malware protection

[tfrizz123]

once upon a time I was on top of things but now I am playing the catch up game.   With all the free and paid for anti-malware/complete protection programs...it is difficult to choose.  Any advice or suggestions would be very much appreciated!

[Shane]

I honestly only use MS Security essentials. I have no need for all the extra bloat the other AVs offer. I havented been infected in years lol

But I am a different kind of user. Just keep in mind that NO av can give you 100% protection. They only protect against what they know and have more false positives then I have ever seen. When the virus makers make a new virus they test it against all the AVs first to make sure it isnt detected and then release it. The AVs so called detect new unknown threats is a joke and is what gives so so many false positives.

So it is the user in the middle that pays. Thats why I refuse to pay for an AV and all I need is a straight file av, nothing else. MS does the job. But again, I am a different type of user lol

Here use these reports to help you decide
http://www.av-comparatives.org/

Shane

[jraju]

Hi, Shane thanks about using MS security essentials.
              Can i stop using avast av and download MS security essentials, as i am firmly of your same view. But though virus makers are first testing their virus against these av, AVast catch some of the viruses while browsing, some while scanning, sometimes blocking harmful websites, urls etc.
                       Will i be sure of the same things when i use ms security essentials? If so , can i uninstall avast and switch to MS security essentials which I suppose is a free microsoft software. Pl advise.
                          I visited the link , in the previous years, the recommendation pointed to AVast.
                             Can i download the MS security and can i uninstall avast, as too many av conflict with each other

[Boggin]

Microsoft don't even recommend MSE, but you can run both AVAST Free and MSE as AVAST Free doesn't have its own firewall - which is the cause of a conflict when attempting to run two or more active AV programs.

[Shane]

Most people dont even need firewall software. They dont realize their router is a hardware based firewall. So unless you are wide open to the net or you have programs you need to block then firewall software is normally not needed.

I have had so many customers who dont read a thing, would have whatever firewall software they have pop something up on if they want to allow access, turns out it was windows itself, they blocked it and then call me because the internet doesnt work lol

MS may not recommend their own but that is only because of the royal fit all the antivirus companies threw when they found out MS was going to make their own. This is why their AV doesnt have much more than a standard file and registry scanner. They keep it basic and what people actually need. All the other stuff is most of the time just fluff. But when a user who dont know better looks at MS and then something like Avast and sees how much "more" avast has to offer they will go with avast. That keeps the av companies happy. So MS says, hey dont worry, we just need to have some form of protection on these systems to stop the spreading of viruses from users who dont know any better. (e.g windows defender), but we will make sure to tell people to get a bigger av.

No AV is perfect, and I mean none of them. SO if you have one you like then stick with it. Just because I have my own views on it doesn't mean it is the right view for others. I am a power user, I know more than a normal user would on what is dangerous, the way you can get infected and so on. I only require a simple file anti virus. I dont need the fluff.

But then there are users who dont read a thing, click on every fake ad or pop up that says they have an update and get themselves infected. They need all the auto protection they can get lol

Look at it this way, when you buy a computer they try to sell you added warranty and repair services. For some people who dont know how to fix a computer at all then that service is helpful for them. For advanced users like some of us, we dont need that extra warranty and service since we know how to do it ourselves.

I have cleaned viruses off of every type of computer running every different type of AV. I guess for some they like to "feel" they are protected, because lets face it, the internet is a wonderful yet dangerous place to be.

Shane

[Boggin]

I've used Norton 360 since I started in 2010 and while my knowledge has come from personal experience and forums, I also use Google for research and a number of times Norton has blocked a web page or a Toolkit - whether that was because the site was infected or a drive by, but I have been grateful for its protection.

Some AV programs are better than others but I agree that none are 100% effective because they are always playing catch up, although the heuristics can be similar and is what all of the AVs rely on.

I'm also savvy to what I click on and perhaps I don't need Norton 360, but as you say, if you're happy with a given program - then stick with it even though it can be troublesome at times as Norton 360 can be.

[jraju]

hI, tHANK you for your excellent information on anti virus.
I have downloaded and updated and done a quick scan and found that no virus or rootkits.
I better think that having avast is enough, as you have rightly pointed out the reason of competition to promote the products by the av companies.
                     Shane, does MS have threat information on the latest virus attacks?

[Shane]

I better think that having avast is enough, as you have rightly pointed out the reason of competition to promote the products by the av companies.
                     Shane, does MS have threat information on the latest virus attacks?

Dont know, but I do knwo that their av is better than people give it credit for. I have had MS find viruses that avast and others didnt, and I have had avast find things ms didnt. There are times where one AV is rockin and doing a great job, then one virus def update later and they suck again and nothing but false positives.

Over the last couple of years, looking at the av-comparatives reports, every AV goes up and down on how well it does and the number of false positives it has. So dar norton and mcafee are always at the bottom of the list and that hasn't changed in a while lol. But it always changes, I use to use avast but got tied of the bloat and false positives. I use to use avira and same story there. Tried panada and again same story.

The thing with the free AVs is they still want to make their money, so if it isnt constant ads trying to get you to upgrade then they will install toolbars and other crap instead. Avast does this, and because most people dont read, my customers would never uncheck to install the 3rd party crap every time avast updated it self to a new version.

MS is literately the only one that doesnt try to sell you anything. Which is a big plus in my book lol

Shane

[jraju]

Hi, Excellent piece of information and analysis. Avast does prompt for some upgrade and grime analysis is especially appears to be free but when you click it goes to the upgrade page for single system upgrade. But avast has got software updator which  is automatically finding and prompting you to update the installed programs update.
                                Considering all the above, it is best to have mse side by side with malware bytes for week analysis. Since av companies find different names to a single virus, one may not know, whether one has a fix for  it or not in another av program.
                                   For eg, when i was having avg, some sound virus crept in to my system , Avg would find the virus, but could not remove because it is a sound virus. i tried manual removal, but anyhow the virus would be back at reboot. I tried system restore everything, but it was residing and avg always shows on its scan. Then I go to a website, read instruction to get rid of this peculiar sound virus, and did the same to get rid of the virus. I could see the virus atlast gone away but with all the exe operations. It made change in "*1" some key in the execution of all application files. I found no similar name in other antivirus programs. So, I would definitely prefer MSE for my av purpose and malware bytes for malwares. Occasionally i sue aswmbr, combofix and others temporarily. The thread owner may also use these recommendations to at least safeguard from particular attacks