How long have you gone without infection?

I do not use many security applications: an AV, a firewall, and in the last 2 years, a HIPS, has been enough to my knowledge to keep me infection-free for the last 10+ years, even though I feel like I have gone everywhere and done everything on the web.

Of course, uncommon knowledge has been my chief defender.

How long have you gone without infection?

 

Never.

 

Is spyware to be included?

 

Just to clarify my vote, I have never actually been infected but the last time my signature-based antimalware detected and prevented an attempt in real-time was around 5 years ago. I voted for 5 years as it would have resulted in infection had the detection failed.

Since switching from Internet Explorer to Firefox, running the browser sandboxed with reduced rights, plus a few other security measures including the application of common sense, I have not encountered any problems but then again, maybe I've just been lucky.

 

The last and only time my regular (non-test) system was infected was early 2003, thanks to NIS crashing during the attack.

 

5 years, that was the reason I found Wilders. I still remember browsing through a MS website about spyware and viruses, and they were advising cautiously to scan Windows with Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-Aware at users' own risks. There was also a list of recommended AVs companies, I ended up choosing, believe it or not, NIS 2004! Even though it gave me a lot problems, I never got infected since.

 

Around three years for me - last one was a browser homepage hijack that was resolved using HJT.

Have had nothing since - touch wood

 

For me it was 10 years ago. My daughter brought back a Floppy Disk from her
University. My AV (won't name it!) did not detect it. Had to reformat.

 

Most interesting; these results show without doubt that the average Wilders user is atypical.
Only one individual who was infected within 1 year or less!

Of course, I wonder if these results are skewed due to possible embarassment of those infected within last month/week etc?

 

I don't see why anyone would care or be embarrassed by being infected. You're treating becoming infected as if it was dancing naked in public.

 

Relax buddy, just trying to make a little joke.

 

Okay, never mind then.

 

Five years.

 

6 years, but had to vote 5...

 

3 years ,it was awful as i wasn't very aware about how to clean it back then,had many wasted days.

 

None since joining Wilder's.
I've learned quite a bit from many here.
The most important lesson: Prevention.

 

10+ years, because there wasn't an option for "forever."

Common sense is prevention.

As for the poll results... well, people running as much security software as many in this forum are running, in my humble opinion are more likely to suffer damage caused by security software conflict and false positives than malware.

 

As long as I sit at the keyboard, I am infected.

 

Sadly my friend, you are a victim of yet another myth:

It is not common sense that ensures protection when using a Microsoft OS; it is uncommon sense.

 

Ok, which OS, or anything else specific for that matter, where you referring to in your post?

Or, were you speaking from that vast realm of the hypothetical?

 

This poll implies actually getting infected I assume. I've been alerted to possible infections by my AV a few times in the past so the files were never executed because of that - in that case, I escaped infection on those occasions.

I've never had to start over because of an infection because, to the best of my knowledge, there hasn't been one thus far. And I hope it stays that way.

 

Never, but I'm working on it

 

7 years.
This goes back to my p2p days and ignorance of security programs.

 

Since Fall of 2007.
Almost three (3) years.