Software security in 2026 - Practical tips for the mildly paranoid
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Software security in 2026 - Practical tips for the mildly paranoid
Updated: June 5, 2026
The "modern" Web is one giant pile of crap. If you disagree, you should probably close this article<br>now, as pretty much anything I write here won't really matter. If you believe social media, vertical<br>videos and apps are cool and amazing, have at it. On the other hand, if you still practice sensible<br>computing, use your desktop as a good, trusty tool, find little joy in smartphones, and you feel<br>concerned about the direction the Internet is going in, then you may want to stick around for some good<br>old-fashioned security tips from a dinosaur.
In this guide, I want to talk about what you can do to make your online experience slightly less<br>sufferable. I can't promise any great satisfaction, but I can perhaps lessen your pain. Furthermore,<br>with "AI" blurring the lines between lightweight crap and heavyweight crap that passes off as the Web<br>today, you really need to exercise extra caution, if you want your Internet to be quiet and pristine.<br>Let's commence.
Table of Contents
Word of caution
Browsing security
Browser choice
Secondary browser choice?
Browser extensions and adblocking
Browser settings
Mail security
Day to day emailing
Action and urgency
No action and no urgency
Examine mail header
Links
Attachments
Downloads (of any kind)
Software installers
Finding the right software
Multi-engine scan
Testing new software in isolation
Sandboxing in Windows
Sandboxing in Linux
Running Windows software in Linux
Documents
Media files
Non-default programs
Practical mitigations in common software
Use EMET (in older versions of Windows)
Use Exploit Protection (in Windows 10 onwards)
Use Linux sandboxing mechanisms
Additional hardening and mitigations
Automatic updates (or rather, not)
Kernel livepatching
System imaging
Smartphone security
How to find "safe" apps
Android specific tweaks
iOS (iPhone) specific tweaks
Cloud security
Networking devices and gadgets
Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
Password management
What about passkeys?
Conclusion
Word of caution
First, a wee disclaimer. My article isn't designed to be a foolproof formula for Internet<br>shenanigans. It won't protect you from state actors, it does not replace common sense (however you<br>define it) or healthy doubt. All of us, I repeat, all of us, from noobs to most tech literate<br>professionals, are susceptible to social engineering, and we will all, at some point, make this or that<br>mistake, whatever the circumstances. Hubris has no place in online security. The best you can do is be<br>constantly vigilant. It's a draining experience.
There's also a thin line between healthy practices and tin-foil hermitism, and you want to make sure<br>you don't turn your online use into a security nightmare. There's also no silver bullet, and no unified<br>method that can and will protect everyone, or all the time. My guide aims at giving you some defense<br>against nonsense, but you should always remember: the modern Web is a lose-lose game. You only choose<br>how much you are willing to lose.
I will mostly focus on desktop operating systems and usage aspects - Windows and Linux. I will<br>also provide some useful tips and tricks for Android and iPhone (iOS) users. There will be some small<br>mention of gadgets and other devices, as well as cloud and such. I still think this guide will be<br>beneficial to everyone.
Finally, there will be some tiny repetition in some of the sections, as certain programs and tools<br>offer multi-purpose usage. To make things easier to follow, I will focus on<br>functions rather than software, which is why certain programs may show<br>up more than once in this guide.
Now, let's commence most gingerly forward.
Browsing security
Arguably, this is probably the most important aspect of it all. On the desktop, mind. (Most) mobile<br>users will likely "enjoy" their Internet through apps, which are essentially single-website wrappers,<br>with no address bar shown, and some extra profiling and nonsense added into the mix. Still, I will also<br>address smartphone browsing, too. Anyway, your browser is your portal unto joy and pain.
Browser choice
I would recommend Firefox. For many many reasons:
It is the only major browser not based on Chromium. Thus, if and when the Chromium project<br>introduces changes, many of which are influenced by Google and Microsoft as companies behind Chrome<br>and Edge, then with Firefox, you have some level of freedom from those choices. Often, Mozilla<br>follows suits, but sometimes, it also exercises independence, with a bit more focus on user privacy<br>than the other players.
Firefox allows you to use the most awesome UBlock Origin (UBO) adblocking extension. We're<br>talking the Manifest V2 version, which is only still supported, among the big...