What kind of software should beginners know?

[crwth]

If you have met with someone who is not tech-savvy and is having a hard time in the cryptocurrency space and all the cold wallet/hot wallet and private critical stuff that everyone will encounter. What is the software that will help protect from hacks, privacy, clean, and many more, that would be useful for non-tech savvy users and somewhat "teachable" stuff to them?

The software that I think would be useful for beginners/non-tech savvy users

• VPN
• Password Manager
• Anti-virus software
• Two-Factor Authentication app

I'm not really sure but maybe this could help some other people or something.

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[NeuroticFish]

VPN
Anti-virus software

While these are not directly Bitcoin related, I do see benefits in telling more about them (or at least some of them) to the world. However, please do some research on the forum to avoid duplication; because there were discussions at least about Password managers and 2FA apps, but I don't know if a proper presentation/comparison was done.

In the context of anti-virus, also the possible benefit of having a separate Linux (partition, VM or WSL) only for transactions could be part of discussion.
And I would also like to see a discussion about VPN - which worth using and why - and a comparison(?) between VPN, TOR and use of proxies (free/hacked or not).

[PrivacyG]

In the context of anti-virus, also the possible benefit of having a separate Linux (partition, VM or WSL) only for transactions could be part of discussion.

You can also use Tails for broadcasting transactions.  But I would like an input from someone who knows more and better than I do.  Is an anti virus truly safe?  Do they not scan computer files?  If yes, does my wallet.dat file not get scanned in the process?  Sure, you can add the Bitcoin folder to the list of exceptions.  But still, the popular and best anti viruses are closed source.  I do not trust them.

And I would also like to see a discussion about VPN - which worth using and why - and a comparison(?) between VPN, TOR and use of proxies (free/hacked or not).

There was this list of VPN's that sell your data.  It included VPN's that supposedly do not.  Many of the popular ones collect, analyze and sell your data.  I would not use VPN's because it seems like a false impression of having privacy.  Maybe the only situation in which I see them useful is for local websites that deny access to Tor nodes.  But otherwise, Tor all the way.

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Regards,
PrivacyG

[NeuroticFish]

There was this list of VPN's that sell your data.  It included VPN's that supposedly do not.  Many of the popular ones collect, analyze and sell your data.  I would not use VPN's because it seems like a false impression of having privacy.  Maybe the only situation in which I see them useful is for local websites that deny access to Tor nodes.  But otherwise, Tor all the way.

I know that, although I don't know the list of them (not that it would matter much yet). I've used TOR, I didn't use VPN. I don't see real benefits in using VPN, but I may be missing something and that's why I'd like more info in this.

Is an anti virus truly safe?  Do they not scan computer files?  If yes, does my wallet.dat file not get scanned in the process?  Sure, you can add the Bitcoin folder to the list of exceptions.  But still, the popular and best anti viruses are closed source.  I do not trust them.

They do scan files; some scan only known executable files, for some you can set only certain extensions, or set folders to not be scanned, some will scan all. And most will also sell all the data they can.
It's one of the reasons I use hardware wallet.

You can also use Tails for broadcasting transactions.

You can indeed use Tails. Imho a better use for Tails would be for cold storage (obviously offline) and keep a watch only wallet on your main online PC (and broadcast from there).
But setting up persistence in Tails is not for everybody; also some don't trust Electrum that comes bundled into Tails because you cannot really verify it. But overall I do like to have a Tails stick around; last time I've used it it also had TOR by default iirc.

[mk4]

Screw software to begin with — what you need at the start is education. You can have a hardware wallet and the most secure devices in the world but you'd still end up screwed if you know what you're doing. If the person understands security risks a decent amount already, he/she would know the important software needed.

[Charles-Tim]

The software that I think would be useful for beginners/non-tech savvy users

• VPN
• Password Manager
• Anti-virus software
• Two-Factor Authentication app

But beginners can bring more risk to themselves if they do not use the right ones. Example is using a free VPN that can result to more ways that malware can be downloaded and installed on their device and leading to hackers compromising wallet device and wallet to steal coins, or their data sold by the free VPN providers to third party.

Also I will recommend beginners to know the difference between Tor and VPN and to know how Tor is better, especially while maintaining privacy or anonymity on noncustododial wallets. Privacy and anonymity are better on decentralized Tor servers than a most likely single server operated by VPN providers.

Antivirus (anti-malware) can be of help but I will recommend ublock origin too as ETFbitcoin recommend it, for blocking ads.

Use of 2FA that are close source is not recommended if there are open source ones like Aegis and Tofu. Also beginners must know they should not have their 2FA app on the same device they have their wallet or what they used the 2FA for. I do not recommend 2FA that makes use of online cloud for backups, I prefer the offline ones.

[decodx]

The first line of defense for non-tech savvy people against online threats is to use common sense and avoid doing anything that could harm their online security. There is no software that can fully protect us from human stupidity.

We may (and should) use antivirus software in our computers, but this doesn’t change the fact that our computers are still managed by the same human beings who do stupid things. Antivirus software doesn’t protect us from social engineering. Attackers can infiltrate systems with simple e-mails, phishing scams or social engineering phone calls, to name a few, that fool users into giving away their credentials.
The only way to avoid dangerous situations in cyberspace is by being very vigilant. Users should be aware of how to protect themselves from potential dangers and refrain from clicking on suspicious e-mails or clicking on malicious links in messages.

When in doubt, don't click!

[lovesmayfamilis]

Newbie and privacy? Do you really believe in it? What is needed for this? Take a young man who first learned about the Internet, and first tell him and explain all the risks of disclosing his identity on the network. Today, children from the age of 5 sit on the Internet, post photos, talk about themselves, and when they grow up, they try to delete their information, which is simply impossible to destroy.
We must talk about privacy from the cradle, otherwise, everything else is nonsense. Whatever you do today, your footprint is already on the internet. It remains only to spread it as little as possible.

[PrivacyG]

One thing I did not think about when writing my last post.  The first and most important move may be learning about Linux.  This is the first thing you should do if you care about transparency, security and privacy.  Furthermore, you can install a clean Linux distro on an old computer of yours and use that ONLY for Bitcoin transactions.  No need to use anti virus when you do not even access anything besides your Bitcoin wallet on that computer.

They do scan files; some scan only known executable files, for some you can set only certain extensions, or set folders to not be scanned, some will scan all. And most will also sell all the data they can.
It's one of the reasons I use hardware wallet.

Oh God, you can only imagine how much data Microsoft collects and sells through their default anti virus that seems like impossible to disable or kill.  It is almost like it never truly stops scanning even when disabled, I wonder why just eerie.

last time I've used it it also had TOR by default iirc.

Tails does have system wide TOR enabled by default.

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Regards,
PrivacyG

[jerry0]

Do virtual machines protect you from malware and keyloggers?  What about linux?


The thing is if you click on a link that might be dangerous, does the VM protect it or not?  What about paid anti virus like kaspersky or norton etc if you use windows?

[PX-Z]

Do virtual machines protect you from malware and keyloggers?  What about linux?


The thing is if you click on a link that might be dangerous, does the VM protect it or not?  What about paid anti virus like kaspersky or norton etc if you use windows?

Most virus format or compatibility is for windows OS, so its good to say that it won't affect and linux os is safe for most of the known virus.

Clicking url is not enough, the url page should be accessed before the browser and anti virus react to it if.

Mostly if you installed an ad blocker, which url domains are whitelisted or blocked it react immediately just by clicking the url imo.

[vapourminer]

But I would like an input from someone who knows more and better than I do.  Is an anti virus truly safe?  Do they not scan computer files?  If yes, does my wallet.dat file not get scanned in the process?  Sure, you can add the Bitcoin folder to the list of exceptions.  But still, the popular and best anti viruses are closed source.  I do not trust them.

i use AV, but i do go through the settings and disable stuff that sends questionable files/data to their servers for analysis as i dont want parts of private files being sent off yonder. so no cloud based stuff. check all settings.

definitely exclude your drive/folder that has the blockchain as the blockchain has had snippets of viruses uploaded in the past. the AV will "fix" the blockchain invalidating it if it actually scans every file in the drive/folder (some AV may only scan .exe etc so might be OK). been a while but i seem to remember that being an issue.

the other day i sent a bitcoin addy via email to myself and my AV deleted it in microsoft outlook before my eyes. as in i saw it and then watched it get deleted in a second. i was NOT impressed. some update enabled email scanning and once i found the setting and disabled it the email went through.. with a modified subject field that said "spam.. extortion protection" or some such as it said it found a crypto address.

WTF

this was paid bitdefender btw

[Despairo]

Mentioning isn't enough, you need to explain how to use it safely and not go wrong side.

VPN

There are 2 type VPNs, paid and free VPN. Both free and paid are worked, but free VPN is bad for your privacy. Not all paid VPNs are good, the good one is NordVPN.

Password Manager

When you use Chrome, the password manager is from Google which is very bad privacy for you. Don't forget Google is spying your history and browser, so use other browser offer good privacy e.g. TOR, Mozilla and good password manager e.g. Keepass, Yubikey

Anti-virus software

Beware of installing unknown anti virus, many anti virus software are weight, uBlock is lighter.

Two-Factor Authentication app

2FA need to be installed on another device, many people installed 2FA in the same device. It's not 2FA anymore and you kill the purpose of 2FA, it's prevent from malware can't access your 2FA since you have separate device. Google 2FA isn't good for privacy, better go with Aegis.

[tranthidung]

• VPN
• Password Manager
• Two-Factor Authentication app

I have some links to support your post

VPNs

• https://www.safetydetectives.com/best-vpns/
• https://www.privacytools.io/#vpn

Password managers

• [GUIDE] How to Create a Strong/Secure Password
• https://keepass.info/
• https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?hl=en&id=com.android.keepass (Keepass for Android)
• https://bitwarden.com/

Two-factor Authentication app

• Aegis Authenticator, a decent alternative to Google Authenticator and Authy

[mk4]

Do virtual machines protect you from malware and keyloggers?

The thing is if you click on a link that might be dangerous, does the VM protect it or not?

Virtual machines help in a way that you have a contained environment to do stuff that you'd deem risky; hence you can infect that VM with as much malware as you want and there's a great chance that your main OS won't be harmed.

What about linux?

Linux isn't necessarily more secure, but the fact is — most malware is made for Windows devices.

What about paid anti virus like kaspersky or norton etc if you use windows?

They can help in some instances, but security mostly depends on the user, and far less about the anti-malware.


P.S. I've seen you post questions quite a bit, and most of the time your posts can be quite annoying to respond to because you have like 4-8 questions in every post. Maybe calm down a bit lol.

[Cookdata]

.....

Security and Privacy are what I have to share with a newbie, it is possible that a new person may learn all that you have listed above but may hardly know the difference between privacy and security. For example, to achieve privacy, you can use a VPN but not all VPNs are that secured especially the few ones you see around are most of the free server locations they provide are all US and the US is prohibited in some countries. If they learned that two,  any software wouldn't be a problem especially when it comes to know the difference between open source and close source.

[electronicash]

why not just TOR and wallet like electrum. that's just it. some users just don't want to complicate things on their computer. i have some suspicions about those password manager, i'd rather just save them on a txt file or just remember it.

i don't even use TOR because the exchange might see a security breach, i don't want them to notice my account anymore and go thru all the troubles again of verifying. i only use it if i really need to go to a .onion site.

[tranthidung]

why not just TOR and wallet like electrum.

Electrum is not good for your anonymity and privacy. If you want a better wallet, let's use Wasabi wallet.

Electrum is more easily to use, lighter in storage and in my opinion, it is good enough for simple people who only need to make Bitcoin transactions. That wallet has changed addresses to use as well. However, if you are serious with anonymity and privacy, Electrum wallet is not for you: no Tor, no Coinjoin transactions.

If use Electrum, remember to verify it before using

• [GUIDE] How to Safely Download and Verify Electrum

[Chikito]

Do virtual machines protect you from malware and keyloggers?

for wallet? that bad idea. it also depends on what OS you want to install. if also windows, better undo it.
If only have 1 device, I've suggested you create the dual boot. just shrink your Hardisk to about 10 GB and create Linux beside windows.
if you don't want to bother, use tails OS on a stick.

why not just TOR and wallet like electrum.

Electrum is not good for your anonymity and privacy. If you want a better wallet, let's use Wasabi wallet.

Electrum can connect through tor for privacy.


https://driftwoodpalace.github.io/Hodl-Guide/hodl-guide_66_electrum-tor.html#setup-electrum

[Natalim]

Two-Factor Authentication app is enough and understanding how to protect your password and other important files on your computer is very important. I don't know about anti-virus, I read somewhere that it's not recommended, instead, just avoid downloading files or visiting an unsecured website.

Further, you can also protect your privacy or prevent hacks if you use another computer for your daily activities (non-accessing of crypto assets), as the other computer is dedicated to crypto transactions only. My recommendation works for me, hopefully this helps.