I was using AVG and ZoneAlarm. ZA went buggy, so I installed Comodo, which I think has too much to configure. Anyway, turns out that AVG only finds mid-level to minor threats, but lets the really bad stuff stay in your computer. My AVG updated every day, and scanned every week, yet somehow missed the Sasser Worm that had installed itself into my Windows XP OS. Automatic updates would neither download nor install, and the internet connection was really wonky. At first I thought it was a firewall problem. An IT friend found the problem, fixed it, and told me that you really get what you pay for with all the free anti-virus and firewall programs out there. He said that most of the infected computers he worked on had AVG running on them, and that people who use the free stuff have a false sense of security.
So what would you recommend?
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1 response so far ↓
1 Malachi // Aug 21, 2008
I use no anti-virus and no software firewall. A hardware firewall - in most home gateway/routers - is probably your second best friend. The first line of defense though is being careful of what you download and install. These days, if your software is up to date, most viruses need to be invited in.
That you found an instance of a four year old virus (Sasser) on your machine is a really, really bad sign. I would consider your machine compromised and re-install. If you do reinstall windows, *don’t* connect it to the internet before you have a decent firewall in place. Tests have shown that a virgin XP SP0 machine can be contaminated minutes after being attached to the net.
GRC Research has a good “white hat” port tester called “Shields Up” which can show you how good or bad your firewall is.
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