection open and watch the various "safe" programs on your computer demonstrate who they really owe alliance to! Almost everything you can do without. I approved my browser (which is certainly not "Edge", nor "Chrome") and approximately nothing else.
The Microsoft "updates" are nearly always either additional Microsoft exploits, to milk you better, or security patches on top of security patches, because the OS is so badly written. BTW, you CAN run Evorim on top of Defender - but personally I don't want Defender, or anything else, accessing the internet on its own. Nearly all malware you might download from the internet is probably going to use the internet to make the exploit work, and Evorim block that also, I should think.
Under the START tab, click on Enabled...and watch the rat fink programs and processes squirm and squeal! If in doubt (and you will be) block them "one time only", so you can figure out which ones still work just fine.
You will probably find that almost everything still provides all the functionality you need -- unless you need the application to know everything about you.
Why am I giving this great gift to you guys? So you won't expect me to mail you a card when Christmas Comes! ;-)
If you like Evorim, I suggest you donate something to the author. He is providing something NOBODY else effectively provides and something, self-apparently, NONE of the other software vendors want you to have. If we don't support him, how can he support us? Whoever the programmer is, he obviously has very specialized and detailed knowledge.
Something like Evorim SHOULD be the default for all decent operating systems. But that doesn't maximize profits and keep you trapped in a Skinner Box. So don't look for something like Evorim to be included by default! Your Masters don't want you using something like Evorim. They OWN you and exploit you more than ever with the internet, and they like it that way!
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