Anti-virus/Malware software?

[Inconel710]

Another AVG/Malwarebytes user here. I also run Zone Alarm's Free Firewall to keep the bad stuff from getting in.

[buckshotbarlow]

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]

Get a Mac

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)

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.

[cstone]

Get a Mac

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)

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

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]

Linux from a live CD

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.

[cstone]

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.

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)

[Byte Stryke]

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.

[Byte Stryke]

Get a Mac

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)

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

— 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: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/04/...#ixzz23B5cUOa5

[cstone]

more and more viruses are being written for Mac OS
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/04/...ainst-malware/

I thought Mac users called malware "apps"

[Byte Stryke]

I thought Mac users called malware "apps"