Ask Slashdot: Actual Best-in-Show For Free Anti Virus?

First time accepted submitter paperclipman writes "I'm on the college student budget and want to make sure that my recent investment in an Acer laptop will last me a good long while. I like to think of myself as a reasonably competent CPU user so I'm no adventurous link-clicker, but I do download some music as a recent SoundCloud devotee. My Kaspersky antivirus will be expiring shortly and I don't particularly care to renew with that steep of a fee — any advice from fellow thrifts?"

Flamewar on the way?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd recommend Avast! or AVG, but I'm sure this "Ask Slashdot" is going to start a flame war.

Oh, and first post!

Just pay the 44$ for a year of updates

[Anonymous Coward]

Antivirus charging for subscription makes sense because they need to be on their toes for updates and zero days. 44$ for a renewal isn't bad because you gotta figure your tempdata and reinstalling software is worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Just one save in a year and the antivirus pays for itself. I just renewed mine today interestingly enough.

I smell something funny...

[Anonymous Coward]

"...reasonably competent CPU user"

Using 'CPU' in this incorrect context is a pet peeve.

But anyway, MSE (as other have said) and AdBlocker and/or NoScript for your browser. Assuming you're using anything other than IE. If you're using IE switch to a better condom!

Re:Use a Mac

[cgt]

You should be downvoted for the reasons stated below: 1. He said his budget is tight 2. He just bought a new Acer laptop 3. Macs do actually get viruses (though there are significantly less viruses for Mac OS X than for Windows) Short story shorter: You're a jerk.

Microsoft Security Essentials

[amaupin]

First I used Avast, but after a while it began bugging me to to buy the paid version, and slowed down my PC with ill-timed, intensive scans.

I switched to AVG, but after a while it began bugging me to to buy the paid version, and slowed down my PC with ill-timed, intensive scans.

Now I use Microsoft Security Essentials, which is surprisingly good. So far.

Complement with a Spybot Search and Destroy scan every now and then and you're good to go.

Re:Simple

[gstoddart]

Agreed. MSE is the the only free antivirus worth anything.

I've always had an issue of trust with MSE ... the reason to run AV software is I don't trust Microsoft to write a secure OS.

Trusting them to write the AV software has always seemed like quite a leap for me -- if you can spot them, fix the damned OS.

Granted, I've heard people say really nice things about it. But it has always sounded like asking the security guard who keeps leaving the door unlocked to check if the door is unlocked.

It's not only about the antivirus

[obarthelemy]

Try to use a non-admin account for your daily stuff. An escalated admin account when you do need to install stuff is just 2 clicks away (start -> change user)

I've had my computer-illiterate parents on a non-admin account for 20 years now, they still haven't gotten a virus. And yes, they're still computer-illiterate ^^

Re:Linux

[mcgrew]

I agree, Linux. If you want to be free of viruses, buy a Mac or install Linux or BSD. Your AV isn't going to do a damned thing when you get hit by a zero-day exploit, and Windows is the only PC OS with viruses in the wild. Whoever modded the AC "troll" should never get mod points; it was insightful (as another moderator noted). If you're worried about viruses, you shouldn't be running Windows.

That said, there are vew actual viruses out there, most are trojans, so I don't worry too much about my W7 notebook. But I don't worry at all about my Linux tower.

Re:Simple

[Antipater]

Hate to deviate from the bandwagon, but there is a big downside to MSE. MSE is the program that every piece of malware tries to disguise itself as when they do their "a threat has been found! Click this button to remove it, then restart your computer!" routine to try and install themselves and take over your OS. It's a lot easier to tell the fake warnings from the real warnings when the fake warnings are claiming to be a program you don't even use.

Re:Winblows, LOL

[Skarecrow77]

you realize that attitudes like yours and GPs are exactly what turns prospective linux neophytes off, right?

For an every-day user, Linux has just as many problems as windows. the problems are just completely different. Source: I use both linux and windows every day. typing this on a linux laptop for pete's sake.

For the OP's concerns, linux very well may be his best option, but telling him that he's been playing in the little kid's sandbox is very nearly as counterproductive as telling him that he's a retard, as GP did.

Re:Winblows, LOL

[Dog-Cow]

For the vast majority of people, Linux is a heap of useless trash. It's inconsistent. It has relatively poor hardware compatibility. It has no software compatibility for software that real people care about. There's basically no good reason for the average home user to touch it.

Re:Simple

[TheCarp]

> A virus (usually) can't damage the PC, it might destroy the data on it, but you can just reinstall in
> a worst case scenario.

In the very narrow realm of "Physical Damage to your PC", you are absolutely correct. There are some, at least theoretical, exceptions.... CRT monitors that could be put into damaging modes... excessive constant drive access could decrease its lifetime.... some flash technologies have limite dwrites.... meh.... no big deal.

That said, damage to my pc doesn't even enter into my "worst case scenario" when it comes to this sort of compromise.

My worst case involves things like, I connect to work from home and they steal my credentials (of course 2 factor auth helps but, even without my token they can still get in when I connect). Install a keylogger on the box and get my banking passwords and clean out my accounts.

but hey, having to fix my pc...that would suck

Advert/Shill much?

[trancemission]

This place really has gone down hill - 'first time submitter' wants to know what anti-virus to use. Information given:

I have a Acer laptop and I use SoundCloud.

Any hint to operating system? No. We will have to assume Windows then. Which is confirmed by the first post within a couple of minutes [where is the frosty piss post?] :

'Windows: Microsoft Security Essentials, free if you have Microsoft Windows XP or higher, and it does work especially for the technical, not too adventerous link clicker. Gives you that extra layer of protection you seem to want for those 'oh shit' moments.'

From an AC and modded 5 Informative.

News for nerds - stuff that matters. I remember them days well.

Feel free to join me over at hacker news.

Re:Simple

[sconeu]

Peter Norton should sue Symantec for defamation of character.

The original Norton Utilities were lean, mean must-haves. Anything called "Norton" nowadays is a steaming pile of shit that you run away from as fast as you can.

How about this: no antivirus

[InsectOverlord]

I don't mean "use Linux", which has already been suggested a number of times, predictably. I mean no antivirus installed whatsoever, and do the following:

- Before you run any binaries and otherwise infectable files you download, run them through an online antivirus (e.g. ESET).

- In Explorer, don't generate thumbnails.

- services.msc and disable everything you don't need

- Run a firewall. Even a basic one will do.

- Don't use IE or Outlook.

That's how I roll, and I know for a fact I haven't had a virus for about a decade. I'm absolutely positive the machine isn't in a botnet or anything of that sort because I regularly monitor my traffic in the router. If I had a virus I almost certainly wouldn't be able to browse to ESET online or any other antivirus site. Finally ESET online also scans the RAM.

Re:Winblows, LOL

[cyber-vandal]

Facts mentioned in this post are 5 years in the future because the Linux experience you describe does not exist. Easier to administer than Windows. Fuck off. "It is possible to change the DE easily". Fuck off. I've been waiting 3 hours for lubuntu-desktop to install dozens of unnecessary packages for me and now it's failed and refuses to give me LXDE. That's not a five years in the past out of date blah di blah di fanboi. That's just happened. Right this second. Linux has been going backwards for ages. It used to be really lean and reliable. Now it's festooned with pointless bloat that is poorly tested and annoyingly slow and unreliable. If they wanted to duplicate the Vista experience they've done it. Otherwise you are pretending that you didn't have to dick about with the damn thing for ages to get to a level of functionality that is out of the box on Windows 7 or Mac OS.

Re:Simple

[Local ID10T]

I downloaded and executed a program called windows web commander while running MSE. It gave me no warning. I had to restore the computer to a date before downloading to get it to work again. It started with a pop up message stating I had a virus. The program asked for money to remove the virus which was essentially itself.

Even the best code can't fix stupid...

NO anti-virus/anti-malware/anti-rootkit/etc gets them all. AV is run as an early warning system. If something slips past, you either restore from backup or scan with another tool and hope it finds whatever got past the first tool.

Re:Simple

[drcheap]

Second this. It's the best thing I've ever seen from Redmond. If all their software worked like this their suckometer would read a hell of a lot lower.

If their other software (read: Windows) worked like 'this', then 'this' wouldn't be needed in the first place. /smirk