Keep your financial related activty separate from everything else, I boot from Linux Mint on a USB3 stick for that.

 

Sure, Apple is a questionable company. But if you think Microsoft is any better, then you better think again. *yes*
Without wanting to take sides, but that's clearly not an argument. I knew that mentioning what I did in my post
above in a PC related thread would lead to this.

Big Mike

 

My friends, the best antivirus software is called "Linux" these days or using a Virtual Box machine for Internet. However, I can advise you to give Linux and dual booting a chance, it will surprise you how far it went in just last couple of years with a trouble-free configuration, easy install and easy usage, Windows and OSX way. Install Windows or OSX [yes you can install OSX on just about any computer] for audio and then Install Linux Mint Debian Edition or just about any Debian distribution [I use Debian LXDE] on top of it for everything else that is unsafe to do in Windows. You'll have such great peace of mind in multiple ways like I do now. You'll have a chance to test the future free operating system that everybody is going to use once the proprietary ones are gone and you'll get a chance to taste the freedom of choice that you get with Linux [basically only the kernel is always the same in every distribution, you choose everything else].

Having said that, I lived without an AV and with Windows XP for more than a decade without any trouble. Last few years with a Virtual Box runing XP and Linux for Net and troublesome installations, testing of software or just having fun doing stuff like testing viruses and malware in them. Now I'm running a dual boot system finally, but Virtual Boxes also because they're fun and very safe. I simply never could justify the usage of an antivirus because it simply trumps the OS' performance no matter how good your computer is and yes - you can still get nicely infected with a virus. I used to do backups of the whole system partition instead to be safe. That's very safe, too. Remember that all Microsoft backup solutions can be hacked more easily than you think so it's far better and safer to just use 3rd party software like Redo Backup http://redobackup.org/ or DriveImage XML http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm or simply use Hiren's Boot CD with its many sophisticated tools for diagnostics, cleaning, backup etc. http://www.hiren.info/pages/bootcd

Peace and cheers!

 

Speaking of doing tests: Once upon a time, I downloaded 600 viruses from Virii Argentina, all of them zipped and perfectly harmless, totally incapable of infecting anything. But all of them were detectable by antivirus software.

When my boss stepped out for tea, I loaded his computer up with my little surprise.

He screamed and ranted and sweated blood when his antivirus software discovered a perfect storm of 'fatal infections.' His monitor screen was flashing red and making siren sounds. He believed that he had lost irreplaceable documents -->> he never made backup copies.

Best of all, he gave me a raise when I showed him how to remove 'the infections' by hand. To this day, he thinks I saved his ass. And, in truth, I really did. Starting on that day, he made backup copies of his work religiously.

I just hope he isn't a member here.

 

man! Sounds like something I would do, too.

And if I get sacked, I'd unpack them all into a hidden encrypted partition somewhere deep in the file system, make a dos script to run them all and put the link to this script into the registry autostart key. That should probably do it.

 

Linux actually surprise surprise gets infections like any other OS. It is simply a myth that it can't and again market share has a lot to do with it:
http://itsfoss.com/virus-alert-linux-trojan-hand-thief-spotted-grey-market/

Here's a step by step guide for writing a virus on Linux (the malware coding part is omitted because it's a proof of concept only):
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/foobar/6229#compact

So many myths in computing. *yes*

 

Oh yes, any OS can be infected. I didn't say that Linux is immune to viruses nor I would ever say that. Let's leave those myths for the Mac fanbois to infinitely reiterate. But both OSX and Linux are safer by default due to how the OS works and all Unix OSes have very sophisticated and highly developed roots [pun intended "root"] that Windows will never have.

It's simply a matter of virus writers being willing to write the virus for a particular OS, of course. And they like to either write viruses for very popular OSes so the infection can spread more easily and more widely or write viruses for the OSes they *hate*. ;) Like the recent increase in amount of viruses for OSX...

That's why Linux is safer, for these two reasons: there are not nearly as many users as Windows users and nobody particularly hates Linux. However, it is also a bit trickier to write a really dangerous virus for a Unix based OS, including OSX which is based on FreeBSD than for Windows. Everything that M$ makes seems somewhat full of holes, buggy and sloppy to me.

When they start writing too many viruses for Linux I'm going to install Solaris OS or NetBSD. Piece of cake. But honestly, I think that the probability of getting a virus in Linux is virtually 0 unless you really step on someone's toe or something like that.

Cheers!

 

I use this online virus scan for exe files i don't trust:
http://virusscan.jotti.org/en

 

Antivirus is totally useless and is not needed as most AV Worms etc is false warning from the AV companys themself..

Have written about it before my girlfriend had a legal Kaspersky license and got tons of warnings that her PC was infected with both worms and virus and she got 30 or more spam-mail every week

When the licens period was over she decided to not to renew it.

So i uninstall the AV (well it was an internet-suite) and cleaned the register and GUESS WHAT?

All of a sudden no more spam.mail i installed a trial version of Norton if i remember correctly (or another well known AV soft) and did a scan no virus no worms

I uninstall Norton or whatever it was tested an online Virus search (now that her computer was unprotected) and the result was the same her PC was clean,,

That made me think that most of those s.c worms viruses etc etc is not really REAL they are "made up" and the ones who spread the roumors is the AV companys as it is them who need us to be afraid of such things..

With that said i am not saying that there is no such thing as viruses or worms they do exists BUT most of them (i would guess 98%) is not for real..

And most of the worms etc is on PORNSITES and some dark WAREZSITES if you not visit them you should be fine without an AV installed..

It is better just to have a good firewall..

Nope thats not true according to all MAC FANBOYS their OS is so good that it is AV free well my Mac is acting strange sometimes wonder why??

 

Infections are where you find them. Never believe that highbrow websites cannot harm your computer.

My computer has been infected by reading Google News -- by advertisments on the pages that Google sent me to. Security experts know a lot about harmful advertisements, which are placed by advertisers, not by website owners, as a rule.

Adobe Flash and Adobe Reader are famous for helping hackers. Apple refused to allow Flash Player onto Apple Computers. Flash was setting records for helping hackers and organized crime, including NSA, you bet your boots.

People who never visit pornsites get infected anyway -- because they only visit shady pornsites on the sly, rather than ask around about the best. People who never download warez -- but get infected anyway -- are using rotten sites to get their warez.

Take a look around the web -- trouble is everywhere. Organized crime and governments compete to screw you over -- even if you do not visit sites that feature porn or warez, or books about the deadly sin that's called hypocrisy.

 

I use Avast free for the last 5 years, and been virus free the last 5 years. But before it was like a minefield
The boot scan sold it for me. You can scan the whole System before windows starts up.

GrEEtZ Plizy Bro

 

antivirus lost their point because.... virus aren't the vector to attack anymore.

because :

- people have antivirus, and they got cheap. since (basically) everybody has internet they're up to date.
- newer versions of windows, mac os, linux have a privilege system. which is equivalent everywhere and reliable.
- attackers don't want to leave a trace on your computer
- someone with an infected computer will want to reinstall it (and destroy the vector doing so)
- peoples valuables AREN'T ON THE COMPUTER ANYMORE!!!

before :
admin accounts wide open (windows xp , yes?) , easy to stealthy install malware, 99% of users running the same version of windows, confusing backup strategy, popp'd mail...

now :
sudo (or equivalents) everywhere, Mac userbase bigger and growing, linux on the desktop, easier backups, webmail , cloud storages.

Stop ranting about windows or mac being unsecure. it used to be so, now there's some hard privileges stuff everywhere
you can't install some dll or drivers without clickin a button sayin' "yeah i want to install, i know what i'm doing" or typing the password of an admin account.
it's the very same mechanism on linux.

conclusion : your beloved computer became just useless. Your mail and facebook password is much much more valuable. Virus are dead, browser is the new vector.

 

PMS kicking da wordz of wisdom!

 

It's become quite a valuable discussion. It is true that times have changed PMS... I'll have to ponder about it for a bit.

But one thing about Windows I can tell you is that they give you a false sense of security, that much I can tell you. M$ has always been good at giving false impressions about their OSes. Just read up about how their malware protection/cleaner is doing these days. It's a joke, not protection. Everything they make is like a Hollywood scenario joke. Lots of bang and flashy graphics but of no real use. They've been doing this since the Windows 95 days... if not earlier. Maybe all the way back from when they stole DOS... Just "google" or better "startpage" or "duckduckgo" "microsoft stole dos". The empire built on stolen goods... btw. I also used CP/M on Commodore 128, loong time ago.

Having said that, I've been using Windows since Windows 3.11 and Windows NT. I used DOS, too, for quite some time. It's not like I talk through my behind. ;) I really know all M$ OSes in depth from the beginning. I'm not your usual "geeky neighbour's kid". I used to work for some quite important companies maintaining computers and computer systems, even banks... I used to be all that I hate right now.

I should write a song about it, now that's a good idea. Sounds like something Trent Reznor would write.

 

Don't use here, Stay off the porn sites and unknown sites it slows the pc down dramatically, spyware on the other hand is a huge import ants

 

And even if you think your'e offline your not!!!!
My old junk pc is still doing weird things like someone is controlling my mouse the sensitivity is changing so now and then without changing settings or whatsoever
i noticed it with mixing on software because you need a fast response and you just cant control 2 decks with 1 mouse
the mouse jumps and pitch one of the players or when i press cue or play it clicks double so the track start and stops and just flips over the screen like someone is actually remote controlling it
Then with flstudio when i open a plugin it just minimize's and jumps over the screen and more freaky stuff but wtf no one believes me and say your paranoid this and that all fucking bullshit take your pills it's fucking ridiculous and finally the a.i anal intruders will take over

 

Linux is crap as a desktop OS don't let anyone convince you otherwise. Still crappy gaming, video editing, music making, drivers and so on. Linux is still for besserwisser nerds that like to think of themself as smart cause they can install Arch. And please don't even try to convince me Linux is soooo much better now I just have to try it out. I hate Linux fanboys with a passion by the way....

 

Last edited: Oct 5, 2019