Your anti-virus software: Which, why, how?

[Piyono]

Do you use AV software?
If not, how come?
If so which one?
How do you have it configured?


I'm using Avast and I've disabled every module except for Outlook scanner. Suspicious files are scanned manually through the context menu.


Piyono

 

[ddrueding]

Me? No. I'm careful
My GF's system? NOD32
Auto everything, no Outlook module because outlook isn't installed

 

[P5-133XL]

Some machines have AV, some don't. The main criteria, is what OS is being run and what type of internet access, is typically used for the machine.

Anything with a server OS, doesn't have an AV. Mainly because the free or low cost high quality AV's won't run on them: They want $$$ from businesses, even if they give the same product away for free to home users. I also don't typically access the internet on those machines, except to download known applications.


Now mind you, everything runs spybot ...

My main internet machine, has Active Virus Shield by AOL (A free version of Kaspery)

 

[Santilli]

HMMM. 2003 server on two machines, and, XP on the laptop.

Using Nod32 on the 2003 server installs, and the laptop. Have in the past used Trendmicro Penicillin but, got out in 2005 or 6. It was slowing things down even then. Used McAfee, since it was free, for awhile, for the GF going with AOL. It sucked.

NOD 32 seems just fine, but, I VERY rarely get anything, thanks to following the advice posted here. Do use Outlook, but, so far, no problems.

GS

 

[Fushigi]

Free AVG...

 

[Bozo]

Free AVG.

'Free' being the optimum word.

Bozo :joker:

 

[Clocker]

Nothing for me. AVG on my relatives computers. I'll use the occasionaly free online scan but they never find anything.

 

[Pradeep]

Sophos (get it free from work). It's pre-configured, I've seen no reason to change it.

 

[e_dawg]

AVG 7.5 free, plus:

- patching Windows
- firewall router/nat or disable all ports in Windows
- pop-up and script blocking for browser (I use Firefox + NoScript)
- gmail for personal use instead of Outlook

 

[Bozo]

One other item I use. A modified HOST file: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

This works great. Spybot and Adaware rarely find any trash on my system.

Bozo :joker:

 

[Will Rickards]

Yes I use AV software.
I use NOD32 because it has always been very light on resources and doesn't slow the machine down and consistently is in the top in AV tests.
I have it configured to check everything but outlook e-mail since I don't use outlook on my home machine.
I almost never scan my machine manually.

 

[Piyono]

NOD32, eh? I hadn't heard of it till now.
I'm gonna check it out.

Piyono

 

[Handruin]

My machine, I run nothing. For parents and friends, I always suggest NOD32.

 

[Deadwood]

I don't run anti-virus on Windows XP on my laptop. The main family computer is linux.

 

[timwhit]

I run nothing on my home computer.

I am supposed to be running Norton Corporate AV on my work computer, but it made everything so slow that I disabled all the Symantec services to speed things up. I'm smart enough not to get a virus, so if I get in trouble, I will just plead ignorance.

 

[e_dawg]

They didn't lock down the configuration options on the Symantec stuff timwhit?

 

[timwhit]

I have admin rights on my machine, so I just disabled all the Windows Services.

 

[e_dawg]

You have admin rights on your work computer? And people blame MSFT for making unsecure products...

 

[ddrueding]

The amount of fiddling required to make some programs work without giving the user admin rights in XP is really insane. Vista is a bit better at that, but not much.

 

[timwhit]

You have admin rights on your work computer? And people blame MSFT for making unsecure products...

I do web application development. If I didn't have admin rights, I wouldn't be able to do my job. I need to be able to start and stop services, install software, and a million other things that I can't do without admin rights.

 

[e_dawg]

Anybody have any thoughts on SpySweeper or SpySweeper with Antivirus (Sophos engine)? Vista apparently discovered W32/Small.CA on my PC, which AVG did not detect, and AdAware nor SpySweeper discovered either. I honestly don't think there's an infection present, as I can't find the trojan anywhere (usually it has a characteristic executable in the system32 folder), and I have installed PC monitoring software (Advanced Parental Control, which didn't work, and then SentryPC that does work) that monitors usage and blocks apps (which does have some characteristics similar to trojans).

In any event, SpySweeper looked pretty slick as I tested it out. I figure I have AV software in AVG, but I don't have any malware or spyware blocking yet. Any thoughts?

 

[ddrueding]

Never tried it. To be honest, I've considered it malware; not because I've seen it do something bad, but because it is usually one of the countless "anti-virus" programs I see on systems that are really screwed up.

 

[Santilli]

For free, AVG looks pretty good. I'm using NOD 32 on three machines, and, it's keeping me out of trouble, and, has stopped a number of websites from nasty stuff.

Also, AdAware has found 451 'infections' mainly cookies installed by news websites, on my SO's computer. I've set both to notify on cookies, and, as a general rule, once you've gone through the setup process, I have no problems, and, the add sites that want to plant trackers are
blocked.

Dr Greg

PS
I showed one of my kids at school a couple years ago how to run ADAWARE, and, he had managed to install 2 hours of cookies. It took him two hours to run, check, and delete all the cookies that were installed on his computer. Main cause was going to music download websites.

 

[Bozo]

I use AVG free antivirus.
I also use a modified Host file. I credit this with a huge drop in crap on my computer. http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
I run AdAware every couple of months or so. It usually only finds a few files to delete. Max is about 8.

Bozo :joker:

 

[LOST6200]

I dont need no stonking virus sofetware. Just reimiage the booty drive every week per the written proceudres...

 

[Handruin]

I need to re-image my booty drive more often.

 

[Will Rickards]

Just a note to the Eset's NOD32 users out there.
There is a new v3 and a new product that includes a firewall.
The v2.7 software isn't updating automatically to the v3 software.
But it is a free upgrade if you have a license. You just need to download and install. I installed with the 2.7 running and when I rebooted the old version was removed. So it is safe to install over the existing one I'd say. I did this on both a Windows XP 32 bit home edition and Windows XP 64 bit pro edition.

I like the old task tray icon better though. The new one looks like a slanted green eye. Kind of eerie.

The UI has been simplified considerably so that even normal users might have half a chance of actually running a decent scan.

Happy New Year!... in 2.5 hours

 

[Adcadet]

AVG Free. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that my employer, a large health care organization, feels that this is sufficient AV protection to allow me to VPN into work and access intranet information, patient files, write notes, issue orders, etc.

 

[Mercutio]

One interesting thing you guys might not know is that all in all antivirus software is becoming less effective. A lot of malware is now wrapped up in rootkits or using non-virus (no replication) infection methods.

 

[Bozo]

The new AVG 64 bit software is really crippled. It doesn't scan in real time, you must manually scan. And it doesn't get updates automatically. You must do that manually too.

Bozo

 

[Gilbo]

One interesting thing you guys might not know is that all in all antivirus software is becoming less effective. A lot of malware is now wrapped up in rootkits or using non-virus (no replication) infection methods.

Indeed. NOD32 and BitDefender lead against new threats; Avira Antivir & GData lead against old threats. Unfortunately, everyone's getting worse, month-by-month.

 

[P5-133XL]

Do rootkits affect Vista?

It was my understanding that M$ had locked-down Vista's kernel to stop that particular threat.

 

[P5-133XL]

I'm using AOL's Active Virus Shield. It was effectively a free version of Kaspery. AOL discontinued the license last August, switching to McCaffee (Ugg) and it quit updating. However, the program has a text file telling where to update and I commented out AOL's IP addresses leaving Kaspery's and it nicely updated itself and has continued working fine ever since

 

[Mercutio]

Do rootkits affect Vista?

Vista is still affected by rootkits. Even Vista64 - which cannot be made to run unsigned drivers AFAIK - has had proof-of-concept rootkits installed.

 

[P5-133XL]

Vista is still affected by rootkits. Even Vista64 - which cannot be made to run unsigned drivers AFAIK - has had proof-of-concept rootkits installed.

M$ really needs to fix that: The Kernel should be next to impossible to change except through very secure methods. I have less of a problem with drivers as long as they can't be hidden and are removable.

The only rootkit proof of concept with Vista that I remember, was one that required running Vista from inside a VM: The VM could be modified, on the native machine, thereby bypassing Vista's security. I wasn't too worried about that one because of the VM restriction.