5 ms·

This probably deserves the new top spot in the 'security theater' competition. Cracked Windows, no security updates since 2018, iso distributed through some te

This probably deserves the new top spot in the 'security theater' competition. Cracked Windows, no security updates since 2018, iso distributed through some telegram channel. This is the software equivalent of trying to buy a homemade vaccine from craigslist because you're afraid that Bill Gates is going to microchip you.

NullPrefix 5y ago
If this is the most viable alternative, what does it say about the official version?
- alar44 5y ago
  It isn't, so nothing.
  - hedora 5y ago
    What more viable option achieves the goals of this project?
    - tyrfing 5y ago
      A WFP firewall like simplewall (by henry++, not the corporate one) can block everything by default, including services like Windows Update, and is IMO the most straightforward option.
      - deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
    - DavideNL 5y ago
      There seem to be a lot of scripts like [1] which basically have the same result, strip all the bloat and "spyware"...? [1] https://github.com/farag2/Sophia-Script-for-Windows https://github.com/farag2/Sophia-Script-for-Windows
topaz0 5y ago
The irony is that Windows is literally all about Bill Gates trying to microchip you.
- jodrellblank 5y ago
  There are adults old enough to drink in the USA who were born after Bill Gates stopped being CEO of Microsoft.
joshcryer 5y ago
It has all of the SSU and cumulative updates since 21H1. But anyway I doubt they put anything in there, should be easy enough to look at the scripts on the ISO or just patch it yourself. The ISO is just an 'easy' way to distribute it.
JoeMamaAME 5y ago
Windows Ameliorated does not require installing from an ISO. That was merely made for convenience, and for those without the basic technical knowledge required to perform a manual amelioration. There is detailed documentation for performing a manual amelioration, it uses fully open-source scripts, and is legal if you use a license key before running the scripts. (https://wiki.ameliorated.info/doku.php?id=documentation_21h1 https://wiki.ameliorated.info/doku.php?id=documentation_21h1) I do agree removing Windows Update does pose some security risk, however I don't think said risk is nearly as bad as some make it out to be, and I personally think the benefits of Windows Ameliorated greatly outweigh any security downsides. Also, AME does greatly help to mitigate the attack surface of Windows: Windows Ameliorated ships with a non-administrator user account by default, which mitigates ~70% of Windows vulnerabilities. (Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20210618023509/https://www.beyon https://web.archive.org/web/20210618023509/https://www.beyon...). Of course you can still do admin actions, it just requires the admin password.

NullPrefix 5y ago

If this is the most viable alternative, what does it say about the official version?

alar44 5y ago
It isn't, so nothing.
- hedora 5y ago
  What more viable option achieves the goals of this project?
  - tyrfing 5y ago
    A WFP firewall like simplewall (by henry++, not the corporate one) can block everything by default, including services like Windows Update, and is IMO the most straightforward option.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
  - DavideNL 5y ago
    There seem to be a lot of scripts like [1] which basically have the same result, strip all the bloat and "spyware"...? [1] https://github.com/farag2/Sophia-Script-for-Windows https://github.com/farag2/Sophia-Script-for-Windows

topaz0 5y ago

The irony is that Windows is literally all about Bill Gates trying to microchip you.

jodrellblank 5y ago
There are adults old enough to drink in the USA who were born after Bill Gates stopped being CEO of Microsoft.

joshcryer 5y ago

It has all of the SSU and cumulative updates since 21H1. But anyway I doubt they put anything in there, should be easy enough to look at the scripts on the ISO or just patch it yourself. The ISO is just an 'easy' way to distribute it.

JoeMamaAME 5y ago

Windows Ameliorated does not require installing from an ISO. That was merely made for convenience, and for those without the basic technical knowledge required to perform a manual amelioration. There is detailed documentation for performing a manual amelioration, it uses fully open-source scripts, and is legal if you use a license key before running the scripts. (https://wiki.ameliorated.info/doku.php?id=documentation_21h1 https://wiki.ameliorated.info/doku.php?id=documentation_21h1) I do agree removing Windows Update does pose some security risk, however I don't think said risk is nearly as bad as some make it out to be, and I personally think the benefits of Windows Ameliorated greatly outweigh any security downsides. Also, AME does greatly help to mitigate the attack surface of Windows: Windows Ameliorated ships with a non-administrator user account by default, which mitigates ~70% of Windows vulnerabilities. (Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20210618023509/https://www.beyon https://web.archive.org/web/20210618023509/https://www.beyon...). Of course you can still do admin actions, it just requires the admin password.