What is the minimum number of security software before you feel safe?

I think you need about 6 security software plus hardware firewall before you can start to feel safe. Not 100% safe of course but quite safe.

Anything less then 3-4 is just asking for trouble.

I'm talking only about programs run all the time in real time, not on demand of course. Otherwise I think 10+ is the category most people will end up in.

Also I don't mean necessarily all the software you are running in real time, but the minimum number you are willing to run and still play safe.

How do you test this?

Say you normally run NOD32 + Regdefend + Appdefend + Online Armor + Look n stop.

Turn off Say Online Armor for 15 minutes. See how uncomfortable you feel.
If you feel very uneasy, and can't wait for the 15 minutes to be up so you can turn it back on, it shows you feel safe only with the full set above.

Alternatively imagine if you turned say Regdefend off, and forgot to turn it back on. How do you think you will feel when you discover this? Anxious? Paranoid? Run a full security check because your registry was left unprotected (except for OA of course)?

 

I use 4...Online Armor, PG, ZA, and NOD.

 

I feel happy with Deep Freeze and a router. The rest is covered by XP's software restriction policy.

 

Hi ,

I use 4 : OA, GSS, LnS and NOD

 

I use a few

Software: NOD32(primary), Ad-Aware, Spybot S&D, MSAS, Ewido, HijackThis, BitDefender & F-Prot (both on-demand), SpywareBlaster, ZA.

Hardware: Linksys DSL Switch w/ firewall, 2-Wire DSL modem with Firewall, all ports on stealth.

The main reason I use so much is just because my clients want to know that I know what I'm doing and I need to have a broad range of experience with various protection tools.

 

ZA and e-mail AV scanner.

 

I currently use GSS, BoClean, and NOD32 in realtime. Also use a number of analysis tools like Process Explorer, Port Explorer, Autoruns, etc. and I'm sitting behind an IOS firewall. I feel pretty good about that.

 

Router with spi firewall + nat and NOD32 at home and in the office + Common sense (eg running limited user accounts, testing software, patches, on a test machine before rolling out to our live server, or rolling out across the teams work stations, also not running beta and waiting a week or 2 before trying the latest softwares to see if any massive bugs appear).

 

I'd say minimum 3.. AV, FW, & generic protection of some sort. Whether I actually run more or less all really depends on which way the wind is blowing I can't really count a router in there since we have more than one computer here, so it's necessary for them all to have access (besides, there's a NAT built into the modem.

 

Real time i run 4.


snowbound

 

In the future : Router, ZoneAlarm Free and ShadowUser

 

I have 5 running and many more for On Demand!!

 

I am using 6, LNS + PG + RegDefend + Online Armour + Ewido and Nod 32. When OA will release Version 2.0, I plan to reduce it to maybe 3.

 

Counting Opera I have eight.

 

well put, agree with this 100%.. I run 4-5 in RT [6 if you count SpywareBlaster in background with killbits set for when I *have* to use IE]

I count Firefox with NoScript~Adblock~etc as a further deterrent.

TAS

 

I currently have six security related programs on my machine, all "free". (1) Zone Alarm. (2) AVG. (3) Spyware Blaster. (4) SpyBot. (5) Ewido. (6) Adaware. After trying a bunch, I have whittled it down to these, and thus far have had no problems. Remember I am also on dial-up, and do the necessary updating manually, none of these listed have present any major problems in that area either. Occasionally one will have a big down load, but even then it has not presented any big problems, only time consuming.

Thanks
Wildman

 

Pretty much same here. I put "2" in the poll.

1) Router..I want a hardware firewall, I'm only concerned about outside==>in.

2) Antivirus...NOD32

The rest...my head..my noggin, my brain...in other words..common sense. I don't deal with those warez P2P apps, I only install legitimate licensed software on my PC, I only surf a few tech forums and a handful of well known sites, I just do web based e-mail (such as OWA at the office), my PC is kept up to date with Windows updates, local admin account does not have a blank password....stuff like that = no worries for me, no need for tin foil hats.

 

i have two computers. one with each parent. since i dont want to bother my dads web surfing, i usually stick to an AV and FW. however with my main computer, i will also install an anti-spyware and maybe a HIPS.

 

1 FreeBSD

or XP > 10:
with Shadowuser, Ghost Security Suiten (RD + AD), NOD32 + KAV2006 (on-demand) ,RegRun Gold,Tiny Personal Firewall Pro, A2, Ewido, Acronis True Image 8, Hardware (Cisco router)
with access-lists , Hardware Firewall for the network,Spybot S & D,
Ad-Aware, xp-AntiSpy, Firefox and/or Opera, most winternal tools, to see what is happening, Port Explorer, Toolbarcop, Wintasks, XP tools,
most resplendence tools, CryptoSuite, Total Net Shield,RootKit Hook Analyzer,etc. etc.

But this XP system, is designed to test and tackle SW on malware,
and to see how these Security products perform.

 

Hmmm... Forget the various on demand scanners for this one.

I have two machines behind a router firewall with different brands of protection on each except for one common App. (BoClean).

On both machines generically speaking. A good common name brand AV. A good name brand software firewall. Boclean to catch all the other stuff the others might miss. Also, the one firewall has a realtime Spyware sniffer embedded within. And for the record no matter which software firewall "suite" you might pick. I think a good frequently updated antispyware product embedded with in it makes a lot of since. A slight break from my past opinion.

Which means for those less willing to visit the Wilders and other places to keep up on this security stuff, what they have to deal with as, a minimum now, is the Software Firewall and a good AV for there real time stuff, but I highly recommend a real time trojan killer too as an extra measure. For SURE!

 

I use as active protection:
Firewall (only packet filter), Anti Virus, Intrusion Detection System, Anti Ads-Popups and Hosts File (Protector and HTTP Server).

 

I feel safe with these three: Outpost, NOD32, Microsoft AntiSpyware.

 

When I'm tipsy, I feel safe with these two :
Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool
Kephyr Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner

 

I voted for the 3-4 option ...


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


P.S., If you want to, also see the software.html and security.html pages on my home-site for more programs I use ...


cheers, stalker

 

I'd say 3: ShadowUser + LNS + NOD32

But I'm also happy to have PG + RD + AdMuncher, and browse with Opera.

I'm more and more convinced that with this set-up I don't need any dedicated Antitrojan and Antispyware applications. Time will tell.