Summary
- Several features that come as standard with Windows can increase an attacker’s surface area and can be used against you.
- Disabling these features will improve your Windows security, but these features aren’t necessary to be disabled as extra layers of security are always key:
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- Turn off automatic connection to Wi-Fi networks that you don’t trust, such as public networks, and connect manually to encrypt all of your internet traffic and avoid any malicious attacks.
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- The WebClient service can be disabled as it is an unnecessary service that is vulnurable to remote code execution and drive-by attacks.
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- The Print Spooler service is another service that isn’t essential and can be disabled as it is a potential point of entry and can be exploited.
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- Toggle off Network Discovery so that your PC cannot find other devices on the network, and disable Windows Script Host as scripts are often used in malicious attacks.
These features aren’t insecure themselves but can be exploited, so consider disabling them if they aren’t in use to mitigate any potential attacks. This, however, doesn’t eliminate the need for other Windows security measures.