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I have a project with very critical information from business clients. I will buy a new laptop for this to manage/handle/analyze that information.

All I need is:

  • WAMP to run php script only on localhost

  • Notepad++ or other IDE

  • Chrome browser to access gmail, google drive, amazon aws etc.

  • Winscp to connect with external server

Windows

So first about Windows 10. I can buy laptop with Windows 10 Home preinstalled. Or I can buy freedos version and install Windows 10 Pro. In later case I will need to download it from Windows website and create bootable usb in other laptop where Windows is already installed. I am not sure if there are any potential security risk that in case if the second computer is infected it will infect also usb?

Apps

I am not sure how I could omit any risk about Wamp, Notepad++, Winscp. Yes all of them are trusted apps, but you never know right? So my question is, are the these apps secure enough to be used on environments where security is extremely important? Are there any step I should do once installed? Maybe once installed I should set proper firewall and disable any updates for it and then just keep eye if there are any security updates on their website?

I may sound paranoid, but again the client information is very critical and the leak could result in big losses.

Community
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newbie1234
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  • So you're worried about the apps having vulnerabilities? The apps being, or becoming, malicious, themselves? – schroeder Nov 18 '19 at 21:08
  • Yes that is correct, the apps being vulnerabilities or becoming through future updates. – newbie1234 Nov 18 '19 at 21:09
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    There's nothing you can do except to update as soon as you can. At some point, you need to trust something. – schroeder Nov 18 '19 at 21:14
  • Although you often hear about updates introducing new vulnerabilities, the rule of thumb for promoting security is to update early and often. It is usually better to get the new vulnerabilities that hackers have not developed exploits for yet than to keep the old ones that hackers are ready to attack. – chillsauce Nov 19 '19 at 18:52
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    Care getting the applications from their official sites, you might want also to check the integrity of an installer, see e.g. here https://winscp.net/eng/docs/installation#verifying (disclosure - I am associated with WinSCP) – Petr Nov 19 '19 at 20:28

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