Ian W Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Nope, but they did purchase the Antispyware company GIANT in 2004 for Windows Defender. Who wants to have a 2004 flash back? ..... I DO! This purchase always confused me. Because back in the day GIANT was awesome, then Microsoft Bought it and Defender was ######... what did they do to GIANT!? I don't think that Windows Defender was bad until after Windows 7. It had a lot of nice functionality that was unfortunately removed from that operating system, such as prohibiting applications from running during startup, software explorers, and configurable real-time protection agents. Avira, however, has been my preferred antivirus product since I started using it in 2006. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
123456789A Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 ah the good old "AV companies write all viruses conspiracy" still alive today, at least 20 years after I first heard it and heard it get solidly debunked. If you Look around the net I'm sure you'll find the proper debunks for it. but besides that, fact is AV companies don't need to. idiots make more than enough viruses as it is. also there isn't as many new/unique viruses out as you think, most of them "we" more or less know the source of, roughly. most of the work today is malware and we know that the AV companies don't write these for obvious reasons. Edward Snowden told me that if you install Norton Security Antivirus (NSA), the government will read all your files. +Raze and T3X4S 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Warwagon MVC Posted January 30, 2015 Author MVC Share Posted January 30, 2015 Edward Snowden told me that if you install Norton Security Antivirus (NSA), the government will read all your files. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
123456789A Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Edward Snowden told me that large drum is actually a government relay. T3X4S 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmeunit Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I used to repair PCs that were victims of virus attacks and such, and on all the machines I repaired I'd put MSE in place of whatever crap AV was there. Of all the machines I ever did (which probably numbered in the dozens) I think I only had one with MSE on it come back to me again. I've had quote the opposite happen. Machines with MSE I would see repeatedly. I used to use Avira, but got tired of the popups, so switched to MSE. I got repeats back much more often. Moved to Avast, but don't do as many personal machines as I used to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherITguy Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 You know, its sad that the AV software Microsoft is putting out is falling on such state of despair, but as an I.T Guy speaking, safe browsing methods are one's best line of defense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmeunit Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 You know, its sad that the AV software Microsoft is putting out is falling on such state of despair, but as an I.T Guy speaking, safe browsing methods are one's best line of defense. The problem is that MOST people aren't in IT and don't realize best practices. Praetor and +Warwagon 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherITguy Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Whatever happened to the Hardening Windows guides that the NSA used to release years ago? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francescob Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Yesterday a new Cryptolocker variant came out, when scanned on AVtotal barely a couple of AVs detected it. Antiviruses cannot be trusted anymore, when malware writers release new malware they make sure it goes undetected and they make sure Security Essentials is the first one not detecting it since it's built-in. Reducing the attack surface (installing all security updates ASAP, eradicating/restricting risky browser plugins (Java, Flash, now also Silverlight)) should always have the priority over antivirus software. Shame Microsoft don't buy Malwarebytes. Both of those combined would be pretty good. I use MSE but it's rare it'll catch anything. I know when I am installing warez! Whatever AV they would have bought it would have ended exactly like this, it's not just because they started with an arguably mediocre software but also because it's the first target for malware writers (since it's built-in). If Microsoft wanted to be more serious about security they could downport the system-wide SmartScreen to older operating systems (or at least offer an Attachment Scan plugin (that is invoked by browser and mail clients) based on it). The whitelist-based Smartscreen (that blocks any unknown executable by default, even digitally signed ones) is the one of the few proper detection systems available nowadays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeprime Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I use Bitdefender total security 2015 for the sake of owning an antivirus. I am pretty happy with it though Bitdefender is quite good. However, 360 Total Security uses Bitdefender's and Avira's excellent engines, along with their own very effective engine, which makes it just about the best AV available today. I thank warwagon for the 360TS suggestion, that I spotted in one of his posts some months back. grik 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T3X4S Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Once again, they didnt include webroot's Secure Anywhere - I am sure that would be @ the top. I've had quote the opposite happen. Machines with MSE I would see repeatedly. I used to use Avira, but got tired of the popups, so switched to MSE. I got repeats back much more often. Moved to Avast, but don't do as many personal machines as I used to. LOL - out of the thousands I have worked on over the years - removing MSE and/or McAfee was always a given. Then telling the customer to stop using free crap or taking advice from people who were not in IT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Depicus Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Anti virus is like putting a condom over your head after your first child is born. Even with the best AV in the world if it's not kept up to day then it becomes useless and just a false placebo which allows users to recklessly download any old rubbish because "well I have anti virus so it should be ok" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Zagadka Subscriber² Posted January 30, 2015 Subscriber² Share Posted January 30, 2015 AV programs are something you should have, but not something you should rely on. As many people mention, the best defense against viruses is to not install questionable software (installing as little software as possible is better anyway). If you're looking for a AV program, look for a complete suite that performs other functions like additional firewall settings, software update checking, browser cleanup, privacy tools, VPN, etc more than just how it catches viruses. goretsky and guitmz 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitmz Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 the best av is yourself, always! av is good for blocking known stuff, creating rules and preventing unwanted software like toolbars and similar.. I do like ESET best because they seem to care more (they try harder, thats my point). In late december I wrote my first virus for Linux (published at vxheavens - source code only) and 2 weeks later ESET had a signature for it already, they had to compile it and everything (not to mention they had to monitor vxheaven to get my source). http://www.virusradar.com/en/Linux_Zariche.A/description I found that a good move from them even if my virus is not harmful (i write them as a hobby, i never release the binary nor add destructive stuff in them) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mando Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I still use Avast here on all the Machines, not sure about any others as yet, or Defender/MSE in that regard, seems to always score low on tests, so for time being think will stay where i'm at for the moment, not saying won't explore changing sometime in the future though I was a big believer in Avast until all my home machines Avast installs couldn't deal with a Trojan, moved to Bitdefender (Free) and webroot (paid), have never looked back. +E.Worm Jimmy 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeylove Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 If I'm looking at that chart correctly, I clicked the little arrow under "name" at the top to re-order the list and it does move 360 up near the top then, otherwise, it was near the bottom. I'm assuming that's the order of their rating instead of just alphabetical, in which case I see several AV's that are just as good as 360 if not even better! I know you're always raving about 360 and I've tried it before, but it slows down all 7 of my machines enough to be noticeable, so I removed it. I'm always playing with different AV's anyway but have settled on Bitdefenders Internet Security 2015, which is rated higher than 360 and i t doesn't slow down any of my machines a bit. I've always figured that if an AV was any good by the makers of said product, why would they need to use somebody else's engines also, like 360 does, and that "other" engine it uses is Bitdefenders, so why not just use Bitdefender? I would have to say that the best AV is common sense though, as I often run without an AV and haven't ever had any issues that way either. I do use adblockers, a good host file and miscellaneous on demand malware scanners. The list can be sorted using the protection, performance, and usability columns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theyarecomingforyou Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I had become complacent about the built-in anti-virus provided by Windows 8. Seeing this report I realised it's time for me to move to one of the myriad free alternatives out there. I tried Panda but really didn't like it, so ended up going with 360 Total Security. I had a free licence for BitDefender but I've had so many issues with it in the past that I've given up on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Warwagon MVC Posted January 30, 2015 Author MVC Share Posted January 30, 2015 I had become complacent about the built-in anti-virus provided by Windows 8. Seeing this report I realised it's time for me to move to one of the myriad free alternatives out there. I tried Panda but really didn't like it, so ended up going with 360 Total Security. I had a free licence for BitDefender but I've had so many issues with it in the past that I've given up on it. How do you like 360 so far? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theyarecomingforyou Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 How do you like 360 so far? I've been happy with it so far. The interface is clean, the pop-ups are minimal, the scanning is quick and it doesn't seem to have had any impact on performance. One thing I thought was nice was that it informed me I had Windows Updates to apply. It's early days yet but so far I haven't encountered any issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Warwagon MVC Posted January 30, 2015 Author MVC Share Posted January 30, 2015 I've been happy with it so far. The interface is clean, the pop-ups are minimal, the scanning is quick and it doesn't seem to have had any impact on performance. One thing I thought was nice was that it informed me I had Windows Updates to apply. It's early days yet but so far I haven't encountered any issues. I also like how it updates. When you install a new version, it disappears and reappears updated to the latest version, without the need for a reboot. Knife Party and Brandon H 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack 0Neill Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 av comparatives > this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T3X4S Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Yet another thread with people suggesting who have no business suggesting.... Yes the best A/V is yourself - every IT person will say that. The problem is that is the weakest link for non-techie people. Its not just downloading questionable crap - it can be something as innocent as typing a URL wrong & getting hit with a SQL injection - or a SQL injection from a legit site that was compromised. Or the person that gets their Flash update from somewhere other than Adobe. As far as commenting about out of date A/V - I think all of them update automatically ...at least for the last 10 years. People who are not tech-savvy will get infections regardless of what they have installed. Many times - the typical mistake is scanning their system with their AV. "Well I scanned it with Norton and it said it was clean" -- if something got through, scanning it with the software that let it through is not going to do crap most of the time - hence the 1-2 punch of malwarebytes. A/V's job is to keep stuff out, many times they aren't good @ removing after the fact. I got tired of dealing with removing infections on everyone's computer, so I found the best A/V there was, in my opinion, and I cant remember the last time I had to remove an infection...maybe 2 years ? I admin about 30 computers now for non-coworkers (friends, family, friends of family, etc) - I install webroot Secure Anywhere and forget about it. I strongly urge people to look at it when choosing - Amazaon will have a 3-pc license for their basic Antivirus pkg. for $19.00 -- even the biggest cheapskate has to admit thats cheap. I dont agree with the all-in-1 solutions - many times they have crap that is pointless, or it tries to do a little of everything but doesnt do any of them particularly well. 3rd party software-based firewall is pretty pointless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Warwagon MVC Posted January 31, 2015 Author MVC Share Posted January 31, 2015 Yet another thread with people suggesting who have no business suggesting.... Which suggestions don't u agree with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T3X4S Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Which suggestions don't u agree with none of your comments - warwagon - I pretty much always agree with what you say. There were a couple I "kinda" mentioned - dont want to really be blatant about it. Its OK for people to disagree with me, just as long as they accept that they are wrong +Warwagon 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T3X4S Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 This is an admin dashboard for 1 group of people I monitor - I can push commands to their system, remote reboots, remote scans, etc. Most of the time I just take a look to see if anyone is flagged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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