Topic Wiki

I would like to have had the following summary when I was looking for my answers. Since I only read the end of the thread, please add other pertinent information.

Best AntiVirus Software
Neither interferes with K9 now.  Do not have more than one antivirus running at a time.
Free - Avast           download here
Paid - Kaspersky

Best Free Spyware
ublock                    download here for FireFox

Firewalls
Windows Firewall should be ON at all times unless your antivirus software comes with one.
If so, it will probably shut off Windows Firewall on its own.



Before following the information contained here, check the date at the bottom to make sure this wiki is relatively up to date.
 
« Last edited by srap on November 17, 2015, 01:34:37 AM »

Author Topic: Best free Anti-Virus master thread  (Read 66669 times)

Offline Thingywingy

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #280 on: December 05, 2017, 06:05:14 PM »
According to the Wiki (last updated 11/15) Kaspersky is the best paid anti-virus. Googling a bit it seems bitdefender may be a better choice. Additionally there was the story with Kaspersky being used to breach security at the NSA. Even Best Buy pulls Kaspersky Lab products after concerns over ties to the Russian government

Is the consensus here that Kaspersky no longer is the best choice?
« Last Edit: December 05, 2017, 06:12:20 PM by Thingywingy »
I am sometimes accused of overthinking things. I am still mulling over whether that accusation has merit.

Offline Yisroel Tech

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #281 on: December 05, 2017, 06:52:56 PM »
According to the Wiki (last updated 11/15) Kaspersky is the best paid anti-virus. Googling a bit it seems bitdefender may be a better choice. Additionally there was the story with Kaspersky being used to breach security at the NSA. Even Best Buy pulls Kaspersky Lab products after concerns over ties to the Russian government

Is the consensus here that Kaspersky no longer is the best choice?
In tests generally Bitdefender is tied (somewhat better or somewhat worse) to Kaspersky. The upside of Kaspersky is that they are one of the tops for a long time continuously which gives the reliability aspect.

About the accusations against Kaspersky. First of all it's hardly proven and Kaspersky's response to makes a ton lot of sense. 2nd of all, if you're not a US government contractor I don't see why you'd have a huge problem even even the allegations are totally true.... Bitdefender is Romanian so the Romanian authorities are the ones looking and let's not speak about American companies which are definitely completely bugged by our government (which, frankly, I have more of an issue than I do with Russian government seeing me....)

Offline Thingywingy

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #282 on: December 05, 2017, 07:12:40 PM »
I have not spend much time researching the issue but I don't really understand their explanation. I get why Kaspersky picked up the NSA malware on the computer, but why was it passed on to Russian authorities?
The that fact that Best Buy stopped carrying their software doesn't make you doubt that perhaps there is a real issue?

I am sometimes accused of overthinking things. I am still mulling over whether that accusation has merit.

Offline Yisroel Tech

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #283 on: December 05, 2017, 09:30:19 PM »
I have not spent much time researching the issue but I don't really understand their explanation. I get why Kaspersky picked up the NSA malware on the computer, but why was it passed on to Russian authorities?
That fact that Best Buy stopped carrying their software doesn't make you doubt that perhaps there is a real issue?
It is essentially he said she said situation, and if you consider the Russians the ultimate bad and the Americans the ultimate good then yes, Kaspersky is at least highly suspected. But....

The Americans have vast interests and not necessarily that people shouldn't be hacked...  ;), see what we already have what the NSA and the CIA harvested! The Russians try to hack the Americans? Of course! And so do the Americans hack them! So... To really visualize it is the way someone said: "If you're OK with Israel pwing Kaspersky, replace the 1 st word with Russia or Iran, and the 2nd with Symantec or Checkpoint... Still OK?"

That is even if Kaspersky is guilty of handing it over to the Russians. But the Kaspersky explanation goes two ways, first of all since the NSA workers PC had a full-blown backdoor who knows who got stuff through that?! 2nd of all, since we know that the Israelis infiltrated (and as said, aren't you furious about this?...) Kaspersky, why isn't it possible that the Russians did the same?

Reasons why the US government would try to hurt Kaspersky, can range from the possibility that they collaborated with the Russians (which is not worse of our ISPs collaborating with the NSA! And I don't have more to fear from the Russians than from the NSA.) to possible revenge on Kaspersky being able to catch and prevent their malware as well as uncover their secret operations (Stuxnet and Equation group to name two things Kaspersky detected and investigated.)

Best Buy dropped it on the advice of the US DHS, which they obviously didn't verify separately. So read the whole post again how much that is worth...

Anyway....

Offline Thingywingy

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #284 on: December 07, 2017, 09:04:03 PM »
From AV-test.org it seems Kaspersky slows down performance while launching websites by 5% compared to BitDefenders 19%...sounds like a big downside...
I am sometimes accused of overthinking things. I am still mulling over whether that accusation has merit.

Offline Runningleo

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #285 on: December 11, 2017, 04:56:31 AM »
AVG is my favorite.

Offline tec

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #286 on: February 06, 2018, 10:40:00 AM »
Not sure if this is the right thread.
What's the worst thing that can happen from clicking a bad link?
Yesterday, I clicked on a weird link and afterwards, some programs started freezing. My computer is acting ok now. Just wondering if just clicking on a link could've installed anything and if so, what's the best thing to do now?
Ran a Windows Defender scan and nothing came up.

Offline DanH

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #287 on: February 06, 2018, 05:08:23 PM »
Not sure if this is the right thread.
What's the worst thing that can happen from clicking a bad link?
Yesterday, I clicked on a weird link and afterwards, some programs started freezing. My computer is acting ok now. Just wondering if just clicking on a link could've installed anything and if so, what's the best thing to do now?
Ran a Windows Defender scan and nothing came up.
Run a Malwarebytes and adwcleaner scan.
More info:
https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/33evdi/suggested_reading_official_malware_removal_guide/
For tech help feel free to Telegram me @DanTechSupp

Offline Yisroel Tech

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #288 on: February 06, 2018, 06:20:28 PM »
Like Dan says, run Malwarebytes and AdwCleaner scans.

To your question, technically everything bad can happen by press a bad link! (there can be an exploit there doing what not.) And therefore one should have an adequate antivirus program (and Windows Default is not really regarded as one.) Also one should have an ad blocker extension on the browser.

It's very likely though that it was simply a crypto mining hijacking, which doesn't change anything on the PC, it just mines crypto currency while open.

Offline tec

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #289 on: February 06, 2018, 08:33:34 PM »
Run a Malwarebytes and adwcleaner scan.
More info:
https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/33evdi/suggested_reading_official_malware_removal_guide/
Like Dan says, run Malwarebytes and AdwCleaner scans.

To your question, technically everything bad can happen by press a bad link! (there can be an exploit there doing what not.) And therefore one should have an adequate antivirus program (and Windows Default is not really regarded as one.) Also one should have an ad blocker extension on the browser.

It's very likely though that it was simply a crypto mining hijacking, which doesn't change anything on the PC, it just mines crypto currency while open.

Thanks!

Offline etech0

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #290 on: April 30, 2018, 06:21:36 PM »
Workflowy. You won't know what you're missing until you try it.

Offline Thingywingy

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #291 on: May 01, 2018, 02:03:45 AM »
https://thewirecutter.com/blog/best-antivirus/

Are they on target?
I'm no expert but it definitely sounds mechudosh to me...
I am sometimes accused of overthinking things. I am still mulling over whether that accusation has merit.

Offline etech0

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #292 on: May 01, 2018, 08:12:12 AM »
I'm no expert but it definitely sounds mechudosh to me...
Hence my question :)
Workflowy. You won't know what you're missing until you try it.

Offline Yisroel Tech

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #293 on: May 01, 2018, 08:16:05 AM »
https://thewirecutter.com/blog/best-antivirus/

Are they on target?
Definitely have some points. No one here is really in a position to verify or deny their factual claims.

Offline etech0

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #294 on: December 13, 2019, 10:07:28 AM »
The last few times I installed Avast, it installs Avast Secure Browser even though I choose Customize and uncheck everything except File Shield. Anyone else notice this?
Workflowy. You won't know what you're missing until you try it.

Offline DanH

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #295 on: December 15, 2019, 06:08:18 AM »
The last few times I installed Avast, it installs Avast Secure Browser even though I choose Customize and uncheck everything except File Shield. Anyone else notice this?
Haven't installed it in a while, but check the avast forums.  Also,
For tech help feel free to Telegram me @DanTechSupp

Offline daniel1455

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #296 on: December 16, 2019, 04:35:34 PM »
What is bad with windows Defender?

Offline etech0

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #297 on: December 16, 2019, 08:43:27 PM »
Haven't installed it in a while, but check the avast forums.  Also,
That's probably it - I always go straight to the customize button without reading the rest. Will try that next time :) thanks!
Workflowy. You won't know what you're missing until you try it.

Offline Sowhat

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #298 on: January 05, 2020, 05:30:52 PM »
Slightly offtopic ... Windows 7 will soon be unsupported.  I have a backup home computer running 7, which I would like to keep but not put money into it.  Anyway to secure it once MS stops updating it?  Thanks.

Offline Yisroel Tech

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Re: Best free Anti-Virus master thread
« Reply #299 on: January 05, 2020, 06:50:37 PM »
Slightly offtopic ... Windows 7 will soon be unsupported.  I have a backup home computer running 7, which I would like to keep but not put money into it.  Anyway to secure it once MS stops updating it?  Thanks.
Update to Windows 10...

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/upgrade-to-windows-10-free-heres-how/