Psycho'78

I know that this is probably just a passing concern for most college students, but I feel that folks need to be educated about online security and fear many do not know the whole of it.

I would just like to know what software, if any (!), people use. I hope this could be used for reference/suggestions to everyone, but also curiosity on my part.

Obviously, many of you stay away from Windows, but some may not have that option.

So, if you care to share and discuss, go for it....

Psycho'78

Personally, I use Kaspersky Internet Security (KIS) 2010 after using ZoneAlarm for about 3 years. ZoneAlarm failed me a few times. I noticed things coming up during scan which managed to penetrate the firewall, so I switched to KIS 2009 then 2010 and have been doing better.

I also discovered Sandboxie (free) and use it as a layer of protection whenever I browse. It works to keep a system clean and protects from malware writing and saving things to your system.

I think for starters, these two are essentials, especially Sandboxie which can help prevent tons of problems. I have a couple other programs (free!) that I use and work well, but I'll post those later, perhaps.

YouTube - Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 Review
YouTube - Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 Review Part 1
YouTube - Sandboxie Review Part 1

what.cd

KIS is fairly bloated, but it's a really good product. I'm using NOD32. What do you mean most of us stray away from windows?

Psycho'78

I haven't tried Nod32, but I've read good things about it. KIS doesn't feel bloated to me, though I admit it sometimes feels slow when I update it's signatures. .

I said the Windows things because around here I read a lot of people have/suggest Macs.

noimagination

Antivirus/antispyware software is a scam run by a bunch of snake oil salesmen. Think before you click, use NoScript (or just use elinks like me), and don't trust your magical software to handle security for you. You are your own biggest security flaw, and it doesn't matter what operating system or anti-* software you use.

And NEVER run as admin for day-to-day use. If you do, you deserve what you get.

Chipmoney

Avira Anti-Virus. It's free and works well.

chsowlflax17

Symantec, because it's free from Brown.

OperaDad

Avast antivirus is free and gets good reviews. for internet, you need Antivirus as well as a good firewall. I use Norton for firewall on my PC. That warns me when programs are attempting to connect to the internet.

The schools my kids go to give out antivirus programs for free to the students. One uses Mcafee, and the other uses Norton.

Psycho'78

If only it could be as easy as Firefox+NoScript+AdBlock Plus. The truth of the matter is that there are sites out there that demand to use scripts/flash to display properly. ELinks is just an unnecessary step backwards as if there were no other choice!

If it works for you fine, but it's a whole other story to announce protective software is part of some sort of conspiracy.

I second the Admin user thing. If Windows defaulted accounts to "Limited User," many less than saavy computer users would have less problems.

what.cd

I only use antivirus software because of University regulations. Once I graduate, I'm getting rid of it.

OperaDad

I guess college hasn't taught you that much.

Chairman Meow

I'm particular to NOD32.

what.cd

Not really. Only people who have no idea how to use the internet and download random stuff need antivirus software.

noimagination

Most of those sites are junk and should be avoided. That isn't to say that you can't view YouTube and Facebook and whatever else requires JS/Flash. The chances of a major security failure on those places are very low. But if you visit some random website, find that it doesn't function without JS/Flash, and then enable everything, that is your problem.

As for elinks, I question your assertion that it is a "step backwards". There certainly are some areas where videos and scripting are valuable - video sites are an example. But most of the time, these things are just distractions from the CONTENT. I don't lose anything by browsing CC in text-only; in fact, I gain thanks to the increased readability. It is easier to focus on the hard facts rather than the aesthetics.

Most antivirus/antispyware software is signatures-based. In other words, it downloads a new list of "bad" files every day and then promptly scans every single thing on your computer looking for matches. Can you imagine such stupidity? Those lists are instantly out-of-date, scanning everything is insanely resource intensive, and things still slip by.

Heuristics-based scanners are marginally better; since they monitor your system for malevolent behavior, no definitions are needed. And just watching for suspicious behavior is far less resource hungry than manually scanning everything. While I would argue that they are unnecessary, these behavioral systems are not entirely without merit. ThreatFire Free is a reasonably good product.

Just thinking before you click is the most important thing.

srunni

I agree with noimagination; antivirus software is almost completely useless, and just ends up slowing down your computer.