Nod32 v3, PcTools Firewall, Threatfire and ...

Hi there,
I've been searching and trying out different combinations of layers to secure my XP32-SP2 PC as good as possible, with a minimum of resources taken by them and not too much questions constantly popping up (like for example Comodo V3 with defense+, which I really like, but is too 'present' for me).

Currently I have running:

Realtime:
Nod32 v3
PC Tools Firewall Plus
PC Tools Threatfire
Ad-Aware beta 2008 (with ad-watch running)

I also have a license for Norton Antibot, but not currently installed because I read on different places that Threatfire gives the same kind of protection, but better .. I don't really know if this is true. Also Outpost Pro-license, but I think it's too 'heavy'.

On-demand
Spybot & Destroy
F-Secure Blacklight
SysInspector
AVG Antispyware

Preventive:
Router (With Firewall on)
Firefox (no extra security add-ons, don't really want them)
Thunderbird
All latest updates (XP and other software)
Spybot & Destroy
Spywareblaster
Secunia Software Inspector
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer
CCleaner and other (registry) cleaners
MVPS HOSTS File

My question here is:
Is my machine protected enough this way for all/most existing different kind of Threads/malware, or would someone recommend me to change something in this setup?

PS: SAS always seems to find nothing on my PC, so does A-Squared, tried them both. That's why for antispyware on-demand I only use AVG Antispyware now..

 

Or would it be a good option to buy myself an upgrade to ESS?

 

Hello,
Yes that could be a good option... But would it be the best ? Probably no, for the moment... You should wait some more time to allow ESET developpers to mature ESS.

EAV is now a really good and mature product. Personnaly I'm currently using :
-> EAV
-> ZAPro 7, with only firewall activated (antispyware is deactivated)
And I never had any threat infected my PC...

Well another way to say it is for non technical or security aware people, ESS is the safest solution. Not the more optimized...
For security aware people and more technical people, they will prefer to manage a separate firewall...

Regards

 

@Philippe_FR22, thanks for your reaction

Why do you have the antispyware function from zonealarm disabled?

 

nod have antispyware feature too,and in fact Nodv3 is anti threat system,so no need to run another antispyware

 

Oké, but how good is the antispyware feature in Nod?
Would Threatfire be enough with Nod32 v3 to cover most spyware?

 

I run Windows Vista Business behind a router/firewall with NOD32 latest version 3 update, Threatfire, Windows Defender and Windows Firewall and have never had a virus/trojan/malware infestation that I know of. I had pretty much the same set of security software when I ran WinXP for several years with out any infestations also. I have periodically scanned with several online scanners and have never found any malware. Thus, I think my security setup is OK for my needs. But, I do not surf to places on the web that are risky though (no porn sites etc.) and I'm careful about the attachments I open in email.

Regards, DE Retiree

 

Thanks for your reply,
I also never find any malware on my PC with several scans.
But it looks like it doesn't matter which configuration I use. So I was wondering if I'm missing something (?) or is Nod32 v3 really that good?

Tried many different realtime setups the past months (Comodo with Defense+, Online Armor free, Norton Antibot, Windows Defender, Ad-Aware, Comodo Memory Firewall). All seems to work oké (not all at the same time of course ;-)

So now I'm looking for the most comprehensive configuration that doesn't bother me a lot while I'm working on my PC. But it has to be configurable enough to make my FTP and uTorrent work without too much risks.

I just got rid of Ad-Aware, and now use the three other apps: Nod32 v3, Threatfire and PC Tools Firewall Plus. Maybe it was too much antispyware-stuff.

I posted this message because I read so many different things about setups of security-layers. Everyone seems to think something else ;-)
So maybe I'm looking for something that doesn't exist; the 'best configuration' with the least of resources used..

I hope I am covered enough with these three realtime-apps. I'm not really sure about PC Tools Firewall Plus, because it doesn't test so well in some tests. But I'll give it the benefit of the doubt for now, because it performs real well Threatfire en Nod.

Thanks all for your reaction and help

 

Your set up looks good. With a router, you could most likely do without PCTools firewall, unless you really want to control outbound connections.

Outside of your mentioning utorrent I don't know what your surfing/downloading habits are like, but if they're reasonably safe and sensible, you're probably not finding any malware because you don't have any.
You'll get a lot of different responses to what good layered security is. Just remember "layered security" is about covering attack vectors and preventing vulnerabilities in the event that one layer (say, you're firewall) is compromised or fails. It's not about piling on security apps. That leads to redundancy, decreased performance, and conflicts.

Having said that, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss SAS as a scanner. It is quite highly thought of by people who treat and hunt malware. Check out the forums here and at Castle Cops.

You also might want to think about adding NoScript to Firefox. It's an outstanding extension that blocks Javascript, Flash, and protects against cross-site script attacks. It hasn't slowed FF for me at all.

Last, you didn't mention a back up/restore solution, so you might want to think about that if you haven't already.

 

Hi Boonie
Yes, I forgot to mention, I also use True Image 11

Noscript I tried, but I found it really annoying :-( By the way: I do have the Add-ons WOT and Siteadvisor installed. Further: I'm not really visiting tricky (is tricky a good word in english? sorry for my language) sites, so I think I don't really need noscript.
uTorrent I sometimes only use for downloading music and movies.

About SuperAntispyware, I read a lot of good reviews here, you're right. Maybe I will put it back on my pc, next to avg for on-demand.
SAS is a really fast scanner, thats what I liked about it. But I thought, maybe one on-demand should be enough. And because they both find nothing, I can't really tell which one performs better.

Thanks, makios