Antivirus software

[Kornman00]

I'm looking to switch to a different AV/protection program and was wondering what the community here uses? If you'd rather keep that info private (as I'm not naming off what I use right now) please feel free to PM me.

I'm skeptical of all paid-for programs because it's their business to have virii and other computer attacks in the wild but would still like the opinions of all the modacity minions.

[Cortexian]

AVG Free. Only other protection I use is Windows 7 Firewall and my routers settings.

Has worked for me for 6 years now, no viruses on the PC's I maintain and use. My dad still gets the occasional piece of adware or spyware but then I just run a scan to get rid of it for him, my parents aren't what you'd call computer literate though and they certainly don't practice any safe-computing practices.

[annihilation]

I use Avira, it uses low resources and has a pretty good detection rate.

[BobtheGreatII]

I've always used AVG Free.

[Timo]

Microsoft Security Essentials, best free AV program i've used in a long time.

[chrisk123999]

Microsoft Security Essentials, best free AV program i've used in a long time.

QFT. Something from Microsoft that isn't crap.

[Amit]

AVG Internet Security. Works like grease on the squeaky wheel.

[Phopojijo]

Antivirus software for the most part is quite irrelevant.

Before you even consider it -- keep Windows(/Mac, Linux, IOS, Android, WebOS, whatever) up to date as well as every program on it that accepts data.

If you have all your programs fully patched you're only vulnerable to zero-day exploits and social engineering attacks.

Zero-day exploits? Chances are no AV software will pick these up anyway.

Social Engineering attacks? If you're duped into clicking on something... an AV package will only pop up and alert you if notices you're doing something that looks similar to something it's seen in the past.

Warning bells should go off if something is either urgent or odd and desirable to you. Like "You just won a prize" or "Have this free program" or "YOU GOT A VIRUS CLICK HERE TO SCAN! (and install OUR malware which we will soon extort you for 60$ to remove)"

Also you need to be the one who loads the data -- either by visiting a bad website or running an infected image, audio file, video file, document, whatever. Sure -- it can easily happen accidentally if a Google search result is owned by malware authors (or even just a regular old website hacked to run background javascript) ... or more commonly links in email or IMs ... but you still needed to go there.

The only way to install malware in your machine that you didn't load something on... is to exploit a security flaw in an internet-facing program (or the TCP stack altogether).

If you have a router with no ports forwarded (DMZ is EVERY port forwarded all the time -- bad times) you're safe from all those -- unless the infection is ON your network in another computer.

So after all that... ...

THEN antivirus software starts helping you. I find free AV packages like Microsoft Security Essentials works well for how much paranoia is necessary for me.

You may need to be more paranoid... or less paranoid... than me. Better than the free stuff is Kaspersky and Nod32. For the longest time I didn't run antivirus software -- I was just careful, up to date, and behind a router... and the worst case scenario was some virus dude stealing my schoolwork or using my computer to infect other people/send spam/whatever. MSE was free and lightweight enough that I didn't care... so I installed it because I had no reason not to.

...

P.S. I'm just waiting for someone to exploit a data buffer in an AV package or firewall -- that will be hilarious.

... Someone had to have already at some point. It's just like -- too low hanging fruit to not have happened.

[chrisk123999]

That may be true. But it's somewhat useful to have a half-decent AV when your transferring files around on flash drives and such from school and work.

[Necr0matic]

If your paying "ESET NOD32" If your not "AVG FREE" Both are great anti-virus programs. Avira free is just fine, even if it has a few false detections it's still worth it as it detects most of the bullshit (plus anyone can use their brains to see if the file they've downloaded is safe or not).

I preffer Comodo as for my way of using the computer it is the best. I am fairly competent in terms of Windows and knows rather well how to properly respond to HIPS pop ups hence even FUD malware will have a difficult time infecting me.

Comodo works like this;
- File enters the inspection of the Anti Virus, in the event it would bypass the anti virus;
- The File enters the inspection of the Hips, the user will be given a choice most likely he/she will do the recommended and Sandbox / Allow (If Unknown Sandbox)
- However there are files that can even bypass Comodo's HIPS hence the Comodo Sandbox will step up, the Comodo Sandbox allows the malware to create registry keys and temporary files however it does NOT allow changes to the system nor does it allow any actions which could harm the system. Upon reboot files created during the time within the sandbox are deleted.

However, I do like the User Interface and useability of Norton, and with Sonar, Norton is very competent and competitve in todays market. Avira and Avast are also great options aswell as being lightweight, it is mostly up to personal preference.

[TeeKup]

This thread is actually pretty helpful considering I'm buying a new laptop soon. Was gonna post something just like this tomorrow.

[Amit]

If you do manage to get your computer infected with something, usually MalwareBytes will be able to remove it.

[Hiralis]

I know it costs a bit but the government uses this so why shouldn't we?
Trend Micro Internet Security Titanium (http://shop.trendmicro.com.au/titanium-internet-security-new-AU.asp)

[NullZero]

Yeah, but what does the government know.

Personally, I found ESET Smart Security to be the friendliest, easiest and more powerful of the paid anti-malware packages (plus firewall). For a free antivirus, I alternate between Avira free and MSE depending on how I'm feeling.

[Kornman00]

I think he was referring to the Aussie gov't? The US gov't uses McAfee. Before that they were trying to use Norton IIRC (I had to nuke a few machines with it after I got in at least).

Thanks for the responses guys!

[Dwood]

I got sick and tired of AVG and am now using Avast!... I don't think I want it on my computer any more, if it weren't for the dumb crowd I hang around with I would go naked. Because naked these days means having on an airtight suit. An Antivirus is like the recycling of air in the space ship.

Edit: A better question is how to track down and get rid of all the crapware the manufacturers install on your computer heh.

[Mr Buckshot]

When I'm not gaming, I do all my work almost exclusively in Linux, so I don't really need an antivirus for the most part (UNIX is harder to infect, and anyway not many malware developers will target UNIX in the first place)

But to be on the safe side, I use Malwarebytes on my windows partition anyway. Heard good reviews, although I have not had a chance to actually put anti-malware software to the test for quite a few years.

[Phopojijo]

I don't trust MalwareBytes or stuff like that.

If you have reason to believe that your computer has had malware... back up data, wipe Windows drive, reinstall Windows, copy data back, be happy.

If you try to use malicious software removal tools --

1) Did it catch everything?
2) Did the virus cause security holes before it left?
3) Did the virus cause problems with core system files making the computer act slow, bluescreen/crash, or fail to update?

It's sad how many people complain about computer problems only to find out it's remnants of malware. "I don't get viruses, I bought Norton!" "I'd know if I had a virus!"
... No you wouldn't, smart virus authors do not want you to know they're there... and they have big development budgets to program ways to prevent that.

[Kornman00]

The Antivirus scene is a lot like the public anti-terrorism scene. The gov't throws up all these everyday security "improvements" which only really catch or scare off the dumb terrorists (can be anyone, not just someone of Middle-Eastern decent). AV makers throw up all these solutions which catch the simpletons but, as Phopogiggalo pointed out, will probably never catch "smart" ones (at least not automatically). Continuing, most terrorists tend to follow the same patterns or tactics much like how malicious code authors do (which is how they can create pattern recognition for IDing them). The truly effective ones innovate, which is when people actually get hurt or lose something because there was no real way to provide proactive protection.

[Cortexian]

Sure there is, lather your PC with Proactiv (http://www.proactiv.com/).

[Patrickssj6]

Microsoft Security Essentials, best free AV program i've used in a long time.
this.



P.S. I'm just waiting for someone to exploit a data buffer in an AV package or firewall -- that will be hilarious.

... Someone had to have already at some point. It's just like -- too low hanging fruit to not have happened.

uhh that happens quite often

[DarkHalo003]

I don't trust MalwareBytes or stuff like that.

If you have reason to believe that your computer has had malware... back up data, wipe Windows drive, reinstall Windows, copy data back, be happy.

If you try to use malicious software removal tools --

1) Did it catch everything?
2) Did the virus cause security holes before it left?
3) Did the virus cause problems with core system files making the computer act slow, bluescreen/crash, or fail to update?

It's sad how many people complain about computer problems only to find out it's remnants of malware. "I don't get viruses, I bought Norton!" "I'd know if I had a virus!"
... No you wouldn't, smart virus authors do not want you to know they're there... and they have big development budgets to program ways to prevent that.
I use MalwareBytes, HijackThis, and McAfee. That said here's why my two cents:

Trojans and worms are probably the most overhyped infections out there. I've had one of the worst plagues on my computer (I went half a year without any AV or firewall basically and didn't know how to protect my computer before) and I found out it was a hacktool/rootkit. They basically leave a whole in the backdoor of your computer while allowing more crap to cloud in. These buggers are nasty. So I took it to a local repair shop to get it fixed for $50 (better than BestBuy's offer). They got it off using a combination of random programs. Or so I thought. A day later it came back (it flooded my computer with "YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED" and replaced my wallpaper and everything). I found out how to use MalwareBytes and tried it eventually in safemode. It worked as first, but to my horror the virus had marked MalwareBytes as a virus itself for my newly installed McAfee at the time, so McAfee blocked the removal process of the malware from MalwareBytes when I restarted my computer. Well at this point I felt hopeless, so at school I researched some more and found out about HijackThis. This program is great because it allows direct access of your registrations and task manager (which is cutoff from the malware) by opening the program. I then deleted some very specific registrations while in Safemode, ran MalwareBytes to kill the hacktool/rootkit, and finally used McAfee to kill the peons. It takes a few hours at the most and I use no money.

The point is that an AV, an AM, and a 3rd Party Registration/Task tool is all you need (and you need all three) to effectively defend your computer. No one program alone is always sufficient, at least not in my cases.

[RedBaron]

I hope you got your money back.

And installing McAfee was the wrong move. From the 4 or so years I have been a McAfee subscriber, they didn't prevent jack shit from corrupting my PC during the 2-3 times I actually got attacked during those years. Every time I noticed that my PC had been infected (endless chains of popups, fake anti-virus software being installed, wallpaper changes), McAfee didn't pick anything up at all. I was finally able to detect the shit with FREE programs, and I found it very funny how McAfee would finally pick up on the trojans the instant that the free program finds them with its scan. I used Malwarebytes' and I'm guessing that it marks all of the files that it finds with an indicator. Anyway, McAfee is complete bullshit. It got even worse when they revamped the UI and basically restricted all custom user settings (like trusting programs that it thinks is a virus, such as keygens and cracks, which were probably added to the McAfee database as an agenda to control distribution of such things). The bullshit reaches even further because of the fact that McAfee offers a service for a technician to remotely control and fix your comp, WHICH COSTS AN ADDITION FEE. Why the FUCK would I have to pay them MORE money for doing the job I ALREADY PAYED THEM FOR with my subscription?!

So basically, I'm very angry at McAfee, and don't really have the patience to reinstall windows and all the programs I have during the off chance that I get infected now (maybe once every 18 months). That is why I use Microsoft Security Essentials as my realtime protection, and Malwarebytes' as my scanner. And the only reason why I use Firefox is because of the Add-Block Plus addon.

[Amit]

I laugh at people who use Norton. Norton is a piece of paper trying to protect you from a bullet. The bullet is the virus. It'll go straight through.

[Patrickssj6]

The point is that an AV, an AM, and a 3rd Party Registration/Task tool is all you need (and you need all three) to effectively defend your computer. No one program alone is always sufficient, at least not in my cases.

Uh no. Phopo knows what he is talking about. First comes the exploit, then comes the "virus", then a patch from Microsoft and even after that, there is no gurantee that an AV will stop the infection.

The best thing is the patch. Let me put it like this:

If you have a hole in the wall of your hose, it's no good to put a mouse trap in front because there are other animals/insects that will go through. The best thing is to close the hole.

[DarkHalo003]

Uh no. Phopo knows what he is talking about. First comes the exploit, then comes the "virus", then a patch from Microsoft and even after that, there is no gurantee that an AV will stop the infection.

The best thing is the patch. Let me put it like this:

If you have a hole in the wall of your hose, it's no good to put a mouse trap in front because there are other animals/insects that will go through. The best thing is to close the hole.
At first I thought you were being hypercritical (my bad), but I read on and all I have to say is that I was only disagreeing with Phopo about Malware Bytes' legitimacy. Everything else he says is probably true (I don't run an updated laptop because the place I went to fix my laptop deleted Windows SP3 from my computer to attempt removing the virus from before, obviously just doing nothing but removing my SP3 in the end). But I meant once you have the virus on your computer, my method is all you need to do instead of going to random stores to have it possibly fixed.

McAfee is probably like Toshiba: it sucks until you get the expensive items. Then it's pretty good. I'm only guessing though.

[Rook]

Microsoft Security Essentials, best free AV program i've used in a long time.

Yep it's lightweight enough so you don't even know it's there... And AV software is next to useless is you're careful to begin with.

[Phopojijo]

At first I thought you were being hypercritical (my bad), but I read on and all I have to say is that I was only disagreeing with Phopo about Malware Bytes' legitimacy. Everything else he says is probably true (I don't run an updated laptop because the place I went to fix my laptop deleted Windows SP3 from my computer to attempt removing the virus from before, obviously just doing nothing but removing my SP3 in the end). But I meant once you have the virus on your computer, my method is all you need to do instead of going to random stores to have it possibly fixed.

McAfee is probably like Toshiba: it sucks until you get the expensive items. Then it's pretty good. I'm only guessing though.I didn't say I don't think Malware Bytes is legitimate... I said I don't trust it. It can only know so much... and there's no way to tell if it knew about everything that ails you.

In my stance -- if you have reason to believe that you're compromised -- rather than undoing the damage... return to a point guaranteed to be prior to the damage through external backups (technically the Windows Install disk is a backup... just the most earliest of back ups).

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e363/redoubtable1/nuke-it-from-orbit.jpg

[Amit]

^^, but you can't live your life in fear. I've fixed computers 10+ months ago with MalwareBytes and the systems still run fine. If anything was still on the PC, I'm sure it would have shown itself already.

[Phopojijo]

Well maybe... but if you install a service pack and it fails... or for some reason you bluescreen a bunch... you know what to blame first.

[Amit]

Well maybe... but if you install a service pack and it fails... or for some reason you bluescreen a bunch... you know what to blame first.

Pretty much, but I have yet to run into those problems.

[Phopojijo]

Yeah that's one thing not a lot of people think about... it's a tradeoff between risk and reward.

Your computer is *secure enough* for you (your needs and your understanding).

[DarkHalo003]

Well maybe... but if you install a service pack and it fails... or for some reason you bluescreen a bunch... you know what to blame first.
I have the blue screen of "dumping disk space" or whatever it says, but not the one of death. It happened right after I got my computer "fixed" by that place too.

[Phopojijo]

You mean

http://i.zdnet.com/blogs/BlueScreen.jpg

??

If so that *IS* Vista/Windows 7's bluescreen of death. (It dumps everything in RAM to the harddrive for debug purposes)

Fatal Exception Error OE doesn't happen anymore.

It could be broken hardware... it could be whine from a half-removed virus (or a rootkit... or even a functional virus or rootkit that's still there messing with you)... it could be any number of things.

If it bugs you/concerns you -- reinstall Windows (if it doesn't go away when you reinstall Windows... something is broken, maybe RAM?). Otherwise? Meh, live with it.

The problem is you can't really know what the problem is... and if it didn't bluescreen... that there even was a problem.

[DarkHalo003]

It's broken hardware. I'm running on a 6 year-old 2002 modeled HP Pavillion that makes clicking noises from time to time preceding a screen similar to that. And I run XP, but it looks considerably similar to that screen.

[Phopojijo]

Ah you have a bad harddrive almost guarenteed.

Back up your data now -- you're lucky as hell because it should have been dead within 5 minutes of the first sign of clicking.

[DarkHalo003]

Ah you have a bad harddrive almost guarenteed.

Back up your data now -- you're lucky as hell because it should have been dead within 5 minutes of the first sign of clicking.
Too bad it's done this for several months now and hasn't decided to quit on me yet. I knew it was strange that it hadn't died on me. Is it just me or are older computers way sturdier than newer ones today?

[Amit]

Is it just me or are older computers way sturdier than newer ones today?

With computers you can't just say that a computer isn't as good as an older version. This is because the components constantly change (in addition to being made by different companies). The only change in quality would be the materials that the manufacturer uses to build the component.

If anything, components are made better these days, except by lower end or budget builders, such as Acer and its divisions emachines/gateway.

[Patrickssj6]

The capacitors on your Mobo fail. The are made (light Lightbulbs) to fail just a tad after the guarantee runs out...though this is dependent on the usage.

We have a power drill at home..which is 30 years old. It eats anything from the modern market...we had 3 power drills in the mean time and they already died. Why? Because the old one has thick copper wires.

[Phopojijo]

With computers you can't just say that a computer isn't as good as an older version. This is because the components constantly change (in addition to being made by different companies). The only change in quality would be the materials that the manufacturer uses to build the component.

If anything, components are made better these days, except by lower end or budget builders, such as Acer and its divisions emachines/gateway.Except that those people don't actually make anything substantive... especially not hard-drives. They're all repackaged Samsung/WD/Seagate drives. (Hitachi recently got purchased... so I am counting them)

[Amit]

Well that's what I meant. They use the lower end components of major manufacturers in their PCs, dropping the overall quality of the completed build. Well, that's how you get the budget price.