Post by Noel on Feb 15, 2016 18:44:21 GMT -6
I have finally put the finishing touches on a script I've been developing called HostsCompiler.bat.
Ho...what you say?
HostsCompiler.bat - augments your local hosts file with a large number of blacklist entries gathered from some very nice lists published online. By resolving badware server names to 0.0.0.0, any requests that would be made to those servers are immediately aborted.
Why do I want to use my hosts file as a blacklist, you ask?
Have you ever wanted:
- Safety from sites that serve malware?
- Browsing free of ads?
- Faster web page loading time?
- Protection from malware phoning home?
This will do all these things, and may represent the single most significant thing you can do to improve your system's security.
How to use it? Follow these simple steps:
- Download Noel.ProDigitalSoftware.com/files/HostsCompiler.zip
- Unzip all the files into a new folder, just for this tool. Everything it needs is there.
- Run HostsCompiler.bat As Administrator.
- Enjoy your improved browsing experience!
And, since the folks who publish the blacklists that go into hosts are actually managing their lists, you can schedule HostsCompiler.bat to run as often as you like, and always have an updated blacklist. It only actually takes a few seconds to run, and a command line such as the following in a scheduled job will get it done. I've been doing this for years!
HostsCompiler.bat NoPrompt >>C:\Some\Folder\HostsCompiler.log 2>&1
This script preserves whatever you've put in your hosts file already and adds to the end of it. If it's run multiple times it replaces what it added the time prior.
For reference, and so you can check to see the results, your hosts file resides in this directory:
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
I can't overstress how effective this is. The only possible downside is that a web page may choose not to give you the information it would normally send. Forbes, for example, has a habit of putting up a "You appear to be running an ad blocker. Please disable it." There are workarounds, but I really just suggest browsing elsewhere. There's plenty of info out there.
Please let me know how it works for you.
-Noel