Best Firewall / Anti Virus combo on XP

[-rwxrw-r--]

On Sat, 17 Sep 2005 20:50:24 -0400 in
microsoft.public.windowsxp.general, Richard Urban [MVP] favored us
with...

Of course, if you weren't running with ActiveX turned on, that would
not be a concern.

"Doctor, doctor, it hurts when I move my arm this way!"
"Then don't."

Seriously, if people insist on using MSIE, they should at least
configure it to reduce the obvious vulnerabilities, of which ActiveX
is the largest. Otherwise they're just asking for trouble.

It's not just ActiveX that can be a problem and allow for malicious code to
be installed on a Windows computer. Maybe you want to read this article ...

http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1829

 

[\old\ devildog]

Z
I ran the MSAS beta for almost 6 months. Dropped it when it started causing
more problems than it was worth. Yes I know it was a beta, but when a
signature is updated (and it was like pulling your own teeth just to get it
to update) and decides that your anti-virus and firewall (SystemSuite 5
then) are spyware and turns them off, well that is a little too much. I
ended up having to reinstall SS5, just so that I could uninstall it, (the
install files was so badly damaged) then reinstall SS5 again. Had to remove
MSAS before I could repair my install. When I rebooted after the final
install of SS5, the drivers for my G-Force MX 4000 Vid Card crashed and had
to be reinstalled. Fun - fun. When I got SS5 back up and running right, I
ran the Registry Cleaner, and it found so much crap left over from MSAS. It
looked as bad as some of the spy/adware I have removed by hand in the past.
I had ordered SystemSuite Pro 6 a few days before, so I decided that MSAS
was still to close to being an alpha, and with beta 2 being so far away, it
had to go. Maybe when it gets out of beta and has a year or so of
dependable service (without sneaking through their "buddies crap" by
changing the status on the blocking list to ignore) I might retry MSAS.
Right now the WinPatrol Plus, AdAwareSE, Spybot S&D along with the
Trend-Micro included with SS Pro 6, provide a very good protection level. In
fact I just saw where the latest version of WinPatrol Plus scored 100% in
detecting spyware. That is not bad. Wonder if I really need the other stuff
running. Better leave it all running, you never know when the spyware/adware
writters will make something just to slip by "Scotty".

"old"devildog
-- Semper Fi --
-------------------

| Lua wrote:
| > I'm currently using ZoneAlarm Wireless and AVG 7.0. So far this is the
| > best combo I've found. I've tried other firewalls (Tiny, Fsecure etc.)
| > but can't get on with them. My last AV was V-Com FixIt 6.0 which I found
| > great for virus detection but useless at deleting/cleaning.
| > I've tried all-in-one solution (FSecure) but always found something I
| > didn't like.
| > Just wondering what others experiences are.
|
| I like the XP firewall (I scrapped ZA Free because it didn't set up
| service dependencies properly so it would clobber the sshd inbound port
| when it started after sshd). The Windows firewall service has the proper
| startup dependencies to prevent that from happening.
|
| or AV, I use McAfee on the systems that still have time left on the
| 12-month subscription that came with it, and AVG Free on the rest.
|
| I also like MS AntiSpyware and use it instead of Ad Aware and Spybot.

 

[Lil' Dave]

I wish I knew. Then I could try to avoid it. How about white text on a white
background. When you click on a blank area in a window, so as to bring the
window into focus (make active), you may click on a "hidden something: Bang!
A downloaded activex control you didn't plan on or want. Or, it may come in
as part of a "free" utility, screen saver, ringtone, desktop background etc.
that you initiate the download for.

Anyway, ZoneAlarm Professional, and now ZA Security Suite, caught both
instances when they tried to connect to pass on the gathered information. I
then knew they were there and was able to eliminate them.

I have an remote acquaintance that had a dialer installed on his computer
without his consent or knowledge. It would disconnect him from the internet
(he used dialup services) and silently dial a new number. He was merrily
surfing the web for over a month when he got his first phone bill with the
added charges. He almost went into cardiac arrest. The bill was for over
$35,000 ($9.95 per minute for every minute he was connected). That was $597
for every hour his connection was hijacked. After much arbitration, the
phone company forgave 1/2 of the phone bill. He was still responsible for
the remainder.

ZoneAlarm would have prevented this from occurring. It would have popped up
a warning about a new connection and what zone did he want to give it access
to, internet or trusted. At that point he would have known, and could have
denied the connection.

Many people seem to be happy with the "one way" Windows XP firewall. I hope
they never have the problems I have seen in servicing computers for the past
12 years.


--
Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from: George Ankner
"If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!"

A noisy external modem would have been a dead giveaway. The dialer volume
can't be controlled by the PC. And, if using the same connection setup,
different phone number, not saving your password to begin with would have
blocked it before dialing.

 

[Lil' Dave]

I'm currently using ZoneAlarm Wireless and AVG 7.0. So far this is the
best combo I've found. I've tried other firewalls (Tiny, Fsecure etc.)
but can't get on with them. My last AV was V-Com FixIt 6.0 which I found
great for virus detection but useless at deleting/cleaning.
I've tried all-in-one solution (FSecure) but always found something I
didn't like.
Just wondering what others experiences are.
Lu

Don't know how one would know what's best unless purposely taking on various
viruses, and soliciting intrusions from outsiders.

Using ZA Pro latest version, NAV 2004, and Trend Micro AntiSpyware.

 

[nobodys.real]

I recommend you all backup your registry and system state frequently so
that you can always restore while experimenting with anitvirus and spam
removal. There is also a couple good tutorials of spybot and Process
Explorer.
The tutorials here are AWESOME.. the registry backup is in VIDEO!!!

www.thisoldpc.net

 

[Stan Brown]

[quoted text muted]
Seriously, if people insist on using MSIE, they should at least
configure it to reduce the obvious vulnerabilities, of which ActiveX
is the largest. Otherwise they're just asking for trouble.

It's not just ActiveX that can be a problem and allow for malicious code to
be installed on a Windows computer.

Of course it's not. I didn't say it's the only vulnerability, I said
it's the largest.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com/
"To put it bluntly but fairly, anyone today who doubts that the
variety of life on this planet was produced by a process of
evolution is simply ignorant -- inexcusably ignorant, in a world
where three out of four people have learned to read and write."
--Daniel Dennett, /Darwin's Dangerous Idea/ (1995), page 46

 

[Stan Brown]

A noisy external modem would have been a dead giveaway. The dialer volume
can't be controlled by the PC.

I don't have a telephone modem any more, but when I did I remember it
was quite easy to control the volume by sending a configuration
string just before the number to dial.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com/
"To put it bluntly but fairly, anyone today who doubts that the
variety of life on this planet was produced by a process of
evolution is simply ignorant -- inexcusably ignorant, in a world
where three out of four people have learned to read and write."
--Daniel Dennett, /Darwin's Dangerous Idea/ (1995), page 46