The best free security software

I am running Win 7 Pro, this will help somebody with Win 7 home/ starter editions.

 

Ughhhhhh, I'm getting tired of Comodo. Is there a firewall that has comparable security to Comodo but more level of customization/advanced user options? Sometimes I want to disable certain connections tcp/udp while leaving a parent application to run. I cannot do this with Comodo. Not nearly enough freedom to choose that I need. And the rules do an awful job of remembering. I can't count the number of times I've had to allow Steam or Vuze to even START, let alone make connections.

 

Deks,

I was wondering if you have a link for cCleaner cause I don't want to download it from a bad website and then I start having even more problems with my laptop.

 

CCleaner - Builds
The official page.
Download CCleaner - Slim : Installer, no toolbar or CCleaner - Portable : Zip file, no installer.

 

That's a tough one. Comodo/CIS offers a HIPS and sandbox and AV and it's pretty unique in that way.
Have you ever used Private Firewall? I'm not sure if it's got more config options than Comodo but it's certainly worth giving a try.
It's a FW+HIPS but perhaps that's just what you are looking for?
Also, support is pretty fast, if you have any issue, just fill in a support ticket at their site. link.

 

Not!

 

hehehe i hope that is a joke.

 

Hi folks,

Q1: Can someone tell me if this is the Latest version of Comodo Firewall ... "COMODO Firewall 5.9.219747.2195"?

Q2: What the heck is "Trust Connect" feature of Comodo? A new thign that popped up with the above version?

Q3: With the past version of Comodo I could to "Check for Updates" and manually check for updates ... with this New Version I get a message that it can NOT locate a File!?!?

I feel something might not be just right!!!

Thanks,

G!

 

Hi G,
A1- Nope, most recent version (mainly maintenance, some new features) is CIS 5.9.219863.219 6 link.
A2- Trust Connect is Comodo's new feature, it's a VPN which offers encryption. For instance, if you are in a Starbucks which offers unencrypted wifi, you can use Trust Connect to use the www fully encrypted.
The free version offers a 10GB/month limit; link link
A3- Sorry, can't answer this one but perhaps it's fixed in the most recent version?

 

What do you guys recommend for av+anti malware

Panda cloud+mbam
MSE+mbam
Avast+mbam

 

Well I have changed from Avast + mbam to AVG +mbam due to poor results in the annual AV comparitive tests by Avast.

 

Hi KayC,

Q1: What OS are you running?

From what I have seen here , if you are on Windows 7, then you are good to go with MSE as your AV.

Q2: Are you running MBAM free or MBAM Pro?

Q3: Do you have a Firewall SW Running also? Which one?

Thanks!

G!

 

Hi Baserk,

Thanks for the info ... I have been MIA for awhile from NBR scene!
Hope you are having A Wonderful New 2012 Year!

Appreciate the Help as usual!

G!

 

Hi Perrin,

What do you think about AVIRA!?!?

G!

 

Avira free let two viruses in without a hint, switched to Norton Security Suite (free with Comcast) for now.

 

What was the entry point, Rajesh? Probably not a shoddy file download but something like a drive-by trojan/web-based infection?

 

Hi coolguy,

Sorry to hear that ... hopefully you didn't have to do a "Clean" reinstall ... it can be a pain.

Q1: If Avira didn't warn you, then how did you find out?

Q2: Besides Avira, what FW and any other Protection (i.e SpywareBlaster, ...)were you running?

Thanks,

G!

 

All I did was to visit the Laptopvideo2go site, the Java icon appeared on the taskbar, with a hang-up in the web site. Boom! I got a notification from Windows 7 Antivirus 2012 that "blab blah is infected".

I couldn't launch any program after the infection. Fortunately, I ran the system restore from F8 (from the Windows 7 system repair), and everything seemed to be fine.

 

Yes, system restore saved me from a clean install.

1. The notification from Win7 Antivirus 2012 exposed the infection.

2. Win 7 firewall only (UAC off - a big mistake).

 

Good that you got your system back without a major overhaul!

I get reminded of the time here in NBR when there were the so-called experts who kept repeating that the UAC is an annoying thing and its better to turn it off and the real experts mentioning to leave the UAC alone - meaning leave it on! lol... anyway..

Once bitten, twice shy!.... I guess! cheers

 

I'd make sure that Java is completely updated and that all traces of older java versions are removed.
You can use JavaRa from SingularLabs for this; link

 

Hi Baserk,

Did SingularLabs buy JavaRa ... I remember getting it from a diiferent looking website!

G!

 

Hey dude. Not used Avira for about 3 years to be honest. I used to get fed up with a little pop up add that always came up asking you to upgrade to the pro version. Generally I wait till the end of year comparative tests and decide then. But right now I'm using AVG - MBAM.
I always keep a little dongle I call my security tool box, with spyware blaster, adaware, sas, spybot, Ccleaner, Revo uninstaller, and mbam incase of emergancies. :0

Cheers.

 

You're right. JavaRa has been sold by developer Fred de Vries to SingularLabs. ( link) He does still work on it though but now for SingularLabs.

 

Is there any firewall that has more options than Comodo? Like as in, stopping upload vs download traffic, etc. I'm also sick of Comodo's inability to remember programs it "learns" are safe.

Any suggestions are welcome. I'm currently considering Armour, but want something that's tried and tested.

 

windows firewall is enough for you . Don`t complicate.

 

So what do you guys think about Comodo Firewall? I just installed it because I wanted a little more control and functionality than Windows Firewall. It seems to work pretty well in terms of functionality. Hopefully it's also more secure.

Is it recommended to have both firewall's (Windows + Comodo)?

EDIT: It seems to remember what programs I mark as safe.

 

OnlineArmor is rock stable. I've been using it since years, also the paid version since a couple of months. Recommended!
It hasn't got more options than Comodo though but it's HIPS is just as strong. OA is a tad more user friendly imo.

 

Norton has been very good to me these past two years I once have used Mcafee but it was giving me trouble. After the switch, never again that I will make the same mistake

 

hankaaron57 I think you can change the settings with in the firewall In comodo might wanna have a tinker with it,

 

Thank you sir.

 

Best security suite is Comodo Internet Security free , and the best antivirus free in BitDefender free. Don`t be dude !!!!!

 

it's clear by now you're in love with CIS. No need to copy/paste post about that in different threads; link. Don't be dude!

 

Any thoughts on Microsoft Security Essentials?

 

It's lightweight and scores well compared to Avast, Avira and Panda.
It also has the lowest false positives % (which probably contributes to it's slightly lower score).
Certain users reported that it can slow a system down during scans... though I have yet to experience this slowdown on my laptop.
First time scan with MSE can take a bit to complete, but subsequent full or short scans are a lot faster.
I have MSE set to auto-update itself daily and perform a short scan in the process - when it does, I'm not even noticing it running.

If you are considering between free solutions then MSE, Panda, Avira or Avast (just pick one) will do fine since all of them are light and effective.

Although, if 'harrypoker' happens to appear and starts slamming down on MSE, do yourself a favor and just ignore him by doing your own research on the subject and making an informed decision on your own.

 

MSE = free, simple and solid. The family is using nothing but at the moment, no hiccups for many moons.

I am running (testing) the new improved beta version with great satisfaction

cheers ...

 

You joke ? MSE ? Is a virus , not antivirus. Weak protection(25%) , no automaticaly updates , no repair , is a crap.
Install Avast! 7 . Is more better.

 

Go take a look at this:
Microsoft Security Essentials vs Avira vs avast! vs AVG: Best free anti-virus/anti-malware program for Windows [3rd Edition] | dotTech

And keep in mind that was several months ago (meaning that results could be different today) - AV comparatives essentially says the same thing.
Even the article admits that MSE is essentially on par with Avast and Avira in practically all areas.
Your 25% protection claim seem a bit far fetched if you ask me, not to mention the premise that MSE is anything but a virus (of course, I always keep in mind the possibility that I could be wrong - but my real-life experience speaks in MSE favor).

Avast is a great free program (no doubt about that), but it also seems like an over-kill to me because of all the things it does to 'keep you safe' (virtually no better than a nanny that polices my laptop use and classifies certain acts as 'malicious' based on how it was programmed - and my past experience in this regard, along with it's sandbox feature were negative).

 

West Coast Labs, a security software product testing company is doing a real-time malware test for free AV's.
It's done for the magazine PC & Tech Authority. (Note, both owned/published by the Haymarket Media Group).
From the WCL website;
' WCL specialises in product testing and certification. It has access to an international network of honeypots – including one in our own Sydney-based office – with which to capture a wide variety of viruses “in the wild” for testing purposes.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of free antivirus solutions, West Coast Labs has been running ongoing performance capability tests against a large number of samples from their ‘Real Time Project’, which leverages a geographically dispersed honeypot network to capture and provide a set of streaming samples 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.'

Tested are the free AV's; Avast, Avira, AVG, MSE and PCTools (no Panda unfortunately).
HTTP, FTP and P2P traffic is analyzed in real-time and as can be seen in this particular test, the different AV's score pretty much the same.
According to the site some 4000 samples have been used sofar, unknown is which particular software versions are tested (f.i. still Avast 6 according to the website) and I'm also not sure how long the test will last. More details will be available when the final results will be published in PC & Tech Authority in April.
It's not the test of all tests, especially with so little details available on testing methodology but still interesting, so check the (different) scores yourself link (check 'Real-time testing)

 

Yup... I don't get why 'harrypoker' continuously insisted on MSE being no better than a virus (that particular title would probably go to McAfee, and AVG isn't far behind tnx to it being slightly more bloated than other free AV's).

 

Avira, Avast, and MSE are all better than AVG.

 

I've been using MSE for 2 years now and haven't had a problem. I did, however, have problems with AVG.

 

Seconded.
Most people that had computer issues had various performance problems (and infectious ones) stemming from AVG itself (and McAfee).

 

I still to this day have had nothing but good things with MSE and free avast. Far better then the Symantec endpoint Im slowly phasing out for MSE.

 

Avast! Free is a good choise. Is better free product in security.+ Windows Firewall+ Malwarebyte`s Anti-malware (on-demand scan)

 

I have a question: Microsoft Security Essentials, is better than Avast or Avira Free Free? I am interested in even more light resources, to not slow down Internet Connection.
My configuration: Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, AMD single core 2.7 GHz, 2 Gb / ram.
If you install MSE, you must disable Windows Defender?
What version is better to install ? -final 2.1.11..... or 4 Beta ?

 

MSE is something I would put to my parents computer since it's really care-free (= less calls to me afterwards).

Personally I prefer Avast, mainly for its webshield feature. However the aggressive sandboxing is something I probably could never explain to my dad simply enough

I've used both Avast and MSE on a netbook with 1.6GHz Atom and 1GB ram, no problems in that front. It wasn't noticeably slower than without AV.

 

MSE is more light than Avast. But i don`t know about MSE protection ( detection + repair ). And i don`t know if MSE make automatically update.

 

Yeah, MSE integrates well with windows, has a decent detection rate and you can set it to update automatically. It works through windows update as well, even if you have auto updates disabled and MSE set to auto, MSE's settings will take priority and it'll still update itself.

 

how i can set MSE to update automatically ? Anyway , i think Avira is more better than MSE and VAG and Avast. More protection , more light.