I feel completely safe. The only way I wouldn't is if I executed an unknown file. Even then, I would normally feel safe. And I do this from an admin account with no UAC. But, I am well versed in many respects, so I have certain advantages. I wonder, am I too safe? Hard to imagine, but am I employing too much security? Can I lessen the load and remain secure? Time will tell. Sul.
Ever since I learnt to image my system I don't get anxious so easily, I basically run my machines with Sandboxie and a couple of on demand scanners which they never find anything from downloads while browsing. Sometimes I wonder whether this malware business isn't the biggest conspiracy theory ever created on the Internet (tongue-in-cheek!). I know malware is real, and probably the only thing I really fear is not the destructive virus, but the online identity, credit card number theft which can be very damaging indeed.
Feel safe just with Sandboxie (Real-time) + Shadow Defender (On-Demand). But I love to test new combinations. In the end, always end up coming back only to the Sandboxie + Shadow Defender.
I haven't had a problem since getting rid of XP for Vista. Now on 7 and not greatly worried about it.
Well I Feel safe, but I will not delude myself to think that I have a foolproof system setup. My strongest security tool is that I am abel to reconstruct my system even with a hard drive crash. That tool gives me some peace in mind.
I "feel" safe and was ready to vote Yes, but I suddenly caught myself. If I actually felt safe out here in the cyber world, why would I carry so much protection, and why would I visit a security forum every day? One might argue that I keep the protection in place so that I can feel safe, but the deep down truth must be that I don't feel safe. If I felt safe with Sandboxie, why would I run auto scans with MBAM and VIPRE? I think that the most accurate description of how I feel is "realistically concerned", and that the most truthful and accurate poll response for me is No. Even the folks who brag about having little or no protection still give me the impression that they are looking over their shoulder. While it is obviously impossible for me to "know" how others feel, I have a strong suspicion that the folks who claim they don't have a worry or care are either fooling themselves or trying to fool others... or both! If they are fooling themselves, then they will protest loudly, particularly if they have done a thorough job. If they are trying to fool others, I would say that they haven't achieved 100% success. If it is both, then they should be able to recognize themselves, I'd think, and admit that they don't feel safe. But that's not what this poll is revealing, is it? Too bad that the poll didn't have one more choice... You know I sometimes lie.
Hi Osaban, I have read that the incidence of online theft as you've described actually pales in comparison to credit card theft that occurs in real (or non-online) life. While so many of us are so concerned about someone stealing our banking passwords or credit card info while shopping online, we apparently think very little of handing our card over to a waiter who disappears from our sight to tally our bill and possible swipe the card a couple of times extra. In addition there is... Rummaging through rubbish for personal information (dumpster diving) Retrieving personal data from redundant IT equipment and storage media including PCs, servers, PDAs, mobile phones, USB memory sticks and hard drives that have been disposed of carelessly at public dump sites, given away or sold on without having been properly sanitized Using public records about individual citizens, published in official registers such as electoral rolls Stealing bank or credit cards, identification cards, passports, authentication tokens ... typically by pickpocketing, housebreaking or mail theft Skimming information from bank or credit cards using compromised or hand-held card readers, and creating clone cards Using 'contactless' credit card readers to acquire data wirelessly from RFID-enabled passports Observing users typing their login credentials, credit/calling card numbers etc. into IT equipment located in public places (shoulder surfing)
I got a kick out of this. You are correct in many respects. Am I really safe? Are any of us? Obviously, not one person can say, definitively, YES. We will never be safe because the threats are never static. Maybe a better statement would be "I feel reasonably safe for what I do and what my known threats are." or possibly even "I feel safe from known and future threats because I have images or use rollback software" Short of freezing the system or creating a strict no-execute policy, nothing will ensure 100% success tommorrow. Maybe today, but tommorrow may reveal even ShadowDefender or Sandboxie falling to a malicous exploit, or maybe it is a router exploit -- who can really say? The best I can do then is to understand where my threats come from, and find the method for me that best mitigates those threats. Isn't that what we all do, each cooking up his/her own scheme? Nice post Page42. I like it when things get put in perspective. It prompts one to examine thier own outlook and maybe learn something new. Sul.
i know i'm probably not perfectly safe. i'm willing to trade perfect security, if there's such a thing, for convenience and performance. after all, i did not buy a computer to put up with the quirks of security. i'm looking forward to see how Windows 8 does, security wise.
The question is really too broad for a simple answer. Safe/secure against what? For how long? If it safe/secure against malicious code from the web, I trust my setup completely. My last infection was in 2004. If this means safe/secure against unsolicited access to my system from the web, I'm quite well protected. If it means protected against government or 3-letter agency infiltration from the web, I won't bet my life on it but I would bet that they'd find it very difficult. If it means securing all of my data against an adversary who gains physical access to my system, like the cops or FBI kicking the door down, no not yet, but I'm working on it. All data I consider to be sensitive is encrypted by apps I trust. In time, all of my data, installed software, and all data regarding how my system is equipped will also be locked down. There will be nothing to see but a bare bones OS on read only media and encrypted partitions on hard drives.
