Computer Safety Help

[lasalasa]

Hello,

I am buying a new pc soon and I would like some tips/help regarding the safety of my pc against hackers/viruses and the like.

Is Kaspersky Internet Security+Malwarebytes a good all in all solution that will keep me well protected and hidden?
I have tried Comodo FW but it really slowed down my internet and it was abit intrusive.

My uses for the pc is games mainly, including Steam, online games and stuff like that.
My OS is Win7 64 bit and everything in my pc is legit, no warez and stuff like that. I use a modem as well, not a router.
I'm pretty paranoid when it comes to these things. I never download files or enter sites I don't know.

Also, should I use a password for my Windows 7 user account, or is it pointless?

Thanks.

 

[niko084]

I'm not a fan of Kaspersky or really any Internet Security package, the problem being unless you know what it's doing and can understand it, they cause a lot of issues for users who are not knowledgeable.

That being said I tend to recommend Vipre antivirus now, it's been extremely good for me, my store, network, servers and my clients, I have had zero complaints and have seen a fairly good drop in infected computers coming in since we made that move, previously and recently we have used Kaspersky and Nod32.

If you have high speed internet, buy a decent router with a built in firewall, most have one these days and while not the best, they function and do their job without being expensive or hard to setup. IMO the best way to go is a separate hardware firewall like a microITX box running something like PFSENSE, or buy a ready to go supported firewall like a Sonicwall.

Look up misc things on how to help secure windows 7, don't use the DMZ, leave the AV active, yes password ANY admin account and if you want to go a bit further, only use an admin account when you need to and use a power user or guest without install permissions or driver permissions any other time.

 

[lasalasa]

Whats the difference between a security suite and individual programs? Like NOD32+Comodo FW setup? Is it really as complicatrd as you make it seem?(Ive never used one before)

Why not use admin user? If someone gets access to my pc cant he just switch users? And if the intruder is so good that he managed to through all those bumps and loops will a windows pass stop him, or even be a minor setback?

Thank you for the help btw.

 

[niko084]

Generally it's never a direct hack attempt it's a virus that tries to install itself.
If you are not logged in as admin and it doesn't know your password it can't install without finding another way around that issue, this helps eliminate the chance.

I would suggest just using windows firewall or as I stated add a router with a firewall built in.
The Internet Security packages are a lot of marketing and some nice things but as I stated they cause people issues because they don't understand them.

As far as a direct hack attempt, to a properly trained person there is nothing you can do to stop them.

Security is all about removing chance, you can't remove it all the only way to do that is leave it unplugged.

 

[BazookaJoe]

If you are running win7 I'd just say roll with "Microsoft Security Essentials" It's free and reasonably good - it makes very rare mistakes like ANY AND ALL other Anti Virus Software ( NOTHING is 100% safe) - but overall it's pretty good and it's free to anyone running genuine Win7.

The updates are usually very reasonable in size, and in my experience it puts very little additional stress on the system.

And again the Built In windows firewall is actually pretty good - especially if you are just gaming - YEAH you can hack anything but somebody has to really WANT to hack you and if all you are doing is playing games Win7 Firewall is more than enough to handle your daily needs.

Just do your updates regularly - and there is NO NEED at all to run additional software that puts unnecessary load on your system.

http://www.microsoft.com/security/products/mse.aspx

I KNOW people will disagree with this - but I know of literally HUNDREDS of business PC's that sit online All Day with only Security Essentials, and Windows Firewall, on Win 7 (That is important as older windows where not as good, Win7 Seems to have made a lot of improvements to it's internal security) and to date they are all doing just fine.

 

[lasalasa]

So will I be ok with just Windows firewall?

I am very cautious when it comes to downliading files/entering unknown websites. Everything from my OS to the smallest piece of software I have is legit. It's the direct hacking that scares me, like botnets scannig and bombing the net.

 

[temp02]

Firefox + AdBlock Plus + AdBlock Plus : Element Hiding Helper + NoScript + Windows Default Firewall + No eXecute bit enabled + Common sense, might seem odd or even outdated (common sense) but if done right you can't beat this combination. (Although I still "deep analyze" each "shady" binary I download)

 

[lasalasa]

Bump.

 

[slyfox2151]

i only run avast all all the PC's on this network... +DD-WRT on the router with its firewall.. havnt had a virus in 3 or 4 years... and that was due to dad using fucking nortons....


never will he touch that again or so help me (windows fire wall disabled on my pc.... i dont like it )

 

[John Phoenix]

I used to use Firewalls and live or 'on-demand' Anti-virus programs but they always managed to muck something up and cause problems - no matter which ones I used. They were often memory hogs too.

I found a few proven tools that I like now. IMO using these are The Best protection you can have bar none.

1.) Sandboxie.

This program is better than any firewall because it is in effect it's own sealed off operating environment for your web browser. It run's your browser inside of the sandbox totally protected so nothing gets in to access your regular hard drive area that you don't want. It's like having a separate partition only for your browser.

You can run all other programs from inside a sandbox too, it's not just for your browser but browsing and secure downloading of files is what most people use it for.

When you download something you have the option (if you trust your download) to move the file out of the sandbox into a folder on your unprotected hard drive. Otherwise when you close Sandboxie, all your downloaded files ( and any virus's ) will easily get deleted. If you download a file you want to keep but are unsure of, you can then use a anti-virus program of your choice to scan the sandboxie folder and all it's contents (including your files) to make sure they are clean before you move them to your unprotected hard drive.

Unlike most firewalls Sandboxie is very easy to use, does not hog resources and has a great proven track record.

Check it out here. http://www.sandboxie.com/ It's Free accept after 30 days you get a nag screen and 2 functions are disabled if you do not register it. Cost about 18 U.S dollars if you do want to register it but if you don't it will still always work.

2.) Rollback RX or Comodo Time Machine

Both these programs do the same thing. They replace your windows system restore with a super protected area in it's own partition underneath your windows partition to save your restore points in. No virus can access this but a virus can wipe out your regular windows system restore and leave you screwed. These programs work to get you back up and running in 5 minutes even if you cannot load windows and your whole C drive gets deleted.

They work great IF you use them. You must make periodic restore points for these programs to be effective in keeping your system up to date. Having a great tool on your system and not using it won't help you.

Rollback Rx has a trail period (cost around 30 bucks) but Comodo Time Machine is Free.

check them out here: Rollback RX http://www.horizondatasys.com/169614.ihtml

Comodo Time machine: http://www.comodo.com/home/data-storage-encryption/data-recovery.php

3.) If you ever do get a virus my picks are:

Malwarebytes and Emsisoft's Emergency Kit.

Between these two you have the best virus destroying power out there. You already know about Malwarebytes but Emsisoft's Emergency Kit is a whole free toolkit of anti-virus fighting software.

Emsisoft's Emergency Kit can be installed on your hard drive or you can mount it on a DVD or bootable USB stick so you can scan and clean your system even if you cannot run windows. The kit comes with 4 different tools to help diagnose and eradicate your malware.

Emsisoft's Emergency Kit is Free but the company offer paid for tools as well.

Check it out here: http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/eek/

4.) My pick for backing up your system is Macrium Reflect.

You may have heard of ghosting a hard drive or making a 'drive image'. This is a process that makes an exact clone of your hard drive and stores it on dvd's so you can use it to easily and quickly restore your whole system should you ever need to. Macrium Reflect is the easiest and fastest disk imaging tool I have ever used. It boast the best compression ratio so you use as few dvd's as possible. They have a paid for version with more features and a free version with all the basics most people need.

Paid for version: http://www.macrium.com/

Free version: http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.asp

So you see with the above tools you can easily super protect your whole system - and do it for Free if you use only the free versions.

I use these tools because they are better than the standard ways of protecting your system and do not cause the problems associated with always having to run firewalls and anti-virus tools. I have found these to be the best solution for me and they cover all the bases of security and protection. Your experience may vary but I urge you to try these tools and see if they fit your needs.

All of these apps will work with Windows 7 64 bit.

Oh and to answer the OP's question - No, never trust windows built in firewall to protect you by itself. It is not very good and trusting it is just going to invite trouble.

 

[gunsmoke]

Hello,

I am buying a new pc soon and I would like some tips/help regarding the safety of my pc against hackers/viruses and the like.

Is Kaspersky Internet Security+Malwarebytes a good all in all solution that will keep me well protected and hidden?
I have tried Comodo FW but it really slowed down my internet and it was abit intrusive.

My uses for the pc is games mainly, including Steam, online games and stuff like that.
My OS is Win7 64 bit and everything in my pc is legit, no warez and stuff like that. I use a modem as well, not a router.
I'm pretty paranoid when it comes to these things. I never download files or enter sites I don't know.

Also, should I use a password for my Windows 7 user account, or is it pointless?

Thanks.

If your that paranoid about net and stuff why not try out a free I.P.MASK hide your i.p.
From must web-sites just my input

 

[John Phoenix]

And again the Built In windows firewall is actually pretty good - especially if you are just gaming - YEAH you can hack anything but somebody has to really WANT to hack you and if all you are doing is playing games Win7 Firewall is more than enough to handle your daily needs.

Just do your updates regularly - and there is NO NEED at all to run additional software that puts unnecessary load on your system.

http://www.microsoft.com/security/products/mse.aspx

I KNOW people will disagree with this - but I know of literally HUNDREDS of business PC's that sit online All Day with only Security Essentials, and Windows Firewall, on Win 7 (That is important as older windows where not as good, Win7 Seems to have made a lot of improvements to it's internal security) and to date they are all doing just fine.

I disagree. Those business computers are doing just that.. business. They may be connected to the Net but they are not browsing the web and downloading files like home users would. The home user needs better more proven protection than windows firewall can deliver. I also do not like tons of apps using lots of resources. The apps I suggest above all use very little resources. They must for this machine because it is a laptop with not very much power.. so I choose carefully.