internet security / anti virus?

[mx757 4]

My internet security license is up next month... wondering what people feel is best internet / anti virus package now? there seems to be so many internet security / anti virus software now with google search.

not looking for free versions..

thanks

[BillyVance 34]

Well, you can definitely rule out Kaspersky. Don't fuck with it. Russian crap.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[AtrusBatleth 0]

If it's a Windows machine, what's wrong with Microsoft Security Essentials? Part of me wants to stick it to Microsoft and all (I continued using Netscape after IE became bundled with Windows), but really it integrates seamlessly and I've never had any issues with it. Plus it's the only anti-virus that has never given me problems logging into work.

Max Peck
What's the point of having top secret code names, fellas, if we ain't gonna use 'em?

[gowlerk 1,901]

AtrusBatleth

If it's a Windows machine, what's wrong with Microsoft Security Essentials? Part of me wants to stick it to Microsoft and all (I continued using Netscape after IE became bundled with Windows), but really it integrates seamlessly and I've never had any issues with it. Plus it's the only anti-virus that has never given me problems logging into work.

Yes, I've exclusively Windows defender for at least 10 years. MS doesn't promote it because they don't want to be prosecuted for squeezing the other players out of the market like when they tried to capture the browser market. But it works fine without nagging you to send them any money.

[RMK 3]

I’ve considered and looked into this for years, using real technicians, not just asking random folk on the internet. This includes software teams hired from MIT used by both Goldman, JP Morgan and large funds with unlimited budgets– not just me talking. The top three would be:

Kaspersky
Bitdefender
ESET NOD 32

By all means avoid McAfee & Norton; they’re both shit bloatware and you will never get rid of them fully (excepting a reformat of your hard drive) should you ever wish to remove them. The technicians I use say a good portion of their business comes from people using McAfee & Norton

For both work and home, I presently use Kaspersky Total Security, an occasional run of MalwareBytes and a daily clean of cache/cookie rubbish using CCleaner.

"Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

[mx757 4]

Billy, that's what I have now and lerry of the Russian connection..

[PhreeZone 14]

This is really funny since I have been doing AV research for 13 years and have been onsite with 30-50% of the Fortune 50 in the last 7 years and have had con calls with just about everyone else so I know exactly what most of them are using at the Enterprise level. There is a reason that none of those vendors listed have won any major enterprises nor US government contracts. Home products are different than Enterprise so some of the features that those company's need and want are different than their home products. None of the three you mentioned have been in use in any of those locations.

The first one has admitted that they upload files (not just hashes) from consumers and enterprise computers for their own internal analytics if they think they need it. This means your files that are personal get sent off in the background with out you knowing what they do with the file. Every other organization that I talk to only does this with very strict opt in and never without informing the user directly if they want that to happen on each file. In fact at the enterprise level that is usually a major violation of multiple regulations and privacy laws so organizations face major issues using it.

My favorite vendors do WAY more than just running signatures and end up doing things like machine learning and file activity tracing cross platform along with having central management consoles that allow you to control the configuration of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of systems in a single console.

I'll hit a few points I see - Microsoft tends to score a about 85% percent for detection and the majority of the rest of the other major AV vendors in testing at about 97-99%. If you are the type of user that only gets online hits a few sites and does not email nor download anything they will meet your basic needs. Beyond that I'd avoid Karspersky for a lot of reasons but anything else will be fine. The "Bloatware" is usually a user issue since at the cost of development most organizations do not want to develop anything more than needed so clearly a large portion of their user base is wanting the features they sell. One thing I would say is to look at if you need multiple licenses or not - some include the ability to run on multiple devices and others are on a system by system pricing plan.

As an aside it was really fascinating to see how CCLeaner was hacked earlier this year and it took them so long to identify the issue. The write up on it showed a lot of issues in the way they run their software security practices.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[BillyVance 34]

mx757

Billy, that's what I have now and lerry of the Russian connection..

The Geek Squad quit offering it and won't recommend it anymore.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[tkhayes 123]

built in windows stuff is more than adequate, but we also installed some ESET products as well - easy to use, invisible, and does not take over your computer like so many do.

Bottom line is that if you have ANYTHING installed, even the basic windows stuff and you keep your updates up-to-date, then the likelihood of you having an issue are almost nil.

[hackish 8]

One could similarly discuss the effectiveness of condoms against STIs. A big factor in that is the behaviour of the individual. If you're out having sex with everyone in the city, your risk is going to be much higher.

Similarly, if you're downloading and installing lots of software from sketchy locations, your risk is higher. This includes pirated software and "cracks" as they frequently feature downloaders that can install malware or ransomware at a later date.

If you're always using an account with administrative privileges, your risk is higher. If you're not keeping windows up to date (or don't even have a valid license) and you're not keeping your browsers updated, that too has a higher risk.

I'm a software developer and the tools I develop are frequently flagged by the automated analysis tools, despite having valid taggants. You can easily tell by the false positives which engine different AV products are using and how up to date they are. Truth of the matter is that most products are flashy paint jobs over the same technology.

I have seen some products uploading samples of "suspected" software despite specifying to opt out. Development versions of my software have features to contact the license server when run, so I even have evidence that files were uploaded and run without my consent.

Privacy is a valid consideration. I'm not saying they're all out to fraud you, but companies who collect and analyze files off your computer without your consent are hard to trust. While it is probably done for competitive reasons, it makes them a high value target in case a 3rd party wants to do something malicious.

I am of the opinion that anti-virus needs to start with an education on the user's side as to what they should and should not be downloading and running.

-Michael

[mx757 4]

WOW...

Thanks for the reply's everyone.. I learned lot from your posts...

Mike