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I'm looking to purchase an Anti-Virus program. I was wondering which one is the best out there. Any suggestions on which one I should purchase. It's going to be used on my home computer. I do have a small 2 pc network hopefully I can install it on both. I don't want Symantec.
I'll update this post with your suggestions.
Suggestions:
Save yourself some cash and download and install the free verion of AVG. It updates and doesn't require an annual outlay of cash.
If you insist on buying something, though, you will have to purchase a license for each system you install to. You can't just buy one copy/license and install on however many systems you want. Illegal, unethical and will get you in trouble with the vendor.
AVG is a good option and you can install to as many boxes as you like.
I currently have AVG. But for some reason, I just don't feel safe because it's free. So am I just being paranoid? I mean I want something that works, because I do a lot of online banking and shopping. I want something that is going to protect me. Can any other program out there do a better job than AVG, or is it good enough?
AVG works better than McAffee or Norton in my experience.
But my personal choice for Windows AV is just online scans. TrendMicro Housecall
Then you want to harden your system. An AV wouldn't do that, and wouldn't detect a lot of exploits backdoors and trojans.Quote:
I mean I want something that works, because I do a lot of online banking and shopping. I want something that is going to protect me
You should be looking at a router/firewall as well as AV and anti-malware.
:)
Hi
I recently switched from AVG to AVAST found AVG to be slow in bringing out new definitions, as well as catching on to new problems....AVAST is freeware and seems to work very nicely, it also has a neat little feature with it:
VRDB
VRDB stands for "Virus Recovery Database"; it was known as "Integrity Database" in previous avast! versions. The aim of VRDB is to help when, despite all the security measures, a virus gets inside the computer and the files are infected. With the help of VRDB, it is possible to repair infected files (return them exactly to their original state)..... ;)
Note: I'm not advertising, I'm just replying to the post. Sorry if it seems like one.Quote:
Originally posted here by dalek
Hi
I recently switched from AVG to AVAST found AVG to be slow in bringing out new definitions, as well as catching on to new problems....AVAST is freeware and seems to work very nicely, it also has a neat little feature with it:
VRDB
VRDB stands for "Virus Recovery Database"; it was known as "Integrity Database" in previous avast! versions. The aim of VRDB is to help when, despite all the security measures, a virus gets inside the computer and the files are infected. With the help of VRDB, it is possible to repair infected files (return them exactly to their original state)..... ;)
Ah yes I'm a big fan and user of avast! as well. I find it great for real-time protection as it is very extensive in its protection for it. Also its free version is very similar to the paid version, and it has a lot of great features such as automatic updating, nice looking skins, and more (its also freeware as mentioned previously). As for AVG, well--it's horrible in my opinion...the free version is worse because it only offers resident protection and on-demand scanning (inside protection while opening files, but while say you go onto a bad website, it sits there and does nothing). Based on several reviews and opinions made by others on other forums, AVG is one of the worst. If you don't believe me you should see its Virus Bulletin 100% Award ratings (10 successes, 21 failures, and 12 entries they didn't do.). So in short the free version is made with a really basic looking interface and performs like one of your simplist AV's out there, and the paid version isn't much better. Okay I'm done flaming it now :P (dislikes AVG a lot from previous experiences).
But anyway, back to the point...for paid AV's I'd reccomend NOD32 and KAV(Kaspersky Antivirus) since they're quite popular and apparently handle way better compared to Mcaffee or Norton (according to opinions from other forums and people). NOD32 is rather basic in interface, but has arguably the best heuristics I've ever seen. However its still relatively new and bases most of its detecting and ratings on its heuristics (its virus signature database isn't really big at all). Kaspersky on the other hand is more or less like your upgraded version of Norton and Mcaffee put together, giving you nice, reliable protection. These two I find being mentioned a lot with compliments and more.
EDIT: Well the list goes on and on, but I've listed some of the main ones. There are also a few out there too that are well known and aren't too bad, such as:
BitDefender
F-Prot
Dr.Web
F-Secure
NORMAN
AntiVir
...and probably more I haven't thought of.
What d0pp said and if you want another option for online scans there is also:Quote:
Originally posted here by d0pp
AVG works better than McAffee or Norton in my experience.
But my personal choice for Windows AV is just online scans. TrendMicro Housecall
http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/ActiveScan.htm
DrWeb CureIT utility
This scanner works fine in online and failsafe mode, removes both Spies and Virs
http://download.drweb.com/drweb+anti...ee+services/#0
My chose is aslo Avast for residend protection. Becouse it has good, fast and also has features like Boot-time scanner and different moudels so it makes it very flexible. Great plus also is that avast has good online free support forum.
ClamWin is an alternative or I can say addition to others. ClamWin has not any realtime protection but is nice to play with.
In my opinion after alot of test ,i would go with avast ,its very stable , it has alot of great features and as far as how it runs in the backround, it doesn't lag the computer down, if your looking for an all in one solution you cant beat zone alarm internet sucurity ,ive tried them all norton , avg, nod 32, ect and those two mentioned above i would recommend depending on the persons needs :D
One that is updated regularly (daily). Not trying to be a smart a$$ but AV is slowly becoming very similar with just small differences. They all are _mostly_ reactive (yes SOME have intrusion prevention features) and have their performance issues and sometimes slow updates (ie.; one vendor will have a detection out faster than another one time and then vice versa another time).Quote:
Everybody's experience might be different based on how they use their computer. I have had good experience with AVG although their sigs are not always updated quickly. I've also had good luck with McAfee as far as sigs updated quickly and detection of critters BUT have had performance issues at times. Just my experience.
Just pick one, several have been mentioned on this thread, install it and most importantly: make sure it updates the signatures daily!
Make sure you practice defense-in-depth TOO and not rely solely on AV...
* Harden your operating system by turning off all unneeded services for example
* Keep your op sys updated (turn on Automatic Update for Win boxes)
* Install an anti-spyware program....actually TWO!
* Browse untrusted websites with non-IE web browser that has Active-X and JAVA turned off
...to name a few measures.
quote corrupted_code
NOD32 is rather basic in interface, but has arguably the best heuristics I've ever seen. However its still relatively new and bases most of its detecting and ratings on its heuristics (its virus signature database isn't really big at all).
Hmm don t know about that?
Checkout update NOD32 - v.1.1389 (20060131)
at
http://www.eset.com/support/info.php
Anybody has some time to count? :)
What's the best AV? The answer really depends on what you're willing to live with. I've always pegged Norton's and McAfee as resource hogs. I've had lots of problems in the past with both of their retail versions (McAfee 6.0 was a disaster). I suspect the corporate editions run thinner and a little better. The biggest problem with these AV apps in their retail forms is the combined AV/firewall/security functions make for one big bulky chunk of code. If you go with either, buy the AV stand-alone and not the full security suite versions. Then use ZoneAlarm or Sygate for your firewall (or even XP's firewall) and M$'s AntiSpyware for that side.
There's some good free AV apps out there, specifically AntiVir and AVG. I tried Avast and it seemed good except for the incessant "buy me now" messages. I put a lot of folks in AVG and Antivir, telling them they're 85-90% of the AV app Norton's and McAfee are and you'll run a lot faster. I wouldn't say they're as good though. In fact, I just had a call from a client asking me what it meant when he got a message Norton's just blocked a keylogger on his computer. He told me AOL picked up a keylogger in there too. The guy does online trading so it's a concern. I'm rather impressed with Norton and AOL after this morning, but I haven't had a looksee yet at his computer.
As for my computers, I don't run AV software. Most of my hardware is very old (PII/PIII-class) and I hate to bog it down. I check these things regularly though, using Panda's online scan, hijackthis, and rootkitrevealer.
Just my two-bits...
Thanks for everyones input. I guess i'll just stick with AVG free. I wonder if the pay version is any better? Has anyone tried the pay version of AVG?
I also have to say Avast! is, IMHO, the best free AV I have ever used. It's installed on all of my computers except my gaming computer (the less running tasks, the better) and I also install it on most of the computers I service, unless the owner is stubborn and prefers Norton...
personally I use NOD32.... I'm quite impressed with it being so lightweight and out of the way. It also gets about an update per day... yet my experience in AV software is not that great, I had Norton pre-installed on my old laptop, so I gave it a try for about.... 2 days before I got sick of it...
PC Magazine voted BitDefender number one and surprisingly AVG number 10.
1 Being Best and 10 worst
I'm gonna get a copy of BitDefender and check it out.
BitDefender is OK, I have used it in the past with no problems.
You can get a free (private use) version here:
http://www.bitdefender.com/site/Main...-Products.html
:)
My Windaz defensive plan is very simple so simple it's complex. Take the white list approach. Only allow what you know is okay. This can be done by following these simple steps.
Step 1: Edumacate your self. If you don't know how viruses/worms/trojans/spyware/denial of service attacks work, then you'll just find your self making an informed decision based only on marketing. You'll probably choose Norton/Zone Alarm since they have been effectively marketed to help you setup without having to know anything. Products like these rarely work, or enforce too many restrictions, and use too much of your resources. In Zone Alarms case it also restricts you from viewing "questionable" material and continually sends encrypted information back to it's servers.
Step 2: Remove all un-needed services and applications and use fast user switching and various privelaged users, also set hard passwords for every account, even guest. Disable un-needed accounts. Additionally, when picking your password try using a sentence such as "rupert and mary don't like eggs and apples" then maybe add some l33t speak and add some random characters to produce something like "rup3rt & m4ry d0n't yke eggs and app|e$asjdhkh23", this may seem over kill, but it ends up not being hard to remember and takes a hell of a long time to brute force, now that brute force is eliminated you need to focus on not blindley handing it over to someone.
Step 3: Use a good packet level only firewall and deny all ports except the ones you need. I use WinRoute Pro, you'll need to find a warez version to get this, it's no longer made sold or supported, but it even works fine on Windows 2003, although it can be a bit confusing to setup (Has a lot of extra features)! Or use Deerfield VisNetic (http://www.deerfield.com/products/visnetic-firewall/), this costs a lot, but is an excellent packet level ONLY firewall, if you've got the money I definitly recomend this.
Step 4: Use something to completely restrict what gets run and when! Such as Exe Lockdown (http://www.rollbacksoftware.com/exelockdown.html), which uses kernel hooking to ensure you want to launch applications, it also maintains a white list so it doesn't get repedative. It's made for educational institutions to stop kids for playing with whatever their opressors dictate.
Step 5: Use a small effective anti-virus scanner. I chose NOD32 anything will do. Perhaps ClamWin? This is just to check out the few applications left over which you suspect, it doesn't even have to scan in the back ground. You could just scan what ever you want after downloading it.
Step 6: Use FireFox with at least the extensions: NoScript, Adblock and Adblock Filterset.G Updater. NoScript is a whitelist java script blocker, works excellently. Adblock just removes adds in it's list. Adblock Filterset.G Updater, continually updates Adblocks list with a huge list of adds.
Step 7: Keep everything above up to date (OS, AV, Firewall), most of these applications have some sort of self updating ability, so it's not that hard. The only thing not covered are 0day exploits, but due to your firewall most of them are ineffective, unless one of the ports you've opened is being used by an application, and that application is effected. For instance, don't use MSN Messenger or whatever it's called, use something light weight like Miranda-IM (http://www.miranda-im.org/
Step 8: When ever you hear about an exploit/bad feature in an application... stop using it and look for an alternative, only once you've searched for hours and found no suitable replacement should you go back to the original and use it carefully. In most instances you'll find some sort of replacement.
I know having an exe blocker and a firewall seems redundant when some applications package this, but none of the applications have packaged it as well as these two individual applications i've found.
I have literally used hundreds of different types of firewalls and anti-virus protection and this is the best i've come up with.
Sorry for the log post with the aggressive tone, but I needed to vent. :-)
Avast! is pure garbage. I had it running on a workstation that I use for a lot of testing purposes and virus research. Just tonight I ran a full system scan and it detected three infected files. I removed Avast! and immediately installed McAfee Enterprise 8.0i. I kicked off another full system scan with McAfee and it detected 72 infected files. This was with the latest virus sigs for both products.Quote:
Originally posted here by The Duck
I also have to say Avast! is, IMHO, the best free AV I have ever used. It's installed on all of my computers except my gaming computer (the less running tasks, the better) and I also install it on most of the computers I service, unless the owner is stubborn and prefers Norton...
Just part of the list Avast! didn't detect:
W32/Loosky.gen@mm
W32/Banwor.worm.dll
Proxy.Raser trojan
Backdoor-CIU
QLowZones-4 trojan
Spam-Maxy trojan
I have no confidence whatsoever in Avast!'s detection capabilities. During my research, the on-access scan set to its highest levels failed to detect hardly anything. I wouldn't recommend Avast! to anyone.
Avast = Free
Mcafee ENTERPRISE = £££££££'s
You get what you pay for.
But on another note: I dont have the time to go through your list, but of the top of my head,
QLowZones-4 trojan - is a Trojan that was discovered in Jan 2004, Proxy.Raser trojan
late 2005 - I just can't beleive you when you say avast did not detect them.
I have a paid copy of AVG and haven't had any trouble with the 30 workstations using it. I still use a combination of firewall; malware detection and common sense to help.
You could also do a combination of dual booting, one OS for regular things and the other OS for work. Make restricted users and USE them. I know so many people that surf the internet with their Admin account when they could play it safER by using a restricted account. Also, make some insane passwords for your admin and service acounts.