After installing all kinds of security software and OS patches for years, being over-careful by nature, I finally reached a point where I kind of destroyed parts of the network connectivity of three of my four PC's (they sporadically couldn't even ping the perimeter firewall whereas an unprotected workstation had no problems at all). I never ever encountered any hacker strike, trojan or backdoor, and I only once had a virus on one single PC, and my experience is that if one doesn't do file sharing and mass downloading/executing and messaging, risks are relatively small to infect a PC. So, I re-installed one PC, put Opera and ZA Pro on it, now it works again as it should, then I added McAfee Enterprise 8.0i (which will be followed by the Anti-Spyware plug-in once I can get a hand on it), and everything is in the green area. I'll never ever do anything more, I in addition have a Fortigate protecting my LAN, and cease using any OS tweaking tool (registry tools included). It's not worth the efforts for me, and it would do more bad than good. Being caoutios and careful in the things one does is IMHO more important than some ecurity tweakers. So, in the end, I give up and stay with ZA, McAfee, Opera and a good hardware firewall, nothing less, nothing more. Enough for me, and I assume enough for the major part of PC users as well. Just my 2 cent... Andreas
Hello, It's kinda hard to answer this post since it's more of a statement but - simplicity is the key. Keep things simple. No need for exaggeration. Oftentimes, tweaking interferes with functionality. Most of the online guides that talk about services, disabling this and that etc are meant for - stand-alone pc, with no gaming, p2p or printer... If you trying anything beyond using port 80, you're pretty much in trouble. Things can be done much more elegantly. Mrk
When it comes down to it, security is very much a matter for common sense and no amount of software shielding will prevent every concievable type of attack. It's also a definite case of "what works for you", so if you have found the level of protection that works for you and you're happy with it, why waste any more system resources, time and money tightening things any further? Sounds like a sensible decision to me.
I'm right there w/ the OP... I've given up the race to "keep up with the Joneses" in terms of security S/W. I am running very lean right now, and plan to keep it that way. I had too many things breaking on me b/c of all the security apps I decided to run. The vendors (not b/c of any ill-intent, necessarily) are making some major bank off the paranoia, and well & good for them, I say. BUT, I will no longer partake beyond some basic security S/W solutions & safe surfing.
This is one of the most sensible threads Ive come across. All this stuff running in the background makes it impossible to work! I had Processguard--Reg Defend---Spyware Doctor---My browser was immunized by Spybot and Spyware Blaster and a Firewall and Anti Virus. Bye the time I clicked on permissions to do anything Id forgotten what I was trying to do! But I felt safe and secure, until I got up from my Computer Chair and fell over the leg of my table cracking my knee!! But striking a serious note, I am now down to running Anti Virus and Firewall, and running Spyware Doctor once a week. My PC is running like a Rolls Royce.
Yep I can relate to the OP's statement about my home PC, my security set up is a Router, Windows XP Firewall, Spybot S & D, NOD32 followed by common sense! I've sort of followed the practice of a friend of mine who has no personal information on his PC, although I don't quite agree with his view of "I don't give a damn about my PC phoning home" I'm more of a danger to my PC playing up than anything else.... Webby
There's this thread "What is your security setup". where you can see posters give us weekly updates about their ever changing security setup. They even color code the thing for you, so you can see what was added and removed week to week. Pretty amusing, since I'm sure, all this shifting about, adds not even one iota to their security. I mean seriously can you know for sure if say dropping X which is popular for Y (which is equally popular) is a good idea? Probably not.
I also decided to keep things simple and this seems to be working for me- Anti-malware- NOD32 Firewall- Router and Sunbelt Kerio with HIPS enabled Backup scans- Periodic scans with Ewido free Browser and Email- Firefox and Thunderbird
I have mine secured to the hilt and don't have any problems with loss of functionality, speed or alerts getting in the way. Some security apps do go way too far with the alerts, like interfering with your work whenever a port scan comes near you. The last version of NIS I used was like that. 25 alerts in 4 hours, all for the same "attack" but every one from a completely different IP. About as useful as a car alarm that goes off when someone walks by. Good security apps, once configured, should sit silently and do their job, only alerting you if a decision needs to be made. When I first installed System Safety Monitor, the alerts were almost overwhelming. Now it sits quietly. The only times I see any alerts is when I'm testing something new or deliberately testing my defenses. I'll readily admit that some of what I'm running is overkill. Probably got more protecting the file system and registry than I actually need. My particular use of encryption can only be described as paranoid. Even the more security/privacy conscious users wouldn't resort to some of the methods I'm using, and I can't honestly claim that I need such a system. I just want it that way. Everyone has their comfort level, as does the PC. Mine gets along with the apps I use and they coexist quite nicely. As for those people who post everything they use to secure their system and every change they make, that's the equivalent of distributing a blueprint of your home and highlighting the vulnerable entry points. All security apps have their weaknesses. Naming all of them in open forum only advertises what they are. Rick
Nah. Hacker Icebaby , reads about Wilders Member X,Y,Z 's super paranoid setup and decides to hack him for an exercise. it's going to be difficult because paranoid wilders members has all sorts of overlapping alarms, if even a fly comes in, he will know it. So the hacker checks around at the usual public sources and with friends in the hacking community to see if there are any known vulnerabilities, but because these are so obscure and new (some are beta!), he has no luck. So he spends hours and days poking at it on his own, looking for weaknesses, finally he finds what he needs in security software ABC. It isn't that hard, because most of the software are new or beta, with many bugs in them. "HA HA you are finally mine!!!" He thinks. Sadly he fails because by then there is a new post by the intended victiim.... Wilders post 24 Removed: Security Software ABC Added: Security software DEF "curses foiled again" For hackers out there, don't borther trying this on people who change their security setup every week, by the time you read their post that they read xyz, they are using something else already.
Bit of a hypocrite aren't we . From reading only one or two of your posts, I know that you use system safety monitor, kerio 2.1.5, and no av and are using windows 98 . That took about two seconds to recall just from skimming the forums. A cracker could just as easily look at all the posts you have made and look at what your setup is and take advantage of it. I don't really care what a cracker knows about my system, since I fell it is pretty secure. I don't put it in my signature to boast, I put it their to recommend software to others. Alphalutra1
