Disable Your Antivirus Software (Except Microsoft's)

[V_R]

As this thread has been awoken....

I'm still running Windows Defender. Its still working. I still have all my files and/or money.

Running Windows without anti virus software !!!!!! you might as well stick a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger.

I used to use free anti-virus stuff but was given a free years subscription to ESET. Boy am I glad I am running it.

Alert: ESET detects and blocks "Petya" Diskcoder.C malware—best practices for ESET and non-ESET users

That uses the same exploit as the Wannacry attack, if you've patched and updated your system them you are *mostly* safe.

Also this: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sec...cyclopedia/Entry.aspx?Name=Ransom:Win32/Petya

 

[floppybootstomp]

Running Windows without anti virus software !!!!!! you might as well stick a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger.

I used to use free anti-virus stuff but was given a free years subscription to ESET. Boy am I glad I am running it.

Alert: ESET detects and blocks "Petya" Diskcoder.C malware—best practices for ESET and non-ESET users


[URL='http://support.eset.com/alert6488/']
[/URL]

I've also been known to run with scissors.

I stand by what I say though, 99% of nasties are suffered through inexperience, naivety or stupidity.

 

[Abarbarian]

http://robert.ocallahan.org/2017/01/disable-your-antivirus-software-except.html


An interesting read. Thoughts?

I'm currently running Avira but am tempted to get Defender a go, just to see if its any better/worse/same/different.

Thanks I have been keeping up with the news on this. When I next switch on W7 I will disable the SBM1 service as I have been advised that though not necessary as I am fully patched and have a decent anti virus it is a service I will never need.

This makes decent reading on the threat.

http://blog.talosintelligence.com/2017/06/worldwide-ransomware-variant.html#more

This may be useful for some folk too,

https://www.talosintelligence.com/mbrfilter

MBR Filter is a simple disk filter designed by Cisco Talos to block write access to the Master Boot Record (MBR). The MBR is used to store information related to how the storage device is partitioned, as well as details regarding the filesystem configuration on the device. MBR Filter prevents rootkits, bootkits, and ransomware, such as Petya Ransomware, from overriding the operating system’s (OS) boot loader. Ransomware, like Petya, overwrite and encrypt the victim’s Master File Table (MTF) to coerce them into paying for an encryption key.

http://blog.talosintelligence.com/2017/06/worldwide-ransomware-variant.html#more

 

[V_R]

Did you mean to quote the OP? Or should it have been post #21?

 

[Abarbarian]

Did you mean to quote the OP? Or should it have been post #21?

Looks like a senior moment sneaked in somewhere I did indeed mean Post 21. Ta.

 

[nivrip]

The big problem with all AV systems is that it is very difficult to be sure that the one that you are using is really effective. Many people state that they use XYZ AV system and it works wonderfully. If you are very lucky and very careful then you might well not get any nasties on your computer but you cannot state, with certainty, that it was because of the AV.

I use Kaspersky because it is always in the top few on most evaluations and, more importantly, because I get it for free. I regularly check to see if it's picked up anything and, so far, nothing in many years. I can only conclude that I have been careful and extremely lucky. I never go onto "dodgy" websites and only download programmes from File Hippo and other, so called, reliable sites.

Surely, the only way to check the reliability of AV systems is to deliberately infect computers with nasties and check the effectiveness of all the available AV systems, one by one. That is how Which magazine tests them, so they say. However, I have heard it mentioned that even Which may have some vested interests in the results although I have always, perhaps naively, thought that they were impartial. The results also depend on how up to date each AV system is at the time of testing. I don't think there will ever be the perfect way to compare them all.

So, on that basis I will stick to Kaspersky and keep my fingers crossed.

 

[V_R]

https://www.av-comparatives.org/




I might go back to Bitdefender...

 

[floppybootstomp]

IF we can trust the website 'AV Comparitives' then of all those tested (most recent test was May) only Kaspersky and AVG scored 100% (see pic below). AVG is free, Kaspersky is not free (unless you bank with Barclays). I'm using Kaspersky with Win 7 & Win 10 atm cos my business account is with Barclays and I've used AVG in the past. Neither of these AV vendors have managed to upset me, unlike Bitdefender which (and I know I've banged on about this before) simply permanently deleted several folders they saw as a virus or malware whereas I feel they should have quarantined them and let me make the deletion decision.

About twelve years ago I did carry out an independent test of about ten AV vendors software, using full free versions and trial software where it had to be paid for. I snagged me three viruses, installed windows and one AV software at a time and let fly with the viruses.

Guess which one came top? Um - Nortons, believe it or not (Symantec). Strange days indeed.

I'm not doing that again though, twas a lot of bother.

EDIT: Silly Mr Flops, I just noticed Avast (a freebie) also scored top marks, sorry bout dat. In punishment for my foolishness I will now go and stand in the corner of the room in a waste paper bin facing the wall for twenty minutes wearing a dunces cap.

 

[Abarbarian]

Avast always seemed to do a good job for me in XP. Tried Kaspersky but it cocked up a couple of times so stuck with Avast.
No idea what I am running in 7. I think it is MSE or whatever the Microsoft offering is. It has been a few weeks since I fired up the old 7 though.

 

[Lotta Lumina]

Avast and AVG are owned by the same company as far as I'm aware, so that's unsurprising.

Also, there is no real protection against malware that is foolproof except yourself. Make sure not to download shady junk, don't open attachments from random people, don't torrent illegal content, etc.

 

[EvanDavis]

6 months on from my first post in this thread and I am still only running Windows Defender with zero issue