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What antivirus/antimalware do you use?

Princess AlicePrincess Alice
in General
Because I'm curious.

I run the free versions of Avast! and MalwareBytes, and after seeing rogueamp2's review of it, I've started experimenting with herdProtect too--it's worth checking out, but be warned that it generates a lot of false positives.

Comments

  • CrystalCrystal
    edited 2015-06-03 22:24:23
    Munch munch, chomp chomp...
    The video in question.
  • Yarrun XIXYarrun XIX
    Whores! we want "poems that kill."
    Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
    guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
    and take their weapons leaving them dead
    My sword is the only protection i need
  • Imipolex GImipolex G
    Touch the cow. Do it now.
    None, for I live dangerously
  • Princess AlicePrincess Alice
    You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    Running without antivirus on Windows can be done safely, but I seriously wouldn't recommend it, unless you never pirate anything and you use a zillion JavaScript- and cookie-blocking browser extensions.
  • Imipolex GImipolex G
    Touch the cow. Do it now.
    I ain't no pirate
  • glennmagusharveyglennmagusharvey
    What about Windows Security Essentials or Windows Defender?
  • KlinotaxisKlinotaxis
    kill living beings
    Central Avenue said:

    Running without antivirus on Windows can be done safely, but I seriously wouldn't recommend it

  • glennmagusharveyglennmagusharvey
    I've certainly seen people recommending WSE as an alternative to 3rd-party antivirus programs like Avast or AVG, so that's why I asked.
  • Princess AlicePrincess Alice
    You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    I've heard good things about MSE, and Windows Defender from 8 onwards is basically MSE with a different name, so...
  • Princess AlicePrincess Alice
    You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    In a case of typical Microsoft confusing branding, Windows Defender in XP/7/Vista is a completely different product than the MSE-based Windows Defender in 8/8.1/10. Why do they play these branding games? :|
  • glennmagusharveyglennmagusharvey
    Isn't Windows Defender in 7 basically just the firewall?
  • thenamelesssamuraithenamelesssamurai

    I have the free version of Avast, but I also use Microsoft Security Essentials and Microsoft Security scanner as backups in case Avast doesn't catch something. I also use MalwareBytes occasionally and adwcleaner for getting rid of broswer hijacking stuff.
  • Salix BabylonikaSalix Babylonika
    https://i.imgur.com/7Iil2JW.png
    Malwarebytes.

    I actually managed to run for a while without anything without incurring any permanent damage on my computer, which is cool but don't follow my example
  • Yarrun XIXYarrun XIX
    Whores! we want "poems that kill."
    Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
    guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
    and take their weapons leaving them dead
    malwarebytes and mse, truthfully

    they are basically a sword anyways
  • glennmagusharveyglennmagusharvey
    I've used Avast and AVG in the past, and HijackThis! to help with cleanup.

    I should try out MalwareBytes sometime.
  • VriskaVriska
    8luh 8luh.
    I also use Malware8ytes and Avast.
  • Princess AlicePrincess Alice
    You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    A few weeks later I'm finding that herdProtect is useful but turns up enough false positives that I can't recommend it unless you're enough of a "computer person" to be able to recognize that certain files it detects are benign.
  • Princess AlicePrincess Alice
    You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    Avast started annoying me enough that I uninstalled it and just switched to Windows Defender, the antivirus software built-in to Windows 8 and 10.

    I started using Avast back around 2007-08 when it was the only really good free option for antivirus software, but now Microsoft Security Essentials or Windows Defender seem good enough. Honestly a good adblocker probably does more to prevent malware than any of this software does anyways.
  • BeeBee
    Panda, Spybot, and MalwareBytes.

    Windows Defender is probably good enough by now to not need a 3rd party, but it's also a tremendous security risk because it automatically sends identified files to Microsoft without your consent or ability to prevent.  Given the number of false-positives on locally-built executables...well.  Also fuck-you ideas of privacy.
  • Princess AlicePrincess Alice
    You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    So turning off the "Automatially send samples to Microsoft" option doesn't actually do anything?
  • BeeBee
    It reduces the amount of data, but what gets sent can still contain sensitive information.

    Windows 10 just says fuck you entirely and will basically just send whatever it feels like.  Sometimes up to and including memory snapshots that may contain sensitive documents etc.
  • Princess AlicePrincess Alice
    You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    Now I just find myself wondering if any of the free security software is actually any better.

    Malwarebytes seems trustworthy enough, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to lean Avast or AVG are collecting data from their users' computers to sell to advertisers.
  • Obā-sanObā-san
    edited 2016-02-22 23:19:40

    i feel bad for whoever at microsoft has to look at all my furry porn
  • Princess AlicePrincess Alice
    You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    Is it weird that government surveillance bothers me more than private corporations collecting data about me?

    I dunno, I generally just figure that data collected by for-profit businesses will be sold to advertisers, and that doesn't really bother me the way it seems to bother some people.
  • Obā-sanObā-san

    same

    i mean, security concerns aside, i dont really care about the stuff i have being used to target advertising at me, because it means that whenever i see ads (not often), i see shit that i might actually care about

    whereas the government?
  • Obā-sanObā-san

    Today is Tomorrow said:

    security concerns aside
    im not saying this is a small thing mind you, it's pretty substantial

    but given a hypothetical choice between the two, where they both have that issue

    hell, im willing to go so far as to bet that microsoft would be better at protecting the data they've collected on me than the government
  • Princess AlicePrincess Alice
    You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    Microsoft can be pretty competent at data security when they want to be, it seems. Most tech corporations can.

    ...

    You know how Microsoft has those license terms that manufacturers have to accept to preinstall Windows on PCs? Like how they mandated that Windows 8 PCs have UEFI?

    I'd like to see Microsoft mandate that new Windows PCs be encrypted by default. Apple and Google already do it with their mobile phones, after all...
  • TachyonTachyon
    imagei will watch the heck outta this pumpkin patch
    Today is Tomorrow said:

    hell, im willing to go so far as to bet that microsoft would be better at protecting the data they've collected on me than the government


    i would generally expect this tbh

    nevertheless targeted advertising feels pretty gross to me, just in the sense that, one, i would like to see websites the same way that other people see them, and two, they don't know me personally so i feel they shouldn't be acting like they know what i like, just feels rude
  • eriophora ziaeriophora zia
    I have cut a caper with the dancing mad god
    I use Defender and Malwarebytes. Avast is a little too annoying for me. I don't really do much on a computer that invites viruses, and even if I get one, I know how to deal with it generally. I'd rather have to be annoyed by a virus maybe once a year (not even that often, really. I've only had one major virus before that was annoying) than deal with Avast on the daily. 
  • Princess AlicePrincess Alice
    You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    Avast has gotten progressively more obnoxious over the years, really.

    It was fine back in like 2009, but then...They started having occasional pop-ups to advertise the paid version. They added their logo as an email signature in Outlook and Thunderbird. They took away the option to disable the pop-up ads. They added the email signature even when you're using Gmail or other webmail sites.

    The straw that broke the camel's back for me is that they do this bizarre "benevolent man-in-the-middle" thing with HTTPS certificates, so they all show up in the browser as "signed by Avast Web Shield."  I want to see who actually issued the certificate, dammit!
  • TatterhoodTatterhood
    Central Avenue said:

    I started using Avast back around 2007-08 when it was the only really good free option for antivirus software

    I use Avast for pretty much this reason. I guess I don't boot into Windows often enough to be really bothered by annoying new stuff.

    That HTTPS thing sounds pretty sketch though.
  • TachyonTachyon
    imagei will watch the heck outta this pumpkin patch
    i still use Avast, but it's gotten tiresome to the point where i don't intend to bother with it when i get a new computer.
  • eriophora ziaeriophora zia
    I have cut a caper with the dancing mad god
    Central Avenue said:

    Avast has gotten progressively more obnoxious over the years, really.


    It was fine back in like 2009, but then...They started having occasional pop-ups to advertise the paid version. They added their logo as an email signature in Outlook and Thunderbird. They took away the option to disable the pop-up ads. They added the email signature even when you're using Gmail or other webmail sites.

    The straw that broke the camel's back for me is that they do this bizarre "benevolent man-in-the-middle" thing with HTTPS certificates, so they all show up in the browser as "signed by Avast Web Shield."  I want to see who actually issued the certificate, dammit!
    Wow, that's even worse than back when I used it o_o

    Just the pop-ups were enough to make me say "screw this" and get rid of it. I HATE programs that insist on being intrusive with no options to just make them do their job in the background without pestering you. 
  • BeeBee
    edited 2016-02-23 03:18:22
    Central Avenue said:

    Is it weird that government surveillance bothers me more than private corporations collecting data about me?


    No, not at all.

    Private businesses collecting your data ultimately want to sell you stuff, which kind of means you need to be in a relatively safe position to buy their shit.  It's creepy and can cause problems, and often overlaps with government spying, but not likely to end up being malicious or vindictive.

    Whereas government surveillance can arbitrarily ruin your life, and we have evidence of them putting people on terrorism watchlists for looking up Tor and Linux.
  • TachyonTachyon
    imagei will watch the heck outta this pumpkin patch
    for looking up Linux???  why??

    anyway . . . i guess i don't make a huge distinction, since the government can still theoretically get hold of data held by corporations, and some corporations are in the business of selling the data they collect to other businesses meaning you don't know where it's going to end up
  • KlinotaxisKlinotaxis
    kill living beings
    cos unlike with microsoft and apple, the feds have no target if they want to break or read something on your computer. anything useful to evade surveillance is indicative of wanting to evade surveillance is indicative of being dangerous. if you hadn't heard, the nsa's skynet program, which looks at cellphone traffic, treats turning off your cell phone as a small terrorist indicator.

    but more importantly,
    Adequacy said:

    Is your son obsessed with "Lunix"?

    BSD, Lunix, Debian and Mandrake are all versions of an illegal hacker operation system, invented by a Soviet computer hacker named Linyos Torovoltos, before the Russians lost the Cold War. It is based on a program called " xenix", which was written by Microsoft for the US government. These programs are used by hackers to break into other people's computer systems to steal credit card numbers. They may also be used to break into people's stereos to steal their music, using the "mp3" program. Torovoltos is a notorious hacker, responsible for writing many hacker programs, such as "telnet", which is used by hackers to connect to machines on the internet without using a telephone.

    Your son may try to install " lunix" on your hard drive. If he is careful, you may not notice its presence, however, lunix is a capricious beast, and if handled incorrectly, your son may damage your computer, and even break it completely by deleting Windows, at which point you will have to have your computer repaired by a professional.

    If you see the word "LILO" during your windows startup (just after you turn the machine on), your son has installed lunix. In order to get rid of it, you will have to send your computer back to the manufacturer, and have them fit a new hard drive. Lunix is extremely dangerous software, and cannot be removed without destroying part of your hard disk surface.

  • Salix BabylonikaSalix Babylonika
    https://i.imgur.com/7Iil2JW.png
    that's satire right
  • KlinotaxisKlinotaxis
    kill living beings
    yeah a linux user would never delete windows accidentally
  • TachyonTachyon
    imagei will watch the heck outta this pumpkin patch
    pfft

    no but i didn't know that about the nsa and linux, that's kind of creepy
  • Obā-sanObā-san

    Tachyon said:

    no but i didn't know that about the nsa and linux, that's kind of creepy

    image

    well, can you imagine this man ever performing a non-creepy action?
  • Salix BabylonikaSalix Babylonika
    https://i.imgur.com/7Iil2JW.png
    yikes
  • Salix BabylonikaSalix Babylonika
    https://i.imgur.com/7Iil2JW.png
    anyway, while the government possibly (perhaps even probably) spying on me does bother the shit out of me there's not much I can do about it besides switching to Linux and using some computer nerd shit to mask everything I do, which would be far more work than I care for.

    much like I can't stop the guy who lives at the end of the street and uses binoculars to look in everyone's windows.
  • BeeBee
    edited 2016-02-23 02:38:52
    Tachyon said:

    for looking up Linux???  why??

    Klino explained.  But yeah, the leaked docs about XKEYSCORE showed that they specifically single out linuxjournal as an -- exact words here, ripped directly from their own source code -- "extremist forum".


    Jane said:

    anyway, while the government possibly (perhaps even probably) spying on me does bother the shit out of me there's not much I can do about it besides switching to Linux and using some computer nerd shit to mask everything I do

    Yeah, about that...
  • Salix BabylonikaSalix Babylonika
    https://i.imgur.com/7Iil2JW.png
    Bee said:

    Tachyon said:

    for looking up Linux???  why??

    Klino explained.  But yeah, the leaked docs about XKEYSCORE showed that they specifically single out linuxjournal as an -- exact words here, ripped directly from their own source code -- "extremist forum".


    Jane said:

    anyway, while the government possibly (perhaps even probably) spying on me does bother the shit out of me there's not much I can do about it besides switching to Linux and using some computer nerd shit to mask everything I do

    Yeah, about that...
    "yeah about that" what

    I really don't like it when people respond to things I say in that manner. I don't get what you're trying to imply.
  • TachyonTachyon
    imagei will watch the heck outta this pumpkin patch
    i guess actually looking like you have something to hide is more likely to attract their attention?
  • BeeBee
    edited 2016-02-23 02:48:39
    Jane said:

    Bee said:

    Tachyon said:

    for looking up Linux???  why??

    Klino explained.  But yeah, the leaked docs about XKEYSCORE showed that they specifically single out linuxjournal as an -- exact words here, ripped directly from their own source code -- "extremist forum".


    Jane said:

    anyway, while the government possibly (perhaps even probably) spying on me does bother the shit out of me there's not much I can do about it besides switching to Linux and using some computer nerd shit to mask everything I do

    Yeah, about that...
    "yeah about that" what

    I really don't like it when people respond to things I say in that manner. I don't get what you're trying to imply.

    All the lookup steps you need to do in order to switch to Linux will skyrocket your relevance on the very programs you're trying to avoid.

    In part because, yes, that is in fact what a terrorist would do.  It just happens to also be what a completely normal person competent enough to recognize flagrant security risks in Windows would do too.
  • HexartesHexartes
    For fuck's sake, said me @ this entire thread
  • TachyonTachyon
    imagei will watch the heck outta this pumpkin patch
    And why did you say that?
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