How to use a Virtual Machine for web browsing for better security
A Virtual Machine (VM) is an emulated computer system that is running within your main Operating System (OS). Basically it lets you have a virtual computer running on top of your current computer that will isolate whatever software you run on that system from your main system. This adds an additional layer of security to your computing environment. It is easy and free to set up.
Why should you run your web browser inside of a VM? Because the web browser and it's various add-ons and plugins is one of the the most targeted methods of hacking into a person's computer. Every website that you visit could potentially be trying to load malicious software into your browser. Viruses can be delivered through 3rd party ad networks even on websites that you trust directly. The internet has never been a more dangerous place to be, so protecting your computing environment is very important.
This weblog entry contains a guide on how to set up a VM in Windows or Linux Mint using completely free software.
Step 1: download VirtualBox. VirtualBox is a hypervisor. A hypervisor is a piece of software that manages VMs. Now install it. An alternative hypervisor is VMware Player.
Step 2: download Linux Mint or Ubuntu or whatever other operating system you want to install. At the time of this blog post there is a free Windows 10 preview edition available. You will need to download the .iso file for the OS. This is basically a virtual copy of the installation CD (compact disc for any kids out there) and will allow you to install an OS onto the VM that we are going to set up.
Step 3: install your chosen OS into a new VM. There are many guides out there that are customized for each operating system. For example:
How to install Windows 10 in a virtual machine
How to install Linux Mint as a virtual machine using Windows in 5 easy steps
Installing Ubuntu inside Windows using VirtualBox
Step 4: at this point you should be able to start up your new VM using VirtualBox and follow the prompts to configure your new OS. After that you'll have a mini computer running in a window inside your current computer. Neat. Now install your favorite browser, import your bookmarks, and setup whatever browser add-ons you choose to run. Keep it up to date. Run an anti-virus program inside the VM. The security of what you do as you're browsing depends on it.
Step 5: form the habit of only using the VM to do web browsing. This is the hardest part. It is a bit of a pain to have a VM running all the time taking up system resources. If you have an older computer it might not be able to handle it very well. You might need to tweak some of the VM settings to make sure it has access to enough system resources, but isn't taking so many that it slows down your main OS. The additional security is well worth it if you do anything sensitive like online banking on your computer.
Protip: you can share the clip board between your main system and the VM to make moving data and files easy. This will slightly lower your security but makes the VM a lot more useful.
Protip: you might need to install the VirtualBox Guest Additions to get all of the features in the VM to work properly.
I will soon be making a blog post about which add-ons to run in your browser to improve your security.
I have compiled a list of reasons that i think will beneifit anyone for donating to the Bunny Money Drive
Top 10 reasons to donate to the search
1. it might get you laid
2. it's hella fun
3. all the cool kids are doing it
4. why not try something new?
5. it's big in Japan
6. the weather is bad and you can't go outside
7. it's stimulating. In a good way. A very good way. Oh yeah.
8=====D
9. per hour its a good value
10. you've already watched all of Netflix
Yes this is the real Codys Corner website. Yes it is not very pretty. Yes it does work just fine!
I am sick of all of the flashiness and fancy design of the "modern" web. Web pages are supposed to be simple and elegant.
I am doing a minimalist design to protest against the bloat that exists on most web sites.
At it's core, the web is a way for people to share ideas and information with each other.
That shouldn't require a degree in graphic design or a team of programmers to achieve.
Why complicate things? Plain old HTML works just fine for many use cases.