[orca]

If you want to ask "which anti-virus is the best?" or "is so-and-so anti-virus good?" "What firewall should I use?" "How to remove spyware?" or so on, refer to this first instead of making a new thread or necroposting old ones.

I made this article because I felt the other sticky was too outdated.

I tried not to clutter the article with external links. On proyb2's suggestions, Red = Bad and green = good for easier skim-through.


WARNING: THIS ARTICLE IS LONG.

It is meant to be as comprehensive, and updated, as possible. If you want to know how to defend your computer armed with the latest information*, you've come to the right place. If you're TL;DR - too bad.
If you are unfamiliar with any of the terms used or products mentioned, GOOGLE IT.

*latest as of April 2008


Contents

1) Anti-virus
Shortlisted rankings of anti-virus products based on the most recent comprehensive test.
Recommended: Avira, G Data AVK

1b) Anti-Rootkit
Because viruses are getting better at hiding. Antivirus programs fail at rootkit detection.
Recommended: RootKit Unhooker

2) Internet Browsers
Stop using IE. Use something else.
Recommended: Firefox + Extensions

3) Firewalls
Breakdown of firewall products.
Recommended: Winpooch, Core-Force, Outpost

4) Anti-spyware
Breif on available software.
Recommended: Spybot S&D

5) Process Explorer (For experts)
The ultimate tool for controlling the realtime system.

6) Hosts file (For experts)
Hardcore firewall alternative.

7) Backup and Recovery
Personal solutions for backing up stuff in case shit happens.
Especially on RAID/AHCI.

8) System Tweaks - Startup, Services, Registry (For experts)
Msconfig, Services, Registry tweaks.



======================================

1) Anti-virus

For easy reference, here are the latest comprehensive tests. These links were updated as of August 2008.

For the purposes of this article, I will refer to the testing charts of two laboratory sites - AV-Test GmbH and AV-Comparatives.

AV-Test GmbH is a German research laboratory that has published numerous research papers for the academic security community, as well as industry conferences. It indexes the databases of all major AV and security Corporations to maintain a master cross-reference list of virus names and definitions for the industry.

March 2008: On-demand scanning
June 2008: Disinfection difficulties

AV-Comparatives is a non-profit organization based in Austria which is affiliated with the technology faculties of several European universities.

February 2008: On-demand scanning
May 2008: Retroactive and proactive response

Summary, with software most of us have heard of, or use:

Software with over 99% Detection:
Avira Antivir (Free)

Software failing 99% benchmark (Borderline 98%):
Avast! Anti-Virus (Free)
AVG/Grisoft AV (Free)
Kaspersky AV(Paid)
Bitdefender(Paid)
Norton/Symantec (Paid) - Worst reputation. Bloatware.

Software failing worse than 98%:
97% Sophos
95% Panda
94% Norman
94% Rising
93% Mcafee
93% NOD32
77% ClamAV/Clamwin (Free)
Etc.


Consult the links for actual test data. This information is factual, not opinion, and is provided for the public good.

=======================================


1b) Anti-Rootkit

Most anti-virus products fail rootkit detection. Rootkits are the new major threat to the IT industry, allowing viruses, trojans and spyware to hide and embded themselves into the kernel of a computer system, from which they have ultimate control and near-invisibility.

Here is a proof-of-concept test: http://www.anti-malware-test.com/fil...otkits_en1.pdf
As you can see, *no* product is 100% - and most anti-virus programs cannot find least afew active rootkits in the system. Every rootkit tested represents a complete category, based on how deeply they penetrate, and the styles used for hiding. It is safe to say that in every category, a hundred others exist; therefore, no anti-virus can protest you from the worst threat imaginable.

This is a list of current products offered: http://www.antirootkit.com/software/index.htm

In a nutshell, Rootkit Unhooker is the only product that I can reccomend. But it is not perfect.



=======================================

2) Internet Browsers

Mozilla Firefox - Safest browser when used with extensions. Uses more memory than opera. Faster than IE.

Firefox 3.01 is the current version as of this edit.

Opera - Some say faster than firefox. Definitely better than IE in every way. Not very customizable.

Safari - Not bad, especially if you're used to mac. Rendering engine better than IE.

Internet Explorer - Worst. Tens of thousands of known bugs and security loopholes that haven't been fixed. Slow. Tied to system problems. Bad privacy.


The thousands of reasons for changing over to firefox have been discussed ad nauseum across the internet, so no use talking about it alot here.
If you have doubts, just do a search, or ask *anyone* who uses it.
But generally speaking, both firefox and opera are faster and safer and have better rendering engines than IE in every way.

Firefox is also fully customizable with very powerful extensions.
If using it, the following extensions are a must-have:
Noscript - Site-by-site javascript security
Cookiesafe Lite - Site-by-site cookie security
Adblock Plus - Customizable ad-blocking
Fasterfox - Customizing firefox's speed settings
Tabmixplus - Full tab control, including backups, auto-refreshing, etc
BugMeNot - Provides login info for most free login sites. Avoid spam.

You can install extensions by going to Tools > Add-ons > "Get Extensions" link at the bottom.
Remember to keep your firefox updated.

Make your homepage Google.com instead of Yahoo or MSN for fastest and cleanest loading.

BTW: If you're still using kazaa or limewire, dump them. BT is better and safer, and there are legal usages for it. I suggest uTorrent.



=======================================

3) Firewalls

For easy reference, and for the purposes of this article, I will link the most comprehensive independent firewall shootout I have found on the internet, found on Matiosec.com.

What makes this firewall testing project unique is that they don't sugar-coat anything: There are 11 products that actually failed the test with an "F9" - less than 10%. Firewall corporations actually respond with new updates, or excuses, when they see their results.

Firewall challenge results

In a nutshell:

Best result (Paid) - 99% - Outpost Pro 2009
Best result (Free) - 95% - Comodo Pro 3


More well-known software that are not recommended:


Kaspersky 7 - 85%
Lavasoft 3 - 70%
Zonalarm Pro 7 - 63% - Known to cause major problems in network stack
Norton Internet Security 2008 - 32% - Known to be bloatware, installed without permission on OEM computers

Total failures (less than 30%):
AVG, Kerio/Sunbelt, Panda, Mcafee, Windows


Sygate was bought over by Symantec (Norton).


For experts - Your best firewall alternative is the hosts file. See section 6.

=======================================


4) Anti-Spyware

Using firefox with good surfing habits, together with the extensions mentioned, will nearly completely eliminate infection by spyware and adware.

Free:
Spybot S&D has just been updated to version 1.6. The detection engine has been improved. The old version (1.4-5) is critically out of date. All users should download the new version ASAP.
Ad-Aware is fairly reliable. Has a slow scan engine that may conflicts with the secure access tools of various organizations. Catches some threats that spybot misses.
Winpooch is recommended for experts who need to lock their system down. Locks down memory, registry, and I/O activity.

Paid:
Spyware Doctor has a better detection engine, in general, than Ad-Aware. It conflicts with certain builds of ad-aware and certain windows tweaks. A free version of it is available with the Google Starter Pack.
Webroot spysweeper
At one point of time, this software was considered quite good, but has since declined.

No program is 100% failproof. There are system vulnerabilities and loopholes that normal programs fail to detect.

However, some programs are designed to find just those kinds of vulnerabilities, although they do not clean them for you:
Rootkitrevealer
Hijackthis
Bazooka


Windows Defender, is a known failure.



=======================================

5) Experts only - Process Explorer

I want a tool I have been using for some time now to be included in the list as I feel that all advanced users should be able to use it.
But those who do not dare or do not know well how to modify process instances, edit the registry, or tweak services and modules, should exercise caution with this program, or simply stick to Task Manager.

This tool I have to recommended is called Process Explorer.
It replaces the task manager, aka the famous (and infamous) ctrl+alt+del module.
It is a no-nonsense, system investigation and control tool. It reports everything going on in your system that you need to know, unless you're an advanced programmer.
It is able to view, control, suspend, and terminate processes ctrl+alt+del can't even see, at the thread, I/O and handle level.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/s.../bb896653.aspx

The most useful feature I find in it is the ability to find and close open handles and terminate threads.
It is my secret weapon to deleting anything I want that is undeletable, and getting some hung processes to get on with it.

WARNING:
If you decide to close any handle to a system file, which you can, the computer will crash.
If you decide to close actively written-into file handles, which you can, the file will become corrupted and can even cease to exist.
If you decide to terminate the wrong thread, the process will self-destruct.
If you decide to close a device handle, the hardware may start to function in unexpected and undesirable ways, data can become corrupted, and critical errors may occur.
If you decide to close, suspend, or kill anything, any handle, any event, any key, any thread, any memory object, anything, unnamed or that you don't have a clue about, the memory may become corrupted and the system will fail. Do so at the wrong time and it will fail catastrophically.



=======================================

6) Experts only - Hosts file.

An extra level of security that blocks almost all threats from the internet is the use of an updated hosts file.

The hosts file is a component of the internet windows uses for custom routing. It is also the final word on internet connections. Firewalls can be bypassed and told to shut up, but the hosts file is loaded directly into the system TCP/IP drivers. By editing the hosts file, you can completely block the full known list of every spying, tracking, bad-pr0n, phishing, and advertisment servers on the internet. However, this is experts-only as you stand the risk of royally screwing up your system, like process explorer. Sites such as ebay are also known to use spying services deeply integrated into their website, so blocking these servers may break ebay, etc.

The hosts file resides in the following directory: C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc
If you cannot see it, unhide protected system files and folders, and hidden files and folders. If you do not know how to do this, forget it, as you probably shouldn't be messing around with them.

Open the file "hosts" with a simple editor such as notepad. Notepad++ is reccomended. When saving, do not use an extension.

This website has the most up-to-date list of servers for the hosts file. You are highly advised to read through it and inspect the entire list for sites you might want the services of, such as ebay.
http://someonewhocares.org/hosts/



=======================================

7) Backup and Recovery

These are the two final words on security and system performance is recovering from a crisis. Sometimes you just can't stop shit from happening.
Backup your data often.

Use winrar to archive normal data on maximum compression.
I use Acronis Trueimage for the C: drive.

Avoid Norton Ghost as older versions cannot handle NTFS and newer versions, by popular opinion, is horrible and hard to recover from.

Store your backups on an external hard drive that is not plugged in all the time, advisably using FAT32, 16k cluster size. Or burn the backups to a good DVD (eg. yuden) for archiving.

Never back up your system just to a different partition on the same drive. It is usable for restoring windows when it crashed, but if the drive itself crashes, you're screwed.

A good rate of backing up is once every month. If having constantly changing critical data, every weekend is advised.

Alternatively, use a RAID1 or RAID5 array if you have the money and value your data. They have a 1-drive crash tolerance.
RAID6 has 2-drive crash tolerance, for large server storage machines.

For systems without floppy drives and using XP on RAID/AHCI, I know how you feel when windows needs to be reformatted. Santa Rosa laptops all suffer from this if you don't use vista on them.
In such a case, this is the only known solution for rescuing data from a broken or infested partition, and restoring the OS on RAID or AHCI without a reformat.

Create a backup XP OS on a CD using BartPE.
It is essentially creates a live XP kernel which you can run programs off, and access NTFS on RAID/AHCI with impunity.
You will need an existing XP install disc, any XP install disc for this.
Also, the AHCI/RAID drivers - for most boards and laptopts, it's the intel chipset drivers. Santa Rosa uses ICH8M, iirc.

I have installed acronis and partitionmagic on mine, and tested it in a simulated system failure by crash-uninstalling windows.
It booted right into the CD, loaded AHCI to access the destroyed C: drive, loaded acronis, and recovered my partition backup.
I was up and running from a total OS failure in under 30 minutes. I can safely say this works.



=======================================

8) Experts only - Tweaking the System

Needless to say, these are for advanced users. There are plenty of important internal controls that can be modified for performance and security, but at your own risk. If you aren't completely confident of your skills, don't try it. Bad moves may cause your programs and system to fail catastrophically. When I say running, it means accessing it from the run command box in the start menu.

You can edit system files and the registry to change the system internals of windows to suit your performance, security, and interface needs.
A comprehensive manual - almost every single important registry tweak - can be found here: http://www.tweakguides.com/TGTC.html

You can edit your startup list by running "msconfig".
This is useful for preventing useful but otherwise irritating programs from loading at startup. For example: WinampAgent, QuicktimeTasks, MS Office loader, Adobe acrobat loader, etc.
Some kinds of malware load themselves at startup here.

You can control your services by running "services.msc".
Services are the "core" processes of windows. Many AV and firewall programs are registered as services in order to gain access to the system I/O kernel. Bad, useless, or improperly configured services cause windows to slow considerably during boot and on normal usage.

This is what my services look like: http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/9141/serviceszk5.jpg

Critical Services
Plug and Play - Hardware Interface - If you disable this, parts of your system will destabilise.
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) - Kernel Service - If you disable this, your system will critically destabilise. The only service I really don't dare disable.
Windows Management Instrument - Software & System Interface - If you disable this, "software will not function properly."

Essential Services
Security Accounts Manager - If you disable this, many security functions won't work. (You want to kena haxxor) This service cannot be stopped.
Cryptographic Services - Windows Security - If you disable this, some security functions won't work also. Including encryption. I set this to manual at first, but it gets started alot of the time, so I just figured to put it on auto.
Windows Audio - Sound Subsystem - If you disable this, you will have no audio.
Logical Disk Manager - Volume Subsystem - If you disable this, some storage and HDD functions won't work. USB flash drives and mp3 players won't work without this (duh).
HID Input Service - Additional Input Functions - IYDT, hotkeys, tablets, voice recog and gaming mice won't work properly. My razor mouse cocks up without this.
Network Connections - Network Subsystem - IYDT, your network and maybe internet won't work. Even dailup also use this.
Network Location Awareness - LAN Interface - IYDT, some LAN functions won't work. I set this to manual at first, but it still starts up at every startup, so I just figured to put it on auto.

Functional Services
DCOM Server Process Launcher - DCOM Subsystem - Essential for all defrag and some other programs and databases. Disabling will release resources and increase security. This service cannot be stopped. (I was wondering why my defrag, ghost and perfectdisk wouldn't work after disabling this.)
Event Log - System Internal Logging - Vital to debugging and error-checking. This service cannot be stopped. This service records every single internal event since the OS was installed unless you limit the log size. You should limit it or it can become very bloated. It can be viewed in compmgmt.msc under "Event Viewer".
Task Scheduler - Task scheduling and Prefetching - Prefetching fuction speeds up windows. Some automated software uses this. I disabled this until I found out it supposedly speeds up windows system file access. But it's a security flaw as adbots etc can insert themselves to auto-run inside.

(IYDT = If you disable this)

Networking Services (These services are needed for file sharing)
Server - Allows your computer to host file shares.
Workstation - Allows your computer to access file shares on other computers.
Computer Browser - Needed to list all the computers in the workgroup under network neighbourhood's "Entire Network".
Network Location Awareness - Needed to access file shares without direct links through network neighbourhood.


=======================================

Last updated: April 2008
Updated with: New AV comparison results. New rootkit section. Winpooch Firewall.

Last updated: September 2008
Updated with: New AV comparison results. Revamped firewall section. Added network services. Changed software versions here and there.

I will update this thread periodically, albeit haphazardly as per contributions and insights from other users and new developments. Please don't PM me about stuff on this thread as I don't check VrZ very often.

Disclaimer:
Any and all activities hereon by you (reader), whether following or in contrary to the advice above, are solely at your own risk. Vr-zone and the user Orca accepts no liability for any losses, damages, or problems irregardless of circumstances. Clear attempts have been made to indicate things which run the risk of system instability and may require a significant amount of expertise. This thread is for the necessary sharing of factual information only.

[proyb2]

If you don't mind, I have a few suggestion to improve readability of your posting.

1. Use colours with/without bold on text whether possible.

2. "2) Internet Browsers" should be bold since it is a header and increase the font size would be more visible, then you can remove the separate line "===".

3. Add a direct link under each header/title to point where is the place to download the software you were reviews about, it beat having user googling for it.

4. Software Category, Category, Category. Is always a need especially some user may not be familiar with the software or software that are new to us.
Administrator :: Script (For Windows Only)
5) Experts only - System Process Monitoring << I need you to verify if it is a scripting or tools?

5. For link, place "URL:" beside the link, best would be in bold for both of them.

6. For Antivirus, you may want to include a comprehensive benchmarking which included ranking and percentage for all AV based on unknown and known viruses detection:
http://www.virus.gr/portal/en/node/28


Ok, Pan Gan Liao!!!

[orca]

Originally Posted by proyb2

If you don't mind, I have a few suggestion to improve readability of your posting.

1. Use colours with/without bold on text whether possible.

2. "2) Internet Browsers" should be bold since it is a header and increase the font size would be more visible, then you can remove the separate line "===".

3. Add a direct link under each header/title to point where is the place to download the software you were reviews about, it beat having user googling for it.

4. Software Category, Category, Category. Is always a need especially some user may not be familiar with the software or software that are new to us.
Administrator :: Script (For Windows Only)
5) Experts only - System Process Monitoring << I need you to verify if it is a scripting or tools?

5. For link, place "URL:" beside the link, best would be in bold for both of them.

6. For Antivirus, you may want to include a comprehensive benchmarking which included ranking and percentage for all AV based on unknown and known viruses detection:
http://www.virus.gr/portal/en/node/28


Ok, Pan Gan Liao!!!

1) I just tried adding colours, but the topic subject and criterion are so broad I only applied them to certain software areas. It still looks like shit for some reason.

2) Good idea. Bolded.

3) IMO, a user should google to find out more themselves. It's part of the process of learning about something before using it. I included avira and avast on a whim because they're among the few free that are highly recommended. The rest are not.

4) This is not a software list, but where software categories exist, they have already been grouped - eg, firewall, anti-malware, anti-virus. As for scripts, I don't know what you are talking about. Perhaps you are mistaken.

5) Simi sai? You must really be mistaken.

6) I appreciate your input, but the one you suggested is misleading now as it's
a) Outdated by half a year - during which millions of new viruses, trojans and malware have emerged
b) Only tests less than 10% of the current base - definitely not comprehensive
c) And does not test various other important areas such as rootkit detection and false returns.

The one I posted is current as of 2008, has a sample base of over a million pathogens, 65 thousand false positives, a dozen rootkits, and reports on other factors such as heuristics and database response time. The research was conducted by a research lab in Germany. It is pretty much authoritative for these few months, and that is why I made recommendation based on it, in addition to my current experiences.

[yaoyao]

sticky?

[orca]

Originally Posted by yaoyao

sticky?

Edited heavily. I think I will call this finalised and vanish from vr-zone again for another few months when the AV tests are updated.

[kyouta]

thanks for the work!

[ET]

[angle31]

AVG Technologies, as a security software producer, understands your desire to protect personal information and is committed to its protection. We respect your right to privacy and we have provided you this Privacy Policy to inform you how your personal information will be collected, tracked, stored, used, and protected, and to give you choices as to what personal information you wish to share with us.
What Information Does AVG Technologies Collect and Track?
Information Collected and Stored Automatically

The following information is collected and stored automatically: the IP address from which you access the internet, the date and time, the internet address of the website from which you link directly to our website, the name of the file or the words you search, and the browser you use to access our website. This information is used to measure the number of visitors to various sections of our website and to identify system performance or for server issues. We also use this information to help us expand the coverage of the website and to make the website more useful. This information is not correlated with any personal information and we never disclose it in a form that personally identifies you.
Personal Information Provided by Users

We request personal information when you create a user account, place an order, register a product, request a service, correspond with us, or engage in certain other activities on our website, such as answering a survey or entering a contest. "Personal information" means any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual. An individual is considered identified or identifiable if it is possible to identify him or her directly or indirectly. We only request personal information which is necessary for us to provide a product or service that you require and we only process the personal information for the purposes stated in this Privacy Policy. For example:

If you submit an order on-line with us, we ask you for information necessary to complete the transaction, such as your name, address, and credit card number.

If you request technical support on-line, we ask you for information necessary to complete the transaction, such as your name address and information about your computer hardware, software (including your License Number), and the nature of the problem you are experiencing.

If you wish to create a user account, we ask you for information necessary to keep you informed about AVG Technologies products and services with regard to your needs, such as your e-mail address.

If you wish to register a product, we ask you for information necessary to respond to your future queries and to provide support, such as your name, surname, e-mail address, and country.

You decide whether to proceed with any activity that requests personal information. However, if you do not wish to provide information needed for a transaction, you may not be able to complete it.
How Do We Use the Information We Collect and Track?

We use personal information in the following ways and for the following limited purposes:

* To provide you with information about virus alerts, product upgrades, new products, services, research on future product ideas or improvements, to send newsletters, informative e-mails or other information which has the nature of business announcements. AVG Technologies reserves the right to use customers' contact information to send them information it deems important for the full utilization of its products and services. Every registered customer may choose not to receive such information from AVG Technologies by simply replying to any message to that effect (with the exception of messages which are necessary for the functionality of our products and services);
* To assist us in creating content that is relevant to you;
* To provide you with special offers that may be of interest to you;
* To assist us in creating better, customized products and services to meet your needs;
* To allow you to purchase and download products, obtain access to services or otherwise engage in activities you select;
* To help you quickly find software, services, or product information important to you;
* allow you to participate in interactive features of our service, when you chose to do so; and
* To notify you about changes to our service.

AVG Technologies, including our offices (subsidiaries and affiliates) abroad to which your personal data are made accessible, retain the personal information collected through AVG Technologies website, including your personal information that you submit through a registration process, for as long as you are registered at any AVG Technologies website through a user account or are a user of AVG Technologies products, and for a reasonable time thereafter, unless and until you have recalled your consent with the processing of your personal information.
Security

We have taken security measures, consistent with international information practices, to protect your personal information. These measures include technical and procedural steps and measures to protect your personal information from misuse, unauthorized access or disclosure, loss, alteration, or destruction. All information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers. Credit card information is transmitted using secure socket layer (SSL) encryption. We use industry-standard encryption to enhance the security of data transmissions and have implemented commercially available technologies to guard against unauthorized access to any personal information that is stored electronically by AVG Technologies. We restrict access to personal information about you to those AVG Technologies employees who need to know the information for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone. If you share a computer with anyone, always log out before leaving a website or service to protect access to your information from subsequent users.

Unfortunately, no transmission of information over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to our website from your PC or the Internet Service Provider, and any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to ensure its security on our systems and to try to prevent unauthorized access.
With Whom Do We Share Your Information?

Except as described in this Privacy Policy, we will not disclose users’ personal information outside of AVG Technologies and its controlled subsidiaries and affiliates without your consent. AVG Technologies will expend the maximum effort to protect users' personal information against misuse and will refrain from disclosing it to third parties.

Through some AVG Technologies websites, by selecting a region (language) option, you may be asked to share your personal information, such as your e-mail contact, with selected local AVG Technologies partners, such as distributors (the full list of which is available at our local websites) so that they can contact you, on our behalf, about AVG Technologies products, services or offers that we believe are important to you or your business and to provide you a local technical and customer support. We encourage you to read our partners' privacy policies before providing your personal information.

AVG Technologies retains the services of outside contractors to provide limited services on our behalf us, such as shipping products or handling order processing, processing transactions (including credit card transactions), or performing statistical analysis of our services. It may be necessary to share user personal information with these contractors in order to allow them to provide their services. You have the right not to provide the requested information, but in such case you may not be able to receive these services. Those contractors will be permitted to obtain only the personal information they need to deliver the service and we require that they keep the personal information of our customers secure and confidential and comply with the Act. We also require that these contractors use our customers' personal information only on behalf of AVG Technologies and do not disclose them to third parties or use them for any other purpose.

Please be advised that in certain instances it may be necessary for AVG Technologies to disclose your personal information if we believe such action is necessary to:
(a) comply with law or legal process served on AVG Technologies;
(b) protect and defend the rights, property or legitimate interests of AVG Technologies (including the enforcement of our agreements); or
(c) act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of AVG Technologies services or members of the public.
Other Offices of AVG Technologies

Since AVG Technologies is a global company, we provide information on AVG Technologies products users to our worldwide offices (subsidiaries and affiliates) which are listed at www.grisoft.com/doc/contacts. The personal information that you have provided to us may be made accessible to these AVG Technologies offices for marketing and customer relationship management purposes. Also, in certain countries our outside contractors might undertake the collection, transferring, storage and processing of your information. By using a AVG Technologies website, product or service, you consent to any such disclosure to and use of personal information that you have provided, by AVG Technologies worldwide offices.
How Can You Correct Inaccuracies in the Information?
Registration

We strive to process only accurate personal information and make a sincere effort to respond to your requests to update or correct your personal information. If you believe that AVG Technologies does not have your current personal information, you can update it by contacting AVG Technologies Sales Team at http://www.grisoft.com/doc/support-sales-form

Please be advised that in accordance with the Act, every user (customer) who has provided personal information to AVG Technologies may ask AVG Technologies to advise of the scope of information AVG Technologies processes about him or her, the purpose and nature of the processing and the recipients of the information.
AVG Update Bulletin and Other E-mail Communications

If you do not wish to continue receiving our e-mail newsletters, bulletins, or other information from AVG Technologies, you can at any time unsubscribe them in the subject line of your e-mail or contact us at http://www.grisoft.com/doc/support-sales-form.Please be aware that our e-mails may include important or useful information about your product, including information about your License Number or the status of your orders or accounts, and that we do not allow our customers to opt out of communication that is required for the functionality of our products and services.
Cookies

AVG Technologies may use cookies from time to time. A cookie is a unique text file that a website can send to your browser software. Cookies enable a website to tailor information presented to you based on your browsing preferences. AVG Technologies may use cookies to personalize your pages at our Service & Support website, or to remember you when you register for products or services. If you do not want AVG Technologies to deploy cookies in your browser, you can set your browser to reject cookies or to notify you when a website tries to put a cookie in your browser software. Rejecting cookies may affect your ability to use some of the products and/or services at our website.

AVG Technologies may also use cookies to track your visit to our website. While our web servers may automatically log your IP address, this information does not identify you and you remain anonymous.We do not correlate this information with your personal information.
Links to other companies

From time to time, AVG Technologies websites may contain links to and from websites of our partner networks, advertisers or other third parties. If you follow a link to any of these websites, please note that these websites have their own privacy policies before you submit any personal data to these websites.
Co-branded websites

We also link to co-branded websites that are maintained by AVG Technologies and one or more of our business partners. An example of a co-branded website is AVG Technologies’s e-shop. When you submit information to one of our co-branded websites, you may be submitting it to both AVG Technologies and our business partners and the privacy policies of these co-branded websites may differ from this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to read the privacy policies on any co-branded website to which you link, and we disclaim any liability for the data processing activities of our business partners which will act as independent data processing controllers.
Discussion Groups and Forums

Please remember that information you submit in a discussion group or forum at any AVG Technologies website will be deemed public information and is not confidential. There is a risk in such communication venues that various information and data can be collected and used by others. Please be careful and responsible when you are on-line.
Changes of Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to amend or update this Privacy Policy from time to time without notice, in particular in response to changes in applicable data protection and privacy legislation. Please check this Privacy Policy periodically to inform yourself of any changes. All updates will be published at this website.

In the event there is a major change to the AVG Technologies privacy practices, a prominent notice will be posted on our website prior to its implementation. If the change involves the use of your personal information, the notice will contain instructions on how you can opt out of such use.
Language

This Privacy Policy was originally prepared in the English language. Although AVG Technologies may provide one or more translations for your convenience, the English version will control in the case of any conflict or discrepancy.
Contact Us

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding our Privacy Policy, please contacts us at http://www.grisoft.com/doc/support-sales-form

[Lyfeforce]

For Backup/Recovery, for those who cannot afford RAID or their chipset does not support it, you can attach an external hard disk and get a synching software to do the backup. It's a set and forget. Of course, your PC must be on at that time. Just a suggestion.

[Komano]

thanks bro.

[orca]

Updated for April 2008. Beware of rootkits.

[ipaq4444]

bookmark for reading later

[love_ever]

Hopes to continue to update

[orca]

Updated for September. Proper firewall section.