zythum99
asked on
Best security option/s(ie anti-virus, spy, firewall etc) for a small local home network?
Hi all!
I've got a small local wireless network running at my home, and I'm looking for a good, and possibly new solution for my security. I had been using Trend's Internet security but after the 07 release(and even with the patch), it had slowed both of the laptops down considerably. Well, because I had been lazy, and not made a decision, yesterday, I believe I got a virus that corrupted windows, and forced a clean install on my main laptop.
So, I had been doing some research previously, and even more today but have kind of come to a stand still in terms of what I want/need. Of course a suite like Trend is great all in one kind of thing but with something like a suite, it seems as though you sacrifice cpu performance-and from the sounds of some of these things I've read here, perhaps separate software firewall and anti virus might be the best solution.
I did look into serveral suites though including Kapersky, but $149(for 3 liscences) seems really excessive.
Thanks for any reccomendations.
I've got a small local wireless network running at my home, and I'm looking for a good, and possibly new solution for my security. I had been using Trend's Internet security but after the 07 release(and even with the patch), it had slowed both of the laptops down considerably. Well, because I had been lazy, and not made a decision, yesterday, I believe I got a virus that corrupted windows, and forced a clean install on my main laptop.
So, I had been doing some research previously, and even more today but have kind of come to a stand still in terms of what I want/need. Of course a suite like Trend is great all in one kind of thing but with something like a suite, it seems as though you sacrifice cpu performance-and from the sounds of some of these things I've read here, perhaps separate software firewall and anti virus might be the best solution.
I did look into serveral suites though including Kapersky, but $149(for 3 liscences) seems really excessive.
Thanks for any reccomendations.
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When I talk about McAfee I refer to Version 7.0 to 8.0
8.0 is the version we had issues with. Previous to that there was not much of
a problem. If you are running a high End machine, you will probably not notice
much of an issue with the McAfee "On-Access" scan feature, otherwise I
would saty away from it.
My work uses McAfee, but personally, I cannot see why I would choose to pay
for something I can get for free? AVG is a quality product and reliable.
a problem. If you are running a high End machine, you will probably not notice
much of an issue with the McAfee "On-Access" scan feature, otherwise I
would saty away from it.
My work uses McAfee, but personally, I cannot see why I would choose to pay
for something I can get for free? AVG is a quality product and reliable.
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r-k
Thanks for reinforcing and adding to the topic. However, on the topic of Windows Defender,
or Windows Malicious Software Removal tool... I'm not sure either of them are all that effective,
if they do anything at all!! LOL
I would think that if they were any good, my Adaware & Spybot programs would not
find anything at all in their scans, right???
For the most part, clearing temporary internet files will remove the bulk of the spyware,
but then a scan with Adaware will take care of what might be left over on occasion.
I will then run Spybot just to see if Adaware missed anything, but in most cases, Adaware
picks up most things just fine. Spybot is a secondary precaution.
R-K if you have any additional comments regarding Windows Defender, please post it
as I like to hear from as many opinions as possible! Windows Defender is the one with
the small Bullseye Icon correct?? It was purchased by MS from a small company a
while back?
Thanks for reinforcing and adding to the topic. However, on the topic of Windows Defender,
or Windows Malicious Software Removal tool... I'm not sure either of them are all that effective,
if they do anything at all!! LOL
I would think that if they were any good, my Adaware & Spybot programs would not
find anything at all in their scans, right???
For the most part, clearing temporary internet files will remove the bulk of the spyware,
but then a scan with Adaware will take care of what might be left over on occasion.
I will then run Spybot just to see if Adaware missed anything, but in most cases, Adaware
picks up most things just fine. Spybot is a secondary precaution.
R-K if you have any additional comments regarding Windows Defender, please post it
as I like to hear from as many opinions as possible! Windows Defender is the one with
the small Bullseye Icon correct?? It was purchased by MS from a small company a
while back?
ASKER
Thanks for all of the comments. I guess I forgot to mention that I do have a router with WPA enabled. I'm just a little more paranoid when it comes to hackers getting through firewall.
So right now, I've got Avast(downloaded and installed last night) + spybot + adaware, but I'm still not sure how comfortable I feel using just those options. I haven't used Avast or AVG before so I'm not sure about their reliability.
Regarding spybot, Adaware vs WD. Trend caught a lot of spyware that both Adaware and spybot missed. Those programs, like virus programs, do not ever get everything.
So right now, I've got Avast(downloaded and installed last night) + spybot + adaware, but I'm still not sure how comfortable I feel using just those options. I haven't used Avast or AVG before so I'm not sure about their reliability.
Regarding spybot, Adaware vs WD. Trend caught a lot of spyware that both Adaware and spybot missed. Those programs, like virus programs, do not ever get everything.
ASKER
I'm going to leave this open for a little bit longer to see what others may have to say. From what I've read about this subject, you could ask 1000 different people the same question and get 1000 different answers. lol.
I'm going to be taking a security class this summer, so I'm sure I'll probably(hopefully) learn a lot more about the subject. :)
Thanks agian everyone.
I'm going to be taking a security class this summer, so I'm sure I'll probably(hopefully) learn a lot more about the subject. :)
Thanks agian everyone.
AVG is not a realiable as most people would like to imagin.
Spybot and Adaware if your as carefull as you say then you will not really needs those.
It dosent matter which virus scanner you get really, its the one with the most recent updates that is what you need to look at, the scanner that gets updates on a daily basis is better than one that gets updated once or twice a week.
Things in the operating system sometimes come up as spyware when really there not, and vice versa.
There will never be a 100% solution to the question.
But having the hardware firewall with just port 80 open would be a good start if you are paranoid about hackers, but then again if a hacker wants to gain access to a system they will, be it on port 80 or any other port.
Downloading of programs or should i say not downloading programs will help drastically.
One other solution is to install Microsoft Virtual Machine 2007, then install a copy of windows on to it and use that to go on the internet, then if you have a virus or spyware it will not matter because its only the virtual machine that gets infected and not your compute ;-)
Spybot and Adaware if your as carefull as you say then you will not really needs those.
It dosent matter which virus scanner you get really, its the one with the most recent updates that is what you need to look at, the scanner that gets updates on a daily basis is better than one that gets updated once or twice a week.
Things in the operating system sometimes come up as spyware when really there not, and vice versa.
There will never be a 100% solution to the question.
But having the hardware firewall with just port 80 open would be a good start if you are paranoid about hackers, but then again if a hacker wants to gain access to a system they will, be it on port 80 or any other port.
Downloading of programs or should i say not downloading programs will help drastically.
One other solution is to install Microsoft Virtual Machine 2007, then install a copy of windows on to it and use that to go on the internet, then if you have a virus or spyware it will not matter because its only the virtual machine that gets infected and not your compute ;-)
ASKER
Thanks for the reply effx.
"But having the hardware firewall with just port 80 open would be a good start if you are paranoid about hackers, but then again if a hacker wants to gain access to a system they will, be it on port 80 or any other port."
That's why I like the idea of having several layers of protection. Then again, that could backfire on me really. Once they hack past WPA, Windows firewall, and the run into ANOTHER firewall, they might start to think that there's actually something on my machine really worth getting.
"But having the hardware firewall with just port 80 open would be a good start if you are paranoid about hackers, but then again if a hacker wants to gain access to a system they will, be it on port 80 or any other port."
That's why I like the idea of having several layers of protection. Then again, that could backfire on me really. Once they hack past WPA, Windows firewall, and the run into ANOTHER firewall, they might start to think that there's actually something on my machine really worth getting.
If you set up a virtual machine with nothing on it except an operating system, that will work :-)
Mshine: To explain my recommendation of Windows Defender a bit - it is the same as the one with the bullseye, but now with a new name and icon - there are several reasons I like it:
(1) It is free and (starting with Vista) included with Windows
(2) It is relatively "light" in three ways:
(a) Uses about 30 MB ram
(b) Does not intrude with annoying pop-ups.
(c) Rarely interferes with other programs
(3) It is frequently updated, with minimum user interaction.
Does it do anything? Yes, it does monitor some important areas of the Registry and will probably warn you if a serious malware were to install itself. Is it 100% effective, no. Is it more effective than AdAware or Spybot, it's hard to say, but it does not scan what I consider nuiscance items, like Internet cache or Cookies. If you care about those then use a different product, but I've never cared whether I had a cookie from a particular site or not, those are rarely of serious security concern. I would rather be left in peace except for a real security breach. A good summary of what Defender does do is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Defender
Do I think that either Windows Defender or product XX will protect me from all possible threats - not by any means. Relying on software or hardware solutions for real security is like hoping to stay healthy by visiting the Pharmacy every week. The fact is that maybe 10% of malware spreads because someone did not have an AV program, and 90% spreads because the user was careless, or clueless. Clicking on attachments, games, music, pictures, free money from Nigeria, screensavers, offers from ebay - that is the current problem and the virus and malware defs are always a few days behind. Thankfully this is slowly changing as users learn either by their own hard experience, or by learning from others.
Since zythum99 is obviously in the alert group by merely posting on this thread, I recommend a solution that is not heavy on automated scans and programs, but instead would point towards what I consider more important - staying alert, not clicking carelessly, being aware of what is "normal", and having some AV and anti-malware on hand as a last resort. In fact not the last resort, because the last resort should be something better, and that is a real backup that you can restore from, preferably stored in more than one place.
zythum99: I don't quite get your last comment "Once they hack past WPA...." You don't need two software firewalls, and the chances that a hacker would be so determined to break past WPA and the Firewall to get to your specific system are very, very remote. More worrisome is if you click on a program that is a trojan that installs a keylogger and steals your passwords, or makes your system unbootable, etc. All the WPA and firewalling and AV programs may not help much. So the best security option might just be you :)
You don't need port 80 open unless you're running a web server.
PS: These are just my opinions, and you should consider them in context with those of others, and your own requirements and comfort level.
(1) It is free and (starting with Vista) included with Windows
(2) It is relatively "light" in three ways:
(a) Uses about 30 MB ram
(b) Does not intrude with annoying pop-ups.
(c) Rarely interferes with other programs
(3) It is frequently updated, with minimum user interaction.
Does it do anything? Yes, it does monitor some important areas of the Registry and will probably warn you if a serious malware were to install itself. Is it 100% effective, no. Is it more effective than AdAware or Spybot, it's hard to say, but it does not scan what I consider nuiscance items, like Internet cache or Cookies. If you care about those then use a different product, but I've never cared whether I had a cookie from a particular site or not, those are rarely of serious security concern. I would rather be left in peace except for a real security breach. A good summary of what Defender does do is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Defender
Do I think that either Windows Defender or product XX will protect me from all possible threats - not by any means. Relying on software or hardware solutions for real security is like hoping to stay healthy by visiting the Pharmacy every week. The fact is that maybe 10% of malware spreads because someone did not have an AV program, and 90% spreads because the user was careless, or clueless. Clicking on attachments, games, music, pictures, free money from Nigeria, screensavers, offers from ebay - that is the current problem and the virus and malware defs are always a few days behind. Thankfully this is slowly changing as users learn either by their own hard experience, or by learning from others.
Since zythum99 is obviously in the alert group by merely posting on this thread, I recommend a solution that is not heavy on automated scans and programs, but instead would point towards what I consider more important - staying alert, not clicking carelessly, being aware of what is "normal", and having some AV and anti-malware on hand as a last resort. In fact not the last resort, because the last resort should be something better, and that is a real backup that you can restore from, preferably stored in more than one place.
zythum99: I don't quite get your last comment "Once they hack past WPA...." You don't need two software firewalls, and the chances that a hacker would be so determined to break past WPA and the Firewall to get to your specific system are very, very remote. More worrisome is if you click on a program that is a trojan that installs a keylogger and steals your passwords, or makes your system unbootable, etc. All the WPA and firewalling and AV programs may not help much. So the best security option might just be you :)
You don't need port 80 open unless you're running a web server.
PS: These are just my opinions, and you should consider them in context with those of others, and your own requirements and comfort level.
r-k
You response is very well put together, and great advice! Nice job!
You response is very well put together, and great advice! Nice job!
Thanks Mshine, did not intend my comment to get quite that long :)
Why not? It was clear, concise and to the point - saved a lot of to and fro :)
Another reason for going with AVG on the anti-virus front is their fairly rapid reaction to new discoveries. They normally get an update fairly fast however, by default, their updater is set to once a day. Personally I add a couple of additional update times into the scheduler so that it checks for updates every hour.
The XP SP2 firewall is a good tool also - if you are not comfortable with the thought of using it though then Zonealarm is another good consumer level firewall.
Defender seems cool although I still like the tried & tested Spybot- search and destroy. No harm in running them both as I have yet to find one of these packages that picks up everything.
As an aside - McAfee / Norton? I'd pay them to take it away.
My £1.00 worth
keith
Another reason for going with AVG on the anti-virus front is their fairly rapid reaction to new discoveries. They normally get an update fairly fast however, by default, their updater is set to once a day. Personally I add a couple of additional update times into the scheduler so that it checks for updates every hour.
The XP SP2 firewall is a good tool also - if you are not comfortable with the thought of using it though then Zonealarm is another good consumer level firewall.
Defender seems cool although I still like the tried & tested Spybot- search and destroy. No harm in running them both as I have yet to find one of these packages that picks up everything.
As an aside - McAfee / Norton? I'd pay them to take it away.
My £1.00 worth
keith
@keith_alabaster : What you have to pay for McAfee ? oh.........oooops.
did this answer your question?
did this answer your question?
Stay away from Norton, that is just a nightmare and will slow your computer down,
Firewall, your router should have a built in one, this is probally your best bet,
McAffe does partial spyware, but you just need to be aware of what your browsing and downloading and that is the best preventitive measure for spyware.