Do you run Antivirus/AntiMalware? [modified]
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Came across this featured news story... Experts Only: Time to Ditch the Antivirus?[^] I haven't ever ran AV as a resident process on my home PCs. I never even have them installed. I've always viewed them simply as resource hogs and unnecessary for me. Once in a great while (about twice a year) I will run the free online AV at trendmicro but thats pretty much the extent of it. I very rarely ever become infected with a virus (about one every 5 years). On the other hand, I certainly still recommend it for other people when they ask because I realize that most of the population is ignorant to the way that viruses spread and that is the real security hole when it comes to viruses (education). I've always assumed I was alone in this (not running AV on my machine) since everyone I've ever worked with tells me I'm crazy.. How bout you? Do you run AV?
modified on Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:09 AM
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Came across this featured news story... Experts Only: Time to Ditch the Antivirus?[^] I haven't ever ran AV as a resident process on my home PCs. I never even have them installed. I've always viewed them simply as resource hogs and unnecessary for me. Once in a great while (about twice a year) I will run the free online AV at trendmicro but thats pretty much the extent of it. I very rarely ever become infected with a virus (about one every 5 years). On the other hand, I certainly still recommend it for other people when they ask because I realize that most of the population is ignorant to the way that viruses spread and that is the real security hole when it comes to viruses (education). I've always assumed I was alone in this (not running AV on my machine) since everyone I've ever worked with tells me I'm crazy.. How bout you? Do you run AV?
modified on Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:09 AM
AVG, cos it is free.
------------------------------------ "When Belly Full, Chin Hit Chest" Confucius 502BC
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Came across this featured news story... Experts Only: Time to Ditch the Antivirus?[^] I haven't ever ran AV as a resident process on my home PCs. I never even have them installed. I've always viewed them simply as resource hogs and unnecessary for me. Once in a great while (about twice a year) I will run the free online AV at trendmicro but thats pretty much the extent of it. I very rarely ever become infected with a virus (about one every 5 years). On the other hand, I certainly still recommend it for other people when they ask because I realize that most of the population is ignorant to the way that viruses spread and that is the real security hole when it comes to viruses (education). I've always assumed I was alone in this (not running AV on my machine) since everyone I've ever worked with tells me I'm crazy.. How bout you? Do you run AV?
modified on Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:09 AM
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AVG, cos it is free.
------------------------------------ "When Belly Full, Chin Hit Chest" Confucius 502BC
And quite economical on resources unlike :shudder: Norton anti-virus and lately Avast!
If the post was helpful, please vote, eh! Current activities: Book: Devils by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Project: Hospital Automation, final stage Learning: Image analysis, LINQ Now and forever, defiant to the end. What is Multiple Sclerosis[^]?
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Came across this featured news story... Experts Only: Time to Ditch the Antivirus?[^] I haven't ever ran AV as a resident process on my home PCs. I never even have them installed. I've always viewed them simply as resource hogs and unnecessary for me. Once in a great while (about twice a year) I will run the free online AV at trendmicro but thats pretty much the extent of it. I very rarely ever become infected with a virus (about one every 5 years). On the other hand, I certainly still recommend it for other people when they ask because I realize that most of the population is ignorant to the way that viruses spread and that is the real security hole when it comes to viruses (education). I've always assumed I was alone in this (not running AV on my machine) since everyone I've ever worked with tells me I'm crazy.. How bout you? Do you run AV?
modified on Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:09 AM
Seems a bit dangerous not to, especially since "limited Web browsing, maximum security in the browser, e-mail filtering and other lock-downs on the system" isn't really an option.. I don't get many virii, less than 1 per year, but it feels safer to have AV just in case. edit: I expect that for most people it's the feeling of increased safety, much more than that their AV actually catches nasty virii every day, that makes them run AV.
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Came across this featured news story... Experts Only: Time to Ditch the Antivirus?[^] I haven't ever ran AV as a resident process on my home PCs. I never even have them installed. I've always viewed them simply as resource hogs and unnecessary for me. Once in a great while (about twice a year) I will run the free online AV at trendmicro but thats pretty much the extent of it. I very rarely ever become infected with a virus (about one every 5 years). On the other hand, I certainly still recommend it for other people when they ask because I realize that most of the population is ignorant to the way that viruses spread and that is the real security hole when it comes to viruses (education). I've always assumed I was alone in this (not running AV on my machine) since everyone I've ever worked with tells me I'm crazy.. How bout you? Do you run AV?
modified on Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:09 AM
I do the same thing you do. I think they're overrated *if* you're careful about you're browsing and email habits, and software usage. Clearly that rules out a *lot* of people.
¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF! Personal 3D projects Just Say No to Web 2 Point Blow
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Seems a bit dangerous not to, especially since "limited Web browsing, maximum security in the browser, e-mail filtering and other lock-downs on the system" isn't really an option.. I don't get many virii, less than 1 per year, but it feels safer to have AV just in case. edit: I expect that for most people it's the feeling of increased safety, much more than that their AV actually catches nasty virii every day, that makes them run AV.
harold aptroot wrote:
"limited Web browsing, maximum security in the browser, e-mail filtering and other lock-downs on the system"
It isn't an option for me either...I run with default settings on almost everything I use. Plus I use IE (was IE6 until very recently when I made the switch to IE8) as my primary browser. I venture through some of the darkest depths of the interwebs. The key is that I keep an eye on the systems I use. I always know what each process running on the machine is for and recognise when a new one pops up or when the machine does something abnormal.
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I do the same thing you do. I think they're overrated *if* you're careful about you're browsing and email habits, and software usage. Clearly that rules out a *lot* of people.
¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF! Personal 3D projects Just Say No to Web 2 Point Blow
Jim Crafton wrote:
Clearly that rules out a *lot* of people.
I speak for myself here, but I do my best with respect to preventative measures to make sure that I don't get infected and yet I will install an AV before the drivers (on a clean install). I'd rather be safe than sorry.
If the post was helpful, please vote, eh! Current activities: Book: Devils by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Project: Hospital Automation, final stage Learning: Image analysis, LINQ Now and forever, defiant to the end. What is Multiple Sclerosis[^]?
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Came across this featured news story... Experts Only: Time to Ditch the Antivirus?[^] I haven't ever ran AV as a resident process on my home PCs. I never even have them installed. I've always viewed them simply as resource hogs and unnecessary for me. Once in a great while (about twice a year) I will run the free online AV at trendmicro but thats pretty much the extent of it. I very rarely ever become infected with a virus (about one every 5 years). On the other hand, I certainly still recommend it for other people when they ask because I realize that most of the population is ignorant to the way that viruses spread and that is the real security hole when it comes to viruses (education). I've always assumed I was alone in this (not running AV on my machine) since everyone I've ever worked with tells me I'm crazy.. How bout you? Do you run AV?
modified on Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:09 AM
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AVG, cos it is free.
------------------------------------ "When Belly Full, Chin Hit Chest" Confucius 502BC
I used to recommend AVG for many people until very recently. I had koobface run through a group of my friends online and for those running AVG, it was useless. Even updated, AVG reported that it found it and blocked/removed it. But it didn't. The worst part of this isn't that it wasn't able to remove it but rather that it claimed it did and subsequent scans didn't find it. MalwareBytes did though...along with a whole slew of other things that AVG didn't even detect. AVG is just providing peace of mind via ignorance without actually providing reliable service.
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Came across this featured news story... Experts Only: Time to Ditch the Antivirus?[^] I haven't ever ran AV as a resident process on my home PCs. I never even have them installed. I've always viewed them simply as resource hogs and unnecessary for me. Once in a great while (about twice a year) I will run the free online AV at trendmicro but thats pretty much the extent of it. I very rarely ever become infected with a virus (about one every 5 years). On the other hand, I certainly still recommend it for other people when they ask because I realize that most of the population is ignorant to the way that viruses spread and that is the real security hole when it comes to viruses (education). I've always assumed I was alone in this (not running AV on my machine) since everyone I've ever worked with tells me I'm crazy.. How bout you? Do you run AV?
modified on Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:09 AM
I run AV on all my systems, not because they provide *better* protection, but it watches my back for the single time I may be overlooking. In all my life, I never had a single incident that arose from my action. I pretty much have closed system, No IM, No email attachment unless from reliable source ( I'd deleted multiple email attachments from friends/family without even touching them), safer web browsing. But do I feel like ditching AV completely, why? certainly I don't touch Norton or McAfee, unless it is work computer and that is what they decided to use. For personal use I am sticking with AVG and Avant.
Yusuf May I help you?
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AVG, cos it is free.
------------------------------------ "When Belly Full, Chin Hit Chest" Confucius 502BC
... and better than the junks ;) you know who they are, don't you?
Yusuf May I help you?
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Came across this featured news story... Experts Only: Time to Ditch the Antivirus?[^] I haven't ever ran AV as a resident process on my home PCs. I never even have them installed. I've always viewed them simply as resource hogs and unnecessary for me. Once in a great while (about twice a year) I will run the free online AV at trendmicro but thats pretty much the extent of it. I very rarely ever become infected with a virus (about one every 5 years). On the other hand, I certainly still recommend it for other people when they ask because I realize that most of the population is ignorant to the way that viruses spread and that is the real security hole when it comes to viruses (education). I've always assumed I was alone in this (not running AV on my machine) since everyone I've ever worked with tells me I'm crazy.. How bout you? Do you run AV?
modified on Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:09 AM
Naw, i don't bother either. I've had machines infected by worms before, when AV software was installed and did nothing; meanwhile, i've gone years on machines that i'm careful about quickly installing patches on, avoiding dodgy websites, emails, Internet Explorer, etc... And no problems.
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Came across this featured news story... Experts Only: Time to Ditch the Antivirus?[^] I haven't ever ran AV as a resident process on my home PCs. I never even have them installed. I've always viewed them simply as resource hogs and unnecessary for me. Once in a great while (about twice a year) I will run the free online AV at trendmicro but thats pretty much the extent of it. I very rarely ever become infected with a virus (about one every 5 years). On the other hand, I certainly still recommend it for other people when they ask because I realize that most of the population is ignorant to the way that viruses spread and that is the real security hole when it comes to viruses (education). I've always assumed I was alone in this (not running AV on my machine) since everyone I've ever worked with tells me I'm crazy.. How bout you? Do you run AV?
modified on Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:09 AM
I'm like you. I never have a virus checker on my home PC if I am the only one who will be using it. I do noscript[^] to block javascript on any site I visit unless I whitelist them. Like you I do occasional download something an run a full system scan just to check, but I've never had a virus yet. For other people I always install something for them, I usually recommend one of the free ones like avira or avg.
Simon
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Came across this featured news story... Experts Only: Time to Ditch the Antivirus?[^] I haven't ever ran AV as a resident process on my home PCs. I never even have them installed. I've always viewed them simply as resource hogs and unnecessary for me. Once in a great while (about twice a year) I will run the free online AV at trendmicro but thats pretty much the extent of it. I very rarely ever become infected with a virus (about one every 5 years). On the other hand, I certainly still recommend it for other people when they ask because I realize that most of the population is ignorant to the way that viruses spread and that is the real security hole when it comes to viruses (education). I've always assumed I was alone in this (not running AV on my machine) since everyone I've ever worked with tells me I'm crazy.. How bout you? Do you run AV?
modified on Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:09 AM
No, I don't run one. I'm the only one on my machines and haven't been infrected by a virus since 1991, and that time, I did it intentionally. Anyone remember Michelangelo?? Like you, I just run one of the free ones every now and then, and always come up with the same results - nothing found.
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Dave Kreskowiak Microsoft MVP Visual Developer - Visual Basic
2006, 2007, 2008 -
Came across this featured news story... Experts Only: Time to Ditch the Antivirus?[^] I haven't ever ran AV as a resident process on my home PCs. I never even have them installed. I've always viewed them simply as resource hogs and unnecessary for me. Once in a great while (about twice a year) I will run the free online AV at trendmicro but thats pretty much the extent of it. I very rarely ever become infected with a virus (about one every 5 years). On the other hand, I certainly still recommend it for other people when they ask because I realize that most of the population is ignorant to the way that viruses spread and that is the real security hole when it comes to viruses (education). I've always assumed I was alone in this (not running AV on my machine) since everyone I've ever worked with tells me I'm crazy.. How bout you? Do you run AV?
modified on Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:09 AM
No. I agree, the main problem is user ignorance. Unless somebody did a DNS redirect, then the risk of me getting a virus is tiny. I only use a small portion of the Internet. Common sense is far more effective than an AV in most cases
Between the idea And the reality Between the motion And the act Falls the Shadow
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Came across this featured news story... Experts Only: Time to Ditch the Antivirus?[^] I haven't ever ran AV as a resident process on my home PCs. I never even have them installed. I've always viewed them simply as resource hogs and unnecessary for me. Once in a great while (about twice a year) I will run the free online AV at trendmicro but thats pretty much the extent of it. I very rarely ever become infected with a virus (about one every 5 years). On the other hand, I certainly still recommend it for other people when they ask because I realize that most of the population is ignorant to the way that viruses spread and that is the real security hole when it comes to viruses (education). I've always assumed I was alone in this (not running AV on my machine) since everyone I've ever worked with tells me I'm crazy.. How bout you? Do you run AV?
modified on Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:09 AM
I don't run AV and haven't for a very long time. I got one virus about five years back when an official Disney or Pokemon site got hijacked. The virus was benign and I since learned that McAfee (the program I'd been using) wouldn't have caught it anyway. (My son inadvertently downloaded adware twice, but after being educated, that ended.) What really persuaded me to stop wasting my money was when the logs for various programs never showed they did anything and then my install of Antivir (or Avast) got in a loop where every day it updated itself and then kept popping up notifications that it needed to be updated, please reboot. (It was far, far more annoying than any virus or spyware I'd ever seen.) I pulled Antivir off one system and AVG off the other; both became more stable as a result (seriously; even my family noticed--one day my wife asked me what I'd done to our slow computer because it ran faster, didn't crash anymore.)
Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
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Came across this featured news story... Experts Only: Time to Ditch the Antivirus?[^] I haven't ever ran AV as a resident process on my home PCs. I never even have them installed. I've always viewed them simply as resource hogs and unnecessary for me. Once in a great while (about twice a year) I will run the free online AV at trendmicro but thats pretty much the extent of it. I very rarely ever become infected with a virus (about one every 5 years). On the other hand, I certainly still recommend it for other people when they ask because I realize that most of the population is ignorant to the way that viruses spread and that is the real security hole when it comes to viruses (education). I've always assumed I was alone in this (not running AV on my machine) since everyone I've ever worked with tells me I'm crazy.. How bout you? Do you run AV?
modified on Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:09 AM
I have a couple of things to say about this article and some of the statements made by people here: About The Article I found it very interesting that while the author repeatedly states these "experts" use other tools/procedures, in place of AV and personal firewalls, not once are those procedures and tools mentioned. If they are so great, then share this wealth of knowledge. "Yes", I'm sure I can come up with plenty of things on my own, as all of you can/could, but if you're going to write about not using AV software, and state how the experts use other means/tools, then talk about those means/tools, otherwise shut the hell up, because you're not providing information that is useful what-so-ever. Seriously what useful information did that article provide you all? The only thing I took away from it was "Security Experts that say use AV, don't use it themselves, so there". About What Some of You have Stated "I don't run AV software or personal firewalls, and never have, and I've never been infected" - I love this statement. So ... how exactly do you know you're machine is not infected with a Root Kit or a Trojan if you're not running AV software? Yea, maybe if you have a good firewall, and you've blocked all outgoing ports, and you continuously check logs, you might be able to make that statement; assuming your firewall hasn't also been hacked, or the hacks aren't using common ports ... like port 80. Or piggy backing off another valid process, in which case, even looking at your log files won't hint that something is wrong. There are many Trojans/Virus out there today that are so complex, if you weren't running AV or Malware software, there's not a chance in hell you'd know you're machine was infected. You might like to fool yourself into believing as such, but you are doing just that, fooling yourself. Yes I know AV software doesn't catch everything; many "zero day" attacks get through, but your chances of getting a Trojan/virus are far greater by not running AV software. Think of it this way: The Internet is like a Call Girl, everyone gets their turn. You don't know where everyone's been. You're going to use the internet ... now ... don't you think you should be wearing a condom????? Yes you can still get HIV even when wearing one, but your chances are GREATLY reduced if you do. My computers don't just wear one, they have three ... (see below) As for myself I have a H/W firewall, I use AV software and I have a personal firewall on my home machi
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I have a couple of things to say about this article and some of the statements made by people here: About The Article I found it very interesting that while the author repeatedly states these "experts" use other tools/procedures, in place of AV and personal firewalls, not once are those procedures and tools mentioned. If they are so great, then share this wealth of knowledge. "Yes", I'm sure I can come up with plenty of things on my own, as all of you can/could, but if you're going to write about not using AV software, and state how the experts use other means/tools, then talk about those means/tools, otherwise shut the hell up, because you're not providing information that is useful what-so-ever. Seriously what useful information did that article provide you all? The only thing I took away from it was "Security Experts that say use AV, don't use it themselves, so there". About What Some of You have Stated "I don't run AV software or personal firewalls, and never have, and I've never been infected" - I love this statement. So ... how exactly do you know you're machine is not infected with a Root Kit or a Trojan if you're not running AV software? Yea, maybe if you have a good firewall, and you've blocked all outgoing ports, and you continuously check logs, you might be able to make that statement; assuming your firewall hasn't also been hacked, or the hacks aren't using common ports ... like port 80. Or piggy backing off another valid process, in which case, even looking at your log files won't hint that something is wrong. There are many Trojans/Virus out there today that are so complex, if you weren't running AV or Malware software, there's not a chance in hell you'd know you're machine was infected. You might like to fool yourself into believing as such, but you are doing just that, fooling yourself. Yes I know AV software doesn't catch everything; many "zero day" attacks get through, but your chances of getting a Trojan/virus are far greater by not running AV software. Think of it this way: The Internet is like a Call Girl, everyone gets their turn. You don't know where everyone's been. You're going to use the internet ... now ... don't you think you should be wearing a condom????? Yes you can still get HIV even when wearing one, but your chances are GREATLY reduced if you do. My computers don't just wear one, they have three ... (see below) As for myself I have a H/W firewall, I use AV software and I have a personal firewall on my home machi
Douglas Troy wrote:
There are many Trojans/Virus out there today that are so complex, if you weren't running AV or Malware software, there's not a chance in hell you'd know you're machine was infected. You might like to fool yourself into believing as such, but you are doing just that, fooling yourself.
There are plenty of Worms / Malware out there today that are so complex, that if you were running AV or Malware software, you might still be infected and not know it. You might like to tell yourself otherwise, but...
Douglas Troy wrote:
Yes I know AV software doesn't catch everything; many "zero day" attacks get through, but your chances of getting a Trojan/virus are far greater by not running AV software.
Citation needed...
Douglas Troy wrote:
Think of it this way: The Internet is like a Call Girl, everyone gets their turn. You don't know where everyone's been. You're going to use the internet ... now ... don't you think you should be wearing a condom????? Yes you can still get HIV even when wearing one, but your chances are GREATLY reduced if you do.
Because, AFAIK, no one's out there dedicating their time and effort to designing and propagating a condom-busting strain of HIV...
Douglas Troy wrote:
And I can state, with limited confidence, that to the best of my knowledge, my machines are clean, because they wear protection and get checked on a regular basis.
And my limited confidence is based on periodic examination of firewall logs, process lists, and careful attention to the time needed for various operations to complete... Again, the only known infection i've had in recent memory was on a machine with company-mandated AV software installed, a worm that exploited a bug in SQL Server and silently installed itself over a weekend, and only identified by the network guy who saw the machine suddenly start generating attacks against other machines and responded by physically killing the power. But if AV lets you sleep easy at night, then by all means use it! Everyone needs something to believe in...
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I have a couple of things to say about this article and some of the statements made by people here: About The Article I found it very interesting that while the author repeatedly states these "experts" use other tools/procedures, in place of AV and personal firewalls, not once are those procedures and tools mentioned. If they are so great, then share this wealth of knowledge. "Yes", I'm sure I can come up with plenty of things on my own, as all of you can/could, but if you're going to write about not using AV software, and state how the experts use other means/tools, then talk about those means/tools, otherwise shut the hell up, because you're not providing information that is useful what-so-ever. Seriously what useful information did that article provide you all? The only thing I took away from it was "Security Experts that say use AV, don't use it themselves, so there". About What Some of You have Stated "I don't run AV software or personal firewalls, and never have, and I've never been infected" - I love this statement. So ... how exactly do you know you're machine is not infected with a Root Kit or a Trojan if you're not running AV software? Yea, maybe if you have a good firewall, and you've blocked all outgoing ports, and you continuously check logs, you might be able to make that statement; assuming your firewall hasn't also been hacked, or the hacks aren't using common ports ... like port 80. Or piggy backing off another valid process, in which case, even looking at your log files won't hint that something is wrong. There are many Trojans/Virus out there today that are so complex, if you weren't running AV or Malware software, there's not a chance in hell you'd know you're machine was infected. You might like to fool yourself into believing as such, but you are doing just that, fooling yourself. Yes I know AV software doesn't catch everything; many "zero day" attacks get through, but your chances of getting a Trojan/virus are far greater by not running AV software. Think of it this way: The Internet is like a Call Girl, everyone gets their turn. You don't know where everyone's been. You're going to use the internet ... now ... don't you think you should be wearing a condom????? Yes you can still get HIV even when wearing one, but your chances are GREATLY reduced if you do. My computers don't just wear one, they have three ... (see below) As for myself I have a H/W firewall, I use AV software and I have a personal firewall on my home machi
Douglas Troy wrote:
how exactly do you know you're machine is not infected
As most of us said...we do check once in a while...and never find anything. Sure there are viruses/malware out there that are sophisticated enough to bypass scanners...but those are the ones that you are gonna get hit by even when you are running AV/AM.
Douglas Troy wrote
You might like to fool yourself into believing as such, but you are doing just that, fooling yourself.
For me personally...there is no fooling going on here. I keep track of what my machine is doing and I know when it has something wierd going on...web browser not comming up instantly?...programs taking longer than normal to load?...CPU/Memory usage higher than normal?...more than normal number of processes running?...CPU temp higher than normal?...Hard drive grinding at unusual times?...I check it out. If something can go undetected by myself for ~6mo on one of my machines until I do my next scan (or longer if the scan doesn't detect it) then I really don't have a problem with it. It isn't hindering my computing experience, it isn't using an excessive amount of my network. It isn't sending unwanted emails to my non-existant addressbook that isn't kept on my PC. That makes it better software than 100% of the AV on the market today and 99% of all other software as well. Kudos to the author.