Advice on new Security Setup?

Hey guys,

I need your help in deciding if my current security setup is enough for my new pc. here are the details:

OS: Windows xp pro sp3 32bit
Drive sentry 3
Zonealarm 8 pro firewall
Sandboxie
Antivir free

Most of the software i use is free because im in school and no money to pay for anything. I got zonealarm from the promo they had last month. I also got a panda and pc tools internet security that i can install plus Webroot antispyware which i got all through promos from different websites including gizmos.com and raymond.cc blog.

Please recommend which setup will best protect my pc from all the malware out there.

Thank You in advance for all your help.

 

You're doing just fine However, you may not want to put Panda on, it's really a resource hog. Also, what browser do you use? If Firefox (and you haven't already done so), add the extensions Noscript and AdBlockPlus to Firefox. At that point, you're pretty much good to go. If you want to go one step forward and have an extra internal/external hard drive, look into some imaging applications. That way, should anything drastic happen, you can reload a clean image of your OS and files from before the disaster happened. One last thing, if you want a better anti-spyware, look into the free versions of SuperAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes AntiMalware. They will only do manual scans, but with your current protection plus Firefox with Noscript and AdBlockPlus, spyware should be a non-issue.

 

Also,
CCleaner - Free cleaner
erunt - Free Registry backup
Firefox - Besides what dw426 said about Firefox another good free add on for Firefox is WOT (Web of Trust)
IE7 - If you are using IE a good program is Spyware Blaster (kills harmful active x controls and is also free)
Hosts file (blocks spyware) http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

Your first setup looks good. I haven't tried Panda and I dropped webroot spy sweeper a long time ago.

 

I only want to point out a couple of things in your post G1111:

1. CCleaner will back up your registry if you choose, before doing any registry cleaning. But yes, if a full backup is needed, Erunt will do the trick.

2. WOT is kind of like SiteAdvisor to me, it's hard to truly trust user-submitted input on the good and bad of a website. And, these days, websites can contain malware for one hour and be completely clean the next hour.

3. Host files I don't recommend, for the reasons I don't trust WOT and SiteAdvisor. Websites just change way too often and much too quickly to rely on a database of bad sites.

 

I use Firefox 3 right now but still need internet explorer for my school websites.

And also i found HIPS program called DefenseWall, if i use that on top of my current setup will that conflict with any of the other programs? I save a copy of my registry before i install something new just in case.


So far i have the following addons for firefox 3.05:
ADBlock Plus
WOT
Interclue
NoScript
Finjan SecureBrowsing
FlashBlock
KeyScrambler
Secure Login
spamavert
VirusTotal

Vista-Aero Theme

Yeah i know i a little paranoid when it comes to the security of my pc but with younger sibling who downloads everything i need to be.

 

I don't think your setup is paranoid at all. Spend a few weeks here at Wilders looking at some of the configurations of some members, and you'll see paranoia Anyway, Defensewall is a highly regarded app here and will keep you quite safe. How well it works with SandboxIE I can't say as I haven't ran them together, but I don't recall seeing any mention of conflicts recently.

 

I should have pointed out these are only tools. They don't replace common sense. The other thing is keep your system up to date with patches from MicroSoft, etc.

 

Wow, look at the list. If this is not paranoia, I don´t know what is. And this is just for firefox.

If I were you, I would be more worried about him than outside intrusion. You should firewall him from your computer.

 

They are quite compatiable, zero problems/conflicts here running the combo in my sig.

 

Way too many programs there! If your that worried about someone messing up your computer,use virtualization software like Returnil. It'll allow you to just do a simple reboot and all the "bad stuff" is gone.

Dont get caught up in the "must have 10-different programs to provide enough protection",because it's not necessary at all.

 

I don't think he/she has a paranoid setup at all. Those are just Firefox add-ons; some members here have a bunch of security applications as well as browser add-ons. Some even changes setup every couple of days/weeks.

 

Those are just extensions, not actual programs. However, due to Noscript being able to block Flash, Flashblock isn't necessary. Otherwise, the only thing you are hurting with all those extensions is Firefox speed.

 

Addons'- programs,either way,if your that paranoid,then something isnt right

 

Members who stay here long enough might potentially suffer the "Wilders paranoia." I know I did, and after many changes in my setup, I finally found the right one for me.

 

totally agree.

 

I think for now im just going to stick with these programs:

Sandboxie
Zonealarm Pro Firewall
DriveSentry


Firefox addons:
Addblock Plus
Cool Previews
Dr.Web link checker
Finjan Secure Browsing
KeyScrambler
NoScript
TrackMeNot


I have not seen a slowdown yet on my pc even with all of those programs running.


And yes im a little paranoid when it comes to computer security. Its better to be safe then sorry.

One more question: How do i make sandboxie delete the contents when i exit my browser?


Thanks for all your help and suggestions. I really appreciate them.

Emil_91

 

Hi there, right-click SandboxIE in the taskbar and click "Delete contents" to manually do it. For an automatic solution, double-click the icon in the taskbar, click on "Sandbox" at the top, hover over "Default box" and choose "Sandbox settings" from that list. Once there, click on "Delete" in the list, and then "Invocation". Check the box that says "Automatically delete contents of sandbox", and then click "Ok". After that, every time your browser closes, the sandbox empties out. That's all there is to it.

 

Thank you dw426 for your help.

 

Anytime