Hello! I need the expert advice regarding the file attribute of hosts file. As it could pose a potential threat to system security will it make my computer more secure if I will enable the "read-only" attribute for the file? And if yes, will it somehow affect on installation of 3rd party software? Thanks in advance! Regards, Osman.

By default only administrators (and Windows - SYSTEM) can edit he file. This the the secure way."A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code" CLIP- Stellvertreter http://www.winvistaside.de/

Thank you for reply Mr Andre.Ziegler. Yes, I agree with you but the thing is that I am running as an administrator, so it could be edited. Do you still recommend not to select read-only? Thanks, Osman.

the thing is that I am running as an administrator, so it could be edited. Do you still recommend not to select read-only? with UAC you have limited permissions until you request the full admin rights for a special operation. So it should not happen that you accidentally delete the host file."A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code" CLIP- Stellvertreter http://www.winvistaside.de/

What if I disabled UAC? Alright my ultimate question is: If I will set the 'hosts' file in read-only will it affect an installation of other software (do programs change hosts file or it is just for end-users)? Please just answer this question. I don't need anything regarding the security.

If I will set the 'hosts' file in read-only will it affect an installation of other software (do programs change hosts file or it is just for end-users)? other tools don't edit the host file."A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code" CLIP- Stellvertreter http://www.winvistaside.de/

Yes, I agree with you but the thing is that I am running as an administrator, so it could be edited. Do you still recommend not to select read-only? It makes absolutely no difference at all. Malware could just as easily remove the read-only flag, modify the file and mark it read-only again.

Alright, now it is clear. Thanks for the answers. All the Best, Osman.

why have you disabled UAC? 90% of the security vulnerabilities are fixed by running with UAC on. With UAC on you don't need to care about it, because you need admin rights."A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code" CLIP- Stellvertreter http://www.winvistaside.de/