Computer disasters Part 2

[kengr]

Okay, now we get to software.

Malicious software, poorly written software, etc can do terrible things to your computer or your data.

For the most part, you can't cause actual hardware damage via software on modern computers (on some older computers, you *could* actually do things like fry monitors by messing with video settings)

So, you need antivirus software. You need a firewall. And you need anti-spyware programs.

I personally recommend F-Prot antivirus. Especially for home users with multiple computers. A single license will cover up to 5 PC for $29/yr.

For anti-spyware, I tend to run Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy every so often. Note that with the anti-spyware products it makes sense to use more than one because some of the folks pushing spyware are companies big enough to pressure somre the anti-spyware companies into not reporting their stuff as a hazard.

I don't use realtime protection on the anti-spyware stuff because it's generally a resiurce hog, and unless you are adding a lot of programs often, the occasional scan will do just as well.

I do use realtime protection *and* weekly scans of the drive with the anti-virus software. And you pretty much *never* want to have more than one anti-virus program installed at the same time. At best they slow the system. At worst they'll fight with each other.

Alas, I can't currently recommend a firewall, because the one I used to recommend is no longer available. The company that made it combined the functions into their anti-virus package. I'll just note that I do *not* recommend using the firewall that comes with Windows.

I prefer my firewalls to bother me. To ask my approval for anything I haven't told it is ok. So, for example, if anything other than one of my browsers ties to make an outgoing connection to port 80, I want to know. I may give a blanket approval. Or a blanket ban. Or just deal with it on a case by case basis.

Oh yeah. If your cable modem, or dsl modem doesn't contain a router, buy a router. Routers *default* to blocking a lot of the incoming crud that is one of the reasons you need a firewall.

If you've got a decent firewall program, the difference between plugging straight into a modem or going thru a firewall is quite amazing (at least if your firewall is as "talky" as mine).

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

My laptop came with Norton Internet Security, which runs firewalls, tells me when someone's tried to hack me, and does virus scans and antispyware scans and stuff. I paid to have it renewed (since it turned out to be simpler than trying to uninstall it and install a free virus scanner) and good thing, too; it protects up to 3 computers. So with a little help from a Norton employee, I got a copy downloaded to my desktop PC and it's now protecting both of them.

[fayanora.livejournal.com]

That anonymous comment was me, BTW. Don't know why it did that.

[seawasp]

F-Prot appears to be for Linux and Windows. Of course, Macs have historically vastly fewer virus problems.

I have actually never gotten a virus on any machine I've owned or worked on, except when someone ELSE gave me something that I HAD to put on the machine (i.e., a disc that was supposed to have stuff I had to use).

[kengr]

Yep, no Mac version of F-prot. But I'm not much up on Mac stuff.

That first virus I got was from a party. Local adult BBS operator (and friend) was throwing one of his every so often parties. Lots of geeks. And someone had brought a disk with a Mahjonng game on it. Everybody liked it and lots of copies got made.

Next day I was running it and got a virus warning or something (It's been over 20 years). Quick check of the net on my *other* computer, and I had the virus removal software. As I noted I booted from the DOS ROM, ran the removal program from a write-protected floppy.

Meanwhile, I called the guy who'd hosted the party and told him that he got to contacted everybody about the boot-sector virus that'd been on the floppies..

Not the first time he'd had to make a post-party mass call to warn folks about an infection. Just thre first time it wasn't a biological one. :-)

I have gotten other viruses since but only a few. And yeah, usually from something on the web.

[scott-sanford.livejournal.com]

...some of the folks pushing spyware are companies big enough to pressure some the anti-spyware companies into not reporting their stuff as a hazard.

In my experience, rather a lot of anti-spyware is made as spyware or some other form of trojan. Be at least a little wary of what you install, and be ready to go scrub it out if it turns nasty on you.

[siegeengine.livejournal.com]

Hi, have you tried zone alarm? I use that exclusively as my firewall. It requests permission for any incoming or outgoing activity and tells you about it before it happens.

[kengr]

As I recall Zone Alarm is on my "no way in hell" list, along with McAffee, and Norton Anti-Virus.

Products get on that list thru really egregious instances of "I know what's best for you" or other majorly stupid tricks (Like Norton failing to record *where* it quarantined a file from, thus requiring you to figure out what directory it needs to be restored to).

BTW, that's not the main reason for Norton AV winding up on the list. The main one was the way it messed up my email program because it'd grab incoming mail that was "infected" in a way that broke the mail software.

McAfee got there by causing a friend's system to be down for a couple of days while we recovered for her having *upgraded* the program "incorrectly".

I think Zone Alarm was doing the "I know best" BS with some files I wanted left alone or something.