What anti virus should I run?

isofa

Lum wrote: »

Good job there have been OSX viruses doing the rounds for the last 5 years then :P

Not as many but if it keeps gaining in popularity then it'll become a much bigger target.

They are more proof of concept than anything else, the most publicised issue was from people installing cracked/illegal downloaded software (Apple and Adobe) which came with a nasty malware payload - if users are going to be stupid what do they expect?!

aliEnRIK

PlutoinCapricorn wrote: »

AlienRik, what is wrong with Bullguard? Are you an extreme tecchie person?

The online backup, the detection of 'real' attacks, the support ... they are great.

Ive dealt with loads of peoples computers with 'bulldog' protection this last year which have failed them

erm....whats an 'extreme' techie?

aliEnRIK

Marty_J wrote: »

Rik, you're just the man!

What should I put on my new Windows 7 install?

I might even have a HijackThis log for you at some point.

What fun!

You mean its NOT secure 'out of the packet' like a mac? :eek:

Lum

isofa wrote: »

the most publicised issue was from people installing cracked/illegal downloaded software (Apple and Adobe) which came with a nasty malware payload - if users are going to be stupid what do they expect?!

This is equally true on Windows though. Cracks and Keygens cause a lot of it and the bulk of the rest comes from installing "free" software advertised in banner ads and popups such as the "1000 free smileys" banner.

The problem is Windows has a lot more users and as it's the default choice it also has a lot more stupid users which makes it easier to hit.

My worry is that the "I'm on a Mac therefore I'm secure" attitude is going to spread to those same type of users should you actually convince them to buy a Mac next time around and they're going to get hit and not even know it, all while believing it could never happen to them because they have a Mac now.

J0NM

The latest one is from Sophos - a company traditionally associated with only selling to businesses - so they've got a really good professional reputation.

Have a look. It's not been officially launched yet, and there's a 'Klingon' version if you're so inclined - but English version here too:

sophos.com/newtool/betatest/

PlutoinCapricorn

Rik, by "extreme tecchie" I meant someone who knows software packages inside out and a lot about hardware too. People like that are looking for all kinds of features that people like me do not care about.

Whatever the product, even tinned beans of a certain brand, there will be some people who think it is great, others will say it is no good.

But Bullguard has had some very good reviews, it is more than a matter of personal taste. I know someone who moved from Bullguard to Avira, then went straight back.

Lum

Actually an "extreme techie" as you call it is more likely to be looking for a security product that gets on the job without getting in the way all the time with pointless messages (Zone Alarm) or slowing your system down to a crawl (Norton)

Some people who are less sure of what is going on may like to have the reassurance that their security product is actually doing something and unfortunately this is something that marketers prey upon. This is why Zone Alarm likes to flash it's systray icon every time it blocks a bit of stray internet traffic. It's why pop up ads present themselves as fake Windows warnings that your system is infected, and why people get duped into installing spyware like WinAntivirus 2009.

This is also why techies shun the likes of Norton because even though it's a legitimate product, there is so much bloat in there to make it look pretty and look busy that it runs slower and for what? marketing that's what.

If I were going to buy an AV, I'd go for eSet NOD32, otherwise the free version of Avira (with the nag screen disabled) is fine. AVG used to be very good but it's detection rate is suffering these days

aliEnRIK

Then im not an extreme techie

I understand people believeing everything they read. I speak from personal experience.

Marty_J

aliEnRIK wrote: »

I understand people believeing everything they read. I speak from personal experience.

Rik, don't beat yourself up about it.

They did look like very authentic Viagra ads.

aliEnRIK

Marty_J wrote: »

Rik, don't beat yourself up about it.

They did look like very authentic Viagra ads.

haha

very good Marty....very good