About the Security Wizard

Here at Gizmos Freeware users ask us everyday what security products they should be using on their PCs.

It's a fair question and one that is surprisingly difficult to answer.

That's because individual users vary greatly in their technical knowledge so security product recommendations have to be appropriate to the user’s skill. There is no point for example, in recommending a high-performance firewall to a non-technical Windows user as they would be confused and annoyed by the dozens of pop-up confirmation windows generated by advanced firewalls.

The user's security risk level is another variable. Some people only use their PC to check e-mail and do Google searches while others will surf to the nether regions of the web and download pirated software programs.  These users have very different security software needs.

A final difficulty in providing advice is that there are now many different versions of Windows in use. Many of today's security products won't work on Windows 9X. Similarly many won't work on 64 bit versions of Windows Vista or Windows 7.

The idea behind the wizard was to ask the user a series of simple questions that would allow us to determine the version of Windows they were using,  their level of security risk and their general level of experience and technical knowledge. The wizard would then use this information to generate customised set of recommendations tailored to the user's specific requirements.

When we started this project we realised we would have to deal with many dozens of different combinations of the key variables and generate specific recommendations for each. We knew this would be a daunting task but one that simply had to be addressed.

Right from the start we agreed that all recommendations would make use of free software rather than commercial software. That's not only because our website concentrates on free software but also was recognition of the fact that the appropriate combinations of free security software can provide as much protection to the user's PC as commercial software.

The wizard is targeted towards average users rather than computer experts. That's because experts have the knowledge and resources to make their own security product selections while average users do not.

"Average users" as a class are defined here not by their computer experience but as those having a limited technical  knowledge of computers. This includes many long-time PC users who have no interest in the technical side of computing.

It also includes students, first-time users, self-professed Luddites and anyone whose main interest in PCs is just a tool for doing a job. 

It is this group that has the greatest difficulty in selecting appropriate security products as  the selection process necessarily involves a number of complex technical issues.

It is the function of the wizard to simplify security product selection by asking users a series of non-technical questions and then using this information to suggest the most appropriate security solutions.

The security wizard asks you three different sets of questions in order to determine:

1. The operating system you use

2. Your level of PC technical skills

3. Your level of security risk

Determining your operating system is straightforward, but grading your technical skills and security risk is more complex.

PC Technical Skills

The wizard needs to have a knowledge of your PC technical skills in order to recommend products that you are capable of using.

For example there is no point recommending a complex firewall or HIPS to a beginner as they would not be capable of properly configuring or using such a product.

The questions the wizard asks are directly related to the skills needed to use security software.  We are not trying to measure your general technical competence and knowledge, but rather the particular set of skills that directly relate to security software usage. 

Here are the questions we ask in order to derive an overall score for PC technical skill level.

1. Do you know how to stop a program running automatically at Windows startup?:
a. No
b. I could do this with guidance 
c. Yes, I know how to start or stop programs running automatically

2. Do you know how to use the Windows Task Manager to kill a process?:
a. No 
b. I could do this with guidance
c.I know how to do this 

3. Do you know how to edit the Windows Registry?:
a. No I don't
b. I could do this with guidance
c. I know how to do this

4. Do you know how to back up Windows using drive imaging?
a. No
b. Yes

Your responses to these questions are the  used to create a PC technical skill index.  The wizard generates different security recommendations depending on your skill index  So for example the products recommended for non-technical users are less demanding on the user's skill than those generated for technical users.

Security Risk

Some users take very little risk during their computer activities, while others engage in highly risky behavior.  Users with a high risk profile need more robust protection for their PC than low risk users. The security wizard attempts to determine your level of risk by asking a series of questions.  The questions are:

1. Have you ever downloaded free games or screensavers?
a. No
b. Yes

2. Have you ever visited a crack or warez site?
a. No
b. Yes

3. Do you download software using BitTorrent?
a. No
b. Yes

4. Do you use software given to you by friends?
a. No 
b. Yes

Your responses to these questions are then used to create a PC security risk index.  Based on your risk index the wizard generates security recommendations appropriate to your risk.  The suggestions for high-risk users generally involve more robust and complex products than those suggested for lower-risk users. However the final recommendations also depend on user skill level as there is no point recommending products a user cannot effectively use.

The security wizard was developed by a special project team at Gizmos Freeware. Like everyone else at Gizmo's Freeware, all the team members are unpaid volunteers who give their time generously in support of the idea of free software. 

Core team members

• Antti Koponen
• Rik Mayell
• Gizmo Richards
• Jonathan Tang

Other contributors

• Joe Bennett
• Marc Darkin
• Peter Herbert
• Fabrizio Lodi
• Chris Price
• Joe Thompson

This site gratefully acknowledges the contribution of these individuals to this project and to the Internet community.

We would like to thank all the users from Wilders Security Forums who helped refine the recommendations of the wizard through participation in a closed beta test . The final version of the wizard is all the better for their suggestions.

We would also like to thank Mike Farrell, the co-owner of the Wilders Forums, for his kind permission to allow us to invite his forum members to participate in the beta testing.

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