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.
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.
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...
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? :|
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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
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...
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
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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".
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
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".
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.
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".
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.
Comments
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
I should try out MalwareBytes sometime.
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
That HTTPS thing sounds pretty sketch though.
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
but more importantly,
no but i didn't know that about the nsa and linux, that's kind of creepy