ThreatFire - Should I or Shouldn't I

Discussion in 'other anti-virus software' started by jpcummins, Dec 27, 2007.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. jpcummins

    jpcummins Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2006
    Posts:
    627
    Location:
    Terre Haute, IN
    I am once again asking for advice. I am currently running SuperAntiSpyware Pro, Symantec Anti-Virus Corporate, and SpywareBlaster. And, occasionally an online scan. I have seen ThreatFire mentioned several times on the forum and am wondering if I would benefit by downloading and installing it. My first concern would be compatiblity. If I do I suppose it would be wise to discontinue with SpywareBlaster. It seems that the updates for SpywareBlaster have been coming later and later lately. As always I respect all comments and recommendations and thank you in advance.
     
  2. Kerodo

    Kerodo Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2004
    Posts:
    8,013
    If you like Symantec have you tried SEP11? It has more of what you're looking for I think, to the point where you may not even need TF...

    Otherwise, I'd say TF is nice, I like it a lot. Just makes me feel like a have a bit of extra protection above and beyond Avira... No issues with it on Win2k right now..
     
  3. risl

    risl Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2006
    Posts:
    581
    I use it and Dr.Web, no problems and should save my ass if I decide to do something stupid and Dr.Web misses a detection. Doesn't consume much resources and keeps its mouth shut, which is good. :D
     
  4. gismo999

    gismo999 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2006
    Posts:
    44
    I love ThreatFire, seems to be compatible with everything I have tried with it.

    I am running XP SP2

    I have tested it with Avira PE, Comodo FW with Defense, Boclean, SpywareBlaster and ST all running at the same time, and I didn't have any problems!!!!

    Now for On Demand Scanning, I used SAS(free) , AVG AS and A Squared while I had those other programs running.

    I love testing programs, can you tell?
     
  5. ThunderZ

    ThunderZ Registered Member

    Joined:
    May 1, 2006
    Posts:
    2,459
    Location:
    North central Ohio, U.S.A.

    No reason to. No conflicts. Since SpywareBlaster does not actually run it causes no problems.
    Concerning your other protection, you do not mention what you run in real time. That is where the conflicts may\will arise.
     
  6. C.S.J

    C.S.J Massive Poster

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2006
    Posts:
    5,029
    Location:
    this forum is biased!
    i didnt know threatfire was an antivirus :shifty:

    lol :p
     
  7. ronjor

    ronjor Global Moderator

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2003
    Posts:
    162,650
    Location:
    Texas
    Post with unknown program link removed along with a reply.

    If you have any questions on the type links that are acceptable on Wilders, feel free to pm a Moderator or an Administrator.
     
  8. subset

    subset Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2007
    Posts:
    825
    Location:
    Austria
    This is ok for me, however after that Threatfire users haven't a clue and feel safe with their weak app.

    Cheers
     
  9. Malcontent

    Malcontent Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2005
    Posts:
    604
    Location:
    Cleveland, Ohio USA
    I recently tried ThreatFire and notice a slow down in browsing speed on my computer. It was installed on a computer running Dr. Web and Sygate firewall. My computer runs very light with Dr. Web, so I notice any slow downs. I was using Firefox. Windows Xp on a dual core, 2 gigs or ram.

    I uninstalled Threatfire and my browsing returned to normal.

    I installed Norton Antibot and no slow down at all.

    I posted message about my problem in the Threatfire forum but haven't gotten any answers to my problem yet. If I didn't have the browsing slow down I would still be running Threatfire.

    Give it a try. My issue could be an isolated one. Threatfire is great software that offers great protection.
     
  10. Hairy Coo

    Hairy Coo Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2007
    Posts:
    1,486
    Location:
    Northern Beaches
    Strange-dont doubt it,but I never have noticed any slowdowns with TF.

    Running similar spec computer,which should have plenty of power!
     
  11. Kerodo

    Kerodo Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2004
    Posts:
    8,013
    If you don't feel comfortable with TF, then don't use it. Simple enough... Feeling "safe" arises mostly from intelligent use of the machine rather than a reliance on apps.. but we all rely on the apps to one extent or another...
     
  12. subset

    subset Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2007
    Posts:
    825
    Location:
    Austria
    I don't know what you are talking about.
    Did you read my original post which was deleted o_O
    Or do you just share your wisdoms?

    Cheers
     
  13. Kerodo

    Kerodo Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2004
    Posts:
    8,013
    I do both.... but perhaps I remembered it incorrectly...

    Let's just pretend the whole thing never occurred and move on... ;)
     
  14. Hangetsu

    Hangetsu Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2006
    Posts:
    259
    Great software doesn't work perfectly for everyone. Its not necessarily a bad thing for the vendor - As long as there aren't too many problems :D

    Threatfire didn't work for you, and AntiBot does. That's a win IMHO -- You found something that meets your needs, so don't worry about it.

    AntiBot is considered an excellent behavior blocker app as well, so no worries there either!
     
  15. Diver

    Diver Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2005
    Posts:
    1,444
    Location:
    Deep Underwater
    My tests show that installing Threatfire on my notebook caused the CPU benchmark Super Pi to run 4% slower. This was consistent when Threatfire was run with several different AV programs installed. The good news is Threatfire is not intrusive.
     
  16. Kerodo

    Kerodo Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2004
    Posts:
    8,013
    But what does this mean practically speaking? Do you notice any difference when you use the PC?
     
  17. AaLF

    AaLF Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2005
    Posts:
    986
    Location:
    Sydney
    I noticed some 'niggling' in my iE browser when i first installed TF. It's only slight and not just 'slow-downs'. The browser seems to 'hesitate' at times.

    But if you shrug your shoulders & 'get back to work' you soon forget that things were a little smoother b4 TF.

    I asked this in another thread, but I'll ask here too...

    I have Norton Antibot. Is threatFire merely duplicating NAB or will they compliment each other by catching 'thingies' that the other may miss?
     
  18. solcroft

    solcroft Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2006
    Posts:
    1,639
    AntiBot/PRSC has the ability of nabbing downloader trojans that insert a dll into the BITS service - TF misses this behavior consistently. This (and slowdowns experienced by individual systems) aside, TF is superior to AntiBot in every way I can think of.
     
  19. benton4

    benton4 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2004
    Posts:
    158
    Location:
    Oregon
    Does TF still miss this even with the new version having the sensitivity level adjustment?
     
  20. Malcontent

    Malcontent Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2005
    Posts:
    604
    Location:
    Cleveland, Ohio USA
    Just an update. I uninstalled Sygate and the slow down with ThreatFire disappeared. Browsing speed was normal. I reinstalled Sygate and browsing speed was still fast. Must have been a conflict of some kind between ThreatFire and Sygate. But I'm running ThreatFire without any problems now.
     
  21. Diver

    Diver Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2005
    Posts:
    1,444
    Location:
    Deep Underwater

    As a practical matter I did not really notice the slowdown, but I have fairly fast hardware. On one machine with VMware installed things went haywire and TF had to come off.

    I find parts of the discussion about what TF and Anti Bot can and can not do to be interesting. It sounds like one strategy is to target certain kinds of behavior that are very unlikely to be legitimate, like tampering with BITS. However, I wonder what is really going on inside these programs and just what the real improvement in security is. I would like to see behavior blockers tested against sets of malware like the VB 100 wild list to measure how well they do. My overall view is the technology is nascent and will improve a lot over time, with similar features incorporated in most AV's. For now Symantec says the technology is not mature enough to incorporate in NAV, hence the stand alone Anti Bot.
     
  22. C.S.J

    C.S.J Massive Poster

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2006
    Posts:
    5,029
    Location:
    this forum is biased!
    i could be wrong, but i think IBK is working on testing them, or has plans to.
     
  23. innerpeace

    innerpeace Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2007
    Posts:
    2,121
    Location:
    Mountaineer Country
    OT, What if a service like BITS is disabled? Do disabled services help when malware tries to modify it later? I'm looking to learn as I have many services disabled myself. Thanks
     
  24. AaLF

    AaLF Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2005
    Posts:
    986
    Location:
    Sydney
    With regards to the 'slowdown etc' the effect is negligible. Certainly not enough to 'toss TF".

    Does anyone else see any benefit in running both TF and Antibot?
     
  25. Diver

    Diver Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2005
    Posts:
    1,444
    Location:
    Deep Underwater

    The advice given by Gkweb is to limit svchost.exe to the url's for Microsoft update and Windows update sites. Not that easy as they keep adding temporary ones. Some firewalls may be able to detect that svchost is being manipulated, but this is post infection.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.