-=PCTechTalk=- Re: AVG HELP PLEASE
- From: Gman <gman.pctt@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:51:20 -0400
Hi Patti,
By now I'm sure you know and understand that I'm much more interested in
helping you become more knowledgeable about these things than trying to
avoid scaring you (or anyone else). The unfortunate truth is that we should
ALL be a bit scared but also motivated by that fear into taking action in a
self-preservation sort of way. For example, far too many people store
things on their hard drives that they want to keep forever (family photos,
home movies, special emails and chat program conversations, etc.), but they
never take the time to make a backup in case something really bad happens.
Simply put, once it's too late to recover from something that hits your
system, it's too late.
What I said in my previous reply applies to almost everything. For
example, back in the late 70's, Harmon Kardon, Sansui and Teac were some of
the biggest names in upper-tier stereo equipment manufacturers.
Unfortunately, all three of them underestimated their own growth patterns
and ended up without enough quality workers to keep up with demand. As a
result, quality slipped and they lost their place near the top of the list.
Over time, similar things happen to manufacturers of ALL things, including
software. Whether its losing quality employees as folks retire, defect to
the competition or get out of the industry altogether, the quality of all
products run the course of ups & downs, much like a bio-rhythm chart. Of
course, there are always exceptions (Spybot Search & Destroy, for example),
but they are true gems that, for one reason or another, are able to stand
the test of time.
Of course, there's no way to discount how the malware scene itself
changes over time. As Anti-younameit programs get better at detecting and
handling current versions of malware, the malware designers get better at
writing nasty code that can get past their defenses. It's a never ending
dance that will probably always be with us. Over time, some anti- companies
will loose their momentum, drive or desire to stay on top of the latest
threats like they should. As they lose their place, it's up to each of us
individually to decide when it's time to try something else in the hopes of
finding something that works better than what we had been using up to that
point.
In other words, over time, what constitutes the "Best" methods for
protecting your system will change. I tend to think of this
malware/anti-malware dance as a natural phenomenon that demands attention
from everyone involved with computers, especially those who are in a
position of recognized authority such as computer magazine writers,
newspaper editors, TV anchor-persons, well used tech sites and even places
like lil' ol' PCTechTalk (but only because some of you seem to come here
specifically to get this type of advice lol).
So, are you overprotected? In truth, your system can NEVER be over
protected. However, it's not all that hard to make your system difficult or
even impossible to use by employing more security than you actually need
(and yes, I do know that this is actually what you were asking, but I'm
trying to stress a point. lol). It only takes one infestation to wreak
all sorts of havoc on a computer and sometimes there is no way to recover
other than to wipe the drive and reinstall everything from scratch. Whether
you get a chance to back up anything that's newer than your last backup
depends on the design of malware that hit the system, so it's extremely
important to close off as many malware entry points as possible. To this
end, one of the most important parts of the puzzle is your choice of
Anti-Virus protection. This is the program upon which we tend to place the
most reliance to protect us, in real time, from all sorts of threats. We
also need to close off unused ports, so a good firewall is added to the
list. How about all of those coolies that some companies use to try and
w'watch' what we do with our browsers so they can bombard us with targetted
ads? Well, that requires an anti-adware utility on the list. Now, we're
getting hit with drive by additions to our browsers in the form of ActiveX
scripts, unwanted toolbars and a bunch of other nonsense. For those, we
need something really good along the lines of the always on Ad-Watch monitor
you mentioned. I could go on with this paragraph until my fingers turn
numb, but that wouldn't help much in figuring out exactly what will do the
job today. So,
Here is a list of the security apps that I rely on to keep my own system
as safe as I can get it without choking my own ability to get done the
things I need to do both online and off. This listing is not meant to
replace your own research into what may or may not work best for you as we
all have different needs in this area that depend on how we use our
computers. Of course, you should always look for second and third opinions
before subjecting your own system as the ultimate testing ground. There are
far too many malware infested executables floating around the internet
disguised as Anti-malware apps that give you what they say they will prevent
(or worse).
Anti-Virus:
Symantec AV Corporate edition
This is nothing like their Norton Anti-Virus product and it does a
fantastic job of identifying and eliminating everything I've ever thrown at
it in my own testing. My primary reason for even looking at such a product
was that I needed more control over what my AV flags than most AV apps
provide. I have a number of networking tools that are often classified as
"Hacktool" by AV scanning engines and I don't care to lose some of my
favorite troubleshooting utilities just because someone else figured out a
way to use them to do harm. Even some of Microsoft's OWN troubleshooting
tools get flagged like this. Symantec AV makes it relatively easy for me to
create examptions for these programs so they are never scanned, and
therefore, never removed.
Real-Time Monitor:
WinPatrol
This is a wonderful app that not only protects me whenever another app tries
to make changes to stuff like my registry, browser, Startup, etc., it also
provides me with a LOT of additional info regarding what's running on my
system at any given time. It places an icon of a dog called Scotty in my
taskbar and he barks when something happens. Then, a box pops up and asks
me if it's something that I want to allow or not. I can tell it to allow or
disallow the procedure once or always, much like how a good firewall works.
Best of all, it's free!
Anti-Adware:
Spybot Search & Destroy
Created and maintained by a man who has consistently dedicated the program
to the love of his life, version 1.5.2 is everything I had hoped it would
be. There is a real-time monitor called Tea-Timer that works very well,
although I don't normally use it since WinPatrol does all of that and more.
If you don't use WinPatrol or another really good stand-alone real-time
monitor, there is no reason for me to not recommend running Tea-Timer full
time. In addition to normal Anti-Adware scanning (which covers more types
of abusive adware than most scanners), SS&D can also be used to immunize
numerous points of entry those pesky varments use to infect your system.
Highly recommended!!! The program is free, but the wonderful man who works
so diligently on keeping it fully updated does accept donations to help him
pay for the site and the bandwidth used by those who download the program.
If you try it and come to reply on it like I do, show him some love if you
have the means. :O)
Firewall:
My firewall of choice continues to be ZoneAlarm, although I am only running
it within my VirtualPC these days. The problem is that there is a conflict
between ZA and Symantec AV Corp that I have been unable to resolve so far.
Luckily, SAVC provides some additional protection against browser threats
like Phishing sites, drive-by malware infestations, etc. and that has
allowed me to replace ZoneAlarm on my main system with the XP's own
Firewall. Yeah, go ahead and laugh, but this combination of security apps
has survived everything I've thrown at it so far.
Registry Cleaner:
Well, I don't trust them, so I don't use them. I may run a scan to get an
idea of where certain things are located, but out of say, 100 'hits', I'll
usually only approve of a small handful to be fixed by the program. The
rest I either ignore or fix manually. Translation: I am my own Registry
Cleaner. lol
There are plenty of other deserving security apps available beyond what
I've already mentioned. There are also plenty of junk and, even worse, FAR
too many impostors that are actually designed to infect you rather than
potect you. So, be wary of anything you've never heard of, ALWAYS look for
second (and even third) opinions from sources you trust and look to find a
balance between the apps you choose that will give you the security you need
without preventing you from being able to do the things you want to do with
your system. :O)
Peace,
Gman
"The only dumb questions are the ones we fail to ask"
----- Original Message -----
From: "Patti or Ken" <patken@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 7:09 PM
Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Re: AVG HELP PLEASE
> Gman....It's scary what you said about AVG....
>
> I have AdAware (registered ) on my main PC with WinXP, also it's on my
> laptop with Vista. (Free, as I can only "own" 1 copy).
> The registered one has Ad Watch which does real time monitoring.
> I also have AVG (free) on both computers.
> I have PC Registry Cleaner (registered) on both computers.
> I run Spy Bot every now and then.
>
> Am I too over- protected!!!!!
>
> I'd appreciate any comments ...( be gentle with me, I am a
> Great-Grandmother
> after all!)
>
> Regards.. Patti
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