Is having just one antivirus/spyware product okay?
By
AquaJAWS,
Posted on: 2009-07-05 23:15 in ALL ACCESS Gameplay Technical Issues Bugs
I would drop both of those for AVG free for home use. But if you want to keep just 1 of those 2 then I would choose Trendmicro.
Having more than 1 realtime AV is a bad recommendation IMHO.
On top of all that i'm actually of the opinion that desktop AV is seriously depreciated ever since the last generation of polymorphic zero day exploits and social engineering. I have seen too many active AV packages completely rooted for the last year or so to feel actually protected by them.
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Having more than 1 realtime AV is a bad recommendation IMHO.
[/ QUOTE ] I agree.
It may be beneficial to have more than one program that you can use to manually scan your drive with on occasion, but having two programs actively running simultaneously trying to protect your system usually ends up with one of them detecting the other as a problem and/or disabling an action the other program is trying to take to protect you.
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On top of all that i'm actually of the opinion that desktop AV is seriously depreciated ever since the last generation of polymorphic zero day exploits and social engineering. I have seen too many active AV packages completely rooted for the last year or so to feel actually protected by them.
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Unfortunately, a number of computer security experts agree. If you get to the point where you need an anti-virus program to 'catch' something, you've already screwed up. Still, I run an anti-virus and two anti-spyware programs but none of them have found anything on my system (aside from cookies) in years. Why? Because nothing gets that far. My router has a firewall; I run a software firewall (a real one - ZoneAlarm, not Microsoft's) and my browser (Firefox) has a bunch of plug-ins that block scripts, Flash, suspect web sites, etc.
So, my answer to the OP's question is that you should have only one anti-virus program active or the programs can 'step on each other'. However, I would run multiple anti-spyware programs on a schedule. My anti-virus (AVG) is running at all times and does a full scan twice a week. I also have Ad-Aware and SpyBotSD. All three of these are scheduled to run automatically so I don't have to remember to do it. I hear MalWareBytes is also really good. I've downloaded it, but haven't installed it yet.
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MalwareBytes is awesome. I have spoken.
Another vote for AVG, but some have run into issues. I run it no problems everywhere I install it, so...
August 31, 2012. A Day that will Live in Infamy. Or Information. Possibly Influence. Well, Inf, anyway. Thank you, Paragon Studios, for what you did, and the enjoyment and camaraderie you brought.
This is houtex, aka Mike, signing off the forums. G'night all. - 10/26/2012
Well... perhaps I was premature about that whole 'signing off' thing... - 11-9-2012
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But if you want to keep just 1 of those 2 then I would choose Trendmicro.
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Why TrendMicro over Webroot? (Not arguing, just wondering why.)
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I run a software firewall (a real one - ZoneAlarm, not Microsoft's)....
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I assume you mean the free version?
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MalwareBytes is awesome. I have spoken.
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Free version only, or is it worth the one-time $25 fee to get the real-time version?
I have no idea what AV engine Spysweeper inserted into their package, but Trendmicro has been doing AV for quite a few years now.
For a free package i'm recommending AVG or perhaps even Microsofts Security Essentials.
Lots of choices on the paid side of things, but most of them revolve around the management tools, not necessarily better protection.
I think you can get much more tangible protection from people changing their awareness level regarding everything internet.
1. Use Firefox and the noscript plugin.
2. Don't trust anything on the internet.
3. Don't open that link your best friend sent you in email until you double check the destination.
4. Don't open that EXE your best friend sent you in email.....
5. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET 10M FROM A LONG LOST BUT RECENTLY DECEASED RELATIVE IN NIGERIA.
6. Lots more you get the idea.
My email is scanned at the server level, I don't run any realtime AV on my PC's, I use a 'command line' scanner to scan any downloaded files (ClamAV portable).
I agree with running more than 1 AV is bad. For a stand alone scanner Malwarebytes is really good.
I recently made the switch to the Kaspersky Internet Suite (Firewall/AV/Intrusion Countermeasures) and found it runs great with a very small footprint.
Defcon 0 - (D4 lvl 50),DJ Shecky Cape Radio
@Shecky
Twitter: @DJ_Shecky, @siliconshecky, @thecaperadio
When you air your dirty laundry out on a clothesline above the street, everyone is allowed to snicker at the skid marks in your underoos. - Lemur_Lad
I guess I should mention that I'm a kind of "stupid user" when it comes to knowing what I should stay away from or not. Also, my mother shares the PC with me. So I might be needing more than just a freeware level of protection -- is that true?
Also, I just got recommended Norton 360 -- apparently the footprint is much smaller and the security is more comprehensive?
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I guess I should mention that I'm a kind of "stupid user" when it comes to knowing what I should stay away from or not. Also, my mother shares the PC with me. So I might be needing more than just a freeware level of protection -- is that true?
Also, I just got recommended Norton 360 -- apparently the footprint is much smaller and the security is more comprehensive?
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I've heard about that with 360, but I'm not ready to recommend it yet. Kaspersky right now is one of the highest rated ones, and a 1 year sub with the product you get for around $60 ish. the footprint is small, it is updated daily and it doesn't take a lot of processor power either.
Defcon 0 - (D4 lvl 50),DJ Shecky Cape Radio
@Shecky
Twitter: @DJ_Shecky, @siliconshecky, @thecaperadio
When you air your dirty laundry out on a clothesline above the street, everyone is allowed to snicker at the skid marks in your underoos. - Lemur_Lad
AVG, Malwarebytes, and basic ZoneAlarm are the only programs you need, and cost zero for home use.
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AVG, Malwarebytes, and basic ZoneAlarm are the only programs you need, and cost zero for home use.
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But do any of these free versions include real-time protection? I have had instances in which either PC-Cillin or SpySweeper have generated visually "loud" pop-ups right in front of me saying, "I just stopped such-and-such file from doing something really wrong to your PC," so I don't think I'm going to feel comfortable without at least SOME measure of realtime protection.
I've got AVG Free, Zone Alarm [for catching programs that try to "call out" without permission] and Spybot S&D.
I have other anti-virus, anti-malware stuff installed, but those are the only things running... of course, I have a *real* firewall in my router and another because I use OpenDNS for the internet.
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AVG, Malwarebytes, and basic ZoneAlarm are the only programs you need, and cost zero for home use.
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But do any of these free versions include real-time protection? I have had instances in which either PC-Cillin or SpySweeper have generated visually "loud" pop-ups right in front of me saying, "I just stopped such-and-such file from doing something really wrong to your PC," so I don't think I'm going to feel comfortable without at least SOME measure of realtime protection.
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ZoneAlarm free is a great firewall, AVG free has full resident protection/web protection and updates/scans every day for spyware/viruses.
Malwarebytes costs little for the full version that includes a realtime scanner, but is also very effective simply running the free version when you think you have a issue or just once a week to keep your system in top condition.
Yes, AVG free does have realtime protection.
I'm just popping in to say that there are some really great answers being offered here, and I agree with the over all tone of them. That is all.
August 31, 2012. A Day that will Live in Infamy. Or Information. Possibly Influence. Well, Inf, anyway. Thank you, Paragon Studios, for what you did, and the enjoyment and camaraderie you brought.
This is houtex, aka Mike, signing off the forums. G'night all. - 10/26/2012
Well... perhaps I was premature about that whole 'signing off' thing... - 11-9-2012
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I run a software firewall (a real one - ZoneAlarm, not Microsoft's)....
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I assume you mean the free version?
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Yes. Their suite had lots of stuff I don't want - mainly because I prefer to use different products for each aspect of security.
Paragon City Search And Rescue
The Mentor Project
I too use ZoneAlarm to detect "phone home" software. I run Spybot S+D and Ad Aware AE in offline mode once a week to check for malware but since I use Firefox with NoScript, Ad Block and Flash Block (I'm on dial-up, I don't need Flash Ads pushed on me) I feel very secure. For AV I use AntiVir and that is actively running.
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Tempus unum hominem manet
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Having more than 1 realtime AV is a bad recommendation IMHO.
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This.
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Originally Posted by eltonio
This is over the top mental slavery.
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I like Avast! Anti-Virus (because it has a small footprint, a screen saver virus scanner, frequent updates and it sounds Piratey), Spybot Seek and Destroy (with the Teatimer Resident Protection). I have a hardware firewall so I don't concern myself with that overmuch.
I also periodically run Wireshark and see what's happening on my network and chase down any weird packets or oddball destination IPs to see what the deal is there. I've had some odd ones come up. It helps you really plug those holes in your network security.
Also, be sure if you use wireless that you're using passkey encryption, MAC address filtering, and aren't broadcasting an SSID.
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Originally Posted by eltonio
This is over the top mental slavery.
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AVG, Malwarebytes, and basic ZoneAlarm are the only programs you need, and cost zero for home use.
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I think I'm going to try this. Thanks to everyone for all the valuable input!
<QR>
I use the tag-team of AVG Free and Malwarebytes (free version). They seem to complement each other nicely. I also use Firefox addins like adblock, flash block, and a few others I can't remember at the moment. I've seen some reviews of Malwarebytes' paid real-time protection, and it sounds like it's not worth the money. Makes for a great scanner and removal tool, but not so great at preventing anything.
Personally, I've always despised Webroot's products. I've seen many cases where they don't offer sufficient protection, and absolutely dominate a system's resources. I'm talking 99% CPU utilization for the first five to ten minutes of a computer starting up, and up to 100MB of memory usage. Norton Internet Security doesn't even run that poorly, and it's one of the more maligned programs when it comes to resource hogs.
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NightShift for Life.
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Personally, I've always despised Webroot's products. I've seen many cases where they...absolutely dominate a system's resources. I'm talking 99% CPU utilization for the first five to ten minutes of a computer starting up....
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I can testify to that. Webroot's startup time is hideous.
I used to have both TrendMicro PC-Cillin Antivirus and Webroot Spysweeper (antispyware), and this was working fine for me, but now 2 things have changed. First, Webroot upgraded their Spysweeper product so that it now contains antivirus protection, and when this happened, I got a warning saying PC-Cillin was not necessarily compatible with the new Webroot product and could cause system stability issues. Second, my TrendMicro PC-Cillin subscription expired this week. So, I'm thinking about going with just Webroot from now on (and uninstalling PC-Cillin altogether) so I can cut my subscription costs in half. All I'd like to know is, is it a good idea to have just one software company's anti-whatsit product, or is it mandatory to have at least two company's products working at once so as to have the right amount of protection? (A Geek Squad guy once told me having more than one company's products was better.)