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Spyware, viruses, & security : How much anti-malware is too much?
Trying Counterspy
by mistyomine - 11/2/08 10:37 AM In reply to: You are too kind. by micamanSo far I love it but come a full scan it spends two hours going through System Volume Information. I have tried with their help to get it to ignore this mass but no matter how I follow their steps (that don't fit mine)I can't seem to get this matter resolved. Any hints?
Anti-malware Applications: Another Perspective
by AJ North - 7/9/07 8:39 AM In reply to: How much anti-malware is too much? by rccoffeeHello RC,
The answer to the question, "How much anti-malware is too much," depends upon several factors, not least among them how the individual is connected to the internet and interacts with it. A "layered" approach to security certainly offers the greatest protection, but the cost could be system slowdowns and instabilities. That you have a dial-up connection makes you inherently more secure than with a broadband connection (though most would gladly make the trade for a faster connection...).
I would concur with micaman with respect to Ad-Aware 2007. A Beta tester for the product, I feel that Lavasoft jumped the gun with its release; even with three updates after coming out of Beta, it is still not ready for prime time, alas. (Besides, it will still not be nearly as comprehensive as other applications.)
As mentioned by others, one ought to have only ONE active firewall and antivirus suite. Having additional on-demand anti-virus (or other malware) scanners for second (or third opinions) is fine - but during a scan with one of them, all other anti-malware engines should be temporarily suspended as, with the evolving nature of the nasties, these programs will often fight with each other. Additionally, as many will scan each others' files, if the option to exclude various files or processes is available for an application, I recommend delisting each of the anti-malware programs from one another's scans (this will also decrease scan times dramatically).
I have used, like and generally recommend, Webroot's SpySweeper (and Beta-tested its current version, 5.5), but have no familiarity with CounterSpy 2.5 (its predecessor, v. 2.0, had some serious issues which likely have been corrected in the current version). It may well be a worthy choice. As stated above, malware has evolved, and the distinction as to whether a particular agent is viral, spyware, trojan, etc, is often one without a difference. The trend now is to combine the various anti-malware functions into one unified engine. This provides, in general, faster scanning, more efficient use of system resources, as well as greater system stability. (Symantec has taken this route with their Norton Internet Security 2007 and Norton 360, both highly-rated products; NIS 2008 is now in Beta.)
As for a choice of stand-alone firewalls, my own top recommendation goes to Comodo Firewall Pro (http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/), PC Magazine's Editor's Choice (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1969207,00.asp) and a top pick of Ian "Gizmo" Richards' Tech Support Alert (http://techsupportalert.com/ - an excellent resource site) and many others. Indeed, recent critical testing put Comodo Firewall Pro at the head of the list - whether boughten or free (http://www.matousec.com/projects/windows-personal-firewall-analysis/leak-tests-results.php).
In addition to the "usual suspects" of malware, one need also be aware of the insidious rootkit, which can be very difficult to detect, as well as remove. The top-rated utility to do both is Panda Anti-Rootkit (http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/antirootkit/?track=39067), PC Magazine's Editor's Choice (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2119252,00.asp). It is regularly updated.
Though Spyware Blaster offers useful protection, I recommend IoBit's AdvancedWindowsCare Personal (http://iobit.com/), which has a much larger library and more frequent updates. It also performs useful tweaks and optimizations (which, for those who like to do their own tweaking, can be overridden). Just remember to update after installing, and perhaps once or twice a week, as the free version does not update automatically. IoBit's SmartDefrag is also a worthy [and free] defragmenter that does a better - and faster - job than the version of Diskeeper built into XP.
[Another useful free app is CrapCleaner (http://ccleaner.com/), which will compliment nicely AWC to keep things clean and running smoothly. (CCleaner can be configured to retain those cookies you may wish to keep, while AWC cannot. It also has a handy Uninstall tool and one for programs that start with Windows, essentially a shortcut to msconfig.) It is regularly updated by the authors.]
Finally, if you know someone with broadband, perhaps they could download whichever apps you're interested in and burn them to a CD for you, since downloading with dial-up would be almost prohibitive. (By the way, the same trick can be done for Windows Updates from the Burning Bush of Redmond - http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2017577,00.asp.) Good luck!
depends on what's installed and what's active
by zlevee - 7/9/07 10:06 AM In reply to: How much anti-malware is too much? by rccoffeeGenerally speaking antivirus programs don't play well together, so you should have both Norton and Mcaffee installed together -- they tell you this in their prodcut manuals. So choose just one of those.
You can have multiple anti-spyware and anti-adware programs installed at once, however you should only have one of those actively running in the background. I use Spyware Doctor primarily as it seems to have the most complete results. It also offers antivirus capabilities but I don't have that enabled because I'm using Norton. However I also occassionally run (but usually disable) Lavasoft Ad-Aware, Spybot Search and Destroy, and Webroot Spysweeper. Lately I don't even have Spyware Doctor active since it slows down boot time --instead I enabled the spyware protection in Norton Antivirus and only run Spyware Doctor occassionally.
A good firewall is important too and for that ZoneAlarm is far superior to Windows Firewall for the reasons other people have already posted. it also offers anti-spyware protection (and another version has antivirus) but it is most effective as a firewall and the other features canbe turned off in favor of programs that handle those tasks better.
To continue this thread
by saleh.2201 - 7/9/07 7:04 PM In reply to: depends on what's installed and what's active by zleveeIn my experience, I would recommend: #1)Get rid of Windows Firewall! You are only half protected using it. I personally love Comodo firewall. It's easy to use and leak free. #2) Give Counterspy a another look. Compared to Spywaredoctor and Spysweeper, Counterspy is the only program to get 5 stars out of 5 in most ratings. They have really done a bang up job of improving it. I like the ability to access things like my hosts file and have complete control over it (I don't think the other antispyware programs will let you contol this). #3) Spywareblaster is a MUST. Better to stop the crap before it gets in. Just my thoughts. Other programs out there can do most of these things, but you will most likely have to pay for them.
Comodo firewall (replying to Budzoid)
by morninglory - 7/10/07 12:23 PM In reply to: To continue this thread by saleh.2201Hi Budzoid, Micaman helped me a lot with Counterspy, maybe you can help me with Comodo. I use the free Comodo and it works great; however, it doesn't seem to remember what sites are permitted. It constantly pops up and says stuff like "internet explorer is attempting to connect" or "Firefox is trying to connect", etc. I have pulled up the libraries and clicked on allow but I still get these warnings asking if want to allow these and many others that I know are OK. Have any suggestions? Thanks!
Hope this helps
by saleh.2201 - 7/10/07 6:44 PM In reply to: Comodo firewall (replying to Budzoid) by morningloryIn the Comodo firewall, on the start page under security and then under component monitor, check to see if learning mode is checked. If it is, check the ON button Then check ON and run the most common programs and check remember and allow (or deny). You should soon see a reduction of popups requiring your input. Soon it will remember your answers and only popup when a new application starts. Be patient and after a couple of popups with component monitor turned ON, you will not get the popups for your normal apps. The protection offered by this firewall is worth the ocassional popup asking approval. I only get the popup asking for allow or deny when I open a new app.
Comodo Firewall Pro Pop-ups
by AJ North - 7/10/07 10:49 PM In reply to: Comodo firewall (replying to Budzoid) by morningloryHello,
I would echo Budziod's reply, and add that when an application uses another (such as IE or Firefox) to access the internet, Comodo will ask for explicit authorization, certainly the first time. It will also ask again if there has been any change to the the driving app (or browser) due to any changes that are perceived, such as an update. This is a safety feature: it is better to "err" on the the side of security, even at the risk of annoyance, than compromise the system.
My recomended settings
by harsh_ankola - 7/10/07 9:14 AM In reply to: How much anti-malware is too much? by rccoffeeYour security is nice but I generally refer to Cnet Editor's Choice as I have seen products which gets this choice are really good. The settings for Basic Security is
Firewall: ZoneAlarm Pro v7.0
Antivirus: Kaspersky Antivirus 6
Spyware Defense:Online Armor, SpySweeper,Lavasoft Ad-Adware 2007 with Ad-Watch,Windows
Defender
The ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 7 has Antivirus engine from Kaspersky Labs. ZA suite 7 with much powerful spyware defense is good.
But remember a system should have only 1 firewall and antivirus else it would be difficult to get optimal performance from system.
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