Do you think you use too much security software?

I try to supportive to all posters, regardless of what they know or don't know. In the long run that does make for a better site and better dialog.

You're quite right, my technical information is no better than the next man's. I would hope every reader understands that, I would also hope that every poster has a realistic view of their own knowledge base. Although it seems obvious, in complicated matters it is often not obvious what is not known/understood since there is a vast sea of inferred material.

My personal belief is that most people that frequent this site are armed to the gills, and I am one of them, though I do see plenty of folks running a large number of applications being woefully exposed, on the verge of creating unstable situations, layering pure duplication while genuine vulnerabilities remain, customizing their setups to the point of chancy recovery in the event of problems.

Yes I do.

I for one wouldn't label it brilliant, it's one reasonable approach among many.

Of course this is correct. There are at least two issues afoot: (1) Does the tinkering impart instability, if so, there's always the potential a key security component will quietly crash leaving you exposed. Even the best applications can suffer from these circumstances. (2) Tinkering implies a purely empirical adjustment of settings without necessarily understanding the full impact of the change. Security holes may result. Unintended consequences are always a problem.

Do you need the full coverage that a guru's understanding would imply? Do you need to account for all future eventualities? Personally, I don't. I'm happy to cover the vast majority of issues, I pay attention so I'll be aware of new issues cropping up, and I change my approach if I feel it is warranted. To me, constant tweaking is a road to rapidly diminishing returns. It may be fun for some, but it's not really my style. I may try a number of things, but significant changes occur only once or twice a year for me.

Well, if you're a user, we're peers, and the advice I offer is based on the same public information available to all. The advantage of holding these dialogs is that the very act of the exchange does sharpen our own understanding of the material. You do learn by trying to teach/debate/discuss with others. Obviously, when it degenerates, the positive aspects are lost for all. Hence, I end where I started, I try to supportive to all posters, regardless of what they know or don't know.

Blue

 

I like the minimalistic approach. I wonder if I have been too paranoid in choosing just what I have.

 

I ran XP home gold until recently(no hotfixes either), with just AVG, Spybot, Adaware, Firefox, Sygate Pro, and PeerGuardian. (Yeah, some might not consider all the above "security software".) My having a dynamic IP helps IMO.

I P2P a lot and never got compromised.

 

I think I use too much when I'm busy updating/grading and tuning it but when I afterwards think .."what can I do without?" ..I can't think of anything, besides things that don't eat resources and almost never upgrade/date. BTW i've got 9 apps running ("overlapping" is my middlename ) and they don't slow down my pc noticeable enough to be bothered by it.

 

Nope, I don't think I use too much. If I felt I used too much, I'd use less

 

If you are running Windows X 64 then you will see that the "minimilist" approach is the only one at the moment

 

(I wouldn't even dare to run that one. Too early !).

 

I suspect/think I use too much, but I don't know what to cut down.

My 'HIPS' layer consists of

OA+Safe n Sec + Appdefend+ Regdefend.

Not sure about keeping PrevX Pro, i recently replaced ProcessGuard with Appdefend.

 

No.
NOD32+CHX+Asquared(free)

 

Like you can see in my signature. I feel secure enough, and now a days, most of the time I'm using Linux. So no worries then I think, at the end of the day, Linux is more user-friendly and easier to manage then Windows. No security hassles, update all of your software in one click... I love it

 

Running as resident? What I have is enough.
On Demand? It's a hobby and ya never know.

 

NIS 2006 for internet security, NSW Premier 2006 for computer upkeep {with utilities, Ghost imaging & backup, etc.}. It is OK for me. I used ZA Pro for years but then decided to be a total rebel and use all Norton products.

 

Randy

John Thompson would be pleased and proud of you!

But is the best selling brand synonymous with the best product?

Take Symantec's track record on offering the best, fastest protection:

Apropos.c is one of the worst pieces of high risk spyware out there. McAfee saw it and stopped it early July 2005. Symantec October 20/26 2005. How many of their users were infected and being spied upon during that 3 months they were left unprotected.

My point isn't to discredit Symanytec but to suggest there is yet to be a single security product or Suite of products that truly protects against everything.

Sticking to one brand will make it easier to manage but won't mean you are getting the best protection there is. But if security of your personal information and enjoying reliable use of your PC in a safe environment isn't important to you....

KeepItSimple

 

I agree with the fact, that Linux is safer than Windows, because Linux isn't an interesting target for the bad guys and that's the only reason.
Any OS and any security/application software is vulnerable.

 

You can say that again. Avast & Windows firewall is all I can find now after having x64 as my main OS since april. I am really puzzled as to why the x64 support has been so slow for security products thus far.

 

I was just joking; I have always had other AVs installed as backup to scan manually -- KAV 4.5, BitDefender 9. Also I did not mention running MSAS in realtime for spyware protection; and have other AS products as manual backup to that: Spyware Doctor; Spy Sweeper; Trend Micro Anti-Spyware; Ad-Aware; SpyBot S&D. I have TrojanHunter for AT but it has never found anything. I was just making a joke since Norton is often criticized in security forums; it isn't perfect but for people who don't take big risks it will work fine; and for people who *do* take big risks {porn, warez, unsafe surfing, online games, P2P, etc.} I am not sure that *Any* security scheme will protect them from their own risky irresponsible behavior. Don't worry about me, I have several Gigabytes of malware in my collection, I submit to SARC what is undetected and try to improve the product rather than criticize it. And I don't expect AV to provide spyware protection. Happy Holidays & New Year, Warmly, Ran

 

I voted for the No, I have a reasonable amount to protect myself option ...


Well, I use AntiVir program as my anti-virus program, XP SP2's in-built firewall (since I feel confident enough, and outbound traffic-filtering is just plain stupid IMO), then DNSKong and eDexter programs from Pyrenean, K9 anti-spam program, then I also use Proxomitron proxy-program with one of my Firefox' profiles, and finally the most secure web-browser Off By One program. And well, I also use a CacheSentry program from EnigmaticSoftware, however, this one is not directly security-related. Oh and btw., all the programs except AntiVir are available also in "non-setup" variant, i.e. only a .zip archive and no installation required ...


If anyone wants to, see these topics that I opened some of the mentioned programs. First the threads on CastleCops forums (my nick is "satyr"): DNSKong - a personal caching/filtering psuedo-DNS server, Keir's K9 program; an only 81 KB in-size anti-spam program, The most secure browser - Off By One web browser ..., and as second the Review: DNSKong program and Review: AntiVir review-threads that I wrote for ReadyResponse site (my nick is "shirker"), while additionally also see two articles on Wikipedia that I've created (my nick is "Wayfarer"): DNSKong, OffByOne


Also see the software.html and security.html pages on my home-site for more programs I use ...


stalker

 

NO. Don't know of any, that will cover all security issues.