# hardentools/hardentools

Hardentools simply reduces the attack surface on Microsoft Windows computers by disabling low-hanging fruit risky features.

Repository: https://github.com/hardentools/hardentools
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/hardentools
Language: Go
License: GPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: windows, security, hardening
Last push: 2025-08-10T15:21:12+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 40/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 36, release rhythm 10, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3521, "days_push": 388, "days_rel": 389, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3105, forks 258 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:43.740543+00:00)

## What it is
Hardentools is a Windows utility that reduces the attack surface by disabling risky features in Windows 10/11, Microsoft Office, LibreOffice, and Adobe PDF Reader. It is aimed at at-risk individuals who want extra security at the cost of some usability, and is not an antivirus or a corporate hardening solution.

## Use cases
- disable risky Windows features to reduce attack surface
- harden a Windows PC for an at-risk user
- turn off Office macros and PDF JavaScript
- quickly harden a personal Windows laptop
- revert Windows hardening changes when needed

## When to choose
- you are an individual user (e.g., journalist, activist) who wants an extra layer of security on Windows
- you want a simple one-click tool to disable commonly abused features
- you accept losing some functionality like Excel macros or the command line

## When to avoid
- you need an antivirus or malware protection
- you are hardening corporate/enterprise environments
- you rely on features it disables, such as Office macros or PowerShell

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: security, configuration-management
- domain: security, windows, privacy
- platform: windows
- tags: hardening, attack-surface-reduction, at-risk-users, system-configuration, desktop

## Member repositories
- hardentools/hardentools (main) score 40

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:43.740543+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:46:10.538983+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/hardentools/hardentools (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:43.740543+00:00, sha 400a9aa9119d)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.