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Keeping your DAW off Internet

Synetos

Departed Member
I am wondering if many people do this anymore?

I am going to try to make it work, and only connect if I cant find any other way to update my system.

The idea being that I can turn off all the security junk and AV, and not have to worry about getting infected.

I run three Windows 10 machines in my studio, and I have them all connected. I RDP into what is now my Internet only machine over a private network.

I suppose there is still a chance I could get a bug on my DAW that way.

Anyone else have ideas on how to make this work and keep a clean workflow?
 
My daw is on a separate computer. I only go online to download & authorize plugins or upload to deliver material. It's disconnected otherwise plus I don't surf the net with it either.

Use Windows Pro & Group Policy Editor to shut down unwanted items Cortana or auto updates. I only have Windows Defender installed & it never interrupts or degrades performance.
 
Use Windows Pro & Group Policy Editor to shut down unwanted items Cortana or auto updates. I only have Windows Defender installed & it never interrupts or degrades performance.

I also use GP and registry to disable services I dont want running.

I was running ESET antivirus. It was not much of a problem, but still slowed down some things. I cleaned everything off now, including Chrome.
 
With all the ransomware stories out there I would be anxious having a Windows computer connected all the time.

Maybe consider a separate, inexpensive laptop or other computer for online activity? Or [coughs] a Mac...
 
With all the ransomware stories out there I would be anxious having a Windows computer connected all the time.

Maybe consider a separate, inexpensive laptop or other computer for online activity? Or [coughs] a Mac...

Thanks John.

I was nervous...cause I was hacked once in the past a few years ago when I had my firewall turned off.

As of this morning, I now have a dedicated Windows 10 Pro machine just for Internet, and my DAW and VST host offline.

I could take it even further and not have a separate network card setup to RDP into the Internet machine from my DAW, but I have not gone that far...yet. I am not sure if one could get a virus through an RDP connection?

I also run VPN software on my Internet computer. There isnt any data on that computer, or any personal stuff at all.

Haha...I actually have a MacBook, but I still like working with just one mouse and keyboard and my multiple monitor setup.
 
With all the ransomware stories out there I would be anxious having a Windows computer connected all the time.

Maybe consider a separate, inexpensive laptop or other computer for online activity? Or [coughs] a Mac...

I can't even remember the last time I got any form of malware on a Windows system. Maybe it was back in XP or W98. Fear mongering at best. I guess if one is searching for porn or illegal downloads your chances will increase.
 
I can't even remember the last time I got any form of malware on a Windows system. Maybe it was back in XP or W98. Fear mongering at best. I guess if one is searching for porn or illegal downloads your chances will increase.

I will assume you are trying to be funny, but I dont think it is funny to go through it.

But, sorry to disappoint your fantasy, it actually came from an old proaudio forum hack, and a weak password...not an actual takeover of my machine.

You really think that only porn sites or illegal downloads are how all people get infected? You might have crap on you machine and not even know it...all from your "pure" internet usage. A website is a website. Malware code gets embedded all kinds of ways. But...whatever.

Like getting your wallet stolen? Does that only happen when you are at a brothel?
 
Having all that overhead off my machine improved my CPU usage in Cubase substantially.
I now idle at about 5ms RT latency running 24/96k, with VEP and all my VSTs loaded, and about 8-10% average load CPU usage on the Cubase Performance Meter.
 
Plus don't forget many send auth.codes or dl links via email, those can be hacked or fraudulent as well. I always pay attention when dealing with anything online related whether it's my daw or personal computer.
 
I use Splice so I gotta stay connected.

Hackers aren’t extorting small fries for Bitcoin money. They go after businesses with important info who will cough up cash quickly to be done with the ordeal.
 
I use Splice so I gotta stay connected.

Hackers aren’t extorting small fries for Bitcoin money. They go after businesses with important info who will cough up cash quickly to be done with the ordeal.
Perhaps they practice on us little fish cause we wont be tracking them like a corporation.
 
Perhaps they practice on us little fish cause we wont be tracking them like a corporation.

It's not just practice. I'm sure I'm not alone in having received innumerable phishing emails, often with friends' email addresses attached. Not to mention phone calls from "the IRS" and "Microsoft Support."

They know they can sweep up $500 or $5,000 here and there and the cost to try is low.
 
I may be having this issue soon. My desktop that I use for everything but music is Windows 7 and too old to upgrade. So I'm thinking of using it for VEPro, which means it will need to connect to my music computer. Which connects to the internet. It's a fast computer and runs great. Seems silly to toss it.

I have not had any issues with ransomware (knock on wood) but my husband has. He mostly uses his computer to surf the web and watch YouTube videos so I just wipe it when it happens. He thinks it came from a fishing forum he goes to a lot.

I get IT security training constantly at work so I am less likely to click on something bad. But it still can happen. I think it helps to limit your internet usage to going directly to company sites to download products only when necessary. And unplug if you aren't using it. I usually download to my desktop and then copy over. But things like Native Access don't give you much choice. You can only do the best you can and maybe run Malwarebytes free once a month or more if you feel the need.
 
My slaves are all air gapped. My main DAW has a wifi card that I activate if I need to download something but otherwise it's off. In fact, unless it's something large I usually download stuff on my laptop and transfer it to the studio machines via thumb drive.
 
I keep mine off the internet, and think it high-time that people militantly demand an end to any copy protection that does not allow for this.

Because of the malware Native Access and NI's vicious betrayal of offline activation support, I have had to have my DAW machine connected to the web for a few minutes since 2017, and each time I've resented the living hell out of being violated in this fashion. I'm getting mad now just thinking about it.

What I've done is use a freeware app called TinyWall, which works in conjunction with Windows Firewall and can be set to block everything except that which you give explicit permission communicate outside the local environment. It's PIA, but it works. The salient issue, however, is that the need to ever do this constitutes a fundamental, unacceptable and grotesque fascist human rights violation.
 
I still disconnect when working in the daw. Old habit, I feel better about it.

Mostly Im concerned about some stupid ass background data process, interfering with my recording or mixing session. Im on a mac, so virus ect is a nonissue.
 
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I think unless you're new to the internet and/or computers in general it's quite easy to stay safe online. I can't even recall the last time my machine got infected. Must have been in the early 00s when i was young and stupid, trying to download videos from dodgy sites.
 
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