How do you setup your virus protection?

[Rudyard]

Using Bit defender 9, it is very noticeable with the the 'scan all accessed files' option clicked.
I understand that any file accessed is checked and so it is effective in stopping a virus running, but it comes at a cost of a pause before anything loads as each file is scanned.

Is this necessary?

How do others setup there Virus scanners??

Maybe I just scan anything new manually combined with full system scan each week or 2?

Whats the best peformance/protection stand off that is recomended??

[redwudz]

I scan my files as they are downloaded or read into the computer from other sources. Scanning each and every file every time they are accessed will definitely slow down a system. It doesn't really seem necessary if you have already scanned them to scan them again on each access.

I also use programs like SpyBot and SpyWare Blaster to supplement my antivirus programs, along with a effective firewall to keep the 'nasties' from phoning home.

I'm using the freeware version of Avast and it scans the system daily, and doesn't seem to cause any major slowdowns.

[Rudyard]

Cheers redwudz thats how I thought it would be.

Can I ask, do you manually scan as you download/import from other source or can you set your scanner to do it this way automatically?

[redwudz]

Avast seems to do it on it's own. But if I have something from a questionable source, I scan it manually after downloading. I also put all my downloaded programs in a single 'DOWNLOAD' folder.

Then when I update my other anti-virus/anti-malware programs, I scan everything in that folder. Sometimes when new anti-malware definitions are added, they find problems with existing files. SpyBot needs to be ran manually, so as soon as I update it, I let it do a full scan.

I would never depend on a single program to search for malware, no matter how good it seems to work.

[ßsimian]

i turned off drive to drive file scanning in norton systemworks. only incoming and outgoing files/emails are scanned. like red i scan the entire computer from time to time.

[johns0]

I disabled Avast from starting up and use it to manually scan any files i dont trust,since i switched to vista 64 a year ago i havent got any viruses or pest programs.

[lordsmurf]

I use AVG 8, but it's more resource-using than 7.5 was. AVG 8 is about the same as Avast to me. McAfee and Norton are CPU whores, lock up the system for no reason (even Dual-Core systems).

I only scan the system once in a while. I mostly scan new files manually, and let it proxy all my e-mails.

[budz]

I use AVG 8, but it's more resource-using than 7.5 was. AVG 8 is about the same as Avast to me. McAfee and Norton are CPU whores, lock up the system for no reason (even Dual-Core systems).

I only scan the system once in a while. I mostly scan new files manually, and let it proxy all my e-mails.

I removed AVG 8.0 from all my computers because it's a memory hog. AVAST doesn't use as much memory as the latest AVG 8.0. I have 2 dual-core systems the conroe E6400 & wolfdale E8400 both with 2gbs each of ddr2-800 ram, crucial ballistic & corsair xms. Just my 2 cents!

[Ethlred]

Scanning files all the time is unfortunately necessary. If you only check them on download you will only catch the easy stuff. Many viruses and spy-ware are thoroughly obfuscated and won't show as malware until they are executed.

Norton is thinking about not scanning some files in the future to speed up scans. This strikes me as a bit risky but maybe they know which files they trust.

I downloaded a password guesser a while ago. I had no trust in it so I right clicked on it and tested with AVG. The full Internet Security not the AV only many are thinking is enough. It saw nothing. So I double clicked and AVG popped right up and gave me a warning that it was a nasty. That is what real time scanning is needed for.

Malware can be compressed, encrypted, poy-morphic and even potentially multi-part and pretty much anything else you can think of and much you can't unless your as paranoid as crypto-geek. Don't make your system an M&M. Hard on the outside and soft on the inside. Defense in depth.

Oh, and exercise some care. Its amazing the things people will click on and nowadays you don't even have to click.

[AlanHK]

I've been online about 15 years, no problems yet.

I do a virus check a few times a year. Never had any active infections.
I use Opera mostly and sometimes Firefox for browsing, Eudora for email. That cuts down the exposure massively.
I have a router that blocks a lot of probes, and I do run ZoneAlarm, the only active protection.

No doubt some of you are thinking that my system must be rotten with malware and I'm just too dumb to notice. I can't say anything to persuade those, other than if my PC was, for instance, a zombie bot in its spare time I might notice the activity on my router.

I install software from trusted sources (eg, Sourceforge). I get lots of viral attachments sent by spammers but simply delete them.

[Ethlred]

I've been online about 15 years, no problems yet.

It's entirely possible. If you go only to a small number of sites and don't trust the email you mention. I don't get any of those myself. Well two came from a Yahoo group a number of years ago but it was pretty obvious. I forgot I still had them on my drive till I ran a scan with PCcillin.

Can't be sure how long I have online in one way or another. My first modem was 300 baud. That was before the Internet was open to the public. Meaning me, which left bulletin boards which wasn't much of a virus source.

I have had two active bits of spyware. One so long ago Ad-Aware was the only thing there was to get rid of it. The second was a test of AVG. It failed. I wouldn't have let thing install if I didn't have an antivirus and a reasonable expectation of getting rid of it even if the AV failed. Found a tool on Major Geeks to get rid of it.

Still most people are neither careful enough nor knowledgeable enough to get away without some sort of security software beyond a firewall. Try reading some of the threads here where people are recommending ways to protect each other. Its amazing how some are bragging about the methods they use to have only a few problems a year instead of many. Most likely they using Limewire or another P2P program. The favorite of bot-herders around the world. Even those can be used if you exercise a modicum of caution.

Much of the problem is kids. I don't mean the wankers in the basement cackling over their plots to take over the world via IRC. I mean the kids that grew up with Internet but don't really understand that its potentially dangerous to their PC mainly because they are still children. The ability to move a mouse around a screen and type fast may be amazing to their parents but its not being a geek.

[Nelson37]

One of the first questions I ask home-users is "do you have any teenage boys in the home?" For business users, if there is a shop area - basically any place where bikini calendars are hanging on the wall. "Danger, Danger, Will Robinson!"

Scans must be scheduled cause users won't run them. Alternative browsers or e-mail programs are just not a viable alternative for most businesses.

Real-time file scans are essential in most cases. Norton and McAfee are off my list now, not just for loss of performance but for complete lockups, software incompatibilities, multiple issues.

Depending on what you are willing and able to do yourself, some performance can be reclaimed, but it's a judgement call. My video capture and encode box is completely safe with no AV, because it is not and never has been connected to the Internet.

[Faustus]

I use AVG Internet Security. Standard install unchecking the Firewall.

[AlanHK]

Much of the problem is kids.

Yes. I have a 10-year-old daughter who chafes under the restrictions I put on her activities.

A few days ago she asked me to help her with a website.


The website automatically tried to download a RAR file.
My system wouldn't do it without an okay, so I let that happen. Then I opened the file, called "photographs.rar". Inside was an SCR file.

At which point there was no further doubt so I deleted it. Her 10-year-old friend had sent her, and all their friends, an email saying "see pictures of my girlfriend". Of course, he doesn't have one (and obviously, to me, hadn't sent the message) so she wanted to look. After that she finally believes my warnings about never trusting any site or opening any file ANYONE sends her.

I probably will have to have a more formal scanning system set up for her.