SPCR

As a 15th anniversary celebration, ZoneAlarm is offering a free 1 year licence for only 1 day.

http://download.zonealarm.com/bin/free/ ... ?c=W100001

Download is valid from
11/18/08 6:00am PST
to
11/19/08 6:00am PST

thank. i need to clean my pc of bad stuff

http://www.pctools.com/firewall/

Free tomorrow, the day after, the day after that etc etc.


Andy

cool. whats a good free virus/spyware remover?

Ad-Aware SE

wouldn't use anything else. ever.

AVG, Spybot and AD-Adaware, the latter two I swear by, Spybot is my personal favourite, it (like all of the rest) dont always get everything, but its quick, non interfering (so long as you dont install "TeaTimer" its aproaching firewall levels and is damned annoying).

Otherwise perfect.


Andy

I support everything andyb has said in this thread. I offer Comodo's free firewall as an alternative to PC Tools', and suggest the use of a-squared Free 3.5 in addition to a regimen of Spybot Search and Destroy's and Ad-Aware's on-demand (not background) scanners.

Is there any background protection which is recommended? What would it do anyway?

I still can't understand why SPCR people need firewalls, anti-virus and anti-spyware apps...

Because this is in the off topic section.

<- Windows-firewall user.

As for Virus scanners; apparently, AntiVir got quite decent test results recently. Even though it still lacks a behavourial scanner.

I still can't understand why SPCR people need firewalls, anti-virus and anti-spyware apps...

Because most of use use Windows and the Internet, any OS and no internet is safe, Linux locked down tightly with Internet is pretty low risk.

Using internet explorer with a firewall and and AV software is riskier than using firefox without. As far as I am concerned using IE is a bigger security risk than not having a firewall or AV software.


Andy

Have you honestly ever had problems with malware?

Matija wrote:Have you honestly ever had problems with malware?

I haven't personally, but I've also never gone face-first through my car windscreen. I don't see that as a good argument for not wearing a seatbelt...

Matija wrote:Have you honestly ever had problems with malware?

yes. also my brother's laptop was almost killed by malware (he surfs a lot of Chinese websites which have more viruses than a diseased Resident Evil zombie). now he uses Linux.

nick705 wrote:

Matija wrote:Have you honestly ever had problems with malware?

I haven't personally, but I've also never gone face-first through my car windscreen. I don't see that as a good argument for not wearing a seatbelt...

In this case, you - as a computer-literate SPCR-er - are driving a tank... Not a car. And you are a professional tank driver.

Well, okay, maybe you aren't, I don't know

Have you honestly ever had problems with malware?

Yes, one of my friends was showing me somepeiceofcrapAmericanmusclecar using IE, and infected my PC in an instant. After I fixed it I went hunting for the same website using Firefox - no infection, although it tried.

Another friend has infected his PC (IE again, and claims i quote "I wasnt even porn surfing, I wouldnt have minded so much if I was because I do that all of the time and havent got anything bad on my PC"), thats downstairs waiting for me to fit is and permanently disable IE.

The following instructions work BTW for IE as well as WMP.

viewtopic.php?t=49193


Andy

Matija wrote: In this case, you - as a computer-literate SPCR-er - are driving a tank... Not a car. And you are a professional tank driver.

Well, okay, maybe you aren't, I don't know

Thank you sir, but I think you give me too much credit. Also, there are munitions out there which will go through even Chobham armour like a hot knife through butter, and however expert the driver, he's toast once that happens...

Seriously, I do regard myself as reasonably computer-savvy, but I'm also very much aware that there are many, many people out there who are far more capable, and that not all of them have good intentions. The whole "I'm PC-literate, I don't need no AV/firewall/anti-spyware" argument strikes me as dangerously complacent... however well-informed and careful you may be, you can't possibly always anticipate and avoid any threat which may occur in the future. Also, with the best will in the world no-one can maintain complete concentration at all times, and a single ill-judged click on a link could result in all sorts of problems later, even if they don't manifest themselves immediately.

Common sense and being aware of potential threats is definitely the first and best line of defence, and of course a simple AV or firewall won't in itself guarantee immunity, but at least it provides an additional safety net, and the small (or non-existent) financial cost and minimal system overhead on modern equipment seems a small price to pay.