Help needed, My Personal Computer
Posted April 15th, 2008 by MTlivnfree
output
seems to have a problem. About 6 months ago I moved up to DSL; I have been using System Mechanic Proffessional 7 (had to turn off anitvirus because of quest live). I feel I am being watched; many go to programs will not come up. What Security programs do you suggest? I still have much to learn and want to set up a web site concerning Natural Products and why to use them (Professional being hired).
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Zone Alarm system suite
I use Zone Alarm system suite for my anti virus, and one of my anti-spyware programs. I also use Spybot search and destroy for a second anti-spyware.
The firewall in Zone alarm is very good....sometimes too good as my wife says (she worked for Symantec...ie Norton =D)
Anyway, some like what I use, some hate it, as for me, I am virus, and spyware free, and have been for over 4 years.
Hope it works for ya!
Comodo !
Goto Comodo's website and grab all the free stuff, firewall, antivirus and antispyware. I purchase my secure keys for my servers there and I believe they have excellent free products. I use them, and never had any problems yet. The firewall is a tad complex, but not too hard to use. Most of it's functions are automatic, but when you install programs, you have to tell it it's a installation program, then it lets you go ahead and install. This is actually a very good feature, because nasty things that want to install will not be able to because the firewall catches it right away, and will ask you what to do. I use Qwest as well, but I never used Qwest Live, so I have no idea what it is, or why it's needed. I'm on the DSL Business side of their service since the very beginning of Qwest DSL.
Comodo: http://www.comodo.com
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People worldwide support Dr. Paul too :-)
http://www.pollingmatrix....
agree with OSX guy
The mac OSX is based on Unix system just like Linux but easier to setup or change, industrial type originally for secure networks in companys. Macmini affordable, open source programs are free and numerous also.
Try Webroot
Try Webroot Spysweeper.
http://www.download.com/W...
At the risk of bumping...
This post really is off-topic!! There are a thousand other websites you could go to in order to get your question answered. Just Google it and you'll have plenty of info.
No offense, but your question may be knocking out other valuable discussion and encouraging others to post off-topic as well.
.
.
Authority
By whose authority do you speak? Your name "ElKabong61" meaning bouncer?
M'mm, just wonderin'.
Post "the rules" at the door would be nice, I might choose not to enter!
...................................
September 11 would probably be at the, or close too, the tippy-top of the no-no's huh!
That "political corruption" should be posted, what a horror.
I would also agree, almost
I absolutely understand how off topic threads can become problematic.
However, I also know that a month or so ago someone posted a link to some kind of Ron Paul menu thing that was supposed to raise money and keep you informed about Ron Paul in the news.
My installation of Kaspersky immediately flagged a component of the link as a known phishing site. I reported this fact in the thread, and some people commented that their software had not detected any problem. Prudent people refrained from following the link after I alerted them to the problem. Had I not posted the warning, many would have their personal information compromised today. Its a good thing I happened to read the forum that day.
My point is this; Ron Paul supporters have shown they have money and are generous with it. This makes us a target for scammers. The fact that a Ron Paul "application" was really an attempt at collecting credit card info makes this thread very relevant.
Oh god.. here we go again.
Oh god.. here we go again. The toolbar is NOT a phisher. I would recommend you researching phisher and then researching the program to see if it meets that detection criteria. There are plenty of free tools which will allow you to come to that determination.
I use the Ron Paul toolbar daily. Granted, there are some bugs. But it is by no means a 'phisher'
FreeCause.org makes the toolbar. Someone just came along and threw Ron Paul images and links inside of it. Go to their site, make your own toolbar and then see if the program is flagged. I would bet that it is...
http://www.freecause.com/
That's not the link
That's not the link that had the problem. The code of the page in the link I was talking about did include an application that is a known phisher.
No it doesn't. I'm a
No it doesn't. I'm a malware researcher for an international spyware company. The toolbar is NOT a phisher. It's an FP from Kaspersky
The link had the bad code
In the code of the page in the link given to the site to download and install the toolbar was an application that was a phisher. I never loaded the toolbar so I will not comment on its safety. It was the page people were directed to install it from that had the bad code. The search no longer works so I cannot go back and find it.
I don't believe it to have been a false positive. I looked into the code and the application it was trying to run. But even if it were, I'd rather play it safe on a false positive than relying on other programs that report false negatives.
Right On!
Anything that will help us keep this site from being taken over; I will check it out. Lady
Are you serious?
Daily Paul is a social network and community of PEOPLE not just a drone robot.
Besides, the more that people stay on the site the more revenue manystrom gets from google ads, etc.
Alrighty then! My car has
Alrighty then!
My car has been making a strange noise lately ... I think I may start a thread on it to solicit advice ;-)
I'll read..
.. your car post. =)
Guys like to solve car problems and give advice about them. Im sure it will be popular!
Dr. Mart Funcher
Sweet, Dr. Mart! I think
Sweet, Dr. Mart! I think you need to add "Certified Auto Mechanic" to your title as well :-)
Just Jen, D.D.S.
Wow!
Are you really a dentist?
Alaska Ron, DMV
As a matter of fact, in
As a matter of fact, in addition to being a dentist, I also have my JD, my PharmD, my DO, and my M.Div, with a minor in Mixology.
I think my cat is ill, do you do online consults?
:-)
Impressive! How do you find the time to be on here????
However, I am a DMV, which means I can issue you a license plate or a driver's license.
I am afraid you will need to call a DVM about your kitty. Unless she needs a state ID. Then I'm your man.
Haha..
.. I'm not that much of a mechanic. Except perhaps in a dangerous way. =P
I changed a water pump on a 81 Ford F-150 once...
I tend to agree with you on
I tend to agree with you on this one ... although I've gotten some helpful info from it, so maybe it's not all that bad! :-) But perhaps in another place.
Let me spell it for you, K-A-S-P-E-R-S-K-Y
Specifically Kaspersky Internet Security 7.0. It is free to try, and licenses sell for under 10 bucks on ebay.
I'm an IT guy with over 20 years of professional experience. I've used more anti-virus products than you've heard of. I even discovered and isolated the first US case of the NATAS virus, a very bad and very advanced virus for its day. I know a thing or two about computer viruses.
Most products, especially Norton, put a huge burden on your system by loading way more than needed and running all kinds of processor hogging processes. Kaspersky does not slow down your system.
I have used spybot search and destroy, adaware, etc. Kaspersky is better. It catches more threats and does so with the highest detection rates in the industry.
Kaspersky is the best consumer protection there has ever been, hands down. Don't believe me?
Believe this, http://usa.kaspersky.com/...
Or do your own research. Just take my advice and load Kaspersky.
ZoneAlarm
is also excellent. I have used it for the past several years with ZERO intrusions allowed. I also use Spybot and both products work well together.
Sorry
about the double post.
PC's at work suck.
ZoneAlarm
is also excellent. I have used it for the past several years with ZERO intrusions allowed. I also use Spybot and both products work well together.
Spybot search and destroy is
Spybot search and destroy is what I recommend. It's free, they just request donations.
Spybot sucks. They don't
Spybot sucks. They don't detect crap
Really?
I've made thousands of dollars from Spybot over the past 6-7 years and have detected and removed thousands of spywares with it. And the other tools for keeping your startup clean and managing services work very well also. It also actively protects Internet Explorer in a non-obtrusive way.
=)
Yes. Their research
Yes. Their research department is comprised of mostly part-time, volunteer only researchers. They don't offer any advanced heuristics or high level protection. I don't even think they detect rootkits.
You get what you pay for.
Well..
.. "heuristics" in the context of anti-spyware are just patterns and associated algorithms used for detection. With respect to "advanced" heuristics, since Spybot is closed source, I have not had a chance to peruse the source code to make any determinations of how "advanced" they are. Spybot currently checks for 112,000+ categories of known malicious and annoying spyware entities
As far as "high-level" protection, Spybot does have "immunization" for Internet Explorer which modifies IE to actively protect against known spyware using such approaches as blocking known bad ActiveX id's, etc.. Spybot also has two "resident" programs that can be activated externally to IE that filter for known malicious downloads and processes (SDHelper) and also one that alerts the user to suspicious changes to the registry and other system settings(TeaTimer).
With respect to "Their research department is comprised of mostly part-time, volunteer only researchers.", this also applies to linux and many open-source projects which are generally highly regarded, specifically Clam Antivirus which is standard in many corporate IT facilities.
In addition to my 18 years as a UNIX systems and software developer, on the side I do computer consulting for home-based, small and medium businesses and I have dozens of clients in my current small town for which the trio of Antivir, Spybot and Ad-Aware have kept them completely free of viruses and spyware (the ones that are willing to faithfully update the programs and run them on schedule). With Spybot and Ad-Aware in combo I have never had to resort to any other program to deal with spyware issues. At any rate, my trio of tools greatly exceeds the effectiveness of McAffee and Norton any day and are not as intrusive or as noticeable.
Yes, Spybot does not do rootkits but Antivir does.
As far as getting what you pay for, Spybot has been VERY effective as a source of income and happy trouble-free customers for me. All for the low low price of $0.
=)
I recommend...
these three completely free(for personal use) programs:
1) Avira Antivir antivirus
2) Spybot Search and Destroy
3) Ad-Aware
I have used them personally and professionally for nearly 10 years and they are unobtrusive and just work.
I have built hundreds of computers and have a degree in computer engineering technology and 18 years computer systems and software development for several large evil corporations.
Also, at times I have small herds of teens fragging on my home network and those three programs have worked like a charm defending from spyware and viruses and alerting me when they go to the wrong places on the internet and when they do the wrong things.
I've made a small bundle on cleaning those same teens home computers of viruses and spyware over the past few years(at a discount of course). =P
Get Linux
just go to www.distrowatch.com...Ton... of Free operating systems there. I personally use Pclinuxos....no viruses, spyware...etc. :)
Thanks for all the Good info
I finally called my son early yesterday (aero space engineer) who had bought me iolo System Mechanic Professional and I discovered that not only did I have windows firewall running but also Qwest windows; so took me most of the day to uninstall, reinstall and deep clean. All seems to be working well now. Anyone else out there using this program? How's it working for you? I'm also interested in the credit card issue; I do most of my shopping on line. Lady
One Vote for Linux
I've been using Ubuntu for a year and a half now and haven't missed Windows yet. The ironclad security is just an extra bonus for the worlds most advanced operating system! :)
question on personal identity...
I use my credit card alot buying things online....all my info is out there somewhere.....is that actually safe? What's the best computer program to clean out all evidence fom my computer so it doesn't flow through cyberspace?
AFTER seeking the best out there ,believe it or not I think I
found it ....
IN RUSSIA!!!! This virus protection is updated every 6 minutes with the latest virus protection ..... most update weekly or daily , some every hour....
but every 6min??? It s very goooooood Try it ....
http://www.kaspersky.com/
Get Kaspersky
It is the best. Period.
Listen to these guys
Kaspersky makes superior products for computer security. If you truly think the security of the PC is compromised, reinstall the OS or have a professional do it for you. Then install Kaspersky after the rebuild is complete.
Mac OS X with the built in firewall and Little Snitch
and you're all set.
mac ox x
absolutely - get a mac! - only way to fly!
I love my macbook
and have had no virus issues.
But, what is "Little Snitch"??
It's a reverse firewall, that keeps tabs on outgoing connections
http://www.obdev.at/produ...
A firewall protects your computer against unwanted guests from the Internet. But who protects your private data from being sent out? Little Snitch does!
Protect your privacy
As soon as you’re connected to the Internet, applications can potentially send whatever information they want to wherever they want.
Sometimes they do this for good reason, on your explicit request. But often they don’t. Little Snitch allows you to intercept these unwanted connection attempts, and lets you decide how to proceed.
Little Snitch informs you whenever a program attempts to establish an outgoing Internet connection. You can then choose to allow or deny this connection, or define a rule how to handle similar, future connection attempts. This reliably prevents private data from being sent out without your knowledge. Little Snitch runs inconspicuously in the background and it can also detect network related activity of viruses, trojans and other malware.
Thanks, aka ron
for the link. I'll check it out!
Actually...
.. a standard firewall facilitates filtering both inbound and outbound traffic. They just don't necessarily specialize in having a user interface that alerts you with any kind of graphical notification real time.
I sent Objective Development an e-mail informing them of the error in their product description. =P
Yeah, I know
But explaining the intricacies of firewalls is somewhat like Ron Paul trying to explain macroeconomics and monetary policies to a bunch of Americans who can barely count their change at the drive through window.
Not that people who are not computer savvy are stupid, please don't misunderstand me. There's a heck of a lot more topics that I know nothing about that there are things I have any clue about. I am generally clueless about most things. :)
Thanks, Dr. Mart.
AlaskaRon, DMV
Many Years Ago I Was Using .............
The standard windows crap, Norton McCaffe. I had nothing but problems,trojans,malware ect.I left my computer on all day and came home to a system with a full hardrive with no readable data.
After about 5 full re-boots in the early years I looked around and got:
http://home.stopsign.com/
Been problem free ever since 2002, has a great firewall. Nothing bad has ever gotten in.You must turn off any other firewall in your computer when using this software, no exceptions. The bigger the time block you buy the cheaper it is.I'm paying $6.33 a month.
I also use this program manually: http://www.ccleaner.com/
after each computer session. Takes 10 seconds and gets rid of all useless data that grows and grows on your computer eventually causing it to slow down.
Good Info Site
Update: I have not found "one" program that does it (catches everything) all, I don't believe that it exist, I'm open though, be a miracle in my book.
Took at least 4 programs to remove one virus-trojan not to long ago on the computer.
I use Symantec Antivirus Corporate v. 10.xxxx
PestPatrol
XoftSpySE: used to be on the rogue-suspect list
SUPERAntiSpyware Professional
Sunbelt Software: CounterSpy
The only thing that runs most often is Symantec but I leave it off a lot till I suspect "laugh", foul play. They have the tendency to conflict with one another!
................................
Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites and also good ones listed below:
http://www.spywarewarrior...
........................................................
Some info he (they) offer:
1. Clean your PC as best you can
Download and run one (or all) of these free anti-spyware scanners and remove whatever spyware and adware it finds.
Ad-aware Personal Edition
AVG Anti-Spyware
Windows Defender
Spybot Search & Destroy
SUPERAntiSpyware
You should also scan and clean your computer with whatever anti-virus program you happen to have installed on your computer. If you don't have an anti-virus program, you can scan your computer with one of these online anti-virus scanners:
BitDefender ScanOnline
Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool
ewido online scan
Command on Demand
Panda ActiveScan
Trend Micro Anti-Spyware for the Web
eTrust AntiVirus Web Scanner
Trend Micro HouseCall (ActiveX)
McAfee FreeScan
Trend Micro HouseCall (Java)
... or download and run one of these free standalone virus removal tools:
avast! Virus Cleaner
Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool
Dr.Web CureIt!
AVG vcleaner
Panda PQRemove
McAfee AVERT Stinger
Sophos SAV32CLI
.......................................
bit of my input:
Trend Micro™ CWShredder™ - it removes cool-web-search which you may or may not run into but it can make your computer act stupid. Bunch of variations of this 'n you might be surprised that there was one on your machine.
http://us.trendmicro.com/...
click the: remove coolwebsearch button to download the little program (520kb)
...............
PeerGuardian 2:
PeerGuardian 2 is Phoenix Labs’ premier IP blocker for Windows. PeerGuardian 2 integrates support for multiple lists, list editing, automatic updates, and blocking all of IPv4 (TCP, UDP, ICMP, etc), making it the safest and easiest way to protect your privacy on P2P.
My input: includes ip ranges and individual nasties, I'm presently blocking 1,010,909,291 ip's but some of these you have to allow to get where your goin'. And, I don't always have it on, don't want to mess with it and I'm not paranoid besides this computer is not used for any business purpose but its an interesting program.
Ads, Educational, Government, P2P and Spyware
http://phoenixlabs.org/pg...
You might be surprised who you are sharing your internet connection with, "laugh".
..................
Generally speaking and maybe always now-a-days your router has a built-in firewall. I use it, its set on low. My experience only: if its set any higher some things (sites) won't open.
I don't use Windows XP Pro Firewall, its turned off but I would consider using it though.
I have used Agnitum Outpost, I like it cause I can see (watch) the addresses of sites in and out.
Don't use the Quest programs
buy your own so you can have more control.
I use Earthlink for my DSL and they are always trying to get me to use their software for security. Strangely enough they called me and tried to get me to download their security program.. I flat out refused as soon as I got off the phone from them, I got a virus(first one in 10 years) and my connection went to hell.
Took me awhile to get it straightened out and if I could switch off Earthlink I would..But because they use Quest lines I would be down for a week before I could get picked up by another company. grrrrrrr
Not sure if they are the best or not but I use Zonealarm.
Try "System Restore"
to a date when you were not experiencing those problems..