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Ask Slashdot: Best Anti-Virus Software In 2015? Free Or Paid?
CryoKeen writes: I got a new laptop recently after trading in my old laptop for store credit. While I was waiting to check out, the sales guy just handed me some random antivirus software (Trend Micro) that was included with the purchase. I don't think he or I realized at the time that the CD/DVD he gave me would not work because my new laptop does not have a CD/DVD player.
Anyway, it got me wondering whether I should use it or not. Would I be better off downloading something like Avast or Malwarebytes? Is there one piece of antivirus software that's significantly better than the others? Are any of the paid options worthwhile, or should I just stick to the free versions? What security software would you recommend in addition to anti-virus?
Anyway, it got me wondering whether I should use it or not. Would I be better off downloading something like Avast or Malwarebytes? Is there one piece of antivirus software that's significantly better than the others? Are any of the paid options worthwhile, or should I just stick to the free versions? What security software would you recommend in addition to anti-virus?
Because I'm assuming that will be an answer.
You can fill in any particular OS as an alternative.
Then they decided to do the stupefying thing that's the habit of all software companies, removing all the useful options "cuz only 5% of our usebase uses this". Well yeah, numbnuts, maybe only 5% will use any SINGLE feature, but each feature is used by a different 5%, so if you only keep the features used by most people, you can still end up pissing off most people.
I miss when the East was driven by first principles and the West by statistics - you'd get organisations combining the best of both worlds. Now it's all statistics, wildly misinterpreted.
AVG is a Freemium minefield. May as well be WeatherBug. Serves a purpose, but ultimately adware
"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
Trend Micro is top tier these days:
http://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/
DL Trend Micro trial and use the key on the disk.
Windows? Use Security Essentials and practice safe surfing. No need for anything else.
These days, if you get hacked you need to reimage, preferably with a new drive, maybe even a new motherboard. If you don't get a virus, you're fine.
AV has no point anymore.
Use Flashblock, Adblock and Noscript.
I've found only one free antivirus where the nag screens can be turned off and stay off. Panda has treated me right so far and if things keep going this way I'm going to buy the premium version just to support the company. It's efficient, effective, and -- most importantly -- silent.
If video games influenced behavior the Pac Man generation would be eating pills and running away from their problems.
The Best AV for Windows is Microsoft Security essentials which is available for Free from Microsoft for private use. Make sure your OS and apps are not left without security updates. Use Secunia PSI or alternatively Qualys browser check both free for private use. One last thing, don't use an account with admin privileges but one that has limited rights, so if your box gets pwned the attackerhas to escalate privileges before he or she can run as admin/root.
I use Avast on our two Win7 computers. Seems fine after about 5 years use, IMHO
Clive DaSilva Email: clive.dasilva@gmail.com Ubuntu 18.10 Kernel 4.18
If you are on Windows 8.1, Windows Defender. If on Windows 7, MS Security Essentials. And supplement both with Malwarebytes. All free, and very non-intrusive.
who the hell takes trade-in laptops?
Remember kids, if you're not paying for the service, YOU ARE THE PRODUCT THAT IS BEING SOLD.
I thought the included (pre-installed) Microsoft Windows Defender (or Windows Security Essentials) was already good enough.
That, plus not installing every stupid piece of malware-studded "freeware" I come across and being a bit conservative in my browsing, has always been enough since Windows 7.
Windows after 7 also has a built-in software firewall, so wouldn't seem like you'd need one of those either.
I just can't picture needing anything beyond that.
Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
However it depends on how recent it is and how complete a solution it provides. I've used it in the Enterprise IT arena in the past (I've been in enterprise IT for a couple of decades now) and it worked well, both on servers and desktops. Last year though when I purchased a new laptop (my first Windows laptop in years) I looked around for a while and settled on Norton 360. I thought it provided the most complete solution, had decent reviews and I got it at a steal of a price - something like $20 on Amazon as a "deal of the day". I had looked at McAfee (which I still do not care for), was close to purchasing Kaspersky before the sale on Norton 360, and I had dismissed the free tools as simply "better than northing". Now, probably six months later, I don't regret the purchase at all but I do hope I can find a deal on Norton 360 again come renewal time.
You are not going to find anyyhing that does it all the best. You also cannot run more than one antivirus at a time. Well, you can but i will make hou wish you never thought of the idea. And no- malware bytes is not an antivirus.
You would be better served learning safe habbits and monitoring tech sites dealing with infections while not expecting a best product. Do this anyways if someone convinces you thay there is a best.
Nowadays i use Microsoft's free AV, a decent browser and discretion. Unless you're particularly haphazard (like downloading random files with full Admin privileges and visiting dodgy sites with unpatched IE) that should be enough. You don't really need a full arsenal of anti-malware software anymore. Ms has tightened things up a fair bit over the last years.
A while back i tried NOD32 and was very impressed. I don't know if it's still good.
I have tried a few paid options and a number of free antivirus. Nothing as yet has convinced me to use a paid option.
For Windows 8 there is no need as Microsoft Security Essentials, renamed Windows Defender, is good enough. Otherwise I use Avast, which seems to work well and comes with a few handy options like a software updater and the option to run a scan at boot time. Though it can be annoying recently as it reminds you of other paid features like VPN tunnels.
Steer clear of Norton for God's sake, it seems as bad as the disease itself. I dislike Symentec and had problems in the past with AVG. A few years back an update prevented browsers from accessing the internet.
If you think you may be infected try running a scan of the free version of Malwarebytes, it gives a good second opinion and is great at cleaning up some infections.
The most dangerous drug
Avast for Window or Mac though the latter is somewhat useless. Best feature is boot-time scanner which can catch issues before they load and prevent anti-virus from loading.
I used to use AVG until it became bloatware, then I tried Avira and it seemed to suffer stability problems, switched to Avast which was OK and didn't seem to slow things down, and then removed that when I realised how much FUD the antivirus industry uses to sell its products, and how piss-poor their products are at doing their job.
I've seen malware infections - from trivial all the way up to cryptolocker - manage to get past the "big 3" (norton/symantec, McAfee, and Trend Micro), and AVG. The only products who seem to be stable and maintain a small-ish footprint are Eset and Kaspersky.
I leave Windows defender switched on, scan once every few months with free malwarebytes, keep Cryptoprevent updated, and anything else I can remove with Combofix - not that I've had anything in over 2 years, but Combofix is what I use to repair customers' machines, then I leave them with a copy of free malwarebytes, and Cryptoprevent.
They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
I'm on Windows 7. Here are my tips:
1) I have run avast real-time for years. I'm a pretty wary, sophisticated user. But it has occasionally blocked malicious elements on webpages. And it once blocked a zip attachment that I got sucked in on with a phishing email before any harm was done. I have also had it give me a few false positives over the years, which are a bit disconcerting to see and annoying until you can get things sorted out.
2) Second, I run malwarebytes scans from time to time.
3) Other prevention: adblock plus and noscript plugins.
4) For seemingly dangerous websites that I still want to be able to access, I use a Sandboxie sandbox for the browser.
I've used Avira (free-av.com) for years (since Windows XP at least), both on my computers and my friends' and family's, and I've never gotten a virus despite visiting Bit Torrent and other questionable sites.
It's 100% free and it doesn't install malware (though it might optionally install some crapware, I forget). The only downside is that they pop an alert maybe once a day or so with different messages (the point of which is clearly to prod you to purchase the paid version). I strongly recommend getting the paid version to make those alerts go away ... but I'm embarrassed to admit that I haven't actually done as much myself (sorry Avira!).
What do people think of the security of using Windows 7's Virtual PC feature with "undo hard disks"?
Is this an effective VM? It sure is simpler to get running than a separate VirtualBox or similar.
These days the most effective measure you can take is to install an ad blocker. That will prevent the vast majority of drive by installs. Second, I'd say you need to be very sceptical of freeware software installers. Using a service like Chocolatey to find and install popular utilities will help here. Third, I'd recommend installing Process Explorer as a replacement for the windows Task Manager. Get a feel for what programs are running in the background, and investigate anything you don't yet recognise particularly after installing something new.
09F91102 no, 455FE104 nope, F190A1E8 uh-uh, 7A5F8A09 that's not it, C87294CE no. Ah! 452F6E403CDF10714E41DFAA257D313F.
Non-intrusive... and ineffective. I just cleaned up my brother-in-law's machine and that was what he was using.
My preferred approach is to use Avira Free (installed with ninite.com), MalwareBytes, HiJackThis, and the no-ads hosts file from mvps.
Secondary, install Google Chrome with adblock and a good no-script type program (though I personally just use Ghostery with AdBlock)
If treating for malware, bleepingcomputer is the site to go to. Run RKill, followed by ComboFix, ADWCleaner, and TDSSKiller.
This takes care of 99% of the issues, assuming you don't HAVE to continually visit some obscure Russian porn sites.
OP didn't mention whether it's Windows 7 or 8, but Windows 8 includes A/V out of the box. Lots of other good security best practices listed here, as well.
--------------------- -me, Crusher of those who are Foolish (don't be foolish)
ClamWin, the windows port of ClamAV which is relied on for mail scanning on just about every Linux/UNIX mail server you run across.
I think there may be a better front end that uses the ClamAV database as well, but I tend to just install ClamWin and call it a day.
Windows is a bonfire, Linux is the sun. Linux only looks smaller if you lack perspective.
Not only does it stop a bunch of viruses before they can get to your computer, it also blocks ads and makes pages load faster.
Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
Uh, no. The people who recommend MSSE recommend it because they are capable of safe-browsing. MSSE will be more than effective if you don't click every link you see.
G'Day,
I've been looking after PC's for clients for 20 odd years, I've seen lots of different AV's and malware software, and for the last 4 or 5 years using a combination has worked fine.
Avast for the antivirus (free is fine) and malwarebytes for the malware protection. Running both has reduced the amount of call backs for fixing up machines due to nasties dramatically.
Keep in mind they are different products covering a different scope of nasties.
EMET http://support.microsoft.com/k... along with whatever antivirus you choose.
I like ESET, especially the business version with console. I get it for my large customers.
Kaspersky is good. I use it for email gateways and small offices. The firewall breaks some shit, though.
I'm always removing viruses from computers that are running avast!, McAfee, Symantec, and AVG, so I won't be using those anytime soon
Trend Micro seems to be great, but I only have a couple of users running it so I have never used it in a large environment.
Vipre is a bad joke (I tested it).
MalwareBytes is great at removing crap and I use it often, but I have yet to use the paid version.
TDSSKiller http://support.kaspersky.com/v... for rootkits.
I'm thinking purchasing MalewareBytes for a small office soon (8 users), but I may go with Trend Micro. I'm on the fence.
Not much harm because it doesn't do much either. It does so little that it ranks at the bottom of every single independent AV test, below even AV software that haven't received updates for years.
[Citation needed]
Kaspersky IS has signature whitelisting. If the executable isn't in the whitelist it doesn't run, period. You can configure it to completely prevent the execution of non-whitelisted exes.
You can do this for free with Group Policy shit.
I believe you can even whitelist executables based on publisher certificate, so when a new version of whatever rolls out you don't have to update the whitelist.
If you use Windows, then you are already vulnerable?
Did you mean "If you put a computer of any type online, it will become a target and someone may eventually hit the jackpot."?
Best Antivirus I've used is Norton Internet Security and Symantec endpoint at work.
Kaspersky is good, but I'm not sure that I would trust them to be state sponsored free these days; if you know what mean.
Vipre Antivirus has been real good these last few years (will be using for personal use once my Kaspersky subscription runs out). Norton has also improved vastly too (lighter engine). Can't go wrong with either.
http://www.vipreantivirus.com/
Life is not for the lazy.
I love end users that choose to go with free AV. They get infected and I make money. I am a self employed network engineer / admin. I do not support home users. I have over 30 businesses I support in my area and have had a few try and go the free route. It is like the old Fram oil filter ads; "Pay me now or pay me later". I recommend Vipre Business Premium to all of the clients I support. For the companies without a server I recommend Vipre Internet Security. The pricing is very reasonable and it doesn't take over your PC like Norton / Symantec and others. They have great English speaking customer service, free version updates as long as your license is up to date, and have reduced my documented virus removal time by over 90%. Yes, this reduces my billable time for the clients, but the confidence they find in the service I provide far out weighs the loss of revenue. I get to keep them as a client, make a small % off the sale of the AV and have maintained a 99% customer retention rate. You get what you pay for. Vipre consistently tests at he top of all AV solutions for response time to zero day infections and over all effectiveness. I am not an employee of Vipre or ThreatTrack, just love their product and the management console for server based networks.
Yep - and you can automate it (partially) with Cryptoprevent from http://www.foolishit.com/
Not connected with them other than as a satisfied user.
They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
I'm really surprised more people aren't recommending Bit Defender. I use the free version on my own machines and install it on customer PCs, and have had very good results from it. Never pops up asking to upgrade to a premium version, doesn't audibly announce it's updating/scanning/etc (in fact you'll only know it's there if something goes wrong). It also doesn't impact performance very much at all -- way better than Avast or AVG. According to http://www.av-comparatives.org..., they're always at the top of their game.
until someone writes a something which specifically circumvents it. Nice concept, seems of little value. A home NAS with automatic historical backups is much more sensible... or you could use cloud storage and just put it all out there for anyone.
All antivirus sucks, the only difference is how much you pay for it. You give me an PC with any combination of AV product(s) and 15 minutes and I'll give you an infected box, and it won't just be an Adware / Crapware infection. It will be a Screw you type of Cryptovirus or some serious credential stealing backdoor.
That being said, I use MSE / Windows 8 Defender simply because it's free and the least intrusive of the free AV's and it works great as a canary since every Virus attacks MSE / Defender first and you know you're infected when it keels over, giving you time to do something about it before your Files / Backup gets screwed.
Also, Get Adblock plus for your browser, Disable Non Obtrusive ad's in adblock plus so you don't see the Search Engine virus ads and don't download or install anything from anywhere afterwards.
In Soviet Russia, Trojan exploits YOU!
Don't be like the disgusting majority of windows users who log in everytime as admin. Login with regular user access and half the viruses become helpless.
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
If you are running a small business AD environment, especially if its virtualised, we've had a good experience with webroot. Pushing it out via group policy, easy to manage and track centrally via its webconsole and doesn't kill your shared network storage.
Plays nice with other virus checkers to, we also use malware bytes free for random scans of desktops.
No mod points, but +1 to parent comment.
I recently moved off Avast Free because it's becoming nagware and it's popularity is making it a target. Bit Defender is what MSE initially was before it became a standard part of Windows and it's detection rate went to shit. Solid protection with minimal user interaction.
Really? You do not run Javascript or flash at all? Wow ... here is a hint. 2001 is when you clicked on an attachment to get infected. Today open IE and an infected ad server will 0wn your machine.
http://saveie6.com/
Running Security Essentials + MalwareBytes for close to 5 years now.
Malware Bytes? Yes.... Great product that really is pretty effective (especially if you can boot into "safe mode" in Windows first) at cleaning up malware.
But Windows Defender? Absolutely not. It got ranked absolute worst at detecting malware in a head to head test last year vs. something like 40 other products on the market! And just from personal experience trying to keep PCs clean in an office setting with a lot of mobile workers? It didn't even trigger on some heavily infected machines.
Personally, we use eSet NOD32, and while I won't claim it's "best" - I just feel it seems to do a reasonably good job without dragging down system performance. It's not free but not that expensive either.
The reason is this - for 4 years running, it has one of the lowest performance impacts on a running system. Does it catch everything? No, but nothing does. Given that AV is imperfect protection, I might as well have a smoothly running system with minimal protection.
It especially explains why many colleges (at least before the US drinking age was raised to 21) have bars called "The Rathskeller", pronounced "Rat Cellar".
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
We have excellent results with Sophos. It has not been a drain on resources and has blocked everything so far for a couple of years on over 250 windows systems and servers. Symantec became ineffective and ruined performance. Microsoft Security Essentials is much better than it used to be and if you only surf safe sites and run commercial software, it will likely be fine; it comes loaded on Windows 8 and is free for Windows 7.
Greed is the root of all evil.
I'm interested in anything anyone has to say about Malwarebytes.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Its because most of these people look at what an antivirus does "after the fact" not before. What makes bittdefender so good and why it ranks so high with av-comparatives is because its very good at being proactive and preventing the attempt to install.
Yes. Because these tests are pure FUD generation. These "tests" are designed specifically to give high marks to AV kit that has its heuristics engine to produce as many false positives as possible and low marks to AV kit that has a reasonable heuristics engine that looks for realistic threats and doesn't spam user with "this is a potential threat, upgrade for 9.99 now to fix" advertisements.
Reminder - home users aren't threatened by latest custom tailored malware. They are threatened by well known mass-produced threats like bitlocker. And MSE catches those just fine.
I've run AVG Free for years and I have no idea what you are talking about. It leaves me alone. Only the occasional new version installs (vs. just virus updates), which is once per year, bother me - once. There's a banner underneath the AVG window, but I don't need to open that and it isn't intrusive, it's just "there" (when the AVG window is open).
I am yet to see a decent review that ranks essentials last, basically they are nearly always sponsored by the AV community and essentials loses out on heuristics for unknown virus's and malware, but realistically when it comes to that they are all miserable failures, just some of the commercial ones will try and convince you of how important that feature is.
I've used AVG and Avast plus malwarebytes and the microsoft cleaner.
They are free.
It's been 20 years since I got a virus but I've had several caught attempts.
I left AVG a couple years ago and went to Avast. It's a little pushing on upselling lately.
I've had to clean virii off of friends computers. Malwarebytes is good for that.
Avast is also good for that.
Avast has a "web page reputation" feature.. but to be honest, the only thing it ever flagged for me is the site that records all DMCA filings (which I knew was safe which mean the corporations had corrupted Avast's rating system for that page).
I'm not sure how the hell my friends get them. I has to be lol cats or something like that. I got to a few porn sites now and then and never had a problem.
Malwarebytes has been effective for cleaning a machine that was infected already.
I don't keep the microsoft cleaner on disk but download it as needed so I always have to look it up.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
When our attackers desire to remain hidden, we usually can not detect and remove them using any common tool. The techniques for remaining in hidden control of systems are straightforward, effective and available to any attacker. We can detect all kinds of stuff by carefully inspecting network activity, but learning to do it takes years. And, analyzing 1 machine's traffic is slower than real-time.
For example, a while ago one of my coworkers managed to crack the C&C for a major fake-antivirus group. For 2 months we grabbed the rootkits as they went by. Code on compromised machines was updated daily. VirusTotal pronounced it all clean. Usually, the victims had no clue. None of the virus or malware detectors/removers would regain control of a compromised system. Sometimes the utilities would claim to have done something. It was never complete or successful. On the other hand, if we isolated a compromised machine from the C&C for 3 weeks, some of the utilities would start to be effective. At 6 weeks, almost all of them were effective. Of course, this fake antivirus group was indiscriminate and had a huge footprint.
We still use Microsoft Security Essentials or EndPoint Protection. It almost never prevents compromise, but in some circumstances it will let us know that that we have been had. Some attackers get what they want immediately and don't try to hide. Others break discipline after a few days or weeks. Then there are the ones that get what they want and sell you to less capable attackers. Finally, if the user/machine is vulnerable to attack then the machine eventually gets infested with multiple attackers. Once multiple attackers start interfering with each other, something always gets dropped.
We always recommend a "change passwords/backup/wipe/rebuild/restore" when we discover compromise. Even then, sometimes an attacker regains control by hiding hostile code in user files.
The preventative measures that seem to be most effective for us are:
That common malware that used encryption to encrypt your entire hard drive and then ask you for a few hundred EUR/USD to decrypt. Messed up the names.
Nevermind that most heuristics engines will at one point or another detect a standard (Microsoft-signed) required Windows file as a virus and promptly "quarantine" it for you. Which just means Windows will either bluescreen or render your system unusable.
And that's a problem - because now AV is interfering with your computer - and if it isn't a Windows binary that gets hosed, it's a file one of your programs you use.
No, MSE will not catch a 0 day. No antivirus can. So they use heuristics to bridge the time between it's in the wild and when they push an update that will detect it. But there's a tradeoff - too aggressive and there will be a TON of false positives. More conservative (Like MSE) and you'll be more likely to miss a threat, but less likely that you'll clobber a file you really need. And for most people, that's more than acceptable tradeoff.
Especially when you combine it with safe surfing that blocks questionable URLs - available on every browser now (either powered by Google or Microsoft) that prevent you from grabbing questionable files.
Thanks very much for the link. It's helpful.
I've been an advertising copywriter for technology ad agencies. Here is something that may be helpful for you: I suggest you work on creating a better way of explaining what you are trying to say.
I visited the link you gave and became confused. It says, "Powered by Malwarebytes". My guess is that it would take me an hour to decide what is being communicated. And, I already know about host files.
If you put more effort into explaining, every reader would find it far easier to understand what you have to say.
I use Sophos at the office and they allow free home use for all employees. It's solid stuff.
"A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
Install ClamAV ./configure --prefix=/usr
builds just fine and VERY easy with gcc 4.8
just a few simple commands and it is done
------
autoreconf -i -v
make
su
make install
-----
"I don't pitch OpenSUSE Linux to my friends, i let Microsoft do it for me
...as antivirus suppliers themselves have admitted, anti-virus software only slows your system down (dramatically)
Except that we all know that Bill only reads Ars Technica.
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
Cryptolocker, and subsequently, cryptowall.
Buck Feta. You know what to do.
.. simply because the OEM disabled MSE/Defender and instead shipped the PCs with a trial version of Norton or some other commercial suite? At some point those trials expire, and there could be a lot of people who neither bought the full version nor enabled MSE/Defender.
Got stuck with Vipre at work for a few years. It was nothing short of a complete disaster, to the point where on some systems, it just had to be shut down completely so the systems would function. Combined with the latest ratings from AV Comparatives (lol @ 88% detection rate and huge false positives) and I'd say nobody should ever run that garbage. It's truly terrible.
ESET's NOD32 is good and Kaspersky is very good. Nothing else has been consistently good for quite a while.
-- "Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."
The last virus I fell victim to was a virus spreading around on diskettes with infected boot sector. That was 1991.
Since then the only viruses and malware running on my PC would be there by invitation. I let them in intentionally, had a look and kicked them out - fully in control.
Last week I just fancied getting a virus check of my storage devices and installed Bitfender. It modified my Windows BCD boot without asking and took over. It would not let me launch it on demand, no, it deemed itself so indispensable that it had always to be there in imperial role. It didn't like being offline. Kicked out in no time.
And what anti-virus was I using? Ah, an easy one. I browse around as lowly user without javascript, session cookies only. Sure, I must use javascript with some banks and travel agencies and Google Maps but I know them and wipe out all their settings afterwards. Otherwise I do not allow web sites to take over my machine. No, bastards, keep your dirty fingers off my files.
Turn off Windows Defender via run > services.msc.
Run this free AV/Malware scan twice a month, or whenever you feel your system "may be infected".
http://www.eset.com/us/online-... (left option)
- No need to install a bulky Antivirus/Anti-Malware program that will slow your PC down more than an actual infection.
- No need to pay for something that you'll probably never use, let alone need.
If you "must" have active protection. Re-enable Windows Defender and put up with the performance impact it has on your system.
Crypto wall encrypts your NAS and cloud drives as well. Very nasty ****** to get. Scary too as you are truly hosed
http://saveie6.com/
Quick heal is best anti virus in 2015, it is paid
IT Training Institute
Hate antivirus, personally, only use it where I'm required to.
When people bring me a laptop to fix, one of the first things I ask is if I can uninstall McAffee / Norton for them. They almost universally agree as, even as a user, it just bugs them to shit and gets in their way.
There was a time I'd put AVG Free on instead but those days are long gone.
So I slap on Comodo. Free firewall, antivirus, etc. in an integrated suite, that you can turn shit off for, that you can uninstall easily if you do buy something else, you can pay to upgrade it to a full version if you want, and it just keeps out of your way for the most past.
I don't hear any complaints afterwards.
Install Linux on your machine, browse with GhostScript, adblock plus, flshblock. Use it for everything except the very few tasks where you need Windows.
Then install Windows in a virtual machine. Take snapshots regularly. Don't use any AV. Don't browse the web with it.
Non-Linux Penguins ?
Dennis Technology Labs says Kaspersky is the best for home protection. http://dennistechnologylabs.co...
Need to run special software tied to the OS? No? ... Install Linux. Ubuntu can be a drag, in more ways the one, but it's worth a try. Suse and Redhat probably are hassle free aswell. All three are way easyer to install than a fresh Windows.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
Need to run special software tied to the OS? No? ... Install Linux.
Really, it's that easy.
Ubuntu can be a drag, in more ways than one, but it's worth a try - and it does look really cool. Seriously.
Suse and Redhat are hassle-free to install aswell. All three are definitly more hassle-free than any Windows installation you can do thesse days.
I've got Ubuntu 14.04 on my ThinkPad. And while it can be anoying (which OS isn't?), it is way ahead of Windows in usability and you can get tons of books and free info on the web for it.
Other than that I'd recommend Mac OS X or Chrome OS - but since you already have your laptop I guess that's ruled out.
Welcome to the camp. Enjoy.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
Seriously guys, this is fucking outrageous! I' writing my first post on my brand new tablet just a minute ago and you're abysmaly flaky mobile version double posts again. So it wasn't android 3.2 after all.
And why can't I turnoff ads in the mobile version?
Rob, what's going on? .... You guys need to get your shit together man - it's 2015, mobile web is standard now. Get with the effing programm. ... Do you need help?n
Perhaps you need help? I'll build a professional mobile version for credit alone.
(Please don't mod down - this needs attention folks. Seriously.)
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
I would just like to mention a rather dubious automatic yearly renewal I got with BitDefender. Although I normally wouldn't mind being given a reminder, in that case I only discovered the item in my VISA card statement. Annoyingly, they didn't even apply the discount that was running at their website at that moment, so I was charged something like $89 for a product that was selling $49 or so.
Anyway, be sure to check this if you are running or planning on buying BitDefender.
For a long time I have been using Comodo Internet security suite. I am very pleased with it.
My NAS has history and revisions... I can't really see how it could harm that :/
There are hundreds of different BIOSes. System init code isn't like program code, it's non-relocatable. You can't just add a hook and bypass the original. In theory, boot block flash which is a mini-BIOS might be hooked, but every single MB model would be different. Unless you're running a REALLY high volume computer (Surface, Macbook), the investment in such hooks would be meaningless.
HD firmware could be more interesting, but the payoff would be hard to justify. HD vendors tend to use the same firmware for an entire series. Still, I can't see it.
Just because "Security researchers" can show a possible exploit for a specific hd or mb model and raise FUD, I would just reflash those components if I were actually concerned.
EFI is a different beast, but that's why we have signed code and OS bootloaders.
Everyone has an opinion on AV programs. Anecdotes aren't really useful, however. I show our customers the latest results from AV-Test.org and AV-Comparitives.org so they can choose based on test comparisons. I have had hundreds of customers that claim they had no problems until "yesterday". Manually scanning the pulled hard drive usually shows malware files from as long as a couple of years ago. They just happened to pick up a particularly nasty one the day before, and then noticed pop-ups, extreme slowness, or other issues. We currently recommend Kaspersky for business use, as it isn't as bloated as Trend Micro or as buggy as Bitdefender. All three are highly rated currently. Others fall short on the test results. Among the free choices Avira is a top performer. 360 Total Security is currently even better, as long as you manually select the add-on Avira and Bitdefender engines. People in general tend to recommend what they use no matter how good it really is in comparison to the competition.
I prefer FortiClient. Not only AV but has a website blacklisting. Also use a browser like SRWare Iron or Comodo Dragon... Adblock + the standard security stuff for the browser. Comodo Internet security premium is good (so I've read)... Also free. Windows firewall should be enough, but do configure it properly. Default settings aren't enough. Although seriously, if you are in-the-know... Even MS's Defender/malicious software removal tool and a proper windows config (blocking ad/malware sites via OpenDNS or Comodo DNS or whatever else)... For you guys that bash this or that OS... I use, Windows for gaming and some development... OSX as my main development workhorse... It's the best of both worlds... Linux for everyday office work, servers and a lot more else... Solaris for 2 Oracle DBs
Imagination is more important than knowledge. Having both makes one a genius.
That's the one. Name is similar enough for me to mix the two.
It's a great example of malware targeted at average users rather than tailored zero day exploit. And it's easily caught by MSE.
If you understand computers--don't even bother with anti-virus. The anti-virus software on a PC of a savvy PC users is just lowing down the computer.
AdBlock and NoScript on my browser is all I every use--and that is mainly so I don't have to deal with ads, pop-ups, and auto-play videos.
You should be able to tell if you are a savvy user fairly easily. How many times has your PC been infected over the last five years? If zero--you probably know what you are doing.
This is why you make cold backups.
+++ATH0
I love the irony that you're evading the point he made by accusing him of "running away". We all know why people "run away" from you APK, it's because you refuse to engage with the argument and just keep spamming non-sequiturs until people just shrug and walk off. Arguing with you is like playing chess with a pigeon. You can be checkmated in two moves, but you'll still shit all above the board and strut around like you've won. You are completely mental, and I guarantee that your response to this post will only demonstrate that further. Let me assure you, you can post whatever nonsense you like in response, safe in the knowledge that I won't be engaging with it because it's a waste of my time. I anticipate...ooohh say... ~4 posts that are thinly disguised as posts from 4 different ACs that are clearly all written by you. I'll be disappointed if you don't include the phrase "run forrest, run".
(1.21 gigawatts) / (88 miles per hour) = 30 757 874 newtons
Create a separate regular user account that you use 100% of the time, and only use the admin account credentials when you know you are installing or updating something that's legit. Do or don't use anti-virus (I use Microsoft Security Essentials on my Windows machine because it's free, good enough, and not pesky).
If you do manage to get infected with something, create another user account and only copy documents over. Since the virus is likely hiding elsewhere in your user profile or in your user registry key, the virus is gone, by your perspective.
I think part of FuturePower's point is that you have too many words, so it isn't clear what you are trying to communicate. Your whole paragraph about Howard Stark is confusing and irrelevant.
Not trying to criticize - trying to help
I find it's best to pick maybe 3 points and stick to those. One key point should be WHAT you are offering. Is it a hosts file for whitelisting? A hosts file for blacklisting? A software program that intercepts DNS requests? How do you choose good domain names? I honestly can't tell.
MSE
HOSTS file
Adblock, NoScript, Disconnect (Ghostery was sold to an ad company)
EMET
MalwareBytes
Job's done!
Lately I've been dealing with Windows systems virtually crippled by the "real time protection" now standard in most antivirus applications. I bought Chromebooks for my family. They are fast, cheap and don't need anti-virus. My wife loves hers. The only way to stop AV packages crippling a Windows system is to disable or degrade the protection.... Which leaves you vulnerable. That's not the answer either. So I ditched Windows. That was the best answer. This has been going on for 20 years and more. Clearly it's part of the Windows ecology. No thanks.
Only boring people are ever bored.
There's a lot of people saying Microsoft Security Essentials or Windows Defender. That was a great answer a few years ago, it's not now. It's near the bottom of of the lists in rankings on most tests. For those saying don't use any AV, stop posting please. You're not impressing anyone by trying to be l33t prosauce internet surfer. http://www.av-comparatives.org... http://www.av-test.org/en/anti... https://www.virusbtn.com/vb100... http://www.tomsguide.com/us/be... http://www.lifehacker.co.uk/20... Nowhere on ay of those links will you find someone saying that MSE/Defender is a good choice.
You're right. They all rank it second or third to last. You know what else MSE sucks at? Removing infections. I've cleaned up enough machines with MSE to know. I used to like and recommend MSE but it has fallen too far behind. I'd be interested in seeing any tests that rank it in the top 75% in the last year.
First off, ignore everyone who recommends Microsoft Security Essentials and/or Windows Defender. Google why - it sucks, totally worthless.
Second, the person who recommended http://www.av-comparatives.org... is wise. Look over their reports over the past few years, as well as http://www.av-test.org/. You will see that Avira, AVG, and Avast are very good products (all free). Some are more bloated that others - I prefer Avast, personally.
NOD32 by Eset used to be known as have the least-impacting AV product - no popups, silent gamer mode, low CPU and disk utilization, etc. It is not free.
I only resort to HijackThis or MalwareBytes when helping someone who already has some form of malware/virus. Safe browsing habits and a decent AV product will protect you just fine.
AVG was it's own company, then got bought by Intel, IIRC.
The person who recommended SandBoxie is also wise. It is a great product to use when you want to browse a site you are unsure about. My biggest complaint about Avast is that is dislikes SandBoxie - to get it to configure settings that I am uncomfortable disabling, so I gave up on using SandBoxie.
I only looked at ClamWin years ago - it did not have an on-access component, it only did disk scans. If this is still true I do not recommend it. You want an on-access scanner that can protect you as soon it it is read or written.
For free, I recommend Avast. For money, Trend Micro and BitDefender always perform well, and I would consider ESET, too.
I have many E-mail accounts as I'm sure others do, all being forwarded to my main E-mail account (Gmail). Gmail allows POP3 which lets you download your E-mail, many E-mail sites don't offer that ablity.. Web based E-mail you need to open to read (or even see) you don't know what it's going to contain or do, mostly though install beacons -the sender, if a site you subscribe to will tell you this up front in it's privacy policy.
I use Agent as my E-mail/newsgroup reader, actually I've always used Agent starting with version .98 (so know of no other similar programs); at this time Agent 6 as it has SSL. While I prefer 1.93 it hasn't SSL and the latest update to Stunnel not only didn't work, neither will the older versions now.
Agent won't load HTML, allowing you to read your E-mail as text; most HTML E-mail have two "versions" the HTML followed by text, both saying the same thing. Agent will load your E-mail in your browser if you want, but I have rarely needed to.
I can tell if an attachment has been sent with the E-mail by it's flags (status), the first item listed before the lines the message has, subject, author, and date. If I don't know the sender I just delete it by right clicking on the line of E-mail info itself. Since I've already downloaded it, if I really wanted to I could go into my incoming directory and see what it is, but if an unknown sender I couldn't care.
Charter offers access to the newsgroups (UseNet) as part of it's service (no charge) which I use Agent for as well. I've begun to notice people referring to Google Groups as the newsgroups (not even close).
Headers, while not as informative as they used to be (senders IP address no longer listed) are fully listed and an option to view along with the message. None of the E-mail programs I've seen (cell phone and such) have more than a few lines and of no real value.
I see E-mail having bounced back and forth between Google servers much like ping-pong. Servers which btw use the 10.0.0.0 ip address block Https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1918, all internal to Google. I was kind of impressed, cost em nothing.
I'd post one of the headers here but it would have to be edited to senselessness as it shows the complete path the E-mail followed; being forwarded E-mail, just too much info.
The only down side of Agent I've ever encountered are the features and options one has to work with, which can be overwhelming at first, this includes the message filtering system.
Not being that bright, a filter can take me quite awhile to get it to do just what I want, whether it's to begin downloading a file showing up sight unseen, or deleting one. The last time was to keep the first .par file but delete any additional .par files (ones needed to repair) as the newsgroups are very reliable, yep it took awhile.
But don't forget web based E-mail is a threat as well.
Feel I need to add: I have nothing to do with Agent (Forte), just a user.
That article doesn't even mention hosts files or your program.
Don't try to bullshit me. You and I both know you have never had any commercial success. You are a pest who spams your crap "hosts file manager" all over the forums here.
Your hosts file approach doesn't even address hardcoded IPs or domain-generating algorithms. Start working on another approach or shut the fuck up.
A couple of other things for prevention could include CryptoPrevent and HitmanPro.Alert.
CryptoPrevent is primarily an automated way to set a variety of documented settings to restrict execution from a variety of locations, though you may need to temporarily disable it for installing or updating some software. I also haven't investigated this, but it occurred to me this evening that those policy changes might have caused problems I recently had with some Windows security updates that ended up with me saying "screw it" and reinstalling Windows.
HitmanPro.Alert monitors filesystem behavior to attempt to detect and block the assorted CryptoLocker-style infections, though there are some that it still doesn't detect (or at least can't differentiate enough from regular activity).
fencepost
just a little off
Do you understand how DGAs work?
The malware hits an ephemeral domain and then the bot herders throw that domain away. The domain may only exist for an hour.
That is the whole point of domain-generating algorithms. They defeat blacklists. That is the whole point.
Also, you dodged my point about hardcoded IPs, which is just one technique malware can use to circumvent host files.
You still don't understand. The botherder registers a new domain, has it resolve to the C&C server for an hour, then throws the domain away.
By the time it makes it to your list, it's too late.
As I said, that is the point of DGAs.
The fact that it's last year's version is a drawback as compared with the paid version, but even last year's version of Bit Defender is better at what it does than a current copy of Norton or McAfee, so why whine about it? If you want the better version, pay for it. Seems pretty fair to me.
You found it naggy? That really confuses me. As long as you activate and confirm your email address, it will never pop up on your computer unless it finds something. I literally have never seen it appear unannounced on my primary computer. If I do open the interface, I don't even see a "CLICK HERE FOR MORE FEATURES!" banner.
As far as it tripping your other AV, I'm not terribly surprised. There's a reason you're only supposed to use one AV. Most AVs won't even allow you to install if they detect another AV present (not without a lot of kicking & screaming, at least).
Nobody said DGAs use domains that last 1 second. I said 1 hour. Some malware might use domains that last 24 hours. But, the point is that the domain name calculated by the malware changes faster than you can update your blacklist.
I say again, by the time you know the domain name, it is no longer being used. Your hosts file program does not magically predict domain names.
I see. You don't have fans - you have worshippers!
Aside from performance issues, this is the biggest reason I don't like using antivirus. Most programs are designed for idiots and helpfully take action for you, regardless of the circumstances or your experience. I'm shocked how many anti-virus programs will outright delete files without asking, let alone quarantine, and will not even give you the option to change the default behavior.
Not a fan of being worshipped. Tends to end really badly for the subject when he's not imaginary.
NO, by the time those blogs post a domain name, it is not being used anymore. The malware will generate another domain name based on the date/time, and you will not have that domain name in your blacklist.
You still don't get it, so I guess I'm giving up. This is like explaining Calculus to a housecat.
This is not true! Malware has so many ways it can circumvent a hosts file. A hosts file is great for blocking ad domains, but it does NOT provide strong security.
Here are just some of the ways malware can completely bypass your hosts file:
Do you understand what words mean? I've walked you through it, but you still don't understand the difference between DGAs and Fast Flux. I even gave you a link to an opendns blog that explains what DGAs are. I guess you will never get it.
Uh, no, you have never written any commercially sold code.
I've developed security products for actual security companies, and work as a security engineer. Where do you "work," your mom's basement?
Arrogant and stupid are a bad combination.
I'm not contacting Eric or telling you where I work, idiot.
Look back through the comments in this Slashdot post and see if there is a single person who likes you or has any respect for you.
So you're admitting you don't actually have a job, and nobody likes or respects you?
All I can say is that I'm not sure if you're insane or awesome, or just awesomely insane.
Awesomely insane it is.
Take a look at baidu antivirus, I'm using it for a while and I like it.
Someone will one day post you the obvious "can condoms protect you from" post where they will list things like hand wounds in boxing.
But that will not be today :D