Does your ISP give free security software?

Nope. Tech support is in India (a lot of companies have that too), so don't expect any kind of giveaway from them ever.

 

This is very true. A Family member did just this and got infected. This person final got there machine back usable and clean, because of out dated OEM AV. Yes my Old Compaq PC1 crawled under the weight of the ISP provided McAfee. I now use Avast on it with Windows firewall and behind a router. It is much more responsive.

 

Unfortunately No free AV for me...
I can buy F-Secure IS for € 3,95 per month

 

I have Comcast and of course they offer the wonderful Mcafee suite.
Tried it a couple times with different versions but no thanks. Just not my cup of tea, oops, I mean coffee!

 

I don't know if my ISP (BT) gives free security software. My Bank (Natwest) gives me McAfee VirusScan Plus... but I don't use it anyway... they'll have to pay me to use that

edit: just checked on my ISP's website... they offer Norton AntiVirus and Norton Personal Firewall and "BT Yahoo! security features".
Not sure about the security features, but the Norton AV and FW sound pretty good

 

Here in north Texas, Charter Cable Internet offers free F-Secure suite. As RobZee mentioned, ATT Yahoo! DSL has free Norton Security Suite.

I gave the NSS a spin to try it out, and it was not too bad. F-Secure has been problematic for me at times, so have not tried it on my boxes.

 

My ISP just sent me a shotgun. They said if my computer got infected to shoot it. That's life here in Texas. Just kidding....

I think its a good idea for ISP's to give out free AV's. An up to date copy of almost anything is better than an expired 90 day OEM trial of whatever came on your new PC. OK, there are a few dogs out there, but a lot of the ISP give aways are decent, if not totally top of he line.

 

My ISP (Rogers Yahoo) offers a free Norton security suite. I declined.

I don't like suites (can roll my own to get better individual component protection).

I don't trust my ISP, and would certainly never trust my PC's security to it, whichever product it offered.

 

Unfortunately no AV for me...give me a norton pls

 

My Road Runner Division says they offer eTrust EZ ARMOR FIREWALL AND ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE. I think they need to update their page. I don't use it...tried it years ago and it was way too simple with no way to configure it! Plus, it had a terrible detection rate at that time (still does according to many tests although maybe the 2008 version is improved...I don't know).

Average and newbie users though love it simply because it is so simple to use. It appears to be the ONLY AV at Microsoft Windows MarketPlace to get a 5 star rating from users!

http://www.windowsmarketplace.com/details.aspx?view=info&itemid=3409549

 

free would be a misnomer. youre paying for it in the cost of your service - as a hidden fee. isps naturally want you to have an up-to-date product, it saves them from unnecessary bandwidth, network abuses, support issues (read money) that malware can cause. sure its a service for the majority of their end-users and isnt necessarily a bad thing but regardless its a win-win for isps, nothing like the proverb having your cake and eating it too, when someone else is picking up the tab.

 

for all of you, claiming isp solutions arent better than solution x. youre wasting your money, the differences between product x y and z are nominal at best. signature detection isnt optimum for newer threats, they are only successful against older malware that have become stagnant, active malware easily avoids detection with slight modification and heuristics arent anywhere near effective. av companies have always been in chase mode and will always be several steps behind. save yourself x amount of dollar per year and use the solution provided, if thats your circumstance.

 

I won't use any AV that I cannot configure. The one my ISP offers is not configurable.

Also, why do you think all AV are equal in other ways? You think someone should use the ISP provided AV when it horribly slows their computer? You think they should use it when it conflicts with another security program they use and causes BSOD's on boot or causes Explorer to hang, etc.?

Why do you think an AV that updates once a week is just as good as one that updates 5 times a day?

As for your comment about heuristics being awful on all AV's...I'm not going there except to say you are completely wrong and the mere fact that you could make such an erroneous statement indicates a serious lack of knowledge about antivirus programs.

 

I'm with Virgin Media and I think that they offer PC Guard, which is by a company called Blueyonder (never heard of them before). Do not use it but someone I know did and it caused them problems with their PC (not there before installation/gone once uninstalled...draw your own conclusions).

 

I have optimum and they offer the CA Internet Security but I don't use it,
I didn't even know they offered a free security package until recently but I still don't have plans of using it.

 

No free AV. I use Netspace from Australia.

 

Only for 3 months, from TDC. It's Norman Security Suite. I use something else


Cheers

 

thats perfect for you. you have problems using programs because you dont understand the settings, you get overzealous with them and then fail to understand your issues are the consequences of the settings you chose. as an example do a quick search here and look at all the issues youve had using proxomitron.

of course a resident av will slow your computer somewhat, its intercepting/checking files before they are executed, but it is _not_ measurable. issues [bsod/hanging programs etc] arise when your 'stack' of security measure all race to do the same thing at the same time. access time is affected because files are being checked by each program in the stack impeding its execution. paranoid settings will only increase the delay.

yes i do. ;-) in many cases multiple daily updates are a marketing ploy and/or a correction/tweak of sloppy rushed definitions - in some cases they are definitions for non-existence threats, eg. they are corrupt/benign, or theyre minor tweaks for a new variant. but these arent malware running rampant in the wild, the likely hood of anyone running into them is almost nil. when there is a real outbreak most/if not all avs issue prompt updates. btw you wont ever get infected at wilders, castlecops etc. - they arent hotbeds; much like the majority of the web. go outside of your usual haunts and enjoy the wonders on the internet, there is so much more to experience, learn and enjoy. im glad you have a passion for security and its something you no doubt enjoy, but it shouldnt be the bane of your online existence, you need to be cognisant of it but when its your focus it only leads to donning a tinfoil hat. the web isnt a scary place, your perceptions are tainted by your misplaced sobriety.

I'm not wrong, go ask an 'expert' for a candid opinion. my knowledge is more than satisfactory. no it isn't something i focus on, as there are much better things that i can and do allocate my resources to. i am a student of yesterday, today and tomorrow, i will remain that way forever, technologies grow and evolve constantly. once you 'think' youre an 'expert' that technology has already passed you by.

rather than blindly attack and dismiss my knowledge, wouldn't it have been more appropriate to ask me to expand upon my statement, i would have gladly supported the argument. its funny that i know about you, but you havent a clue who i am; yet it is you that dismisses me. dont judge on superficial impressions, posting style, post history, are not what they seem; sometimes its just a guise to elude.

for the record, i dont use any anti-virus nor any other 'anti' security solution, i provide controlled access to my network (ftp, ssh server (masquerading ports), protocol limited wifi access point among others), and surf the net unabashed fancy free; my exposure is multitudes of yours. i am confident in my understanding of security, thanks

I wish you a wonderful day.

 

Blueyonder was the name of the ISP before it changed to VirginMedia.

 

I get three (3) years free license of Norman Security Suite. But I don't want to say from whom.

 

NTL bought Blueyonders shares, and virgin bailed out NTL basically.

i used to be on it, before they messed me up and then it took 6 months to get rid of them.

 

It doesn't seem too bad... except their support.

 

its rubbish.

i wouldnt recommend it.

 

I would

 

1. PC Guard Total yeah! Absolute rubbish.

2. Virgin Media Support is not that bad. For a genuine fault with Broadband there is credit for a call to 09 (in UK this is premium rate) Tech support number, well £0.25/minute is not horrible.

3. Virgin Media as a company, no comment.