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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?
Windows? Use Security Essentials and practice safe surfing. No need for anything else.
Wipe the disk and run linux
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.
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.
That would be "in before somebody says 'don't run Windows'".
Having said that, I've run Windows (among other things) for years, and haven't run anti-virus in over a decade for two reasons:
- it's more trouble than it's worth when you know what you're doing,
- it's hard to do any kind of virus research at all when you've got antivirus trying to delete every infected file you're examining.
In the time I've not run a/v, I've never had an infection. (I never had an infection before that, either, but that's beside the point.)
I use Comodo Endpoint Security on the kids' computer, and the HTPC, but my main Windows desktop hasn't had it for years, and won't have it for the foreseeable future, either.
All my Linux machines, of course, don't run anything, except for my mail server, which has ClamAV on it, just to scan attachments.
"City hall" in German is "Rathaus" Kinda explains a few things......
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.
Repeat: Best software = None.
There are people out there (many of my friends included) who need protection from such a thing because they can't put the tiniest amount of thought into what they are doing when on their computer. I do not practice safe browsing by any means, torrents and pr0n are just too much fun to leave alone ;-), but somehow manage to never get infected without any A/V software protecting me BUT I keep getting calls from friends who's machines have turned into rotting cesspools and want them cleaned. Honestly my answer lately is "Call Geek squad" because it's not worth my time or energy to scrub their waste pond just to have it rot again shortly there after and Geek Squad is cheaper than my time if I were to bill them. So for these people A/V software may be useful but honestly again most of them already have it and it didn't keep them safe anyway.
A/V DOES otoh slow down your machine, interfere with properly running processes and generally behave like the worst of viruses on its own so why willingly go down that path.
I agree. That's exactly what virtual machines excel at.
Any malware worth its salt will detect a VM (and the presence of debuggers and other things) and refuse to run. You need to be running on a physical machine to do malware analysis.
To the average Windows user, their computer is a means to an end. To the average Linux user, the computer IS the end.
The Glass is Too Big: My Take on Things
Microsoft Security Essentials is Windows Defender is System Center Endpoint Protection.
Definition updates come out every few hours.
They all catch the vast majority of shit.
EMET (also free and from MS) will prevent many of the 0-day vulnerabilities that MSE/WD/SCEP could miss until the next definition update rolls out.
I use visual and audible cues like an oddly running HDD: going by the activity light mostly using SSDs.
Because a botnet is going to need a lot of hard drive on your computer with GB of extra RAM?
Also, fan operation, CPU temp, resource monitoring stuff.
Unless you've been coopted to mine bitcoins or something, your CPU temperature isn't going to be noticeable if your part of a botnet either.
Just checking out what .exes are running and/or in startup once in a while is a good habit.
Sure it is; for the low hanging fruit. The really good stuff doesn't show up in taskmanager because its told windows not to report it. It doesn't show up in the registry editor either. And windows explorer can't see the files on disk. Or maybe it's hiding in plain sight... some common service replaced by a malware version; that still performs all the original functions, but also does something... extra.
The idea that anyone could detect anything sophisticated with "visual cues" and "checking stuff" is laughable; on any OS.
An offline scan is usually required, that flags everything not known specifically to come from a trusted vendor... and the resulting list is probably going to be overwhelming anyway for the average person / average system. Only the most secure managed environments would be able have any real confidence.