help blocking app's on a pc

WARburton

WARburton

WARburton

Soldato
Joined
1 Mar 2024
Posts
2,653
Location
Leeds
so me and the boy have spoken many time's about running auto clocker type programs on his pc to play games for him, he been found on some days to have been running them for upto 18hr's.
he's getting better at hiding them, but today i found tinytask on his pc.

the wife told me throwing his pc out of the bedroom windows is not ok. even thought we agreed that would be the outcome if he run them again.

on average he pc is gaming for 12 hr's a day without him even been there, like eclectic is free or somthing.
i work nights and the smart little bugger as been running a shutdown command to turn his PC off at 6am just before i get home so i assume his pc is working night shifts.

so today i want to turn his pc into the north korea of PC's.
i have no problems nuking his pc if i have to
 
Last edited:
Smart plug? You can monitor it remotely and see when it’s on/when it’s been on and if needs be, turn it off via app on your phone?

Change his account type to non-admin and require admin to install anything

BIOS Startup password, which only you or your wife enter

Then, a slipper on his a**e
 
Last edited:
WARburton said:
beauty-and-brains-miranda-payne.gif
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Router would be good option
Making sure they dont know router log in details
Though they would probably just hotspot
Off their phone

Smart plug they will just unplug it
Or use another socket

Change his account to no admin privileges
Been there done that
It kept blocking stuff they were actually allowed to do
Was constantly having to go log in as admin
And give whatever it was permission
Even down to loads of innocuous Web pages
Drove me crazy

In the end I blocked their time on the router
And made them hand over their mobile
Overnight

If they have sufficient pc knowledge
Or the ability to use Google and follow instructions
They will get around most things you do
Like boot off installation media and add an admin account or
Elevate their privileges
Using cmd for example
Think you can also bypass windows time restrictions
Same way by using net user cmd
 
The fact of the matter is if someone has physical access to a computer any and all blocks you put on it can be defeated, some take longer and require deep technical knowledge but ultimately they can be worked around or defeated.

Having said that you may want to look into using AppLocker...
learn.microsoft.com

AppLocker

This article provides a description of AppLocker and can help you decide if your organization can benefit from deploying AppLocker policies.
learn.microsoft.com

Go with an AppLocker whitelist approach as it will be easier to manage and should only allow program that are on the list to run.

Of course it should go without saying but also making sure he's using a normal user account (not an Administrator account). Then set a BIOS password while also disabling boot from USB and Network, disabling RTC (wakes the computer at specified time), Wake-on-Lan (wakes the computer via certain network signal), and power on after power loss. That should cover the easier/obvious ways to circumvent the restrictions of Applocker.
 
Mcnumpty2323 said:
Router would be good option
Making sure they dont know router log in details
Though they would probably just hotspot
Off their phone
Click to expand...
my router is a virgin one and doesn't really have the normal functions when it comes to blocking i looked at this last time
i set up a standard user account and it prompts for a pass when installing items but i could download and open tinytask without problem.

Murphy said:
Having said that you may want to look into using AppLocker...
learn.microsoft.com

AppLocker

This article provides a description of AppLocker and can help you decide if your organization can benefit from deploying AppLocker policies.
learn.microsoft.com
Click to expand...
this dose look promising.

ive told the wife next time it happens he getting an xbox, he can play the same games but cant run programs
 
A pihole with a specific client list could block access to certain sites/servers etc too
 
Can you check with your ISP about parental control? they may give you a new router if yours is old, or even buy a new router for this purpose? my current router has this access control for example:

 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: KIA
Maybe you could use a remote software like teamviewer? so you can actually see what he is doing with the pc, also you can shut it down at anytime
 
Would be handy
If he has something like 011d pc case
Hot swap drive bays
Means you can just remove the hard drive
Whenever required
If its 2.5 sata ssd
 
WARburton said:
he's 100% lost it until i find a way to block everting
Click to expand...
i'd not block everything. i'd teach him to follow rules instead. you block everything and hand the pc back is basically like laying down a challenge to him to try and defeat whatever mitigation you've put in place. screw that for the path to want to me taking with your kid - keep it simple, follow the rules or no pc. soon as he understands that you'll both be in a better place.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom