Internet Security

[midgymidge]

hey guys im going to copy and article i just read recently "In an online world where malware with strains of crimeware and ransomware are running amok, you might have wondered at some point where the number of these viruses currently stand. Everyone's computer is at risk from these attacks but some folks write it off as mere exaggerations and ignore the warnings simply because they haven't experienced being infected--yet.

This time around, let's take a more objective look into the world of malware by considering the numbers.



Security company Symantec recently published a summary of its latest Virus Definitions file on April 13th, which contained 17,702,868 separate virus signatures. Don't go into shock over the sheer massiveness of that figure because that doesn't represent the number of malware that's currently infecting Windows machines, Android devices, and Macs all over the world. The definition file only contained 17,595,922 separate detections on April 4th, so that leaves us with 106,946 definitions that were added in 8 days.

A closer look at the details of the Symantec report revealed that of these additional detections, there were only 303 entries added or modified in the database. The 100,000+ figure was merely an indication of the individual pieces of signatures that were associated with the entries themselves. And of these entries, around 213 belonged in the Trojan, Worm, and Virus categories.

While I admit that 213 isn't as large as the figure I initially expected, it's still high enough to convince me of the importance of getting my computer protected before it gets infected. The infestation trend could change at any point, but the risks to your data, privacy, and personal information are much too high to gamble with."

Question is what is the best program to be using against these sorts of threats im not a computer genius but i do know my basic security and how to browse or handle files on my comp.

Right now im just using MSE and Malwarebytes running on my system. Is this good enough for these viruses?

Thanks in advance for the tips

 

[adam30k]

No antivirus program is perfect but you don't want to run multiple AV programs at the same time. Running Malwarebytes in safe mode from time to time is okay to do but you shouldn't be running the active program at the same time as another program like MSE. They will conflict with each other.

The other side of the coin is that you want a AV program that doesn't bog down your computer or it's being really unhelpful that way. A lot of people like MSE for a combination of good scanning and low resource use.

I would also recommend using browser add-ons like Flash or ad block to help prevent cross site or drive by attacks. Of course you also need to practice safe browsing and email techniques so that brings in the human factor of it.

 

[dashpuppy]

No antivirus program is perfect but you don't want to run multiple AV programs at the same time. Running Malwarebytes in safe mode from time to time is okay to do but you shouldn't be running the active program at the same time as another program like MSE. They will conflict with each other.

The other side of the coin is that you want a AV program that doesn't bog down your computer or it's being really unhelpful that way. A lot of people like MSE for a combination of good scanning and low resource use.

I would also recommend using browser add-ons like Flash or ad block to help prevent cross site or drive by attacks. Of course you also need to practice safe browsing and email techniques so that brings in the human factor of it.

When installing MSE, you need to also tell it to Scan THE WHOLE system every time it does it LOL

All my servers scan at night and do the whole server..

 

[Monkey34]

No antivirus program is perfect but you don't want to run multiple AV programs at the same time. Running Malwarebytes in safe mode from time to time is okay to do but you shouldn't be running the active program at the same time as another program like MSE. They will conflict with each other.

The other side of the coin is that you want a AV program that doesn't bog down your computer or it's being really unhelpful that way. A lot of people like MSE for a combination of good scanning and low resource use.

I would also recommend using browser add-ons like Flash or ad block to help prevent cross site or drive by attacks. Of course you also need to practice safe browsing and email techniques so that brings in the human factor of it.

I've never had MSE conflict with Malwarebytes. AV against AV for sure, but not AV against A-Malware.

 

[fightingfi]

I use Kaspersky Pure Internet Security Suite which you can get for FREE after mail in rebates usually. A good combo though is AVG with Super Anti Spyware and spybot with malware bytes for a good back up in my opinion. Sucks to have to keep or use so much cause of windows but somethings better than nothing Happy Surfing

 

[-Jess-]

A good combo though is AVG....

No. Never.

Sorry, I have a great hatred for AVG. It's about as useful as having a rat infestation.


OP: Best practices are scattered all over these forums.

Anti-virus: Avast or MSE - both work well.
Anti-Malware: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware - extremely effective.

Aside from having the programs installed - make it a priority to update them and scan regularly. Once/twice per week is usually good.

Bear in mind that the above is only a fraction of good security practice - some other items include:
- Run Windows updates; make sure that your OS and office applications are up to date.
- Keep your web browser, Adobe Flash, Adober Reader, Java, et cetera updated.
- Consider using OpenDNS: http://www.opendns.com/


If you've got the budget/time/boredom - look at building a home UTM appliance that supports software such as Untangle. Usually - you can run this on an old PC with 2 network cards.

It isn't a "must-have" but if you're technically inclined, it's a great project. You can read about its features here: http://www.untangle.com/

 

[Monkey34]

Firefox with No Script is #1 in my book. Start with blocking everything by default, and whitelist sites and scripts as you go - and I wouldn't whitelist just any site. Be as selective as you are concerned for security. You can even just unblock selected items on sites.

 

[XOR != OR]

For what it's worth, for family members I set them up with MSE and opendns. On my more problematic systems ( teenagers and the like ), I'll take the extra step of making the default account a "limited" user.

The workstations I do these steps on almost never have an issue again, certainly not after the third step.

( performing security steps on the browser is a good start, but I've often had issue with end users when I do this; the steps will often interfere with normal browsing habits. And my goal is to avoid repeat phone calls )

EDIT: It's worth noting that I actually dislike companies like opendns. The fanboism they generate riles me up. However, my slothness always trumps my wrath, so I use what works.

 

[midgymidge]

Thanks for the tips guys yeah reason why id been researching recently is coz my hotmail got hacked and i ended up nealy formatting my hd and lucky i came here first read 2 articles on this site regarding internet security and i was actually using avast til i found that annoying and made my pc just a "tad" laggy not enough for me to notice but i noticed lol..so i heard that MSE is the way to go with malwarebytes thats why i ended up installing both of them. I do safe browsing dont get me wrong i just had that hotmail for years now and yeah started spamming on my friends telling me i had a virus of some sort.

Off topic is it safer to browse on firefox or ie? reason why i like using ie coz its got that pop up blocks where firefox doesnt

 

[/usr/home]

As for your hotmail getting "hacked", it probably wasn't your computer. Change your password and move on. Make sure to scan your PC though as well.

 

[midgymidge]

As for your hotmail getting "hacked", it probably wasn't your computer. Change your password and move on. Make sure to scan your PC though as well.

yeah the thing is i cant even deactivate my email anymore always this stupid pop up that says "Your account has been blocked


Why are you seeing this?

Someone may have used your account to send out a lot of junk messages (or something else that violates the Windows Live Terms of Service).
We're here to help you get your account back.

What do you need to do?

We'll walk you through a few steps to verify that you own the account, then have you change your password in case someone else has been accessing your account. It should only take a few minutes and then you'll be unblocked and on your way.

We've cleaned your account settings

Often customers get here because someone else has access to your account and are using it without your knowledge to send spam. To protect you and your contacts, we've removed any Hotmail auto-replies or linked accounts you may have had."

i gave up with it and quickly just made a new gmail account and transferred all my important stuff to that account now like paypal etc... but yeah even if i change the password that pop up still comes up! i dont know how to deactivate it!

 

[adam30k]

IE9 is getting better but most people stick with what works for them, which means they use Firefox or Chrome. They all have popup blockers and try to detect malicious websites to prevent attacks. Definitely use the right add-ons.. and switch your DNS to something like OpenDNS that can help block some malicious websites as well.