View Full Version : Anti-virus/Malware software?
I would like to know what the best anti-virus/malware software there is? I think I might have a bug on my computer, not sure, and would like to know what program is the best to find out. I have Norton, but I don't think that is enough....
bigshane
08-10-2012, 00:33
My usual first stab is housecall.trendmicro.com
If that's clean I move on to adaware and spybot s&d
Teufelhund
08-10-2012, 07:00
I use Kaspersky, primarily because you can typically find it for free at Frys dot com. Actually, it's $59.99 with a $60 rebate, so they pay you a penny to take it. They run this special periodically, so if you miss it just check back again in a couple weeks. I just ordered a new copy this week.
Kaspersky works very well, but there are plenty of options out there. Trend Micro, AVG, McAfee, Norton (Symantec) all work fine, but the latter two are big resource hogs - that is, they will bog down your computer with background services and widgets.
Half Live
08-10-2012, 07:08
Avast
BPTactical
08-10-2012, 07:24
Been happy with Webroot.
Colorado company as well.
I've been running AVG Free on my Windows boxes for years.
Depends what you need. The absolute best at removal is malwarebytes. It is mediocre at prevention however. It really excels at removing stubborn bugs that are very difficult to fully clean. It is free as well, for the manual run version only.
Kaspersky has the highest hit rate of any scanning engine, so it is the best at prevention.
spqrzilla
08-10-2012, 07:53
For anti-virus I like Avast's free home edition. Been running it for quite a long time successfully.
Norton is crap.
buckshotbarlow
08-10-2012, 08:18
avg or avira, avira has pop ups, but i like their detection better. No matter what, a good dedicated firewall infront is worth it's weight in gold that does statefull packet inspection.
i prefer untangle for that job.
newracer
08-10-2012, 08:20
AVG, Malware bytes, and Spybot, all free.
I have also heard Microsoft Security Essentials is good to but have never used it.
cfortune
08-10-2012, 08:25
Might do a pass with adaware too. It's free but like malwarebytes, doesn't seem to have the greatest active protection. http://www.lavasoft.com/
I usually disable it from loading on boot and run a scan periodically. I use AVG for real-time protection.
Inconel710
08-10-2012, 08:56
Another AVG/Malwarebytes user here. I also run Zone Alarm's Free Firewall to keep the bad stuff from getting in.
buckshotbarlow
08-10-2012, 10:22
Ok, full detection for malware/adware/virus/rootkit/trackers
avg/avira - antivirus/rootkit
ghostery - trackers
ad-aware - virus/adaware
spybot s/d - spyware/rootkit
firefox - plugins exist for all 4 products
cmailliard
08-10-2012, 12:42
Get a Mac [Poke]
I have had my Mac Mini and MBA for 2 years now and have never installed any anti anything on them and both are clean to this day. Though I do expect this will be changing in the very near future. I do not use Find My Mac (Any access to my Apple ID could erase my machines - See THIS (http://mashable.com/2012/08/08/honan-hacked-details/))
On my one remaining PC I use AVG (Free Version) and nothing else.
McAfee and Norton always seemed to have issues in some way shape or form. I did like Webroot and used it for a while. I just do not use my PC enough anymore to invest a ton of money in anti- software.
Most importantly all my files are stored off my computer on separate hard drives. They are backed up to a second hard drive and to a cloud based backup service. 2 is 1, 1 is none, and 3 is better.
Get a Mac [Poke]
I have had my Mac Mini and MBA for 2 years now and have never installed any anti anything on them and both are clean to this day. Though I do expect this will be changing in the very near future. I do not use Find My Mac (Any access to my Apple ID could erase my machines - See THIS (http://mashable.com/2012/08/08/honan-hacked-details/))
On my one remaining PC I use AVG (Free Version) and nothing else.
McAfee and Norton always seemed to have issues in some way shape or form. I did like Webroot and used it for a while. I just do not use my PC enough anymore to invest a ton of money in anti- software.
Most importantly all my files are stored off my computer on separate hard drives. They are backed up to a second hard drive and to a cloud based backup service. 2 is 1, 1 is none, and 3 is better.
Linux from a live CD [Coffee]
I use AVG and MSE. They are free and OK. Nothing is fool proof. Staying away from free gaming and porn sights is probably better than most AV software.
Ultimately, for me, a Windoze box needs to be wiped and reloaded about once each year. The registry alone becomes a mess after a few hundred programs and updates are applied. I've been to training sessions where the malware being described turned out to be a Microsoft program.
Teufelhund
08-10-2012, 14:04
Linux from a live CD [Coffee]
That won't be much help to most people, but it's a very cool concept. I know one member here that uses this setup exclusively.
I have an old laptop with no harddrive that runs on a live version of Puppy Linux - it's only a 128MB ISO, so it boots from a USB flash drive. I save no session activity so when I'm done I can turn it off (or I could just yank the battery, no harm done) and it's like it never happened. Boot it back up and I have a clean slate. The only downside is you can't store anything on it. Great for questionable activities that you don't want local record of, or browsing sites that are likely to harbor malware. [Twist]
Another +1 for Malwarebytes; use the free version to run a scan. Another plus is it won't conflict with your Norton.
I’d also run the online version of ESET, it will catch some things that others miss - http://www.eset.com/us/online-scanner-popup/ (http://www.eset.com/us/online-scanner-popup/)
Finally if you’re still having issues download and install Roguekiller. I had to use Roguekiller recently to track down a process that was missed by all the others. It’s not as user friendly but not too hard to figure out if it sees a problem.
Byte Stryke
08-10-2012, 14:39
Get a Mac [Poke]
I have had my Mac Mini and MBA for 2 years now and have never installed any anti anything on them and both are clean to this day. Though I do expect this will be changing in the very near future. I do not use Find My Mac (Any access to my Apple ID could erase my machines - See THIS (http://mashable.com/2012/08/08/honan-hacked-details/))
On my one remaining PC I use AVG (Free Version) and nothing else.
McAfee and Norton always seemed to have issues in some way shape or form. I did like Webroot and used it for a while. I just do not use my PC enough anymore to invest a ton of money in anti- software.
Most importantly all my files are stored off my computer on separate hard drives. They are backed up to a second hard drive and to a cloud based backup service. 2 is 1, 1 is none, and 3 is better.
more and more viruses are being written for Mac OS
[/URL]
— Take a deep breath and say to yourself, "Steve Jobs is dead and my Mac is not immune to malware." Then install a solid anti-virus product. Today, right now, ASAP.
Read more: [URL]http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/04/06/how-to-protect-your-mac-against-malware/#ixzz23B5cUOa5 (http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/04/06/how-to-protect-your-mac-against-malware/)
more and more viruses are being written for Mac OS
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/04/06/how-to-protect-your-mac-against-malware/
I thought Mac users called malware "apps" [ROFL2]
Byte Stryke
08-10-2012, 14:52
I thought Mac users called malware "apps" [ROFL2]
[ROFL1]
Thanks for the advice guys. [Beer] I put malwarebytes on and ran a scan... found nothing....... Maybe my computer is just getting ready to fall apart....
Byte Stryke
08-10-2012, 14:58
I have the perfect low system requirement and truly virus free OS (http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Teaching/Unix/) for you.
:D
cfortune
08-10-2012, 15:00
I love when people say "I don't run anything and I'm clean". The best malware an attacker can use is the kind that you don't know is there. If someone gets a key logger on your machine, they don't want it to show, they just want to see when you go to wellsfargo.com and the next two things you type in.
Not having anything isn't necessarily a good thing.
That won't be much help to most people, but it's a very cool concept. I know one member here that uses this setup exclusively.
I have an old laptop with no harddrive that runs on a live version of Puppy Linux - it's only a 128MB ISO, so it boots from a USB flash drive. I save no session activity so when I'm done I can turn it off (or I could just yank the battery, no harm done) and it's like it never happened. Boot it back up and I have a clean slate. The only downside is you can't store anything on it. Great for questionable activities that you don't want local record of, or browsing sites that are likely to harbor malware. [Twist]
I ran into a server farm where all of the machines were running a version of Linux from a CD. When ever the sysadmins wanted to update the machines, they would respin a new distro, duplicate the disks, FedEx them to the hosting company running the farm and have the attendant (not a sysadmin by a long stretch) replace all of the CDs in the drives. The machines would be scheduled for a reboot and they would all come back up fresh and patched. The OS ran in RAM and the source was read only from the CD.
The real sysadmins ran everything remotely. Some of them were in other countries. If a system was hacked, the system would be rebooted as many times as necessary until the exploit was identified, patched, and new distros spun, dupped, and shipped to the farm.
This was several years ago and I am still way impressed by the concept. I'm sure Byte, Jayock, Foxtrot and some others have seen even more impressive systems.
OSs are cheap. Data is valuable. Real computer users never have just one copy of their data, and sysadmins don't keep data in the same place as their OS.
Be safe (even in the virtual world)
I love when people say "I don't run anything and I'm clean". The best malware an attacker can use is the kind that you don't know is there. If someone gets a key logger on your machine, they don't want it to show, they just want to see when you go to wellsfargo.com and the next two things you type in.
Not having anything isn't necessarily a good thing.
If you can't physically secure it, you have no hope of virtually securing it.
Byte Stryke
08-10-2012, 15:18
OSs are cheap. Data is valuable. Real computer users never have just one copy of their data, and sysadmins don't keep data in the same place as their OS.
Be safe (even in the virtual world)
Amen
get a small (60-80GB) drive and install your OS on it.
Get TWO or more drives, MIRROR them, Name it M-O:/ put your docs pictures on it.
Learn the difference between full and incremental backups.
BACK IT UP DAILY.
you'd think that Gun owners would understand that bad shit happens to everyone... Usually at the least expected time.
not always the case.
cmailliard
08-10-2012, 15:27
I love when people say "I don't run anything and I'm clean". The best malware an attacker can use is the kind that you don't know is there. If someone gets a key logger on your machine, they don't want it to show, they just want to see when you go to wellsfargo.com and the next two things you type in.
Not having anything isn't necessarily a good thing.
Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't check, I just do not have something running all the time. This was my problem with Norton and McAfee, they took up so many cycles working in the background that your cpu couldn't keep up, having more than three applications running bogged the computer down horribly.
I check usually once a week. The Mac App Store has a free Norton App that does a nice job. In two years not a single threat has shown up. There are not many choices for Anti- software to run a Mac.
When I was working for the .gov our computer systems had username and passwords that could only be entered using your mouse and clicking buttons on the screen. The location of the keys on the screen would change with every login. It was a pain in the ass to log in, but it was secure.
Byte Stryke
08-10-2012, 15:39
Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't check, I just do not have something running all the time. This was my problem with Norton and McAfee, they took up so many cycles working in the background that your cpu couldn't keep up, having more than three applications running bogged the computer down horribly.
this is why you schedule it to update and then run at night when you are asleep
buckshotbarlow
08-10-2012, 17:47
I have the perfect low system requirement and truly virus free OS (http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Teaching/Unix/) for you.
:D
Ubuntu.com
Better yet just run a vm farm. Thats what I do. No biggy to restore the os from a clean snapshot if I have to go to a questionable site like co-ar15 gun pron.
...This was my problem with Norton and McAfee, they took up so many cycles working in the background that your cpu couldn't keep up, having more than three applications running bogged the computer down horribly.....
This has not been an issue with us and Norton 360. We have way more computer than we need and Norton doesn't seem to bog it down at all, even while updating. Our problem, is every time the computer comes out of sleep mode, or just sits long enough without us doing anything, it will freeze up kind of. Nothing on it works but the pointer. I can drag it all over the screen but nothing else, including the buttons on the mouse work. If I hit ctrl/alt/del, it beeps at me, the screen goes black, then the prompt comes up after about 20 seconds. It takes another 40 seconds for the option you choose to do anything from there.... It is faster to get my computer working that way though...... That's what's going on.
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