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Hi

BACKGROUND

I was on a sabbatical from Windows for a while, but I am back with a new LG Ultra laptop (GTX1650, 40gb ram, i7-10510U, 512gb & 2tb NMVe SSDs)

By trade, I am a digital marketer, but a tech at heart. I have built boxes from scratch and I have the CompTIA A+, the CompTIA Network+, and CompTIA Security+ certifications.

I was paranoid about Malware and I would stack a large amount of apps.

Here are some of the apps in my previous stack(that I can remember):

Bitdefender Total Protection (Paid)

MalwareBytes (Paid)

Comodo Internet Security (Free)

WinPatrol (Free)

Avast (Free)

AdwCleaner (Free)

SUPERAntiSypware (Free)

Avira (Free)

CCleaner (Free) - yes, technically not an anti-malware, but, it does help with the cleanup

Browser Plugins- Bitdefender Trafficlight (Free)

Browser Plugins- Avast or AVG (Free)

Browser Plugins- Web Of Trust (Free)

Browser Plugins- and one other (not NOScript, or anything that would risk breaking the Js on the page) (Free)

There were likely 2 or 3 more on-demand scanners installed... Yes, all at once...

Before I stepped away from Windows (in 2017), I was looking into Sandboxing apps (aside from Comodo).

Sandboxie looked like what I wanted, but it failed a few Ransomeware tests that Comodo passed, so I stuck with Comodo.

Also- voodooshield was looking NICEEEEEE. To have an app that completely locks your computer down can be dangerous if it's buggy, but it seems like some of the strongest protection possible. (P.s. I have not looked into voodooshield lately)

......

My main desktop I have been running on is an iMac. I have Bitdefender Box. For Bitdefender, the overall app control and UI could be ALOT better, but I care most about the protection capabilities, and Bitdefender has proven itself.

WHAT'S THE PLAN

I will stick with Bitdefender Box, but I wanted to stack some other protection. Here's what I have in mind:

STACK 1 ---------- Current plan

Bitdefender Box/Total Security (Paid)

MalwareBytes (Paid)

Voodooshield (Paid)

Windows Defender (Free)

Browser Plugins- Bitdefender Trafficlight (Free)

Browser Plugins- MalwareBytes (Free)

Browser Plugins- Avast Online Security (Free)

STACK 2 ----------

Bitdefender Box/Total Security (Paid)

MalwareBytes (Paid)

Voodooshield (Paid)

Windows Defender (Free)

Comodo Internet Security (Free)

Browser Plugins- Bitdefender Trafficlight (Free)

Browser Plugins- MalwareBytes (Free)

Browser Plugins- Avast Online Security (Free)

STACK 3 ----------

Bitdefender Box/Total Security (Paid)

MalwareBytes (Paid)

Voodooshield (Paid)

Windows Defender (Free)

Comodo Internet Security (Free) - disable realtime scanning. Keep HIPS enabled and just use for running Sandboxed Comodo Dragon browser instances

Browser Plugins- Bitdefender Trafficlight (Free)

Browser Plugins- MalwareBytes (Free)

Browser Plugins- Avast Online Security (Free)

STACK 4 ----------

Bitdefender Box/Total Security (Paid)

MalwareBytes (Paid)

Voodooshield (Paid)

Windows Defender (Free)

Sandboxie

Browser Plugins- Bitdefender Trafficlight (Free)

Browser Plugins- MalwareBytes (Free)

Browser Plugins- Avast Online Security (Free)

I might cut the Avast plugin. I will see...

YOUR THOUGHTS

Assuming all of the above will work together without issue, 1. what do you think I should go with?

2. Do you have other recommendations for a stack that includes Bitdefender?

I am curious to learn what other people are using right now, for desktop apps, home firewalls, and browser plugins/extensions.

3. Is the current Voodooshield well-rated?

4. Are there alternatives to Voodooshield?

5. Is sandboxing still a thing?

6. What apps are recommended for sandboxing?

7. Are you successfully running 2 or more of the following; Bitdefender, MalwareBytes, Voodooshield?

8. Any other advice, industry news I should keep in mind (Yes, Backups are important)

9. What's your stack?

Read the rest here:
What to use? New Security Stack - Rate It - Offer Recommendations - Anti-Virus, Anti-Malware, and Privacy Software - BleepingComputer