PC Protection

[Angry Dan]

I thought I would start a thread with a basic guide on how to protect your PC. All of this information is a personal opinion from knowledge gained from browsing the internet and my recent new employment as a Geek Op.

There are 3 main types of software that are advisable to install on your PC from to secure it from attack, these are:

Anti-Virus
Firewall
Anti-Spyware

Anti-Virus

These days most people are aware that it is necessary to have anti-virus software installed on their computers, however it is a shame that when purchasing PC's the majority of people buy them as a complete new unit with software pre-installed. The problem with this is the free 12 month anti-virus software subscription that is included is not generally very good (Norton in many cases). I have tried out many different products and read numerous reviews and the 2 that stand out for me are:

Kasperky
ESET NOD32

I have also been told by people far more knowledgeable than I that this is also a very good product:

Avira

Firewall

There are 2 main types of firewall available:

Hardware
Software

I am only going to mention the software type.

The firewall is the part of your computers protection that when configured properly blocks incoming attacks from external sources. It also controls what is allowed to go out of your computer.

There are quite a few good free firewalls out there these are the only 2 I have previously used:

ZoneAlarm
Outpost

The links above are for the free versions of the software they also offer subscription software that has more bells and whistles but the free versions are more than adequate for the average user.

Anti-Spyware

Spyware is everywhere and I have not found one product that will effectively pick up everything.
Unfortunately the best performing spyware protection software is not free these are the 2 that I would recommend:

Spyware Doctor
Webroot Spy Sweeper

Free software that can be used as a supplement includes:

AdAware
Spyware Blaster

The other option available is to buy a security suite from one company which includes all the components mentioned. This is my personal choice and again I would recommend either:

KasperSky
ESET

Although these include anti-spyware I would advise using one of the 2 pay software also.

I am sure that there are other members of the forum that hold differing opinions which I would look forward to hearing as the threat changes daily and with it the best software to counter changes.

I am sure there will be people mentioning McAfee Bitdefender AVG Avast and others, the products I have mentioned are the ones that I have previously used or have been recommended.

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I posted this link elsewhere but as it is relevant I will post it here as well

Kaspersky 2009

I also recall it being mentioned either here or on another forum that if you use online banking with Barclays (I think not sure it could be someone else) you get free Kaspersky protection.

[Ian]

ESET NOD32 is pretty good as basic AV.

I would also highly recommend Trend Internet Security (formerly PC-Cillin). It installs easily with sensible defaults, and unlike many of it's competitors it also uninstalls completely an cleanly if you ever want rid of it. It consistently comes out well in reviews and offers anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall all in one. It also has additional features to protect system settings that semi-malicious software might want to change, and can provides a range of levels of configuration for users with different technical ability/interest.

I have no connection to this company... Just been using it in a number of environments for a number of years and found it far more satisfactory than any other solution (and I have used most of them!)

Ian

[Angry Dan]

I have used the earlier versions of PC-Cillin and I have to say I also found it easy to install and an effective option. The choice will come down to personal preferance which is where the 1 month free trials most products offer come in handy.

[coldhands]

I would add SpyBot to your anti-spyware list. It's free and it has an "immunize" facility which is great if you protect your children's PCs and they never bother to run the anti-virus/spyware etc you have carefully put on for the little dears. At least they will have some protection from the dreaded pop-ups and I only really need to update once a month or whenever they leave the PC long enough for me to get my hands on it.

[Ian]

(09-09-2008 10:39 AM)coldhands Wrote:  I would add SpyBot to your anti-spyware list. It's free and it has an "immunize" facility which is great if you protect your children's PCs and they never bother to run the anti-virus/spyware etc you have carefully put on for the little dears. At least they will have some protection from the dreaded pop-ups and I only really need to update once a month or whenever they leave the PC long enough for me to get my hands on it.

Some tools (including Trend and I think Macaffee) let you remotely manage protection (inc AV and firewall) on other PCs....

You might find that feature handy!

[Angry Dan]

(09-09-2008 10:39 AM)coldhands Wrote:  I would add SpyBot to your anti-spyware list. It's free and it has an "immunize" facility which is great if you protect your children's PCs and they never bother to run the anti-virus/spyware etc you have carefully put on for the little dears. At least they will have some protection from the dreaded pop-ups and I only really need to update once a month or whenever they leave the PC long enough for me to get my hands on it.

What operating system are you using on their PCs?

[O2 Steve]

Good work Dan

A couple of quick points:

1) Anti-virus or anti-malware is only effective if you keep it up to date! One of the better points of Trends particular software suite is that the company is part of the Siemens group. As such Trend opperate on a "rising sun" model for support and diagnosis. Should a new virus be released in to the wild, they will pick it up and somebody will be working on it. Should the definition file not be ready as close of business in one time zone it is immediately passed to the office unit where the sun is rising for development to continue. Sophos and McAfee (whilst not great for home users) also work on this business model.

2) If you already have an infection, adding anti-virus software will not always detect or remove it.

3) spyware (more accuratly designated Malware) is a bugger to remove if you have some - be very very careful when looking at the registry. One wrong keystroke can cripple a PC. If in doubt take it to a specalist.

4) Most broadband routers have the capabilities to trap intrusion attempts and some have malware/antivirus built in - but it wont work if its not active. Read the manuals and turn it on.

5) The vast majority of infections are passed by e-mail, either as attachments or links to specially set up websites. If you recieve a file in an e-mail be suspicious and always scan it (regardless where it says it has come from).

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(09-09-2008 10:39 AM)coldhands Wrote:  I would add SpyBot to your anti-spyware list. It's free and it has an "immunize" facility which is great if you protect your children's PCs and they never bother to run the anti-virus/spyware etc you have carefully put on for the little dears. At least they will have some protection from the dreaded pop-ups and I only really need to update once a month or whenever they leave the PC long enough for me to get my hands on it.

There should be an option for "on access scanning" - this will scan every file as it is accessed and hence reduce the need for regular full scans.

[Angry Dan]

(09-09-2008 11:11 AM)O2 Steve Wrote:  2) If you already have an infection, adding anti-virus software will not always detect or remove it.

3) spyware (more accuratly designated Malware) is a bugger to remove if you have some - be very very careful when looking at the registry. One wrong keystroke can cripple a PC. If in doubt take it to a specalist.

5) The vast majority of infections are passed by e-mail, either as attachments or links to specially set up websites. If you recieve a file in an e-mail be suspicious and always scan it (regardless where it says it has come from).

In response to points 2 and 3 this is why I am looking at installing my home PCs as virtual machines saving the "clean" instalation as a template. Then if a virus/spyware problem is detected just delete the machine and start a new version of the template.

I have only used the comercial side of the software (still new to the technology as well) so I am not sure if there is a decent alternative for the home market. If there is I will create a guide on how to set it up for anyone interested. I will not have chance to look into until next week tho.

In response to point 5 I would recommend GMX as an email provider, the software is still in Beta phase at the minute and has a few annoying bugs but securing your email adddress now would be wise.

It acts as outlook does combining multiple email accounts allowing you to respond/reply using any of the linked email address. It has also picked up many possible virus/trojans that my original (hotmail/yahoo) accounts failed to pick up.

For those of you who dislike big brother they also do not scan your email to tailor advertising content.

[jb2cool]

regular update patches and security updates from the likes or Microsoft and other manufacturers are helpfull as well. These plug holes found in software. That's what i spend a lot of time doing at work.

[coldhands]

(09-09-2008 10:53 AM)Angry Dan Wrote:  

(09-09-2008 10:39 AM)coldhands Wrote:  I would add SpyBot to your anti-spyware list.

What operating system are you using on their PCs?

XP. Why do you ask?