Help (me) a computer stupid guy

[spencer60]

I noticed the other day that Lifelock now uses Norton

Symantec owns both LifeLock and Norton, and they both trashed the NRA recently by publicly canceling their programs with them in response to pressure from teen gun-controller Hogg.


Honestly, if you setup Windows Defender and make sure your machine is pulling down and installing the Windows patches every month, you really don't need much else except common sense when it comes to clicking on links in emails.

 

[jcountry]

Windows defender is all you need, imo. With the auto updates.

Defender is much better than any of the commercial anti-virus crap.

Never pay for mcafee, or norton, or any of that crap. The bad guys skate right past all of their 'protections,' and to make it even worse, they have figured out how to access your system through deep 'hooks' the AV people used.

Cliff notes: Not only is the 3rd party stuff ineffective.... It actually makes your computer more vulnerable.

I'm a mac person anyhow, but if you are going the windows route-defender is the best.

The best security advice-never open links in any email, and never respond to any email that asks for any kind of log in or personal info, and run the mocrosoft or apple stuff instead of any 3rd party nonsense.

 

[Vaziik]

Defender is much better than any of the commercial anti-virus crap.
Cliff notes: Not only is the 3rd party stuff ineffective.... It actually makes your computer more vulnerable.

Do you have any non-anecdotal evidence to back this? Windows Defender, almost since day one, has lagged behind in virus/malware detection compared to FREE products like Avast and AVG. Trusting Microsoft to do anything right is a risk in and of itself. Seeing as how that company can't even release Windows 10 updates without breaking millions of computers and pissing of sysadmins across the country.

 

[jcountry]

Do you have any non-anecdotal evidence to back this? Windows Defender, almost since day one, has lagged behind in virus/malware detection compared to FREE products like Avast and AVG. Trusting Microsoft to do anything right is a risk in and of itself. Seeing as how that company can't even release Windows 10 updates without breaking millions of computers and pissing of sysadmins across the country.

Microsoft is crap.

I went 100% mac a couple years back, and wish I had done it a couple decades back. It's not 100% bulletproof, but it's a whole lot better.

The reason microsoft is crap is that root access is so easy. Microsoft has decided (long ago) to make root simple by giving it to people by default. That basic design philosophy is why windows is such a huge target. Hackers can get root if someone clicks on something executable in an email. Can also happen through banner ads which just sit around and run by themselves. All sorts of ways. The thing that changed in the last few years is hackers figured out how to exploit those 'hooks' which 3rd party AV software uses to tie into the system. Pretty sure they can't do that with defender. Those 3rd party services actually make the attack easier.

AV used to be a good idea. Used to. But hackers have figured out how to get root so easily, it's useless now. Defender is as good as it gets. It auto-updates now. And it's free. Microsoft used to have horrible security software, but they actually do as well as anyone now. Why pay money for something which is done better for free?

Also, run behind a router with a firewall. That stops 99% of stuff by itself.

Most attacks these days depend on the users doing something stupid like clicking on an executable link in an email. People don't know any better.

I learned this stuff from Steve Gibson. He has a wonderful podcast "security now" which goes into detail. Leo Laporte is great too (and more geared toward the less-technical user.) I know how the "use microsoft security software" sounds. Seemed crazy to me at first, too.

The best advice on a windows system is to do a full wipe and re-install every 6 months or so. Seems extreme, but it actually works very well. If you backup offsite (I use carbonite) its very easy to do a wipe/reinstall. You can do it with a usb hard drive too if you wish. Microsoft machines get crapped up with so many cookies and so much malware that they slow down. Much of this stuff is making your machine part of some botnet or some crypto-mining BS without any way for you to know. A wipe/reinstall fixes everything. A 'security scan' by some 3rd party guys will look like it's useful. Doesn't come close to touching any of the bad stuff.

 

[Vaziik]

Microsoft is crap.

The reason microsoft is crap is that root access is so easy. Microsoft has decided (long ago) to make root simple by giving it to people by default. That basic design philosophy is why windows is such a huge target. Hackers can get root if someone clicks on something executable in an email. Can also happen through banner ads which just sit around and run by themselves. All sorts of ways. The thing that changed in the last few years is hackers figured out how to exploit those 'hooks' which 3rd party AV software uses to tie into the system. Pretty sure they can't do that with defender. Those 3rd party services actually make the attack easier.

Banner ads are easily stopped by using adblock or ghostery. Most of those attacks which you keep referencing regarding the AV hooks require actual physical access to the computer.

AV used to be a good idea. Used to. But hackers have figured out how to get root so easily, it's useless now. Defender is as good as it gets. It auto-updates now. And it's free. Microsoft used to have horrible security software, but they actually do as well as anyone now. Why pay money for something which is done better for free?

Both Avast and AVG are free and autoupdate. Windows Defender is still bad compared to most 3rd party AV's. Here's a test from a couple months ago: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/windows-defender

Most attacks these days depend on the users doing something stupid like clicking on an executable link in an email. People don't know any better.

Agreed. See above about Adblock and Ghostery.

The best advice on a windows system is to do a full wipe and re-install every 6 months or so. Seems extreme, but it actually works very well. If you backup offsite (I use carbonite) its very easy to do a wipe/reinstall. You can do it with a usb hard drive too if you wish. Microsoft machines get crapped up with so many cookies and so much malware that they slow down. Much of this stuff is making your machine part of some botnet or some crypto-mining BS without any way for you to know. A wipe/reinstall fixes everything. A 'security scan' by some 3rd party guys will look like it's useful. Doesn't come close to touching any of the bad stuff.

This isn't feasible or needed for most people. Offsite backup is a great idea. How exactly do cookies slow down Microsoft machines? With any decent free AV you won't need to worry about malware.

 

[Moondog1]

Any of yall seen the documentary on John Mcafee? lol

 

[jcountry]

Banner ads are easily stopped by using adblock or ghostery. Most of those attacks which you keep referencing regarding the AV hooks require actual physical access to the computer.


Both Avast and AVG are free and autoupdate. Windows Defender is still bad compared to most 3rd party AV's. Here's a test from a couple months ago: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/windows-defender

Agreed. See above about Adblock and Ghostery.


This isn't feasible or needed for most people. Offsite backup is a great idea. How exactly do cookies slow down Microsoft machines? With any decent free AV you won't need to worry about malware.

Maybe not cookies as much as all that other crap.

I had a windows 10 machine, and it would get all crapped up with all sorts of stuff. It’s well-hidden, and pretty much impossible to really clean out.

So glad I left Microsoft behind, though. I have been Mac for a while, and the damned thing works as well as the day I bought it.

 

[spencer60]

Defender is actually pretty solid and integrates smoothly with Windows 10, not something other AVs can claim. Good write-up on Defender here.

https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1926596,00.asp

These days AV is mostly a solution to a non-existent problem.


The main thing to keep a Windows system 'safe' is to keep up-to-date on patches. If you do that one simple thing you will block 95% of the attacks out there, since most depend on known bugs.

Run Windows Defender... it can't hurt and might help someday... And the price is right.

Keep your Web browser up to date and patched (IE is patched with the OS). Also make sure an add-ons like Flash or PDF readers are set to automatically update.

If you get an email from someone you can't identify, don't even preview it, just delete it.

There's lots of good YouTube videos on how to spot 'phishing attacks' in email and web sites. Take a few minutes and watch some of these so you know what to look for.

Last and not least... never click on ANYTHING unless you know where the link will take you. Every web browser will show you the full link if you hover over a link. Make sure it goes where you think it should before clicking on it. If in doubt, type the URL in yourself rather than clicking on a link, or Google the place you are trying to get to and use their link.

 

[bbarie]

Got a new laptop a couple months ago. The anti-virus has now expired. Its prompting me to renew Mcafee. Will that suffice or should I go with Norton like my dad does?

I have had both, been on computers for more years then I care to remember. I recommend Norton. Just out for all the
internet browsing crap they offer. Can slow the internet exp. way down.

 

[spencer60]

Maybe not cookies as much as all that other crap.

I had a windows 10 machine, and it would get all crapped up with all sorts of stuff. It’s well-hidden, and pretty much impossible to really clean out.

So glad I left Microsoft behind, though. I have been Mac for a while, and the damned thing works as well as the day I bought it.

Macs have a couple of advantages, in that they aren't as popular so they tend not to be high-priority targets. They also don't depends on 3rd party software as much for OS level stuff like drivers, so they can be written to a higher standard. And since apple has more control over the whole ecosystem, patches can be more timely.

That being said, Macs have has some real doozies when it comes to security holes. I loved the one last year where you could modify any account on the machine just by accessing the tool as 'root' but leaving the password blank.