74 replies to this topic 7 votes

[Growled]

One thing to consider is Puppy Linux. It boots completely in RAM and you can choose whether you want to have a persistence file or not. Even if you got something you could choose not to save your file and the whatever would be gone when you rebooted. Great for swabbing rogue USB's.

[+goretsky]

Hello,

It depends on how the malware creates the AUTORUN.INF file in the first place, I suppose. I would still recommend disabling AutoRun/AutoPlay, though.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

AR556, on 27 June 2012 - 01:02, said:

I've been told (Never said I believed mind you) that creating a folder called "autorun.inf" and placing it on your thumb drive will stop any attempt by an autorun virus to infect your flash drive. Supposedly, they can't overwrite the folder with a real autorun.inf. My personal belief is that its B.S.

[AR556]

goretsky, on 28 June 2012 - 04:22, said:

Hello,

It depends on how the malware creates the AUTORUN.INF file in the first place, I suppose. I would still recommend disabling AutoRun/AutoPlay, though.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

Yeah I figured all the malware would have to do is scan for a file/folder named autorun.inf and delete it before coping its own.

[Princess Chica Ami]

For antivirus just download antivir. It's much better than using two antivirus programs at once and it scans malware, viruses n rootkits..

[Javik]

I got Kaspersky included for free with my motherboard. It easily matches or beats any other antivirus product on the market and is currently only using about 4.4MB of memory on my system. Using 2 antivirus programs at once is a REALLY bad idea, in fact it could cause more problems that it will solve.

[AR556]

Javik, on 30 June 2012 - 21:23, said:

I got Kaspersky included for free with my motherboard. It easily matches or beats any other antivirus product on the market and is currently only using about 4.4MB of memory on my system. Using 2 antivirus programs at once is a REALLY bad idea, in fact it could cause more problems that it will solve.

I've got a trial of KAV 2012 loaded onto my laptop and both Windows 8 PCs have trial Bitdefender AV Plus 2013 installed. Too be honest, I'm kind of favoring Bitdefender more.

Bitdefender Pros

1. Nice, clean GUI.
2. Safe search (Similar to Web of Trust.
3. Safe Pay: BT's own little enclosed browser with optional virtual keyboard.
4. Auto Pilot Mode: Makes program non-intrusive.
5. USB Immunizer: Stops Autorun attacks.
6. Low RAM footprint.
7. Scores damn good in tests:

http://www.av-test.o...testreports_pi1[report_no]=121363
http://www.virusbtn....mparative/index

Bitdefender Cons

1. Crashed on me once browsing GUI options. I'm running Windows 8, so I'm chalking this up to pre-release bugs.
2. Somewhat slow to load its services after performing a cold boot.
3. Hate stupid "B" icon in the system tray. Kind looks bush league.
4. Why must I create an account???


Kaspersky is no slouch in the detection/repair dept either and is a fine product. I used to run KAV a few years ago, but grew tired of their slow development pace. They never had a fully compatible product ready for early adopters of new Internet explorer releases and for people testing beta OS's like Vista, even though other companies did. While everyone else was happily upgrading to IE7, Kaspersky was shouting "Not yet!" from the roof tops. At the time the excuse over on their forums was IE7's development was a "moving target" and they were not working on it till it was RTM. Whether or not that lazy B.S. came from official channels, I don't know. Another problem I had was Previous Versions in Vista Business didn't work correctly with KAV installed. You would see a blank window if you tried to browse/restore files. KAV consistently dicked with System Restore too causing many failed restore jobs. You should not have to disable protection in order to perform O.S. default functions! They know the feature is there and should've coded for it, period.

Whats funny about all of this is that I went to Staples today and walked out with a 3-user copy of KAV 2012 for $24.95. I had full intentions of purchasing Bitdefender but couldn't turn down the offer for KAV. Was not able to find any deals on BT and $50 is steep for AV. So far, I haven't experienced any problems with KAV 2012 yet on my laptop, so hopefully, they've cleaned up their act from the previous versions I've used. You won't go wrong with Kaspersky for protecting your PC against malware. Before this thread, I had not even thought about moving away from MSE, but after reading up on MSE's detection as of late, I simply don't trust it anymore. Microsoft could do better, but has chosen to go mediocre, "better than nothing" approach with MSE.

[arachnoid]

Kaspersky is an excellent av and is free for three pcs if you are a user of the UK Barclays bank.

[ThunderBuddy]

mcloum, on 26 June 2012 - 07:40, said:

Webroots??? Thats a fail right there! Don't PC world and buyer give that stuff away with new PCs? bab!

Yup, over the past month I've accumulated 5 free copies from Ebuyer

[Christian86]

AR556, on 30 June 2012 - 21:40, said:

I've got a trial of KAV 2012 loaded onto my laptop and both Windows 8 PCs have trial Bitdefender AV Plus 2013 installed. Too be honest, I'm kind of favoring Bitdefender more.

Bitdefender Pros

1. Nice, clean GUI.
2. Safe search (Similar to Web of Trust.
3. Safe Pay: BT's own little enclosed browser with optional virtual keyboard.
4. Auto Pilot Mode: Makes program non-intrusive.
5. USB Immunizer: Stops Autorun attacks.
6. Low RAM footprint.
7. Scores damn good in tests:

http://www.av-test.o...testreports_pi1[report_no]=121363
http://www.virusbtn....mparative/index

Bitdefender Cons

1. Crashed on me once browsing GUI options. I'm running Windows 8, so I'm chalking this up to pre-release bugs.
2. Somewhat slow to load its services after performing a cold boot.
3. Hate stupid "B" icon in the system tray. Kind looks bush league.
4. Why must I create an account???


Kaspersky is no slouch in the detection/repair dept either and is a fine product. I used to run KAV a few years ago, but grew tired of their slow development pace. They never had a fully compatible product ready for early adopters of new Internet explorer releases and for people testing beta OS's like Vista, even though other companies did. While everyone else was happily upgrading to IE7, Kaspersky was shouting "Not yet!" from the roof tops. At the time the excuse over on their forums was IE7's development was a "moving target" and they were not working on it till it was RTM. Whether or not that lazy B.S. came from official channels, I don't know. Another problem I had was Previous Versions in Vista Business didn't work correctly with KAV installed. You would see a blank window if you tried to browse/restore files. KAV consistently dicked with System Restore too causing many failed restore jobs. You should not have to disable protection in order to perform O.S. default functions! They know the feature is there and should've coded for it, period.

Whats funny about all of this is that I went to Staples today and walked out with a 3-user copy of KAV 2012 for $24.95. I had full intentions of purchasing Bitdefender but couldn't turn down the offer for KAV. Was not able to find any deals on BT and $50 is steep for AV. So far, I haven't experienced any problems with KAV 2012 yet on my laptop, so hopefully, they've cleaned up their act from the previous versions I've used. You won't go wrong with Kaspersky for protecting your PC against malware. Before this thread, I had not even thought about moving away from MSE, but after reading up on MSE's detection as of late, I simply don't trust it anymore. Microsoft could do better, but has chosen to go mediocre, "better than nothing" approach with MSE.

Thanks for the Bitdefender review. As a result, i took it for a spin. My first reaction: Awesome!

I've used Bitdefender in the past and had problems with the sluggishness of the system. But with 2012, you don't even feel it's installed on your system (if you have the AutoPilot turned on). I've tried the new Safepay module and i was really impressed. I've made some research and it seems that the safe browser is build by Bitdefender and it uses a secure, crypted VPN connection.

I'm giving serious toughts to buy the application after my 90 days extended trial (offer on their Facebook page:http://www.facebook....118554158281905) will expire.

[AR556]

Did you install 2012 or 2013? I ended up returning that copy of KAV2012 back to staples, bought Bitdefender AV PLus 2012 off Amazon for $14.99 so I can use the license on my BT 2013 installs.

Christian86, on 02 July 2012 - 11:56, said:

Thanks for the Bitdefender review. As a result, i took it for a spin. My first reaction: Awesome!

I've used Bitdefender in the past and had problems with the sluggishness of the system. But with 2012, you don't even feel it's installed on your system (if you have the AutoPilot turned on). I've tried the new Safepay module and i was really impressed. I've made some research and it seems that the safe browser is build by Bitdefender and it uses a secure, crypted VPN connection.

I'm giving serious toughts to buy the application after my 90 days extended trial (offer on their Facebook page:http://www.facebook....118554158281905) will expire.

[+Shikaka]

arachnoid, on 30 June 2012 - 21:43, said:

Kaspersky is an excellent av and is free for three pcs if you are a user of the UK Barclays bank.

Wow i didnt realise that, going to check this out now! Thanks!

[arachnoid]

http://ask.barclays.co.uk/help/online_banking/antivirus

Quote

Can I get free anti-virus software with Barclays?

If you're a Barclays Online Banking customer, you can get free Internet Security software from Kaspersky.
The Free Internet Security offer covers 3 separate Kaspersky products:

• Kaspersky Internet Security for up to 3 windows PC
  
• Kaspersky Mobile Security for Android, BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows
  
• Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac

To apply for Kaspersky Internet Security for Windows or Mobile Security

• Log in to Online Banking
  
• Select Products from the top blue navigation bar and then choose Kaspersky offer within the Solutions section
  
• Follow the on screen instructions.
  
• Once you've registered for the offer and validated your email address you'll receive a 12-month activation code to replace the 30-day trial version.

To apply for the Anti-Virus for Mac

• Download a 30 day trial version (Link opens in a new window).
  
• Apply for your 12-month activation code by calling Barclays Online Helpdesk on 0845 600 2323# and quote offer code KAV-MAC.
  
• Once you receive your Activation Code, enter it into the trial software to then activate the 12-month licence.

[Ulpian]

Webroot AV - quite good, but horrible amount of false positives:
http://www.av-compar...012_intl_en.pdf

[Christian86]

AR556, on 04 July 2012 - 00:29, said:

Did you install 2012 or 2013? I ended up returning that copy of KAV2012 back to staples, bought Bitdefender AV PLus 2012 off Amazon for $14.99 so I can use the license on my BT 2013 installs.

Sorry for that, i meant 2013.

[nfiniti9]

sanctified, on 26 June 2012 - 21:41, said:

After reading several reviews and a private pm I caved and bought the complete suite. Thanks a lot for that recommendation.

Sorry man. After doing about 500+ malware removal I can say webroot is one of the worst I've ever encountered. If the malware breaks it, and it will if you get infected again, you will have to format most likely. Webroot was a good program years ago before it got bloated. Also there is no need for any advanced firewall, as social engineering (tricking you into clicking yes) has become the only way people really try to infect you now. Advanced firewalls never really did much to protect over windows firewall anyway, its a urban legend in computers to sell more expensive package. Anyway good luck in you quest to be malware free.

Side note, I think the malware revolution has just begun. They are getting much smarter at infecting you and the anti-malware companies pretty much play catchup now. With the government developed ones getting reverse-engineered its going to get ugly.