- Mon Mar 06, 2006 3:08 pm
#1142864
I have seen this question asked many times already on this forum so I thought I would type a nice lengthy post seeing as im at home ill and cant do much else. So grab a cup of tea/coffee and some biscuits and read on
Here's what I will cover in this thread
Virus Prevention and Anti-Virus Software
Spyware and Anti-Spyware Software
Firewalls and Software + Hardware Firewalls
What to do if you've been effected by any of the above
I hope this helps some of you out there. If you have any questions to ask then please just post a reply - don't be shy
Virus Prevention
Virii, as you may or may not know, can get onto your machine a number of different ways. The most common in this day in ages is probably the internet and the downloading of files and emails, however there are many other ways such as removable media (floppy disks, CD's, zip disks, etc). Believe it or not, common sense plays a big part anti virus (in my opinion) and there are a number of factors to think about before downloading that "patch.exe" for your game, or loading that "install-v1.bat" on that floppy disk you've just put in the drive. Here is a few things to think about:
1) Look at the file name. Is that patch for quake really meant to be called "InstallIt.exe"?
2) Look at where you are downloading it from. Is it really downloading from the website you have visited? Internet browsers tell you where it is downloading from.
3) Is the site you are downloading from well known and/or corporate? There's a big difference downloading files from microsoft.com and joebloggs234.geocities.com.
4) If you are installing/running from removable media, do you know the true source of the disk? It may have been fiddled with between sources.
5) Before you open that "Read this! Love Letter!" email, do you recognise the senders name?
If you follow the above rules, you'll find it helps greatly in preventing viruses (virii) ever hitting your machine BUT it's not the be-all-end-all of being safe. This day in age, files are hacked without the vendor knowing, files are altered and tampered with on the original servers and many can be effected by it. This brings me to my next part...
Anti-Virus Software
There are many different options out there to choose from when it comes to anti-virus software. Some are free, some you pay for, some are good, some are bad. Here I will show you the different options and explain them best I can. Remember people have different opinions and views on anti-virus software and which is best, I can just give my view of things. I am only going to discuss 4 options because I could be here all year telling you about every piece of software out there.
Name: AVAST
Cost: Nothing (Free!)
Link: http://www.avast.com/get/p3QC4CiG
My Rating: 5 out of 5
The worlds most popular free antivirus and rightly. Covers both desktop and mobile devices with advanced security features for mobile phones. Awesome.
Name: AVG-Free
Cost: Nothing (Free!)
Link: http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5
My Rating: 4 out of 5
AVG Free is one of my favourites, simply because it is free and seems to do its job really well. It automatically updates likes the rest of them to keep you protected with the latest virii however many will say that it doesn't detect some of the really new virii that other pay-for products would. It also has a built in email scanner to help protect you from infected attachments etc.
Name: Symantec/Norton Anti-Virus
Cost: £39.99
Link: http://www.symantec.co.uk
My Rating: 4 out of 5
This is a top notch product which uses next to no system resources whatsoever. It will keep up to date with the latest virii and some versions have a built in firewall (not the £39.99 version) which is explained below. The only bad report I've seen from this is that a few people have nothing but problems with the software and causes them strange errors with other applications etc. -1 point
Name: Kaspersky
Cost: £24.00
Link: http://www.kaspersky.com/
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Ive not really used this program but what I will say is that it is very popular, it's cheap and uses low system resources. It has email protection built in to it, there's new virus definitions every hour to ensure that you are protected against the latest and greatest viruses and has good technical support 24/7.
Spyware
What is spyware you ask? Well, spyware in a nutshell is basically something that monitors your every move and your activity on the computer, it then transmits this data to a third party without your concent. . Again, if you take the "Virus Prevention" steps as a bible, you should find you have less chance of being affected by this. This is transmitted basically by being included within an application that you have downloaded or a component you have installed. For example, you download some shareware/freeware called "mp3app", when you install it, what you dont see is that it installs some software in the background (spyware) and runs it, without asking you.
Anti-Spyware Software
Like Anti-Virus Software, Anti-spyware software is just a matter of choice. Again, some pick up more things than others and some use less system resources than others. I haven't really had much experience with anti-spyware software (If any moderator or person has, feel free to edit this part or PM me).
Name: Microsoft Windows Defender
Cost: Free
Link: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/securit ... fault.mspx
I have used this in the past and what I will say is that it seems pretty system resource hungry but being microsoft, its probably expected. One thing to note is that it is still in its beta phase (still not finished as a product as is only there for testing)
Name: Ad-Aware
Cost: Varies
Link: http://www.lavasoftusa.com
Although you have to pay for this software, it is widely regarded as one of the best pieces of anti spyware software that you can get. Its full of features, it does its job well and is kept up to date constantly. If you can afford to part with the cash, this is highly recommended. Otherwise, go with one of the other options.
Firewalls
You keep hearing about firewalls right? you might have heard people say "firewalls will stop you getting viruses" which to be honest, its rubbish. With every single computer you get what is known as a port. These are not physical ports, but virtual. A port can have a number from 1 to 10000's, what certain pieces of software do (usually games) is open up a port number so that it can use it to transfer data between the client (you) and the server. Ports are for communication between one machine and another i.e networks/internet. If your computer does not have a connection to any other machine or the internet, you do not need to worry about this section.
What you sometimes get is that "application1.exe" program that you have installed opens up say port number 689. What joe bloggs in Brazil can then do is connect to this port on your computer and communicate to a certain degree with your machine. If "application1.exe" is what is known as a trojan then the damage can be quite substantial. It could allow joe to control your mouse, browse your machines hard drive, log your keyboard strokes, anything! it is scary. What a firewall does is block ports from being opened, unless you allow it. That way, "hiddenapp1.exe" cant open port 450 for hacker X to connect to you.
There are 2 main types of firewalls, there are software firewalls and hardware firewalls. I will now explain the differences.
Hardware Firewalls
Alot of the routers that you buy from a store today have firewalls built into them. Port opening/allowing is usually controlled by a web interface or an application that has shipped with the product. A hardware firewall is generally regarded as better protection against attacks than that of a software firewall, but again, hardware costs money.
*** if anyone has experience with hardware firewalls and can do a quick review of a few products, please PM me, credit will be given thanks! ***
Software Firewalls
There is many options when it comes to a software firewall and like the anti-virus and anti-spyware software, everyone has their own favourite and their advantages/disadvantages. Software firewalls are not as good against certain attacks as a hardware firewall but most see past the point that nobody would be that dedicated to attack your machine.
still typing..bear with me lol
Here's what I will cover in this thread
Virus Prevention and Anti-Virus Software
Spyware and Anti-Spyware Software
Firewalls and Software + Hardware Firewalls
What to do if you've been effected by any of the above
I hope this helps some of you out there. If you have any questions to ask then please just post a reply - don't be shy
Virus Prevention
Virii, as you may or may not know, can get onto your machine a number of different ways. The most common in this day in ages is probably the internet and the downloading of files and emails, however there are many other ways such as removable media (floppy disks, CD's, zip disks, etc). Believe it or not, common sense plays a big part anti virus (in my opinion) and there are a number of factors to think about before downloading that "patch.exe" for your game, or loading that "install-v1.bat" on that floppy disk you've just put in the drive. Here is a few things to think about:
1) Look at the file name. Is that patch for quake really meant to be called "InstallIt.exe"?
2) Look at where you are downloading it from. Is it really downloading from the website you have visited? Internet browsers tell you where it is downloading from.
3) Is the site you are downloading from well known and/or corporate? There's a big difference downloading files from microsoft.com and joebloggs234.geocities.com.
4) If you are installing/running from removable media, do you know the true source of the disk? It may have been fiddled with between sources.
5) Before you open that "Read this! Love Letter!" email, do you recognise the senders name?
If you follow the above rules, you'll find it helps greatly in preventing viruses (virii) ever hitting your machine BUT it's not the be-all-end-all of being safe. This day in age, files are hacked without the vendor knowing, files are altered and tampered with on the original servers and many can be effected by it. This brings me to my next part...
Anti-Virus Software
There are many different options out there to choose from when it comes to anti-virus software. Some are free, some you pay for, some are good, some are bad. Here I will show you the different options and explain them best I can. Remember people have different opinions and views on anti-virus software and which is best, I can just give my view of things. I am only going to discuss 4 options because I could be here all year telling you about every piece of software out there.
Name: AVAST
Cost: Nothing (Free!)
Link: http://www.avast.com/get/p3QC4CiG
My Rating: 5 out of 5
The worlds most popular free antivirus and rightly. Covers both desktop and mobile devices with advanced security features for mobile phones. Awesome.
Name: AVG-Free
Cost: Nothing (Free!)
Link: http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5
My Rating: 4 out of 5
AVG Free is one of my favourites, simply because it is free and seems to do its job really well. It automatically updates likes the rest of them to keep you protected with the latest virii however many will say that it doesn't detect some of the really new virii that other pay-for products would. It also has a built in email scanner to help protect you from infected attachments etc.
Name: Symantec/Norton Anti-Virus
Cost: £39.99
Link: http://www.symantec.co.uk
My Rating: 4 out of 5
This is a top notch product which uses next to no system resources whatsoever. It will keep up to date with the latest virii and some versions have a built in firewall (not the £39.99 version) which is explained below. The only bad report I've seen from this is that a few people have nothing but problems with the software and causes them strange errors with other applications etc. -1 point
Name: Kaspersky
Cost: £24.00
Link: http://www.kaspersky.com/
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Ive not really used this program but what I will say is that it is very popular, it's cheap and uses low system resources. It has email protection built in to it, there's new virus definitions every hour to ensure that you are protected against the latest and greatest viruses and has good technical support 24/7.
Spyware
What is spyware you ask? Well, spyware in a nutshell is basically something that monitors your every move and your activity on the computer, it then transmits this data to a third party without your concent. . Again, if you take the "Virus Prevention" steps as a bible, you should find you have less chance of being affected by this. This is transmitted basically by being included within an application that you have downloaded or a component you have installed. For example, you download some shareware/freeware called "mp3app", when you install it, what you dont see is that it installs some software in the background (spyware) and runs it, without asking you.
Anti-Spyware Software
Like Anti-Virus Software, Anti-spyware software is just a matter of choice. Again, some pick up more things than others and some use less system resources than others. I haven't really had much experience with anti-spyware software (If any moderator or person has, feel free to edit this part or PM me).
Name: Microsoft Windows Defender
Cost: Free
Link: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/securit ... fault.mspx
I have used this in the past and what I will say is that it seems pretty system resource hungry but being microsoft, its probably expected. One thing to note is that it is still in its beta phase (still not finished as a product as is only there for testing)
Name: Ad-Aware
Cost: Varies
Link: http://www.lavasoftusa.com
Although you have to pay for this software, it is widely regarded as one of the best pieces of anti spyware software that you can get. Its full of features, it does its job well and is kept up to date constantly. If you can afford to part with the cash, this is highly recommended. Otherwise, go with one of the other options.
Firewalls
You keep hearing about firewalls right? you might have heard people say "firewalls will stop you getting viruses" which to be honest, its rubbish. With every single computer you get what is known as a port. These are not physical ports, but virtual. A port can have a number from 1 to 10000's, what certain pieces of software do (usually games) is open up a port number so that it can use it to transfer data between the client (you) and the server. Ports are for communication between one machine and another i.e networks/internet. If your computer does not have a connection to any other machine or the internet, you do not need to worry about this section.
What you sometimes get is that "application1.exe" program that you have installed opens up say port number 689. What joe bloggs in Brazil can then do is connect to this port on your computer and communicate to a certain degree with your machine. If "application1.exe" is what is known as a trojan then the damage can be quite substantial. It could allow joe to control your mouse, browse your machines hard drive, log your keyboard strokes, anything! it is scary. What a firewall does is block ports from being opened, unless you allow it. That way, "hiddenapp1.exe" cant open port 450 for hacker X to connect to you.
There are 2 main types of firewalls, there are software firewalls and hardware firewalls. I will now explain the differences.
Hardware Firewalls
Alot of the routers that you buy from a store today have firewalls built into them. Port opening/allowing is usually controlled by a web interface or an application that has shipped with the product. A hardware firewall is generally regarded as better protection against attacks than that of a software firewall, but again, hardware costs money.
*** if anyone has experience with hardware firewalls and can do a quick review of a few products, please PM me, credit will be given thanks! ***
Software Firewalls
There is many options when it comes to a software firewall and like the anti-virus and anti-spyware software, everyone has their own favourite and their advantages/disadvantages. Software firewalls are not as good against certain attacks as a hardware firewall but most see past the point that nobody would be that dedicated to attack your machine.
still typing..bear with me lol