Keep Your Computer Safe (Guide to AV, Firewall and more) - VRForums - SITEX 2009

opt1m4l · 05:42 PM

Since I have not seen anybody writing this in VR, dosen't harm to write one doesen't it?

Firstly, the most basic- get yourself an antivirus software. Norton is NOT rcommended as it is a system hog. Let me list down some AV softwares.
Free:
AVG (www.grisoft.com)- Please note that the free version is not very good... not too sure about the paid version-reason being that it has a small database and some viruses pass through)

Avast (www.avast.com)- Not too shabby, but if you wanna pay for the paid version(Pun not intended

) , go for NOD32 instead(look down!) This is as for the free version, it can be compared with the paid version, but most basic functions are there for the basic.. so I guess not much benefi in paying for paid version.

ClamWin (http://www.clamwin.com/)- Alright for a basic antivirus if you are used to it's layout

some who are not so confident use Avast instead.. but I must say though.. ClamWin is highly recommended for advanced users who want free AV!
Summary:
AVG- Not recommended
Avast: I myself am using it... must say... not too shabby!
Clamwin- Better than Avast if you are comfortable with the interface... go with it!

-Paid AVs

Norton AV- Definitely not recommended. Heavy system Hog.

Norman (http://www.norman.com/)- Ok la... not really recommended...

NOD32 (http://www.eset.com/)- Definitely recommended if you got not too much system resources as this AV has a large DB, updated frequently too(DB) Tried and tested.

Kapersky (www.kaspersky.com/)- Definitely recommended if you got system resources to spare... on demand scanning, etc, this is really good too... but takes up system resources

Trend Micro (www.trendmicro.com/)- Never tried so no comments

Panda AV (www.pandasoftware.com)- Never tried, but heard it is an alright AV.

Ez-Trust (No idea where website is... can try www.ca.com though)- They are providing a free 1 year trial here but never tried so no comments.

Mcafee (www.mcafee.com)- ALright la.. but definitely not the best out there... but sure beats Norton for one..

Avast Pro Edition (http://avast.com/eng/avast_4_professional.html)- Never tried... but looking @ the spec sheet I'd rather get NOD32

AVG Pro (http://www.grisoft.com/doc/1) - Never used, no comments

Now, the second step. Firewalls
Again ,there are free and paid alternatives.
Free
Comodo Firewall
Clean interface, regular updates, no bloated features (just the stuff a firewall should do) and it doesn't hassle me much apart from the obvious. 17k memory usage, isn't too bad. Kerio was 8k (?), but I'm willing to make that small sacrifice in order to recieve the regular updates.
Zonealarm (http://www.zonealarm.com/) –IMHO, very cumbersome….. don’t really like to use it
Outpost (http://www.agnitum.com/products/outp...e/download.php) – Updated with the official website... seems like it's back up! Better, less intrusive and cumbersome as ZA
Sunbelt Keiro Personal Firewall (http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Kerio.cfm)- Used it when it was under Keiro… not too shabby!
Sygate Personal Firewall (http://www.tucows.com/preview/213160) –One f the best Personal Firewalls.. until taken over buy Symantec… but not to fret, this version is not under Symantec

-Paid Firewalls-
Zonealarm (www.zonealarm.com)- No comments, but I heard it’s not too bad… not sure how true that is!
Sunbelt Keiro Firewall (http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Kerio.cfm)- Based on Keiro, a pretty good piece of software! But I do not know how this edition I faring, but IMO, should be quite good la!
Norton Personal Firewall (http://www.symantec.com/home_homeoff...s&pvid=npf2006) – as with all Norton junk, I do not wish to comment

Outpost (http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpost/index.php) – Not too shabby piece of software.. highly recommended!!

*Note that most paid versions here that I have mentioned are very expensive… however, do consider how valuable your data is… and whether you have time to back up!*
Ok, now time to stop all your spyware/malware/adware

Please also note that this is in a different format as this is meant for those who are infected and/or to protect against further infections. No paid options are provided from me here though… sorry!
1. If You Are Already Infected
The best option is to format. But, most of the time, it isn't the most welcomed solution.

Download the following:
Spybot Search & Destroy (www.safer-networking.org/)
Ad-Aware SE Personal (www.lavasoft.de/software/adaware)
Windows Defender Beta 2 (http://www.microsoft.com/athome/secu...e/default.mspx)

There are many other programs that you can use to clean your computer. These three free ones that complement each other very well. Make sure that all three programs have fully updated definitions. If you don't know how to update definitions, check the program's site for more information. After everything is up-to date, proceed to restart your computer and enter safe mode. (If you don't know how go http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT...rc=sec_doc_nam) It is also possible to clean your computer without going into safe mode, but it is a recommended step if your computer is very infected.

Make sure each program is set on a full scan and then run each program multiple times. If you know which spyware you have on your computer and it wasn't cleaned succesfully, search google with the specific name for removal instructions. After you have cleaned out your computer sucessfully (if all goes well) and have gotten back into Windows, download HijackThis (http://www.merijn.org/files/hijackthis.zip) . Clean out anything that looks suspicious. If you need help, you can copy and paste the log here: http://www.hijackthis.de/

You may also want to verify that nothing annoying isn't starting up on your computer. This is included with hijackthis but in case you skipped that part here is an alternative for startup. Many methods are available to do this, here are two:
start>run>type "msconfig">startup tab
or
ms antispyware>advanced tools>system explorers>startup programs

Hopefully your computer is now clean from spyware. Instead of doing the above whenever you are infected, which may happen a lot, I suggest you do what's below.

2. Protect your computer
This method works with any browser. No browser is perfect and will not protect you fully, despite whatever you are told.

Download the following:
Winpatrol (http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html)
Spywareblaster (http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html)

The first program will detect any changes that are made to your computer and ask you if they are wanted. It needs to be on all the time, but it doesn't use much memory. The second program will protect your computer from unwanted threats without running in the background. You can also use other progams but the two above are free and don't consume much memory.
2. You do not need all the program's mentioned under #1 to remove threats after you use the two programs in #2. Ms antispyware and hijackthis are good enough and can be run monthly as you have solid protection now.
Also, if you have been infected by CoolWebSearch, download CWS Shredder here (http://www.softpedia.com/get/Interne...Shredder.shtml)

Orca has some recommendations!

Quote:

Originally Posted by orca

What about norton ghost?
The one thing that can restore your system if it truly is totally trashed.
Essential utility, the last line of defence if all anti-virus and firewalls fail, and you pull the plug too late. Also just for those who like to tweak the registry or whatknot who may end up with windows refusing to boot.

Btw... general consensus among everyone I met who's reasonably well-versed in networking/computer security - zonealarm is one of the most, if not the most, problematic firewalls. Seen it cock up in every possible scenario and computer, including several times on my own comp until I decided to not install it on my next reformat. It has done before, among other things, screwed up windows or locked many people/systems offline, including my school library.

I'd like to add that I personally use kerio.

Also, you left ISS blackice firewall out of the list, which is truly one of the best, most advanced ones I've seen. It does everything from basic packet and port filtering to dll tracking and what I call "exotic vulnerability observation" - looking after things you'd never ever think of.
One example, is that it also logged down vr-zone as having the possibility of exploiting a loophole rooted in web icons because it (the icon or the machine with the icon, I wouldn't know) has abit of code dealing with said icon that doesn't conform to the standard parameters.
The brilliant thing is that it doesn't flash this as a warning in your face because alot of the time it simply is coding error. But then again, many, many exploits are found through coding accidents, and many seemingly benign errors may be attacks in disguise.
The downside is that it is meant for advanced users; there's no fancy GUI or "how many attack attempts I have foiled today" or simple options panel. It goes straight into the nitty-gritty, and many advanced vulnerability detections aren't even reflected anywhere. You simply didn't know it had such a capability until one day, you check the log when it flashes red, and it's saying stuff like "http_icon_malformed" or "integer_overflow_exploit" or other heady stuff, together with the backtraced IP, locations and all the de facto security evidence tracelog stuff - although I never ever look at them.

Keeping Your Windows install updated

Read here
Seems hard? No way! Every 4 months, there should be a Full release available for download. The rest of the 3 months, just download the update packs and install(Ensure you have the existing Full installation) And walla, Windows is updated!

To all of you out there: DO CONTRIBUTE!!! And don't be afraid to ask questions!!

gonococcus · Jul 4th, 06, 07:18 PM

What's your opinion on Windows Firewall?

opt1m4l · Jul 4th, 06, 07:19 PM

IMO, not enough protection.

simplyadvanced · Jul 4th, 06, 07:32 PM

i dont use firewalls and have AV auto protect turned off.

still no viruses.......

bottom line... update windows and surf safe.

Jinnoi · Jul 4th, 06, 07:33 PM

windows firewall is a biatch that slows down your downloads and blocks certain ports for games. its doesn't even help prevent attacks in the first place. whats more retarded is that they keep prompting me about the fact that ive turned their piece of crap software off.