We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.
This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
The Forum now has a brand new text editor, adding a bunch of handy features to use when creating posts. Read more in our how-to guide
Why free antivirus isn't worth a toss anymore.
Conor_3
Posts: 6,944 Forumite
in Techie Stuff
I suggest all of those using free AV software, especially AVG, watch this weeks "Click from the BBC"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/
In it is an interview with Eugene Kaspersky, the owner of the leading AV solution there is. In it, he says something that's very important. The most common route of infection is through malicious scripts on websites.
Now I've banged on about this countless times before. FREE AV SOLUTIONS DO NOT SCAN WEBSITE SCRIPTS.
AVG 8 FREE DOES NOT EVEN DO REALTIME WEBPAGE SCANNING.
So even though you only go to legitimate sites, you may one day find yourself getting infected by a "drive by download" instigated by a malicous script. With the increasing amount of MS SQL server exploits, this is even more likely. I've been to legitimate sites only for NOD32 to pop up a warning window advising it's blocking a background redirect to yahoo-analytics.net which on the face of it looks like a legitimate URL but then downloads several bits of malware.
And let the long list of posts from people trying to convince themselves saying that he has a vested interest, begin....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/
In it is an interview with Eugene Kaspersky, the owner of the leading AV solution there is. In it, he says something that's very important. The most common route of infection is through malicious scripts on websites.
Now I've banged on about this countless times before. FREE AV SOLUTIONS DO NOT SCAN WEBSITE SCRIPTS.
AVG 8 FREE DOES NOT EVEN DO REALTIME WEBPAGE SCANNING.
So even though you only go to legitimate sites, you may one day find yourself getting infected by a "drive by download" instigated by a malicous script. With the increasing amount of MS SQL server exploits, this is even more likely. I've been to legitimate sites only for NOD32 to pop up a warning window advising it's blocking a background redirect to yahoo-analytics.net which on the face of it looks like a legitimate URL but then downloads several bits of malware.
And let the long list of posts from people trying to convince themselves saying that he has a vested interest, begin....
0
Comments
-
Get Avast
It does real time web page scanningBuy for value not cost.
Feb Grocery = £55.87 / 800 -
The most common route of infection is through malicious scripts on websites.
Now I've banged on about this countless times before. FREE AV SOLUTIONS DO NOT SCAN WEBSITE SCRIPTS.
Maybe the ones you've tried didn't, but that doesn't mean all.
Also, it's possible to block large numbers of known harmful websites using for example Spyware Blaster or Hosts file lists
And there are some programs which can be set to block unknown ActiveX exploits on the web page. Internet Explorer 7 does this.0 -
Also use firefox and use the security plugin 'no script' https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/7220
-
When I used AVG it DID popup warnings and stop viruses in their tracks on webpages.
So cmon Conor, where do you get this idea that AVG just sits there and does nothing?
(AVIRA also did and im 99% sure AVAST does which I use now)
And as quoted above, using the NOSCRIPT plugin with Firefox stops them all anyways (ALSO free)
So are you saying we all NEED to pay for Nod?
(The onky reason I no longer use AVG is because of the 'update' problems ive had, but I still highly appreciate a company that gives out FREE anti virus software all the same):idea:0 -
Another "I am right and everyone else is wrong" post from Conor :rolleyes:0
-
+1 for firefox +noscript. can be a pita blocking content on most sites, but better safe than sorry
add adblock plus for a carefree browsing experience, even 'the dark side' of the internet becomes safe
Utinam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam suffodiant.0 -
I use Kaspersky Barclays gives it to all their online banking customers for free! Cashback Earnt so far in 2009: AMEX £133.93, wepromiseto.co.uk £67.07, Barclaycard £25, MobilePhoneExchange: £28. TOTAL: £254.000
-
Kaspersky, well he would say that, wouldn't he.:rolleyes:
I would sooner use Free AVG than paid for Norton or McAfee.0 -
Well Kaspersky would say that, wouldn't he?
He's wrong, compared to using no AV at all, in that even if some free packages are only partially effective against certain types of recent threat, they will still be effective against older viruses - some of which have persisted on the PCs of the careless or the clueless for years.
Yet he's right to be making people aware of the change in the main route of attack in recent years.
As several posts have already said, if you stop malicious active content from running, you don't need the overhead of an antivirus package scanning everything you're doing on the internet.
Even with older versions of IE - without any extra add-ons - it's still relatively easy to change the security level in the Internet zone to foil active content attacks, and add to the Trusted zone only websites you really trust. This will also protect against the attempted background redirect attack that you mention.
[edit: dammit, Inactive beat me to it.]0 -
:doh: Blue text on this forum usually signifies hyperlinks, so click on them!..:wall:0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply
Categories
- All Categories
- 354.3K Banking & Borrowing
- 254.4K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 455.4K Spending & Discounts
- 247.3K Work, Benefits & Business
- 604K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 178.4K Life & Family
- 261.5K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.7K Read-Only Boards