What AntiVirus

masterwriter

Trial of norton 360 ends in a week. Suggestion for AV replacement appreciated. Is AVG really as good as they say. Not sure of trust new PC to free AV. If I keep the Norton can I pay with Laser?

kleefarr

AVG Free and Zone Alarm free. Sorted.

Ruu_Old

Don't waste your money with paying for Norton, if you want to pay for an anti-virus package then make it Kaspersky. AVG free edition and Comodo Firewall Pro (free) should be sufficient though.

mukki

heres what i would do if i was at your pc now

run the norton removal tool,
make sure your xp firewall is on
install all windows updates
make sure ie7's phising filter is on
install avg and update it

and finally never search for free pron, mp3s or crackz

Shane O' Malley

My vote goes for Kaspersky too and the online prices are great.

Jfla

NOD32, its a bit expensive. But there is no comparrison. It catches everything and uses very little system resources. Unlike norton

Sherifu

Never had any problems with AVG

Creamy Goodness

i'd read aidan_walsh's sig.

aidan_walsh

Cremo wrote: »

i'd read aidan_walsh's sig.

Which would be at the bottom of this post

Also, take a look over at the Virus and Malware Removal forum. And the pimpage is over for another day.

Conar

I've used Avast for years.
Also worth a look.

kaimera

+1 for nod32

Hal1

Kaspersky ftw, edit OP put a poll up.

Ruu_Old

There is 30% off select Kaspersky products right now also. Also Use the code WHSMITH to get 50% off the discounted price at the checkout. This offer is valid till 4th February. Link to store.

TheNog

I just bought the BitDefender Total Security 2008 and am having some problems with it. Although I haven't really had the time to mess around with it,it seems to require more attention and action than both my kids put together!!!!!!!

Black Swan

Ruu wrote: »

Don't waste your money with paying for Norton, if you want to pay for an anti-virus package then make it Kaspersky.

Amend Brother Ruu! I run Kaspersky Internet Security suite version 7.0 without problems, and would not go back to Norton.

ActorSeeksJob

There really needs to be a sticky for questions like this

aidan_walsh

ActorSeeksJob wrote: »

There really needs to be a sticky for questions like this

There will be. I'm in the process of working on one, but finding it a bit tough finding the time to put together a proper article.

vbboardie

AVG best by a mile

zilog_jones

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/labs/155/antivirus-software/products.html

Interesting review of several free and non-free anti-virus programs. Been using AVG for ages but just got some stupid virus through MSN Messenger that it didn't notice at all

ActorSeeksJob

That link is ridiculous

Eset gets 2 and Avast gets 3

They are easily up there with AVG and AntiVir, if not higher

Always fun to read these stupid rating systems.


Security programs can only do so much, if you accept and run one of the worst viruses out there, they will have no chance.

zilog_jones

ActorSeeksJob wrote: »

They are easily up there with AVG and AntiVir, if not higher

Always fun to read these stupid rating systems.

Got anything to back up that claim?

Also: http://www.av-comparatives.org/
Though it doesn't seem to include the free versions, I can't see the premium versions of AVG and Avira AntiVir being significantly better at standard virus detection - AFAIK they just add extra functionality and malware protection.

ActorSeeksJob

Just my own experience and the opinions of anybody who knows anything about anti-virus programs.

Capt'n Midnight

mukki wrote: »

heres what i would do if i was at your pc now

run the norton removal tool,
make sure your xp firewall is on

If the PC wasn't behind a hardware firewall what I'd do is to download the new firewall first.
disconnect from the internet wifi off or unplug cable
THEN remove Norton and reboot
then install new firewall before reconnecting to the web

zilog_jones

ActorSeeksJob wrote: »

Just my own experience and the opinions of anybody who knows anything about anti-virus programs.

Well people who've done actual tests are giving the impression that NOD32 and Avast have gone downhill in recent months.

My friend with Kaspersky got that same virus through MSN (WORM_SDBOT.CLZ or something similar) and it detected it straight away. It probably is worth the money, as opposed to junk like Norton and McAfee.

kaimera

http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

ActorSeeksJob

Pretty much proves my point when they include an "anti-virus" program called WinAntiVirus that is actually malware.

zilog_jones

I don't know where you're seeing that...

ActorSeeksJob

BitDefender
Kaspersky
ESET Nod32
#4 Trend Micro (PC-Cillin)
#5 F-Secure Anti-Virus
#6 McAfee VirusScan
#7 Norton AntiVirus
#8 AVG Anti-Virus Pro
#9 CA Antivirus
#10 Norman Virus Control
#11 AntiVirusKit
#12 AVAST!
#13 Panda Titanium
#14 F-Prot
#15 PC Tools AntiVirus
#16 ViRobot
#17 WinAntiVirus
N/A CyberScrub AntiVirus
N/A The Shield Antivirus
N/A Windows OneCare Live


Also this is laughable

#6 McAfee VirusScan
#7 Norton AntiVirus


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WinFixer

So I have to wonder about these so called reviews

zilog_jones

Well I don't know if I could trust that place - never heard of it before.

But PC Pro (my first link) is a pretty highly regarded (and real) magazine. I've spent money on several things based on their reviews (cameras, PC hardware etc.) and they haven't let me down yet.

ActorSeeksJob

As they say

One man's dirt is another man's treasure

zilog_jones

Whatever. If you want to ignore a lot of evidence suggesting NOD32 and Avast ain't what they used to be, go ahead. :rolleyes:

ActorSeeksJob

Likewise

Anyway, each to their own, doesn't hurt to discuss stuff like this. I am sure McAfee and Norton are great for some people, and Avast and Nod are for others.

numbnuts

http://www.counterspynews.com/?issue=54

Operations: What You Need to Know

This Week's Top 10 Spyware Threats

I cannot express my disgust enough regarding rogue security programs. Of all the despicable malware activities this one just totally angers me more than any other. Taking advantage of someone's trust in this fashion should be reason enough to be sent to the nether regions without probation. In this issue we take a look at number 8 in our malware hit parade - WinAntiVirus Pro.

As you know Rogue Security Programs say they are going to scan and detect malware or other problems on your computer, but then they dupe or badger users into purchasing the program by presenting the user with intrusive, deceptive warnings and/or false, misleading scan results. Rogue Security Programs use aggressive, deceptive advertising and may be installed without adequate notice and consent, often through exploits. Such is the case with our dubious friends at WinAntiVirus Pro. They look like a legit contender but don't be fooled. It may make unwanted changes to your system, such as reconfiguring your browser's homepage and search settings plus install a advertising-related add-ons, including toolbars and search bars, or insert advertising-related components into the Winsock Layered Service Provider chain. These new add-ons and components may block or redirect your preferred network connections, and can negatively impact your computer's performance and stability. Unfortunately, risks like this may also collect, transmit, and share potentially sensitive data without adequate notice and consent.



1. Trojan.FakeAlert: Trojan
2. Trojan-Downloader.Zlob.Media-Codec: Trojan Downloader
3. Virtumonde: Adware (General)
4. ClickSpring.PuritySCAN: Adware (General)
5. WhenU.Save: Adware (General)
6. Hotbar: Toolbar
7. Trojan.NewMediaCodec: Trojan Downloader
8. WinAntiVirus Pro: Rogue Security Program < Highlighted by me >
9. Trojan.Unclassified.gen: Trojan
10. Zenotecnico: Adware (General)

Stay on top of all the real-time threats at our research center: http://research.sunbelt-software.com/



numbnuts..:)

ActorSeeksJob

I find this amusing on the CounterSpy site

Still Use 'Free' AntiSpyware? You Get What You Pay For!

Considering that AVG anti-spyware, SUPERAntiSpyware, Dr. Web Cureit are all far superior and free. Wouldn't use CounterSpy even if it was free.

numbnuts

ActorSeeksJob wrote: »

I find this amusing on the CounterSpy site
Considering that AVG anti-spyware, SUPERAntiSpyware, Dr. Web Cureit are all far superior and free. Wouldn't use CounterSpy even if it was free.

In no way am I trying to push Sunbelts Software in fact I don’t use it, but what I do is keep an eye on there Site/Blog as to what the latest threats are ..
Not many vendors give you as musch info as they do …

http://sunbeltblog.blogspot.com/

Legitimate security companies advertised through malware
We’ve seen a number of examples lately of legitimate security companies being advertised through malware.
http://www.vimeo.com/677396

numbnuts..:(

Design_Dude

Ive tried most of them and the problem with a lot of them is they take up a lot of ram/cpu usage. The best ive found is Avast Antivirus. Completely free, and is as secure as any of them

Jimbo

I got Kaspersky recently but it's made my computer dog-slow.
I have it on pause protection at the moment, seems like a waste

Design_Dude

Also, Spybot search and destro is brilliant for spyware removal and its free.

Capt'n Midnight

Design_Dude wrote:

Also, Spybot search and destro is brilliant for spyware removal and its free.

don't forget to add spywareblaster to it too

the tea time/resident can be annoying when it's doing it's job sometimes I wish it had a snooze button

turnsoutIwas

Weird one this: since installing Kaspersky on her laptop my gf is no longer allowed on the Trinity wifi network. It is fully legal and updated. Apparently they dont recognise it as good enough and recommended mcafee. What is that about?

flyswatter

Eset NOD32 is fantastic. I used free AVG before and it is vulnerable without an anti-spyware with it.

foggy_lad

was using McAfee security centre but it was making my pc miserably slow and windows would stop working whenever McAfee searched for updates or did a scan. total waste of money imo and was a b**ch getting it off my pc i had to clean install to remove all traces of McAfee

-annex-

+1 for NOD32. I've yet to find anything that can do the job better.

brettmirl

+1 for NOD32. We use this at work and it's rock solid.

Not obtrusive like some other programmes and low on resources too.

flyswatter

mick_irl wrote: »

+1 for NOD32. We use this at work and it's rock solid.

Not obtrusive like some other programmes and low on resources too.

Couldn't have said it any better myself. In comparison to another antivirus I've actually heard someone say that Norton was blocking them downloading stuff. Like WTF! I think a lot of people go for Norton simply because it's a big name without knowing that kind of stuff about it.

Mr Mojo

Avast! FTW

spfletch

Shane O' Malley wrote: »

My vote goes for Kaspersky too and the online prices are great.

Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 is great. U students out there dont forget software4students.ie. Kaspersky is on special at the moment.