Computer Protection

[chramcow_daniel]

what softwares do you guys recommend using so that my computer is 100% protected against harmful threats (Virus, Spyware, etc)...

[Lupine]

Antivirus: NOD32, Avast Home, or AVG Free.

Spyware: Spybot

Firewall: I just use the one built into our router ... and ISA 2004 built into SBS2003 Premium R2

[Jimby]

I use the free home edition of Avast antivirus.
For spyware I use, AD-Aware SE and Windows Defender, sometimes Spybot
For firewall, I use the one in my linksys router and the windows firewall.
If you want to go a step further on the firewall and have an extra old pc with 2 nics in it, try out smoothwall.

https://www.smoothwall.org

[caveman-jim]

HOSTS file from mvps.org (google HOSTS, first result)
Adaware SE
Spybot Search and Destroy
Spyware Blaster
AV - I use McAfee Enterprise 8.0i; don't know about a home client.
Firewall - Router SPI + NAT & Windows Firewall; try out Zonealarm if you have the time.

[Dr. Zhivago]

What Jim said ^.

[ArchAngelCD]

I use Avast Home for AV
For spyware protection I use Adaware SE and Spybot Search and Destroy

For a firewall, I use the hardware firewall in my linksys router like Jimby and Dr. Z.

Don't use AVG AV because they have not been any good for the past year or so. It allows a virus to infect your system and then tells you, BTW, you have a virus. Avast prevents the virus from infecting your system. It even stops you from connecting to a WEB site that may have a virus on it.

[Crisler]

so that my computer is 100% protected against harmful threats (Virus, Spyware, etc)...

First this is IMPOSSIBLE, the bad stuff just comes out to fast, anyone that tells you that your protection is 100% is full of crap.

I have started using Microsoft Onecare for my home and office PCs. The software is very unobtrusive and I have suffered zero performance hit using it. I have it setup with a small 40 Gig external HD and I never have to manually defrag again. The firewall has passed all the tests I have throw at it and yet is easy to adjust to let software work that I want to.

With three PCs in my home this means that this has cost me about 13$ per year per PC, not a bad deal at all.

However many of the other sultions listed here will work just as well. I personally like dealing with one company and the intergration.

However software alone is not enough, you need common sense and stay off crap sites. I also suggest for maximum protection to NOT use a POP email but instead used something like Hotmail. This keeps stuff that come through email off your computer and also has fair spam filtering.

Lastly be sure to set your browser to erase the temp files each time you close it.

With these step sin place I would say a user is 95% protected, that is the best you can hope for. The ONLY way to be 100% protected is to take out all the modems and NICS from your computer and never put in any CD that was not direct from a manufacturer.

[0091/2]

Are there any software that monitors the registry?What if you give yourself limited permission to alter the windows folder? wouldn't keep spyware out?

[Brutos]

I'd recommend most of the antispyware,AV's posted above.Really the more antispyware the better,well to a point.If your after a free AV then i'd go for Avast.It has a boot mode scan (effectively the same as starting safe mode) and makes a backup off the reg so it can repair it.

But if you want to pay for AV NOD32 is the one.

Also i'd add a software firewall like Kerio on top of a hardware (router) firewall ,as hardware firewalls don't stop out going threats.

[caveman-jim]

Are there any software that monitors the registry?What if you give yourself limited permission to alter the windows folder? wouldn't keep spyware out?

Yeah, Spyware Blaster has an add-in component called "tea timer" that will monitor your registry and critical files for changes. Can be a PITA if you are installing a bunch of apps, but very nice when you are web browsing and suddenly get a notification.

Also i'd add a software firewall like Kerio on top of a hardware (router) firewall ,as hardware firewalls don't stop out going threats.

I really don't see the benefit of an outbound firewall if you have AV + Spyware & Adware detection with a NAT/SPI incoming Firewall. That means that usually the only things that the outbound firewall will detect came from installations or sources you chose to install/visit, and accept an install/unblock notification.

[0091/2]

Yeah, Spyware Blaster has an add-in component called "tea timer" that will monitor your registry and critical files for changes. Can be a PITA if you are installing a bunch of apps, but very nice when you are web browsing and suddenly get a notification.



I really don't see the benefit of an outbound firewall if you have AV + Spyware & Adware detection with a NAT/SPI incoming Firewall. That means that usually the only things that the outbound firewall will detect came from installations or sources you chose to install/visit, and accept an install/unblock notification.

which is better spybot or spyware blaster? Both of have something called "tea timer"

[caveman-jim]

Spybot S&D and Spyware Blaster aren't really the same thing - Spyware Blaster is for preventing the stuff getting on in the first place, so I would use that products system settings protection (Tea Timer).

Spybot S&D is for cleaning up infections etc, so I would not use that for protection (though I would use the Immunize function - which can detect if you have Spyware Blaster is installed and recommends that you use that because it's better).

[Brutos]

Quote caveman-jim
"I really don't see the benefit of an outbound firewall if you have AV + Spyware & Adware detection with a NAT/SPI incoming Firewall. That means that usually the only things that the outbound firewall will detect came from installations or sources you chose to install/visit, and accept an install/unblock notification."

Exactly, so if you open a dodgy e-mail, download a file of any sort, install a dodgy software, screen savers,p2p,can be classic spy-ware threat's then unless your protection stops everything (which none of them do) you could be in trouble.