What free tools do you use to secure your PC?

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courtney01

Gawd
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Nov 25, 2008
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I'm setting up my new computer, so I wanted to get an idea for what the best types of free software there are. I already have a software that handles viruses and spyware and I also have the latest zone alarm firewall. I'm looking to see if there are other things I can use to make going through the internet a much safer experience. Is there anything that let's me know before a webpage loads and blocks it if it suspects it has viruses or mal/spy/adware?

I also use Firefox, never IE.
 
What software are you using for anti-virus and anti-spyware work?

If you're using Vista, just go back to the windows firewall. Works better than Zonealarm

If you're using XP, use Comodo Firewall:
http://www.download.com/Comodo-Firewall-Pro/3000-10435_4-10460704.html

Either way, stop using ZoneAlarm. It's a total POS compared to the other two firewalls I mentioned.

If you're using Firefox, install the NoScript add on. Just ditch IE altogether.
 
courtney01 said:
My parents' acquaintance gave me a software called sophos antivirus that supposedly handles both antivirus and malware. I'm also using XP pro with SP3.
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Oohh, enterprise class anti-virus. Nice. Hopefully that's a legit copy :D

Anyway, use Comodo Firewall and get it from the link I provided, not from Comodo's site. Comodo is now bundling their AV product with the firewall on their site.

And since multiples anti-spyware isn't that bad of an idea, look up Spybot Search & Destroy, install it, update and immunize.
 
Danny Bui said:
Oohh, enterprise class anti-virus. Nice. Hopefully that's a legit copy :D
Click to expand...

Wow I'm going to make sure to thank them. The CD looks like it came from a retail box so I'm guessing it's legit. I never heard of it before they gave it to me.

And since multiples anti-spyware isn't that bad of an idea, look up Spybot Search & Destroy, install it, update and immunize.
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I heard that having multiple anti-spywares causes problems or something? Or is that having multiple antivirus softwares?

I'm looking through Firefox's addons under their privacy and security category, and there's just so much there that I want to download them all. The only worry I have is if I have dozens of addons, is that going to cause compatibility issues with each other and with my PC's softwares? Or can I just go ahead and do that?
 
No it's having multiple AV software that causes problems, not multiple anti-spyware apps.

Having dozens of add-ons will eventually A) Slow down Firefox, B) have potential compatibility problems, and C) may cause Firefox to crash once in a while. So keep the add-on as low as possible. I only have six add-ons.
 
Danny Bui said:
No it's having multiple AV software that causes problems, not multiple anti-spyware apps.

Having dozens of add-ons will eventually A) Slow down Firefox, B) have potential compatibility problems, and C) may cause Firefox to crash once in a while. So keep the add-on as low as possible. I only have six add-ons.
Click to expand...

Ok I'll keep it to around 6 too. Which ones do you recommend? I'm only interested in security addons, none of the password or convenience things.
 
Spybot S&D, keep it updated, each time you update..reimmunize. When installing, don't bother with the teatimer plugin..that's naggy. Does not slow down your system. Occasionally scan and remove....free.

SpywareBlaster...occasionally manually update it. Like a condom for your browser..prevents lots of exploits and malware. Not a scanner/removal tool. Does not slow down your system. Free.

Sophos is "OK" as far as antivirus goes...on the heavy side. There are better ones out there, some free...such as AntiVir.

MalwareBytes is a top notch scanner/removal tool, also free.

SuperAntispyware is another strong one..although it does bog your system down a little bit. Great for cleaning though..also free.
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
Spybot S&D, keep it updated, each time you update..reimmunize. When installing, don't bother with the teatimer plugin..that's naggy. Does not slow down your system. Occasionally scan and remove....free.

SpywareBlaster...occasionally manually update it. Like a condom for your browser..prevents lots of exploits and malware. Not a scanner/removal tool. Does not slow down your system. Free.

Sophos is "OK" as far as antivirus goes...on the heavy side. There are better ones out there, some free...such as AntiVir.

MalwareBytes is a top notch scanner/removal tool, also free.

SuperAntispyware is another strong one..although it does bog your system down a little bit. Great for cleaning though..also free.
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Can I have all of those on my computer at the same time?

Is Sophos bad?
 
You can have as many antispyware apps as you want as most do not do active full time scanning. Antivirus programs cause issues when multiple ones are installed since they do active full time scanning and can "run into" each other and cause problems.
 
Grentz said:
You can have as many antispyware apps as you want as most do not do active full time scanning. Antivirus programs cause issues when multiple ones are installed since they do active full time scanning and can "run into" each other and cause problems.
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Ok I see. Can anti-spywares do what I originally stated as something I wanted: " Is there anything that let's me know before a webpage loads and blocks it if it suspects it has viruses or mal/spy/adware?"

If they do, doesn't that mean there's a potential for multiple anti-spywares to scan the same website at the same time and run into each other? I'm probably wrong, but just a thought.
 
courtney01 said:
Ok I see. Can anti-spywares do what I originally stated as something I wanted: " Is there anything that let's me know before a webpage loads and blocks it if it suspects it has viruses or mal/spy/adware?"

If they do, doesn't that mean there's a potential for multiple anti-spywares to scan the same website at the same time and run into each other? I'm probably wrong, but just a thought.
Click to expand...

Generally anti ad/spyware programs will not warn..they simply silently stop the exploits from installing things, such as activeX. Antivirus programs can warn when you're on a site, depending on which one you use.
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
Generally anti ad/spyware programs will not warn..they simply silently stop the exploits from installing things, such as activeX. Antivirus programs can warn when you're on a site, depending on which one you use.
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I see. I used to have a anti-spyware remover that blocked things from being installed and let me know about it if I visited a suspicious website, so I guess that's what all anti-spywares do, even if it's done silently?
So with my antivirus software, and after installing commodore and a couple of anti-malware softwares that were recommended, I can browse the web with a pretty good peace of mind? I don't need any other layer of protection?

By the way, how do I completely delete ZoneAlarm firewall from my computer so that it's as if it never existed? I don't want to just simply "uninstall" it by going to the add remove window. What folders and registry things do I need to delete?
 
Jon855 said:
But you do whitelist the sites you support?
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whitelist hard. Some sites i visit they give me annoying flash advertisements. Like this RPG text based game. I don't support them because the ads give you trojans ect... its horrible. I see the same advertisement over and over about adult sex ect.. I don't want to see that.
 
you should also get a HIPS (Host-based intrusion-prevention system) if you want.

i don't know what the latest stuff is anymore, as I hardly use windows computers, but back then I would always check out wilderssecurity.com
 
Cheetoz said:
you should also get a HIPS (Host-based intrusion-prevention system) if you want.

i don't know what the latest stuff is anymore, as I hardly use windows computers, but back then I would always check out wilderssecurity.com
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What does HIPS do? Where can I find a good software for that?
 
I'm using Comodo, Avast and Protowall/BLM (on XP 32).
Comodo Firewall includes a pretty decent HIPS (Host Intrusion Protection System).
 
I want to switch to Comodo, but I was wondering how I can completely get rid of Zonealarm from my computer.
 
courtney01 said:
I want to switch to Comodo, but I was wondering how I can completely get rid of Zonealarm from my computer.
Click to expand...

I just did that yesterday....
uninstall via windows reboot install comodo reboot
done
you will have to through the normal authorize clicks, but since you had zone alarm, you know the drill

I made the move because of sluggish transfers across my network

went from 5mbs to over 15mbs....happy now
 
sh0rty said:
I just did that yesterday....
uninstall via windows reboot install comodo reboot
done
you will have to through the normal authorize clicks, but since you had zone alarm, you know the drill

I made the move because of sluggish transfers across my network

went from 5mbs to over 15mbs....happy now
Click to expand...

Do you know if there are any hidden files or registry things I need to do that Zonealarm still leaves on your computer even after you uninstall it via Windows?
 
ater the uninstall I deleted the parent dir and no issues so far...
keep in mind that I did this only 2 days ago ;)
 
Malwarebyte's AntiMalware... very good opensource software that actually removes the infections!
 
My antivirus software is sophos anti-virus version 7.6.3. It updates very frequently (multiple times a day if need be). Compared to free AV software, is this not as good as some available, like antivir or avira? Or is mine better than any free one?
 
courtney01 said:
My antivirus software is sophos anti-virus version 7.6.3. It updates very frequently (multiple times a day if need be). Compared to free AV software, is this not as good as some available, like antivir or avira? Or is mine better than any free one?
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Multiple updates a day is a good thing as far I'm concerned. Makes sure that your system is always up to date with the latest av definitions. Oh and Antivir and Avira are the same exact anti-virus apps. In fact the full name is Avira AntiVir.

Anyway, after doing some basic googling, which I should have done earlier, turns out, Avira is better than Sophos, at least according to this report:
http://www.av-comparatives.org/seiten/ergebnisse_2008_11.php
http://www.av-comparatives.org/seiten/ergebnisse/report20.pdf
 
Danny Bui said:
Multiple updates a day is a good thing as far I'm concerned. Makes sure that your system is always up to date with the latest av definitions. Oh and Antivir and Avira are the same exact anti-virus apps. In fact the full name is Avira AntiVir.

Anyway, after doing some basic googling, which I should have done earlier, turns out, Avira is better than Sophos, at least according to this report:
http://www.av-comparatives.org/seiten/ergebnisse_2008_11.php
http://www.av-comparatives.org/seiten/ergebnisse/report20.pdf
Click to expand...

Whoa I thought Sophos was supposed to be a enterprise class antivirus/spyware software. It's not even close compared to Avira. I tried to search for other results comparing the two but I can't find any. Do you think it would be a smart choice based on this one test to switch to Avira?
 
courtney01 said:
Whoa I thought Sophos was supposed to be a enterprise class antivirus/spyware software.
Click to expand...

It is commonly used in enterprise environments, it's not common for retail home use. It's also common for schools, they targeted school systems with their pricing model. But just because an antivirus product is designed for the managed business/enterprise network environment..doesn't mean it's a top notch product. ;) It just shows their target audience.

Symantecs Corporate Edition is another example of this..very common in businesses, "loose" licensing so those who work in IT at businesses often sneak home a copy.
 
Right now I'm just using Avira + Comodo and the occasional MBAM scan. Setting up an Untangle server soon to take over some of those duties.
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
It is commonly used in enterprise environments, it's not common for retail home use. It's also common for schools, they targeted school systems with their pricing model. But just because an antivirus product is designed for the managed business/enterprise network environment..doesn't mean it's a top notch product. ;) It just shows their target audience.

Symantecs Corporate Edition is another example of this..very common in businesses, "loose" licensing so those who work in IT at businesses often sneak home a copy.
Click to expand...

Oh ok, so free doesn't necessarily mean it's worse than what I have. I don't want to just go by one test result, so in your knowledge do you think Avira would generally be better than Sophos?
 
courtney01 said:
Oh ok, so free doesn't necessarily mean it's worse than what I have. I don't want to just go by one test result, so in your knowledge do you think Avira would generally be better than Sophos?
Click to expand...
As previously mentioned, Sophos is generally used in an enterprise environment. It contains specific features that would benefit a system administrator. Avira is a free antivirus solution that is usually used in a home or small office environment, but also produces solutions for enterprise and school environments.

Their target audience has nothing to do with their capabilities as an antivirus.

Both are extremely competent programs. AV-Comparatives is a fairly unbiased site that does in-house testing (that is, they don't just compile data from other sources). Their tests are fairly straight forward. Sophos has a fairly bad score in false-positives because administrators would want to be notified of these. If you want my opinion, I would tell you that Avira is a better option.

However, in my line of work, most of my experience with AV programs is using them to disinfect previously unsecured systems that are already heavily infected. Avira SOARS in this respect, which is why I like them so much. As far as actually preventing viruses or damage from viruses, I don't really think there is enough of a difference to matter. If you are happy with Sophos, stick with it. If you don't like it, try Avira.

Just to give you another look at what I'm trying to convey: I told you that I really like Avira because it helps me with my job. On my home systems, however, I still use ESET Nod32, a paid solution. Why do I buy NOD32 when I acknowledge that Avira is an extremely useful AV? Personal preference. I like its low memory footprint and how it runs overall. As long as you stay away from the obviously crappy options, your choice in antivirus has a lot to do with personal taste.
 
Just curious, with free antivirus/malware programs out there that are much better than ones you can buy in store, why do people go and buy them? And how do these commercial companies stay in business when people are making better softwares for free? (presumably because of the aforementioned people?)
 
courtney01 said:
Just curious, with free antivirus/malware programs out there that are much better than ones you can buy in store, why do people go and buy them? And how do these commercial companies stay in business when people are making better softwares for free?
Click to expand...

Answer to both questions: Marketing, branding and a little bit of ignorance and lack of knowledge on the consumer's part.
 
courtney01 said:
Just curious, with free antivirus/malware programs out there that are much better than ones you can buy in store, why do people go and buy them? And how do these commercial companies stay in business when people are making better softwares for free? (presumably because of the aforementioned people?)
Click to expand...

The companies that produce free antivirus also make retail/commercial based antivirus products...that include support, and in many cases...more features..enough features to lure enough people to upgrade from the free one to the subscription based one.

Instead of the high cost of heavy advertising to get their name out there....they rely on "word of mouth" and other references to their free products...which gets their name out there.
The popular free ones...AntiVir, Avast, and Grisoft AVG...all sell "full" products for home users, as well as corporate business edition products.

People go and by the big common brands...because in most cases, they simply recognize the big names due to successful marketing, combined with "It's what my computer came with". Symantec and McAfee rely heavily on this.
 
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