OT: Poll - which antivirus software?

[nightjar]

For home, I use Avira free version. At work, I have the full version of Avast, with a Fortinet hardware firewall and a software firewall comes as part of the managed broadband.

Colin Bignell

[Ron Lowe]

Linux is not really an option for my kids machine.

They want to play games which they know from friends etc, and these are generally windows only.

Windows emulations and VMs are not really an option for modern games, which are quite demanding of the video hardware. The emulated video subsystem just doesn't cut it.

[Bill]

In message , Alan writes

Some years back I had terrible experiences with both McAfee and Norton working with streaming audio, and got no useful help form either support team. In the end, I went to AVG, which has seemed OK over the years. The 2 year 5 seat licence was good value, but ran out recently and now costs about 4 times what it did 2 years ago. Additionally, a client had AVG which screwed up her vital installation of MS Office 97 in a CRM app when she was upgraded to AVG 8. We got to the stage where AVG support took over her machine and sent themselves some log files. These bounced at their server because the machine selected was logged in as one of the staff, not the licence holder. At that stage I retired from the fray, and I think the client was last heard of tracking down the writer of the CRM package to convert to later database software. I seem to have Trend RUBotted installed on this machine, which occasionally throws up a warning. Following these warnings up has proved a complete mess. It takes forever and every time I've hit the wrong key at some crucial time and had to abandon the operation.

I now think the only affordable way forward is to use a selection of free AV software on the various internet-facing machines, and disable networking on every other machine except when essential. This, however screws the backup home server. What a mess. .

[The Natural Philosopher]

Unless he needs windows, install Linux..

The first line of protection is a well set up router.

That prevents people getting at a machine that is just on..

Web browsing is relatively safe, as most exploits are fixed as soon as they appear, with r=the real danger being actually downloading, installing and running a nasty piece of shit.

You can get around that if you make your son have a login, that doesn't have administrative powers. Thats the default on a Mac or Linux, but sadly not windows, but I'm pretty sure its possible on XP and up..at least.

On a mac here,. that's ALL I have to do.

However it does largely stop you getting automagic updates of anything I think. Only someone with the admin password can allow stuff to b installed or updated.

There remain a few routes left by which malware can infect, but less if you do that.

I used to use norton anti-virus ONLY. Thats a possible, or any other virus scanner, but don't use the firewalls Thats is the job of a router and it simply gets in the way of a local network. Firewalls are fine if all you have is one PC and a modem, but th moment you have two machines or a router, switch them off and use the router. It a faster better job all round.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Sadly it isn't. Especially teenage boys who want to play games.

Its highly recommended if all you want is office/web/mail though.

Printing is still a bit flakey compared to windows, though.

>

[Adrian C]

Put the choice of AV to the side for the moment.

It's important, but hardly the only thing that needs dealing with. Drive by infections from visiting bugged websites are more prevalent than what is currently going around via email in some quarters.

Got to expound some of the uses of 'Spybot Search and Destroy'.

It has a useful immunise feature that, for both Firefox and Internet Explorer, tests and installs measures in these browswers for blocking nasties _before_ they screw up your browser.

Chiefly, doing this once a week after downloading the various updates it needs, and running the occasional full sweep for spyware and tracking cookies (but IMO less important if you have something like free AVG 8.0 looking out for the same), you've cut the risk of having to get sterner software e.g. MalwareBytes to crush the beasties which in my experience sometimes totals the machine and reinstallation is the way out.

Also, Spybot constantly monitors system processes and registry changes and pops up dialog displays for the user to confirm or reject changes. Here 'there be dragons' as it looks a bit technical to the unwary, but if ye are in the process of installing something necessary then clicking 'yes' to each prompt should be an obvious reaction.

Then finally, Spybot can shove a whole load of null (127.0.0.1) redirections for recognised scum websites in the users hosts file, and update of that useful blocking list couldn't be any simpler.

It's a free tool worth getting to know about thorough the 'advanced' interface (where you get access to the hosts file updater).

SpyBot is just not 'set & forget', but with the current blended threats about, sadly nothing is. (Not even Norton 360...)

[Alang]

AVG, Avira, Avast are all okay and free but none of them including the paid for versions are 100% proof against malware attacks. I don't believe any AV solution is 100 % safe. That includes the paid for version I run on our office machines.

To mitigate the problem Reinstall operating system and any applications and get all updates including AV.

Make disk image of clean system and store it. Clonezilla is free

Let kids bugger up software again.

Reinstall clean image and update. Make new image and store it.

Let kids bugger up software again

Repeat as needed.

Reimaging and reinstalling a clone can take less than an hour every 3 or 4 months. Is what I do every 8 or 9 months with the two windows machines at home but I don't have kids buggering up the system.

You could also use a linux system but since you mention kids it is probable they play games and for that a microsoft system is likely a must.

[tinnews]

Well it's one way to reduce their game playing! Seriously you could give them their own computer and leave them to it, if they screw it up with viruses that's their problem! :-)

The opposite of my experience, I have two HP printers (an All-in-one inkjet and a laser) and both were much easier to install in Linux and both work just as well in Linux as they do in Windows. ... and we do have both Linux and Windows XP systems here.

[PeterC]

I've been using Avast! for about 4 years now with no problems.

Also Comodo firewall suite (with AV off, as the AV is a bit 'freen' yet), then Spybot and SuperAntiSpyware as on-demand scanners.

Comodo might be a bit 'noisy' for you, though.

has to be registered, but that's free and lasts for 14 months. The forums are very helpful.

[Bruce]

Actually, your joke wasn't PC at all! ;-)

[John Rumm]

AVG is only £20/year for a single seat, and just over £10/year if you buy five. (that's for the standard Antivirus package on a two year license). That is actually about half the price that it was two years ago if you compare like with like...

[John Rumm]

You mean fixed in AV products, or in the web browsers?

Alas not always possible on XP either - depends on what software you need to run.

[John Rumm]

Another good free app in a similar form is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. That can be very good at getting shot of some very difficult to uninstall nasties.

[Adrian]

John Rumm gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Depends on the browser...

Firefox + noscript + adblock should give you a fairly bomb-proof combination.

True. There's some abysmally designed s**te that ignores basic security concepts.

Name & shame...

[Adrian C]

Yeah, and that's useful after the systems has been 'bugged'.

But, Spybox S&D non-scanning bits has the most of the smarts to stop that happening in the first place.

Immunisation rather than disinfectation! :-)

[John Rumm]

Oh indeed!

However as you can probably imagine, I often don't get to play with them until after they have been thoroughly knobbled, and then the owner finally understood what we meant with phrases like "business critical", "regular backups", and "The maintenance manual we wrote for you"! ;-)

[Arthur 51]

Kaspersky was recommended to me by a geek. Had it 3 months and seems very good.

Arthur

[Jules]

FWIW, I've found with our three that they're just as content playing some web-based Flash game or some of the '80s classics via a suitable emulator (all of which'll work with Linux) as they are playing the latest-and-greatest expensive console/Windows game, and their friends always seem suitably awed too (often not least because it's typically something new and fun to them which hasn't been endlessly talked about in the school playground).

[Bill]

Well, I'll have a look again, and I can't remember the exact figures, but the renewal I was offered was well over £200 for 5 seats, 2 years, and I remembered £80 for the same package that I was renewing from. I searched around their site, but found nothing cheaper.

OK, my maths was wrong, but I haven't renewed..

[Steve Walker]

AVG Free works fine for us