In Need of New Computer Protection

[AtlanteanTroll]

About a week and a half ago I made a thread about getting the rather devastating Revetron/FBI MoneyPak virus. I have now successfully fought that off, but now I need something new to protect my computer. I have Norton Internet Security, but clearly that's not too effective. I have since downloaded MalwareBytes, and was wondering if any of the techies here could help me out or suggest something better (and also, preferably, free) for even more comprehensive defense. Thanks!

[Krazzman]

Have a clean back up.
Have an USB-stick with enough software to make anything clean again.
Configure BIOS to first Check CD:Rom booting.
Have a CD with a Clean CD-Rom bootable windows.
Make Backups on (depending on size) 2 to N external Hard drives.

Enjoy maximum security.

[Douglas]

Norton has had a terrible reputation among tech experts for a long time, and I haven't seen any indications that that's changed. It used to be rather difficult to uninstall, too, leaving behind large pieces of itself unless you did some very specific additional cleanup, and I don't know if they've fixed that yet. If you decide to get rid of Norton (which I would recommend), search for information on proper uninstall procedures for your specific version first. Don't be surprised if you find sites offering third party programs specifically designed to uninstall Norton properly, there's a pretty high chance they actually are legitimate.

I, personally, use Kaspersky as my general antivirus, but it is unfortunately not free. Then again neither is Norton, so if you swap them out it should be close to an even proposition financially.

[Pyromancer999]

Avast! Antivirus has a free and paid version you can get, but even the free version is really good and I would highly recommend that, along with the things Krazzman suggested.

[Chessgeek]

I used Kaspersky for a year and only had one incident. I currently am using Bitdefender, although it too is lacking in the free department.

But yeah, Norton and McAfee fight tooth and nail to see which is truly the worst antivirus program ever made.

[Don Julio Anejo]

Generally, any antivirus will have vulnerabilities. It's simply impossible to make one that makes your system completely secure without making your system impossible to use.

Knowing that.. I decided it's easier to just use the free Avast! (which gets surprisingly good reviews.. and no, it's not pirate themed) and scan files as they come in, but also be extra paranoid about files I download (if it seems suspicious, it probably is). Considering I haven't had a virus in about 5 years, I think I'm doing something right...

In the long run, you're better off keeping backups of important files on a separate (and preferrably, disconnected) system like an external hard drive you don't keep plugged in, so when natural biproduct of metabolism makes an impact with a rotary cooling impeller, you don't need to have second thoughts about reformatting your system in the worst case scenario.

PS: although sometimes I'm overly paranoid - if I think a site is a virus scam site like the whole "my free Starbucks" thing, I open it in a separate virtual machine.

[Balain]

The problem with Norton is so many people use it, norton is always targeted and so easily by-passed.

The best way to protect your computer is to change your behaviour.

There are obvious things like don't open e-mail attachments that you didn't ask for or from someone you don't know. Better yet just don't open any e-mail attachments.

Don't download torrents. So many bad things are downloaded through torrents

Don't install anything you didn't ask for. If you install something and it asks you to install a bunch of other software don't install them. Better yet don't even install the original software. Which brings up the point read everything when installing stuff. One company in their agreement said something like if you agree we can install software on your machine in the future with out even asking you and change all your browsing software settings.

Don't go to dubious websites. Don't go to porn sites. The problem with porn sites is, porn is so popular the sites are targeted, or even just made up just to get into your computer.

Do Not use third party cookies!

Don't use stupid passwords. Don't use the same password for anything.

Don't use UPnP So many problems just avoid it all together.

Don't use wireless keyboards. YOur computer maybe safe but a wireless keyboard has no encryption. Anything you type on a wireless keyboard can easily be grabbed.

Don't use public wi-fi.

If your bank/credit card company is asking for a bunch of your info on a site or by e-mail...it isn't your bank/credit card company.

Which reminds me of a story. I was at my girlfriends Dad's house for Thanksgiving or something and he wanted me to look at his computer. So I am trying to figure out what is wrong with it and while doing so tell him about these scams that so many people seem to fall for. They call and say they work for Windows and your computer is sending out error messages. People believe them, let them have remote access to the computer and they get tons of malware, spyware etc.

Not one second after telling him this, the phone rings, her dad answers and is talk to this guy saying things like, "oh I see that is not good, Oh yes it should be fixed, hang on let me give you the guy using my computer right now."

I get on the phone and her guess who it is? Her dad wanted me to do what ever they were asking so his computer could be fixed...Gah were you not even listening to one word? sigh....

[Don Julio Anejo]

The problem with Norton is so many people use it, norton is always targeted and so easily by-passed.

The best way to protect your computer is to change your behaviour.

There are obvious things like don't open e-mail attachments that you didn't ask for or from someone you don't know. Better yet just don't open any e-mail attachments.

Don't install anything you didn't ask for. If you install something and it asks you to install a bunch of other software don't install them. Better yet don't even install the original software. Which brings up the point read everything when installing stuff. One company in their agreement said something like if you agree we can install software on your machine in the future with out even asking you and change all your browsing software settings.

True.

Don't download torrents. So many bad things are downloaded through torrents

Actually, most torrents are safe, especially of the media variety. And any viruses that might be in there would be at least several weeks old by the time you even get the file. Just make sure to scan beforehand. Do utilize common sense, like if you download the latest Justin Bieber album and you get an .exe file (that doesn't seem to do anything either), chances are, it's a virus. If it's a bunch of *.mp3 files, you're probably safe.

Don't go to dubious websites. Don't go to porn sites. The problem with porn sites is, porn is so popular the sites are targeted, or even just made up just to get into your computer.

Adblock Plus will prevent about 90% of viruses you'd get by going to sites by virtue of not even letting them load. But yes, don't go to dubious site.

Don't use stupid passwords. Don't use the same password for anything.

Hard to avoid nowadays. In my mind, using the same password is just as insecure as making up a bunch of random complex passwords, only to write them down on your desk so any random junkie can break into your investment account.

Don't use wireless keyboards. YOur computer maybe safe but a wireless keyboard has no encryption. Anything you type on a wireless keyboard can easily be grabbed.

I'm fairly certain newer ones use 128-bit encryption, although that's up to verification.

Don't use public wi-fi.

Generally, not as big an issue as might seem. Unless you have a giant stalker who wants your FB account, anything someone would want to datamine (i.e. banking) would be secured using SSL protocol so even if they download the data, data itself would be junk. Anything easy enough to steal/read through wouldn't be something a hacker cares about. Also, he has to be nearby to actually do it.

Better advice would be to close all ports except a few like HTTP/UDP you need for web browsing and set the wi-fi to public.

[Balain]

True.


I'm fairly certain newer ones use 128-bit encryption, although that's up to verification.

That is generally true I think. But My girlfriend got one with her new tv. As far as we could tell it had no encryption. It just depends on the make and model. I just have a feeling if it is free with something chances are it doesn't have encryption.

[Balain]

I remember what I was going to say last night. Sorry it was way too late when I posted. When you are infected it is best to do a clean install. It is possible that you have cleaned your system, but once infected you can never be 100% sure you actually cleaned everything.

[jamesedward]

Hi, there are a number of free, reliable Computer protection software available on the internet with a long time trial period. If you want, I can recommend you list of free antivirus that you might directly download. The list is shared below:
AVG
Commodo
Norton
Immunet
Panda Security
VIPRE

[Karoht]

AVG is decent, Norton has always let me down.

A backup hard drive will cost you about 60-100 bucks, they plug into your USB drive, and they are worth every penny. Just remember, virus scan, defrag, backup, in that order.

Frequent scans will stop keyloggers, but in the event you get one and don't realize it, here is a keylogger proof password system.

Take two words. Lets say candyland
You type: candyland
Keylogger sees: candyland

now, you can add numbers or letters to this, they keylogger will just see it. Unless we involve the mouse.

You type: candyland
You click: anywhere in that string, lets say after the first d
You then type: $21
Which looks like this: cand$21yland
Keylogger sees: candyland$21

It is an easy enough precaution to take and get used to. Remember, you have to use the mouse and click something, you can't just use the arrow keys to move the cursor or the keylogger will record that too.
And you can do this with your userID, not just your password. It adds up to some excellent protection all around.