Antivirus software

[Purple Nurple]

Pretty straightforward what do you guys use or what do you recommend?

[allblackraven]

I wouldn't know but, unless you need it for gaming or specific apps, I'd sincerely recommend different operating system.

AVG Free used to be great alternative to hogs like Norton and McAfee but that was 8 - 9 years ago when I used it last time.

[GrimCoconut]

Malware isn't the threat it used to be. Social engineering and other methods are now the preferred means to infiltrate user accounts and computers. Viruses and the like still exist, of course, but their incidence is less than it once was. XSS & SQLi attacks are much more common and preferred compared to viruses. The fact is that software security is changing and it's no longer about the OS but about the application vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, there's not a ton you can do about application vulnerabilities because web app vulnerabilities are due to the providers and not typically the users. 

I'd ensure you get a good firewall and be careful of Kapersky. It's popular but there's reports and rumors that they send your data to the KGB in Russia due to the CEO being a former KGB intelligence operative and their company is headquartered in Russia. Norton is good but it takes up a lot of your system's resources. I prefer Bitdefender Total Security myself.

One recommendation I would give is to use a virtual machine (VM) to browse risky websites and open risky email. Virtual machines are labor-intensive on the system's resources, but the potential for hacking and viruses is better through them. If a virtual machine gets a virus, you simply wipe the virtual machine and create a new one. If you store your valuable files you know to be legitimate on your actual OS, then you can use your virtual machine for all the risky activity. A virtual machine, in case you are unaware, is like an emulator if you are familiar with those. It emulates an operating system, however, instead of a video game. 

Edited March 11, 2016 by GrimCoconut

[K-Dog]

I use Avira.  Its free.  I can only assume it works.  I have had it on this PC for at least five years now and its seems just as fast and healthy as day one.

[Steve0x]

I have an Apple Mac. Doesn't need Antivirus. Apple macs don't get viruses. Thats why its faster and more better than the P.C! 

[BmoreBird22]

4 hours ago, Steve0x said:

I have an Apple Mac. Doesn't need Antivirus. Apple macs don't get viruses. Thats why its faster and more better than the P.C! 

They still get Trojan horses and malware. I have a Mac, but that's not a fail proof, end all be all.

[GrimCoconut]

7 minutes ago, BmoreBird22 said:

They still get Trojan horses and malware. I have a Mac, but that's not a fail proof, end all be all.

People are starting to write viruses and Trojans for the Mac iOS because it is being more commercialized and there's less antivirus software. Granted, the language is more safeguarded; however, that doesn't mean much to those hacking into a computer or developing viruses. I think the common misconception that Macs are safer than Windows is a very false one and is a large reason for vulnerabilities Mac users experience.

The elitist overconfidence in the product quite a lot of Mac users exude is one that concerns me because Macs are not as safe as they appear. As you say, they are just as vulnerable it's just nobody wrote viruses because they were once not popular. If you're writing malware, you're going to go for the biggest impact. Ironically, the movement for the media and movie stars to commercialize Mac computers has led to an increase in malware adapted for the Mac iOS. I predict we will see much greater incidence in the future.

[allblackraven]

1 hour ago, GrimCoconut said:

People are starting to write viruses and Trojans for the Mac iOS because it is being more commercialized and there's less antivirus software. Granted, the language is more safeguarded; however, that doesn't mean much to those hacking into a computer or developing viruses. I think the common misconception that Macs are safer than Windows is a very false one and is a large reason for vulnerabilities Mac users experience.

The elitist overconfidence in the product quite a lot of Mac users exude is one that concerns me because Macs are not as safe as they appear. As you say, they are just as vulnerable it's just nobody wrote viruses because they were once not popular. If you're writing malware, you're going to go for the biggest impact. Ironically, the movement for the media and movie stars to commercialize Mac computers has led to an increase in malware adapted for the Mac iOS. I predict we will see much greater incidence in the future.

Windows got better over the years but that is just false. For years Windows was largely used by user with administrative privileges on the system. That's why writing malicious code that does more damage was easier, not because Windows was more popular.  Macintosh and now UNIX (OS X, Linux) in particular were always 1000 times more robust systems.

[GrimCoconut]

9 hours ago, allblackraven said:

Windows got better over the years but that is just false. For years Windows was largely used by user with administrative privileges on the system. That's why writing malicious code that does more damage was easier, not because Windows was more popular.  Macintosh and now UNIX (OS X, Linux) in particular were always 1000 times more robust systems.

So you say Windows was commonly used for administrative users yet say it's not targeted out of its popularity? Seems quite contradictory. 

[allblackraven]

26 minutes ago, GrimCoconut said:

So you say Windows was commonly used for administrative users yet say it's not targeted out of its popularity? Seems quite contradictory. 

No, no - what I meant is that the inherent design of the Windows made it easier to write the virus for it. Most of software virus proliferation occurred during Windows 3.x and 95/98 era. You start the machine and that's it - all the programs you execute, including the virus if you caught it, run with full system privileges.

[GrimCoconut]

19 minutes ago, allblackraven said:

No, no - what I meant is that the inherent design of the Windows made it easier to write the virus for it. Most of software virus proliferation occurred during Windows 3.x and 95/98 era. You start the machine and that's it - all the programs you execute, including the virus if you caught it, run with full system privileges.

Yeah, that's the old school stuff. Windows is way different, especially 7. They significantly improved their vulnerabilities. 

[Purple Nurple]

Well I'm now running Webroot SecureAnywhere and Malwarebytes for what its worth. I'm clueless as I've used Apple forever but I love my new 2 in 1.

[Purple Nurple]

I guess I forgot to add that I'm dumping Apple after decades.

[Steve0x]

I will never go back to PC until the improve that product

[1/28/01]

On Friday, March 11, 2016 at 7:08 PM, Steve0x said:

I have an Apple Mac. Doesn't need Antivirus. Apple macs don't get viruses. Thats why its faster and more better than the P.C! 

Ha, that's hilarious and so incorrect. 

[Steve0x]

How so?

[GrimCoconut]

10 hours ago, Steve0x said:

How so?

Apple products are getting viruses, that's why. Malware isn't the reason why Apple computers are typically faster than Windows, either.