is SPYSWEEPER worth paying for or would you Reco another?

[wannabgeek]

Hi i have all the usual freebie spyw/Adaware like; Adawre se,Spybot,Spyblaster,A2,MSantispy,CWShdr & CClnr plus the obvious AV (Norton 2003) and Kerio (Free) but as something got through recently and as i am selling a fair bit of late and need access to my Banks etc i was thinking of getting a couple of paid progs! Someone suggested Weebroots Spysweeper and the paid vers of Adaware. Are they a good idea or would you recomnd something else or maybe a paid Firewall as i only use the free Kerio,but i do have a Router even though its on its defaults (password changed)

[TheAnimus]

How about simply not running as administrator all the time?

[chinny]

I'm with TheAnimus here - you could create a second account for online stuff and only make it a member of users. Firewall wise you're only going to let http through it again anyway so I wouldn't bother coughing up for anything there.

[TheAnimus]

Its so simple, you've no need to run as admin 99% of the time. Why do it? Why waste money on anti-spyware?

[scotty6435]

I've got spysweeper and despite running dodgy programs, P2P etc for 6 months, I haven't had a single item of spyware get into my system (this includes homepage hijacks etc). It's an awesome program and I managed to find a voucher that dropped the price to £12

[Agent]

Hi i have all the usual freebie spyw/Adaware like; Adawre se,Spybot,Spyblaster,A2,MSantispy,CWShdr & CClnr plus the obvious AV (Norton 2003) and Kerio (Free) but as something got through recently....

Perhaps its time to ask yourself why and how its getting through in the first place, as opposed to spending money and not trying to fix the root of the problem.

What browser are you using ?
What sites are you visiting when getting infected ?
Are you downloading files that could come from an untrusted source ? - if so, do you have anti-virus ?

[TheAnimus]

Its not what browser are you using, or what sites your visiting. Its which F--*--*--K--I--N--G user are you running it as!

If your just a "user" rather than a "power user" or and "administrator" you can't install spyware. If your really worried you can use the security perms so that you can't install anything into the run, runonce, and startup keys & directories.

[wannabgeek]

Great response guys!

...The thing that was detected was a net worm installed via Logitech webcam prog and i think i panicked prematurely because soon as i got the alert ebay was having login in problems, big time! Which i thought was related to the worm Touch wood this was the only thing ive had in aprox 1 yr 'Hence the paranoia' ! I do use Firefox but do need IE for updates etc!
As for the Admin thing your on about do i open a new user accnt via control panel?
PS forgive the ignorance

Cheers for the help Peeps

[TheAnimus]

erm your on XP home, so i don't think u can do it the way i would normally (via computer management) if anyone who has any XP home boxes would like to sugest a better way, please feal free.

You have an admin account, for installing stuff (like msn messenger, office etc)

you have a "normal" account for running programs, browsing the net and such.

When your running as ur normal user you can right click on an exe (if its to install a program say) and choose "run as" then you can type the admin credentials and bingo, that program will install. Your making it harder to install things by mistake.

[wannabgeek]

Perhaps i should leave the spysweeper and get a XP pro OS instead

The way you suggest seems like a good idea...so i just make a new limited accnt and transfer my Docs over and use that one and i will not get any Trojans worms etc?

[OmarSantiago]

Switching to XP Pro in itself won't sort out your problems - you're treating sysmptoms rather than the cause. I agree with the good advice given in the previous posts and suggeest you think of security as a layered approach, rather than a single solution. In much the same way you wrap up for winter with different layers of clothes, gloves, hat etc you need to pick and choose good software/hardware/policies to secure your system.

Hardware:

- If you have broadband invest in a decent router/modem with a hardware firewall. This alone will be a 75-80% improvement in your security. Take the time to study firewall rules and learn how they work so you can administer it more efficiently.

Software:

- A decent, regular anti-virus subscription is a must. For personal preference I use Nod32 because it has regular updates, scans inside zip files without having to open them and uses negligable system resources. I'd also recommend Kasperky AV or Sophos. Only use one anti-virus, and keep it regularly updated.

- Supplement this with a software firewall: the Windows XP one will be fine if you already have a hardware firewall, as is Ghostwall (also free). ZoneAlarm is good but too 'noisy' for my liking and a little too prone to sensationalise everything.

- Get used to regularly updating Windows through Windows or Microsoft Update. Twice a month they release patches and fixes that are often beneficial to your system.

- Anti-spyware: I recommend Spyware Doctor from PC Tools as my primary, and use CounterSpy from Sunbelt Software as a backup in case the first one misses anything. Two anti-spyware programmes will work happily on the same system: just make sure they don't both scan or update at startup but alternate so that one day is covered by Spyware Doctor, another is by CounterSpy etc. Microsoft's own antispyware is very good too and being free never hurts.

Policies

As the other have pointed out, don't run in administrator mode unless you have a specific need such as to install software. XP has a good built-in pop-up blocker so use it, don't be tempted to add Google/Yahoo toolbars for these features (and only one toolbar if you must intall one). Get used to using stronger alphanumeric passwords on websites, and pay close attention to which sites seem to bombard you with the most junk. Turn off autocomplete as this will both improve your memory (not too much) and prevent any personal details being unintentionally saved. I could write for hours on this but this is enough to be getting on with. Lastly, don't be afraid to try trial versions of software as you need to work out what's right for you and works best for you. Listen to others and it usually winds up with bitter divides over the usefulness of AVG, ZoneAlarm and wholesale condemnation of Norton followed by someone who actually uses it stepping up to the plate...

[TheAnimus]

There should be no need to switch at all, i didn't mean to imply that, its just i don't know how to use XP home, i'll end up telling you to use tools which aren't there :S sorry!

[wannabgeek]

Sorry for the late reply,Damn Flu
Since the last post i have deleted MSantispy/A2 & as i had too many of those progs running at startup i also deleted Teatimer and brought myself Spysweeper (which comes with a Bonus Webroot Firewall "not sure if i will use that") Also got the free version of Ewido! as for the AV i have got a free years subscrtn with e-trust though i will install that when i format my HD as i've heared Norton is hard to uninstall.

Re Firewall;

If you have broadband invest in a decent router/modem with a hardware firewall. This alone will be a 75-80% improvement in your security. Take the time to study firewall rules and learn how they work so you can administer it more efficiently.

Is there a way i can use a pre set configuration for my Netgear Routers Hardware Firewall because atm its on its default settings ? I have by the way changed the password i just am finding it hard to configure portfowarding and i've tried the portfowarding site but for the life of me cannot get to grips with it!
Happy New Year To You All

[chinny]

Try http://kbserver.netgear.com/products/dg834gv2.asp
and go down to Security -> How is Port Forwarding Configured??

Happy New Year.

[wannabgeek]

Cheers chinny! ATM i am using the UPNP which apart from emule is working OK am i leaving myself open that much?

[chinny]

If you go to http://grc.com and scroll about half-way down theres a tool called ShieldsUP! It'll run a port scan over your IP address and show you if you've got any ports open.
You do need to forward some ports if you're getting a low ID - check out http://www.emule-project.net/home/pe...c&topic_id=122
for the specifics.