Let's Talk about what is good and bad about Anti virus software

First of all there are many many anti virus software's out there.We all no this.

For the most part on what i have seen in my time they use to be great.But now i am going to say 80 percent of these so called ant virus software are bogged down with ad's and unwanted add-ons that most people do not want or use.

Most people just want some thing that just works and does it's job Fast and find 95% of the stuff that it says it is suppose to.

I mean every one has there own preference to what is security.

Same as me,I do not run any Anti-virus software on my system.But with the exception of Malwarebytes in which case does better in 90% of most cases with virus - malware removal.

Keep your Temp folder clean this is where most of the nasty stuff hides.

The only time i would use a anti-virus is when i think i need it.I normally keep up cleaning out my system regularly.Once a week at lest.Do Chkdsk and defrag the system.

And with so many anti-virus software out there.It is so hard to compare them to be which is the best.Best place to keep a long list of anti-virus software is on a flash drive only use a installer.This way it is ready to go when needed.

For me the best type is not to need one at all.

Any ideas and thoughts on this.Welcome

 

About a month ago I did a re-install of Windows 7, and I did not install an AV. I relied on Windows Defender & Firewall (Windows 7). I visited some unmentionable websites :-o
Two days ago I re-installed Avast Antivirus and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. I did full system scans as well as a boot-time scan... nothing. :confused

It has been said, the best (Internet) protection is right between your ears.

Don't:
1. Click on links on websites you are not familiar with,
2. Open email attachments from unknown sources, and
3. Attach USB devices with storage that don't belong to you. Also, don't plugin your USB devices into PCs that don't belong to you.

As recently as 3 years ago, I was on the internet using my cell phone's modem, Windows XP Home Edition SP3, and no AV.
And I did visit some unmentionable websites :-o

PS Visit AV-Comparatives for a professional review.
http://www.av-comparatives.org/

 

I agree with LauraR.
What I did, being connected to the internet without an AV, was a test - Not A Recommendation!
I have everything backed up and don't mind re-installing.

I'm going to quote from my post #2:

Sometimes a little common sense goes a long way...

 

Counterpoint
AV's by nature lag behind the attack technology, they use definitions to find previously discovered threats. This is not all bad, but needs to be understood as AV's cannot prevent zero day exploits.
AV's cannot prevent data theft by phishing, email spoofs, etc.

There is no substitute for wiping a drive, installing and updating an OS from a known good source, installing and updating drivers and finally programs. Then image the drive and keep it safe. Re-image as necessary. Keep incremental data backups.

Curing malware can easily take more time than a restore from your last image. Keep your data drives clean of malware. You may find AV's are dinosaurs of a bygone era. Concentrating on recovery options may be more productive than prevention.

Typical Google link
https://www.fireeye.com/current-threats/recent-zero-day-attacks.html

 

Totally agree. Imaging is rarely mentioned in AV discussions despite it being by far the most effective way of dealing with infection when it does occur. Unfortunately there seems to be something about imaging that puts nine out of ten users off and they end up just never using it.

 

I understand what you are saying Laura and personally would never advocate anyone running without an updated AV. But I think we also all have a duty here to get the message across to the computer illiterate that they need to get their heads around backup or they may be courting disaster. If we can only get one in ten to adopt at least a minimal backup routine then it's worth doing. As for these same people reading and digesting How to protect yourself from malware, excellent as it is, there isn't a snowball's chance in Hell imo. Rather we need to keep stressing the likely consequences of not backing up, and offering easy to use solutions - not necessarily imaging, just file backups. Those who follow it through may well graduate to imaging later.

 

I only use it when needed i don't use a AV be cause most of them can be a resource hog.I am very rarely infected be cause of the system that i put into place.And it has been working for the last 10 years.I only keep a full list of AV's on a flash drive stick if the need arises.And i did not say not to put one on your system.But what i did say is keep them handy like on a flash drive stick.

 

At the last Las Vegas Def Con not one person giving an address nor any I talked to was making a virus. Other avenues of attack are much more viable. They are still around, but running an AV is becoming less and less protection.

 

DOA...

What do you sense are the more prevailing methods for hackers if not viruses? Is it a matter of being more subtle as in network monitoring and remote cracking and thievery? If so, what is the defense for businesses against corporate espionage or for us every day PC users against other types of spying?

There are methods for using hardware to crack networks, like from a truck or some remote location, so I am curious if this is what you would mean by more viable. This kind of thing is a hell of a lot scarier to me than the typical virus, but even scarier is big business gathering information for governments. This is like the ultimately intolerable behavior in my opinion. I mean, they automatically have access to your PC so many times, because of a service or software that must be on a PC (like internet providers or like MS or other software). AT&T got caught recording phone calls and e-mails for the NSA (so it was said). For goodness sake, this is ridiculous. What's to keep a company like that from favoring a political party or some PAC and then from giving them the information, too. It gets worse when considering what goverments could do in the name of "intelligence". Already the NSA is considering everyone a suspected terrorist, which leads me to the feeling that governments are afraid of PCs. Strange considering that true PC security is nothing to be afraid of. Sure someone might have something illicit or unlawful on a computer, but if normal everyday users and corporations could count on the information on their PCs being secure, the other guys would have more trouble accomplishing what they would like without being spotted. It would lead to a more proper monitoring of data transfer, which is a big requirement for thieves.

PC usage should be safe. All we ever hear is that it's not possible to secure them, but now we have lost one of the key elements of computing to this (what is in my mind) cynicism. That would be home PC based money management. Very sad to me that MS had to scrap Money.

I don't know why anyone would say it's not theoretically possible to protect fully a PC. The problem is that the real problem solvers have not yet emerged. Even I have some ideas about the issue as do many others I am sure. Anyway, the disappearance of MS Money and then MS' decision to pull the plug on Windows 7 gadgets...it all points to their inability to find problem solvers. But it's a catastrophy in my mind that MS has fallen over this to the position of breaking the first rule of business...never take anything from a customer. It can only mean big problems for the company down the road...it's just simple bad karma so to speak. Oh, and the regimen required to run Windows 10 privately...absurd. Anyway, does anyone else have the ominous feeling that even the settings changes for Windows 10 aren't stopping the snooping from MS with that OS? Now there's info that MS is trying to "enliven" 7 and 8 with unannounced and unsponsored information gathering through some of the newer updates. :-o

Hope software writers wake up soon to look into what's really happening around the world when it comes to data insecurity and theft. To me, it looks like a huge firestorm brewing. Definitely, anti-virus is no match for goverment snooping...

 

Man in the Middle was popular, firmware hacks and the like were heavily discussed. You hit a number of other avenues.
For our secure OS installations we are attempting a Linux build burned into a ROM. No SSD or HDD to boot from and only a keyboard, mouse and WiFi for IO. Data is sent to an NAS via WiFi, but never read. That first ROM will cost us a ton but having a secure system is vital. Updates will mean changing the ROM.

On my home PC I always wonder why I have to OK my Corsair Utility Engine to run every boot, but viruses have no such requirement. Like when I tested
https://www.spytector.com/