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What anti-virals do you guys implement?

Started by ziznak, August 09, 2012, 08:45:33 AM

Pick your vendor

AVG
Kaspersky
McAfee
Symantec
Avira
Avast
Fuckrosoft
Eset
Some other vendor

ziznak

Recently I received a popup message on my computer stating that my copy of AVG could possibly be counterfit!!!
OH NO REALLY??? no shit it's fucking hacked. 
Anyways, I was kinda happy I had found the version I had since it was good til 2018 and I've installed it on many of my friends computers... (YES! I will have some service calls).  So, now I'm downloading a bunch of different cracked antivirus programs and was wondering what everybody else was using.

MV/Liberace!

there's no need to use a cracked anything, and it's inherently risky to run a cracked piece of security software anyway.  just download microsoft's security essentials and be done with it.

Eddie Coyle

 
        All of my bitches is clean, I can tell by looking at 'em.

         Oh, you mean for the computer...

ziznak

Quote from: MV on August 09, 2012, 08:50:13 AM
there's no need to use a cracked anything, and it's inherently risky to run a cracked piece of security software anyway.  just download microsoft's security essentials and be done with it.
ehhhhhh microsoft? really? and yeah I find it funny that I've used security software that's been comprimised kind of a paradox going on there.

McPhallus

Quote from: ziznak on August 09, 2012, 08:45:33 AM
Recently I received a popup message on my computer stating that my copy of AVG could possibly be counterfit!!!
OH NO REALLY??? no shit it's fucking hacked. 
Anyways, I was kinda happy I had found the version I had since it was good til 2018 and I've installed it on many of my friends computers... (YES! I will have some service calls).  So, now I'm downloading a bunch of different cracked antivirus programs and was wondering what everybody else was using.

I got the same message, then another last night saying I'd been reassigned a new license?  I don't get it.

b_dubb

did you get the pop-up while viewing a web page in a web browser?  if so ... likely bs.  no ... certainly bs



ziznak

Quote from: McPhallus on August 09, 2012, 09:15:08 AM
I got the same message, then another last night saying I'd been reassigned a new license?  I don't get it.
The new license works for 30-days from when they assigned it.  Hence my hunting around for new AV.

MV/Liberace!

Quote from: stevesh on August 09, 2012, 09:31:25 AM
I also use Security Essentials.


it's lightweight and doesn't slow your machine down like norton or mcafee, it doesn't pop up messages nagging you all the time, and since MS makes windows, i'd trust them to protect windows before anyone else. oh, and it's free.

ziznak

Quote from: MV on August 09, 2012, 09:40:23 AM

it's lightweight and doesn't slow your machine down like norton or mcafee, it doesn't pop up messages nagging you all the time, and since MS makes windows, i'd trust them to protect windows before anyone else. oh, and it's free.
whats yer take on kaspersky?  I have it here but haven't installed it yet... think you may have actually sold me on microsofts though.

Sardondi

Microsoft must have been conceived and built by George Noory - there is no other explanation for the bone-deep antipathy I feel toward it. I am especially frustrated by how MS routinely refuses to recognize not just perfectly legit major software, and even its own software on one of my computers, so MS refuses to download even security upgrades and the endless succession of patches and band-aid fixes to its amazingly shoddy products.

I have found Avast to be excellent, with none of the problems of crippling/wounding a system which Norton and McAfee sometimes present. Along with Firefox's built-in firewall (oh yeah, I haven't used the ridiculously shoddy IE for 8-9 years) things work seamlessly. But then I'm still working off XP, which has been stable as hell for me. And I'm a very late adopter, preferring everyone else to work out the kinks, so I see no reason to move to Chrome.

I've been pretty happy with Firefox and Avast. But I will seriously consider a move to Apple in the next 1-2 years.

analog kid

Security Essentials is frickin awesome. Screw those bloatware suites full of memory resident crap you'll never need.

Quote from: Sardondi on August 09, 2012, 09:51:48 AMI've been pretty happy with Firefox and Avast. But I will seriously consider a move to Apple in the next 1-2 years.

Have you given Linux a shot? It's easy to install and very good. Would certainly recommend trying it out before you get locked into Apple's highly expensive ecosystem.

MV/Liberace!

Quote from: analog kid on August 09, 2012, 10:15:47 AM
Security Essentials is frickin awesome. Screw those bloatware suites full of memory resident crap you'll never need.

Have you given Linux a shot? It's easy to install and very good. Would certainly recommend trying it out before you get locked into Apple's highly expensive ecosystem.


the last few versions of ubuntu have just been such a buzz kill.  each version is slower than the last.  the newest one, 12.04, is just insufferably slow on the two different machines i've tried it on.  i don't know why they're screwing it up the way they are.

analog kid

Quote from: MV on August 09, 2012, 10:37:14 AM

the last few versions of ubuntu have just been such a buzz kill.  each version is slower than the last.  the newest one, 12.04, is just insufferably slow on the two different machines i've tried it on.  i don't know why they're screwing it up the way they are.

Absolutely. Canonical went with the Unity desktop - another attempt at merging the desktop with a touchscreen interface. It and GnomeShell have been controversial and caused a mass migration to Linux Mint, which is based on Ubuntu / Debian, but without all of that bloat and the crappy desktop environments. Mint's "Mate" DE is a bit buggy, but their "Cinnamon" DE is quite good.

Virtual

Quote from: ziznak on August 09, 2012, 08:45:33 AM
Recently I received a popup message on my computer stating that my copy of AVG could possibly be counterfit!!!
OH NO REALLY??? no shit it's fucking hacked.

It was probably a scam on a website. That is one of the more popular ways to get something into your computer. A fake message saying your computer is infected or you need to download this plugin.

Anything a website randomly says about YOUR computer should be instantly discounted to zero credibility.

AVG, Avast, Microsoft Security Essentials are all viable anti virus programs. Add to it a Firewall and for good measure a spyware program.

Spyware Blaster stops the CLSIDs of popular spyware ActiveX controls from websites from being installed and runs in the background. Super Anti Spyware or Spyware Terminator work well for that too but leaving them running in the background may conflict with your virus program. Or at least use more computer resources. They are used for cleaning those tracking cookies out of your computer in a few minutes every day.

McPhallus

Quote from: Virtual on August 09, 2012, 11:42:43 AM

Anything a website randomly says about YOUR computer should be instantly discounted to zero credibility.

AVG, Avast, Microsoft Security Essentials are all viable anti virus programs. Add to it a Firewall and for good measure a spyware program. 

Reminds me of a nasty piece of malware I had a while back that actively prevented me from going to all the major antivirus web sites while trying to force me to buy some phony antivirus app. Fuckers.

Virtual

Quote from: Sardondi on August 09, 2012, 09:51:48 AM
Microsoft must have been conceived and built by George Noory - there is no other explanation for the bone-deep antipathy I feel toward it. I am especially frustrated by how MS routinely refuses to recognize not just perfectly legit major software, and even its own software on one of my computers, so MS refuses to download even security upgrades and the endless succession of patches and band-aid fixes to its amazingly shoddy products.

I have found Avast to be excellent, with none of the problems of crippling/wounding a system which Norton and McAfee sometimes present. Along with Firefox's built-in firewall (oh yeah, I haven't used the ridiculously shoddy IE for 8-9 years) things work seamlessly. But then I'm still working off XP, which has been stable as hell for me. And I'm a very late adopter, preferring everyone else to work out the kinks, so I see no reason to move to Chrome.

I've been pretty happy with Firefox and Avast. But I will seriously consider a move to Apple in the next 1-2 years.

Maybe you are having problems with MS because you are working with an unsupported operating system Windows XP. I don't think windows is updating XP anymore.

For example, My printer did not work on my Vista operating system a few years back. The printer company stopped supporting the drivers for anything past Windows XP. It had nothing to do with Microsoft. HP wanted me to buy a new printer.

With the new chip architecture (64 bit) XP is not viable anymore. Vista was/is bloatware but Windows 7 does a really good job using all those cores and implementing clean x64 architecture. I think you might be disappointed with Apple OS these days. They have their own list of complaints and problems. As well as a monopoly on the hardware.

ShayP

I use AVAST in combination with ThreatFire.  Best protection I ever had and they don't interfere with each other.
I had Microsoft Security Essentials at one point....didn't like it.

ziznak

Quote from: McPhallus on August 09, 2012, 11:54:50 AM
Reminds me of a nasty piece of malware I had a while back that actively prevented me from going to all the major antivirus web sites while trying to force me to buy some phony antivirus app. Fuckers.
Ahhhhh the beloved "anti-virus virus!"  I made a lot of cash because of that little fucker.

MV/Liberace!

Quote from: Virtual on August 09, 2012, 11:42:43 AM
Spyware Blaster stops the CLSIDs of popular spyware ActiveX controls from websites from being installed and runs in the background.
since activeX is an internet explorer technology, you don't need to worry about it if you're not running IE.


Quote from: Virtual on August 09, 2012, 12:00:21 PM
Maybe you are having problems with MS because you are working with an unsupported operating system Windows XP.


on the contrary, XP remains perhaps the most supported version of windows in existence today.  also, microsoft continues to update it, and will do so until (i think) some time in 2014.  there is almost nothing xp can't do, and usually when it can't run software, that's because the software has been artificially hobbled.  an example would be MS not letting you run the skydrive sync app on XP.  there's no technical reason why you can't.  they just won't let you.

MV/Liberace!

i think the bottom line is this.  if you want a clean machine:


1) install windows from a known good source.
2) keep windows updated.
3) don't use file sharing sites.
4) don't open email attachments.
5) run an antivirus.  MSSE will do.  no additional security software is necessary.
6) uninstall unused applications.
7) keep applications updated
8 ) in winvista and win7, run under a standard user account and create a password protected admin account so the password for that account will be required whenever someone wants to install/uninstall or change system settings.
9) DO NOT use internet explorer.  DO NOT.
10) i'm out of suggestions.


do all of this stuff, and you won't need to run 30 antivirus/antispyware applications in the background.  that shit often causes more problems than the malware it's designed to protect you against.  the less of that you can expose yourself to, the better.

MV/Liberace!

update:  microsoft's extended support for xp will continue until april 8, 2014.


link.

MV/Liberace!

Quote from: analog kid on August 09, 2012, 11:11:33 AM
Absolutely. Canonical went with the Unity desktop - another attempt at merging the desktop with a touchscreen interface. It and GnomeShell have been controversial and caused a mass migration to Linux Mint, which is based on Ubuntu / Debian, but without all of that bloat and the crappy desktop environments. Mint's "Mate" DE is a bit buggy, but their "Cinnamon" DE is quite good.


downloading mint13 with cinnamon DE now...

KnyeGuy

Quote from: MV on August 09, 2012, 02:13:52 PM
3) don't use file sharing sites.

This recommendation is an utter impossibility.

I have used Kaspersky since 2008 (paid, legit license) and have been pretty happy with it. Other malware programs generally can't be run when it's installed. I also one of these resources to multi-scan various P2P downloaded files:
https://www.virustotal.com/
http://virusscan.jotti.org/en


Grimace

If one is going to use "Fuckrosoft" (hahaha) then I think security essentials paired with something you can't install on a machine, common sense, is adequate protection. Of course, if one prefers Avast (which I've used before and would recommend as an alternative) that's their choosing. I find peerblock with it's ads and spyware blocking features to be something worth running, I see no reason not to as you can just quickly disable it if something isn't showing up correctly. I'm not saying that I recommend peerblock as a safe way to torrent naughty files, but I do think it's a good way to enhance overall security and extremely simple to use.

Quote from: MV on August 09, 2012, 02:15:58 PM
update:  microsoft's extended support for xp will continue until april 8, 2014.


link.

Honestly Fuckrosoft could support it until 2024 if they weren't out looking to push their latest wares. On my desktop PC though, I've very comfortably shifted to 7 and I think both XP and 7 are the most comfortable/stable OSes that have come out in the often (and for good reason) maligned Windows series. This new dual-sided tablet OS thing they're pushing now doesn't interest me at all.

Speaking of malware and viruses, how many of you have gone to a friend or family member's house and gotten the dreaded "can you take a look at my computer?" I remember in around 2005 trying to help a friend clear out his ill machine using the HiJackThis analyzer which found a vile treasure trove of all sorts of malware from the mundane to the hilarious. Unholy lord, I think he was still using IE6 at that point and with all the junk toolbars and crap it was like surfing the web behind a knight's suit of armor. It took all evening to sort out that poor PC, but he made sure there was plenty of beer so it was all good. I don't think he's touched IE since then, but I know he has destroyed another computer through just being totally aloof. haha.

Grimace

Quote from: KnyeGuy on August 09, 2012, 03:05:01 PM
This recommendation is an utter impossibility.

I have used Kaspersky since 2008 (paid, legit license) and have been pretty happy with it. Other malware programs generally can't be run when it's installed. I also one of these resources to multi-scan various P2P downloaded files:
https://www.virustotal.com/
http://virusscan.jotti.org/en

Also if say I'm really nervous about a file/program/etc running it in a virtual machine should totally negate any risk other than to the virtual machine itself, no? That's the way I've understood it anyway.

KnyeGuy

Quote from: Grimace on August 09, 2012, 03:10:32 PM
Also if say I'm really nervous about a file/program/etc running it in a virtual machine should totally negate any risk other than to the virtual machine itself, no? That's the way I've understood it anyway.

Yeah, I forgot to mention that using 'Sandboxie' is great for installation in a virtual (sandboxed) environment.
Kaspersky also has a "safe Run" feature that essentially does this as well.
This is a huge help especially when many antivirus apps find false-positives in alot of files.


Quote from: MV on August 09, 2012, 02:13:52 PM
i think the bottom line is this.  if you want a clean machine:


1) install windows from a known good source.
2) keep windows updated.
3) don't use file sharing sites.
4) don't open email attachments.
5) run an antivirus.  MSSE will do.  no additional security software is necessary.
6) uninstall unused applications.
7) keep applications updated
8 ) in winvista and win7, run under a standard user account and create a password protected admin account so the password for that account will be required whenever someone wants to install/uninstall or change system settings.
9) DO NOT use internet explorer.  DO NOT.
10) i'm out of suggestions.


11) see number 9.


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