Best Antivirus?

[codec_spurt]

I just work it out myself?

That's the only way IMO

I do all my banking in Linux

That's not a bad idea actually.

But you can still get nasty stuff in Linux.

You are just less likely to.


Clam is our friend. It will scan your linux partition and throw in your windows partition too for free ..


It is up for debate whether it is better to run a newer or an older kernel for better security. I'm sure someone somewhere that knows wtf they are talking about has an answer for this.

I just feel more secure running in older versions of Linux. Then again, crackers have had more time to break it and more people are running it.

You can't win.

[codec_spurt]

Quick note that one of things you should do, regardless of which AV you choose, is always keep your Flash player up to date. Each and every virus I've had (and the vast majority my AV has detected on entry) over the last 5 years or so has come from a Flash advert served up by a compromised ad-server on an otherwise legit website. I feel kinda bad for using Ad-Block as I know websites rely on ad traffic to make money, but it's probably as important as my AV software when it comes to protecting my machine. Until that changes...

I used AVG until recently, and Windows Defender (Windows 8 version of Defender is essentially MSE) since I got my new machine 2 months ago.

You bring up a good point.

I'd go as far as totally disabling Flash of course, no need for it on a DAW.

Bit of a bugger when you wanna snurf pron doh .


If you must then at least, for the love of sweet baby jeebus, turn off JAVA.

Turn it off. Make sure it hasn't reinstalled. Go to

http://javatester.org/version.html

And double test at Pingtest.net If it measures your packet loss then Java is installed. It should give you an error. That is good.


I know people that do NOT snurf pron and just go to f(U)ac(K).book and they are infested. It is the no.1 vector for spreading disease. Very little relies on it these days, and what does you can find alternatives for. Java on the Browser is dead. Do away with it. Kill it. With a big stick. Then burn it with fire. And nuke it from orbit, just to be on the safe side.


If you ran your browser sandboxed and didn't take any of the stuff out of the box that you downloaded, then you could dl whatever shit ( remember when you view a video you are downloading it to view ).

Put it this way: Go to your favourite pron snurfing site> View whatever you want. Clean the Sandbox when you close your browser down ( this can be done from preferences ). Fire up again another day...


And if something nasty got through, it would be wiped and you would not be infected.

A picture paints a thousand words:

http://www.sandboxie.com/


Just don't have Java going even if you have to have Flash.

[codec_spurt]

I have a good ISP, a Router Firewall, a Modem Firewall, 2 computers with Windows Firewall, one using always up to date IE the other some version or other of Firefox, no browser add ins, plug ins.

About 12 years ago I got a virus after downloading a very small mp3, about 60kb, [gosh, that is small..about the size of a, well, virus] clicked on it to make it 'go', and up came, 'do you want to install a codec to be able to play this file'. Yes I said. How dumb is that.

Since then I take full responsibility for the things I download onto my computer, including of coarse, web pages.
Since taking that responsibility on, I've had no viruses. Been years since I've had any malware detected.

I am also learning to not uncritically accept everything that some peeps on the internet want to teach me.

I have Windows Defender and MalwareBytes, but never left on in real time, I run them updated very occasionally, then close them up for months.
I occasionally run sfc /verifyonly. I also usually have a rough idea of how many files are in the Windows folder, and check from time to time that I don't have many many more.

I sometimes wonder if these horror stories of viruses and hackers aren't just to scar little old ladies and old men and little kids away from using the internet.
To hear some people talk, it is like they imagine a virus as like a wee pac man, with snapping biting jaws munching its way down the Ethernet cable, right into the motherboards nether regions, or some shadowy hacker somehow materializing a virus onto their system using one of those Star Trek type Transporters.

If I did get a virus, it's not like it is the end of the world anyway. Having 2 computers, a [much] older one and a newer one would be some advantage, troubleshoot with the one not infected, and lots of help is a google away if needed.

Sounds like you have learnt not to be 'click happy' and that is a good thing.

You say that if you got a virus then it would not be the end of the world.

Follow me:


You had a good night last night. You got your musical masterpiece in place. It's taken you 10 years, but you got there. You don't run a nightly back up strategy. In fact, maybe, you, like a lot of people haven't backed up your hard drive for say six weeks. This would include about 80 percent of users btw.

Now. You are into bodybuilding. You want to build those abs up. No? Ok, you are into classic cars - you have an old Triumph Stag that you have just restored and want to sell, or maybe you want to buy? No? Ok, you want to find the best hotel in old transsexual Transylvania, next to where Prince Charlie hangs out. No?

Ok, I think I have made my point.

YOU GO TO SOMEWHERE ON THE NET THAT YOU HAVE NOT BEEN TO BEFORE, ON A WHIM.

Ok, I'll stop shouting now .


You have a security breach, it could be having Java installed, it could be something else. Don't matter. All is fair in love and war. You just got Drive-By'd. Mofo. Ahem..


Now, by the time it takes for you to figure out what has happened. The Ransom ware 'VIRUS' as you call it, or rather dismissed it, has encrypted your whole hard drive, not your system drive, that would just be silly because then windows wouldn't boot and you wouldn't be able to use your system, no, it has encrypted all your .jpg, .gif, .png, .wav, .txt, etc. etc. etc.


Now you know you should have backed them up, all it would cost was a 40 euro drive, but times are hard. You missed out.

What's worse, this particular 'VIRUS' tells you that they are going to inform your local police service about the KIDDY PORN you have been downloading. You dirty old bastard. How will the neighbours understand?

They even show a picture of an underage girl, and you know you didn't view it, but eh, they are going to send it to your local police, and that will take some explaining officer.

But anyway, all of your files are encrypted and they are encrypted with AES256 bit or some thing similar:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=AES25 ... e&ie=UTF-8


Tough cookie to crack.

They ask you for 100 dollars or whatever. Seems a reasonable amount to pay right? Cheaper than a second hard drive? Right.

You pay.

They then have all your bank account details and clear your account of all its money. You don't get your data back.

You don't get to tell your wife. She wouldn't understand. You do the right thing and hang yourself from a bridge.


----------------------------



Just a 'VIRUS'? Really?

Why the f**k do you think us pricks keep trying to teach you pricks about this stuff?


Get yourself a second hard drive. Back it up.

Use Linux for banking.

Buy yourself some up to date AV. Yes it's a protection racket. But tell that to Luigi who makes the best pizzas in Naples. He has his ovens insured. Do you?






Deep breath.

It will probably never happen to you.

God forbid someone in your family dies in a car accident.

There is not a lot you can do about that.


Everything you need to know, is taught in this thread.
And it is something you have power over and you can guard against.


I wish you well.


You can never say you didn't have friends who tried to help you out.



I quote you one final time for clarity:

"If I did get a virus, it's not like it is the end of the world anyway."


Point made, hopefully.

[ouroboros]

my 2p;
I bailed on Norton after it became bloatware and bounced around between AVGfree, Avast, Clam for years. They all basically worked, though I felt I had to keep on top of them. Bought Kapersky, it crashed a lot. Saw a cnet review last year about Norton and how it has slimmed down. Tried it; loved it. It runs smoother than any of the other for me, save clam which isn't a "suite" like Norton.

Belieber it or not, I am once again a big Norton fan - set it and forget it on all the computers in the house.

[Tricky-Loops]

Just a short info:

Sandboxie does NOT give you 100 % security. I got a virus despite using Sandboxie but this was some years ago. There are special malware programmers that do know Sandboxie, and they improve their malware.

Nevertheless, I recommend to use Sandboxie as it can decrease the risk of being infected enormously.

[fateamenabletochange]

Follow me:

You do the right thing and hang yourself from a bridge.

Why the f**k do you think us pricks keep trying to teach you pricks about this stuff?

God forbid someone in your family dies in a car accident.

There is not a lot you can do about that.

This is all pretty offensive.

[codec_spurt]

my 2p;
I bailed on Norton after it became bloatware and bounced around between AVGfree, Avast, Clam for years. They all basically worked, though I felt I had to keep on top of them. Bought Kapersky, it crashed a lot. Saw a cnet review last year about Norton and how it has slimmed down. Tried it; loved it. It runs smoother than any of the other for me, save clam which isn't a "suite" like Norton.

Belieber it or not, I am once again a big Norton fan - set it and forget it on all the computers in the house.

Norton has come a long way. They faced death. No one would touch them. So they had a pow wow and sorted it out.

It is a very good Anti-Virus solution these days. Five years ago it wasn't. Today it is.


I've tried to make the point, at the point of shouting sometimes, that AV is a minimum of what you need. Most users are better off with EMET and system hardening.

But really, Norton isn't a bad choice of AV.


Look.

Malwarebytes - Free:

http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free/

Free to clean once an infection is found.


Hitman Pro - Free:

http://www.surfright.nl/en/downloads

Free to clean for a whole month, then you need to pay for a years subscription, if you want to use it after that.


TDSS Killer - Free:

http://support.kaspersky.com/5350?el=88446

Free to clean infections.


Sandboxie - Free:

http://www.sandboxie.com/index.php?DownloadSandboxie

Need to pay to get more advanced options.

[codec_spurt]

Follow me:

You do the right thing and hang yourself from a bridge.

Why the f**k do you think us pricks keep trying to teach you pricks about this stuff?

God forbid someone in your family dies in a car accident.

There is not a lot you can do about that.

This is all pretty offensive.

Really?

Well I find your post pretty offensive.

And I won't take it. I shall take it to the nearest authority and have you shut down.

How dare you be offended by my posts.

You are the most offensive thing around here.


But go on.

What in particular were you offended by?

I'm in a mood to play.

Are you?


Offensive. You are taking the mickey right?

[codec_spurt]

Just a short info:

Sandboxie does NOT give you 100 % security. I got a virus despite using Sandboxie but this was some years ago. There are special malware programmers that do know Sandboxie, and they improve their malware.

Nevertheless, I recommend to use Sandboxie as it can decrease the risk of being infected enormously.

Did you take stuff out of the Sandbox?

It's easily done.

In a way, Sandboxie is absolutely useless if you do this. And I do.

All the time.

It takes a long time to learn how to use it properly.

I'm not sure if people understand this.

It will take you a week or two to set it up properly.

That is a week or two at eight hours a day, five days a week.

It is not for the feint hearted.

You can't just install it and expect it to work like a magic bullet.

It has depth and you need to program it.

[Optomadic]

When in doubt use a virtual machine not just a Sandbox as a smart virus can walk back out of the directory tree.
Do not used cracked sw, only download from reputable sources, surf well known sites with script filtering.
Whitelist allow over blacklist block. Disable Java, Flash, Applet and any other browser class caching.
If possible have a separate standalone DAW box (recommended).
Do not use Anti virus on your DAW box (if at all), they simply don't work imo.
Keep your system and programs updated with the latest patches.




Oh and don't use Windows

The best antivirus is behavior.

[codec_spurt]

When in doubt use a virtual machine not just a Sandbox as a smart virus can walk back out of the directory tree.
Do not used cracked sw, only download from reputable sources, surf well known sites with script filtering.
If possible have a separate DAW box (recommended).
Do not use Anti virus on your DAW box (if at all), they simply don't work imo.

The best antivirus is behavior.

Nothing better than a virtual machine, but then again even they have their problems.


The amount of virii that can 'walk out of' their sandbox are pretty small really.

In fact, I see that some dispute they even exist if the sandbox is set up properly. But I am way way out of my depth here and have no idea. I didn't even take the time to set my sandbox up properly.

But it's good to have debate. I guess we are talking about the law of diminishing returns. I bought sandboxie when it was cheap and it certainly has its uses.

It's just something for people to consider if they didn't before.

[Tricky-Loops]

When in doubt use a virtual machine not just a Sandbox as a smart virus can walk back out of the directory tree.

This! The problem is that people may think "If I go online with Sandboxie, I'm 100 % safe and can download everything, visit the most dubious sites and test all malware programs..."

And this isn't true. Because even the Sandboxie has some vulnerability.

To be 100 % safe, use a special programmed virtual machine!

Another tip: For people who have some knowledge, the Comodo Internet Security is a great thing! And it is free, even if the Pro version has some additional features.

On the other side, some people really get paranoid with the Trainings Modus. Because if permanently windows are popping up with "This program...want to make this and that...", then they think they have to stop it all because there may be a virus or something worse, and in fact they're destroying some completely safe and useful program routines.

[Optomadic]

I'm not sure if your agreeing with me or not ??

I've written 'non asm/kernel/hi level' programs that find their way out of Sandboxie with simple API structures.
It actually does have some cross talk in the service space.
Sandboxie is definitely not a deterrent against viruses and mal.

Regardless there's no way to be 100% protected, its just a fact.
Behavior is the biggest/best risk/protection you can get.

If your that concerned, create disk image backups on fresh installs.
Drive SnapShot is a good start: http://www.drivesnapshot.de/de/intro.htm

[seismic1]

Regardless there's no way to be 100% protected, its just a fact.
Behavior is the biggest/best risk/protection you can get.

True

[Breeze]

@codec_spurt: you clearly have a decent grasp of the currently available technologies. Some questions for you:

- EMET seems like a great alternative to running an AV on a PC, but I noticed that on the MS forum dedicated to it, there can be serious issues running it (a BSOD due to graphic driver, DEP dependencies...). Can it really be problem free to use? I like the idea of having some measure of unobtrusive protection on a DAW system, especially since it's on a network where other machines could be compromised. I currently use nothing on my DAW, except common sense.

- According to one link posted in this thread reviewing AVs, BitDefender leads the April 2013 chart. Yet IIRC it hasn't been mentioned once in this thread. I once tried it but found it bloaty and invasive; but maybe that's what makes it good. What do you think of it?

- What about OS X? We know it isn't foolproof, but that's been my alternative for a long time now. I basically run all my comms and 90% of internet from OS X. I only access known developer sites with my PC DAW machines for updates, upgrades and work related data. AFAIK, my MBP has never been compromised and I've never run an AV on it since I got it (except Avast briefly but it was a real dog). How safe is OS X really?

Thanks for your opinions.

In the end, most invasive execs get in via the carrot... for which you then get the stick. I believe that's the way 90% of serious infections occur. Sometimes that carrot seems awful sweet...