Is anti virus software worth it?

[ives]

I'm just wondering because I've heard from people that do run antivirus software that there software only seems to protect them from known viruses. It seems that when a new virus comes out, the anti virus software doesn't recognize it.

I've never used anti virus software and have only ever got one worm, and that was about 4 years ago.

I just take simple precautions, like never opening emails from people I don't know that have attachments in them and updating windows security fixes and running a fire wall.

I just wondered what other people think on this topic?

cheers
ives

[floppybootstomp]

I'm running Nortons AV 2004 & PC-Cillin on different machines. Both have caught viruses.

I'd favour PC-Cillin out of the two, mostly cos it's cheaper.

However, you can get a free AV program from Grisoft, AVG, that works well (do a Google, I don't have the link handy).

When my current subscriptions to the aforementioned programs expire, I'll be going with AVG.

I don't, atm, have a firewall, I just use a Belkin hub/switch and don't have a software firewall installed, so AV software is pretty much a must for me.

[directhex]

the people who get viruses despite AV software get them because they never update said AV software. i spent time with a client's syetm where they'd been paying for AV subscriptions for 2 years but never clicked the "update" button...

[HarryOatcake]

I have always used Grisoft Avg the freeware version, it provides regular updates, also Zonelabs Firewall freeware version both highly recomended.

No probs. as yet.
Just don't be like Pandora, and open the box if you don't know whats in it.

[HarryOatcake]

Ives,

How can you expect to mend something if at that moment in time its not broken. ?

A bit like writing a letter to reply to one you have not recieved.

[Dave_07]

AV subscriptions.... ? ?
Do you have to pay like a monthly fee to use norton or others like it ? What if it's just Norton Internet Security (2004) ?
I didn't know this lol.

Dave.

[ives]

Originally posted by HarryOatcake
Ives,

How can you expect to mend something if at that moment in time its not broken. ?

A bit like writing a letter to reply to one you have not recieved.

Not quite sure what your point is.

[Nox]

its more like a yearly fee Dave from what I remember. i'm using some free prog from work now as thats even cheaper

Nox

[kaillum]

never used to use AV meself.. 'til the outbreak of blaster... then started using Grisoft AVG Free on the recomendation of josh.. and the impact on your system is minimal if any.. never go anywhere without it now!

i'm a convert to the world of AV!!!

[nichomach]

http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php

We use Symantec at work, and AV IS a must - there are enough mass-mailer trojans that have their own SMTP engine and suchlike that you won't necessarily know if your machine's a plague rat, it's just everyone else that'll get hit by your machine. That's the thing; a virus may be symptomless on your machine, but hit everyone else FROM your machine. Given that you can have adequate protection for free if you're a home user, there's no excuse. I look on it like the MMR thing - it's not just a question of protecting yourself, it's a question of not harming other people as well.

[Moby-Dick]

As malware gets more advanced, it develops ways of spreading that dont use email ( such as the blaster worm , and SQL-Slammer) Its true that the most vulnerable moments for an AV system is between virus outbreak and definition rollout, but good Av vendors have reduced this time quite considerably.

Av software alse has heuristic detection which is designed to find a virus that it doesn't have a definition for. Its not brilliant , but its better than nothing.

[Dave_07]

How dose that blaster worm and such like, get in ?

Dave.

[nichomach]

Blaster's an odd duck; it directly attacks the Remote Procedure Call service on (unpatched - use Windows Update FFS) PCs exploiting a vulnerability in the service. It doesn't come via email and you'll only know you've got it when your machine starts shutting down when you try to launch, say, IE. Having compromised one machine, it then uses that machine to attack others.

[Flibb]

Yep my parents had blaster, bloody annoying. No email attachments just twigged it when the PC started shutting down. Installed zonealarm and avast antivirus whicj I prefer to AVG as it seems to be better with worms and trojans. Avast
http://www.avast.com/
has totally automated updating, its free and you dont need to touch it once its up and running.
Flib

[joshwa]

Originally posted by directhex
the people who get viruses despite AV software get them because they never update said AV software. i spent time with a client's syetm where they'd been paying for AV subscriptions for 2 years but never clicked the "update" button...

agree.

if you don't use a/v software - how are you supposed to know whether your machine is infected or not? and if it is infected, you could be infecting other people. using a pc without a/v software is like not wearing a condom except your computer uses the internet everyday, and can send hundreds of emails a day! (an hour etc!!) it's simply very irresponsible and causes people like me (who work in IT) a major hassle everytime there's a virus outbreak coz people don't think a/v software is important.

everybody who uses a pc should do the following:

1. get free a/v software www.grisoft.com AND update it REGULARLY
2. keep windows uptodate http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
3. install a personal firewall (free) eg Zonealarm ESPECIALLY if you have a permanant internet connection (eg broadband!)

[Dave_07]

Yeah thats something I don't like about broadband, it's "always-on" nature. So when I get BB, one simple thing you can do is, just unplug the connection (from the wall) after use, easy

Also I've never used the address book feature in outlook, in fact I deleted the folder where they are keep ages ago (tho I think it came back), and I don't allow outlook to remember any e-mail address sent/received/deleted etc. Yet another simple step you can take aswell to help prevent infecting others

Those are very good suggestions josh, but with bb beating a path to my comp, ill have to decide what the "protection setup" eg firewall, av, spybusters etc is gonna be for my system. However I think deciding this has become more complicated than trying to understand that blasted small print on credit card flyers..

You've got the all in one option, someting like norton net security which has av and firewall all bundled in it, But it costs, not only for the original purchase but for idiotic subsciption fees aswell, also it's apparantly "bloatware" which is the iceing on the cake.

Then you've got your mixed setup, eg you might have ZA as your firewall then avg as the antivirus prog. Then a diff popup buster then a diff spyware buster, then a diff e-mail spam busting prog.... It just gose on and on, so you end up spending all your time just updateing all this stuff, and trying to deal with all the conflicts between each progy.
As you can see trying to decide how to protect yourself on the net nowerdays is extreemly complicated & fustrating.
You in-effect just end up going with the lesser of the evil's, so to speack. That is that im not knocking any of the above mentioned software in their abillatiy to protect you, nore am I knocking all the choice available. A variety of different programs to chose from is good.

And finaly when is a good time to "turn on" (eg have it running in the background) your firewall, as it seems that most websites won't even run properly when a fw is employed, you can't play online with a fw on, can't even really download stuff without some box poping up and cutting up the download when a fw is on, can't insatll anything with one on.. again it just goes on and on, lol Your either just switching the fw on and off all the time, or you can just sit there at the comp, on the net, doing nothing, not even viewing any web pages, just there.. stearing at the screen. I exaggerate it like this because it seems like the above mentioned silly situation is the only instance where a fw will work without probs, and not cause probs.

Sorry if this has become abit of a rant, didn't mean it to, I just feel that we are becoming abit like slaves to our machines, instead of it being the other way around.

Still tho.. Always look on the bright side of life eh..

Cheers Dave.