The best free security software

What I meant was that you can check yourself if your firewall is functioning like it should.
Use for instance Shields Up from Gibson Research for this; link.
Use 'All service ports' and check whether you will pass.
Also, on those pages there is a wealth of information on firewalls, you can learn a lot there.
Cheers.

PS. One of the advantages of Firefox is that there are many extensions (or add-ons) with which you can make Firefox exactly the browser you want it to be link.

 

Hi people,

MalwareBAM has been behaving badly the past couple of days.

Its gets stuck during scanning at some place (which I later figured out to be the same place, after couple of runs) and it doesn't move from that...

Yes, I tried uninstalling it completely (used Revo Uninstaller) and reinstalled... the uninstall / reinstall process goes on well, updates go on well... But scanning it gets stuck...

Any ideas / tips, Please?

Thanks in advance

 

I encountered a similar issue with MBAM; it actually crashes on my Vista Home Premium. So I uninstalled MBAM. If you feel you need an Anti-SpyWare scanner, you might try SuperAntiSpyware.

 

Ah ok... Looks like I am not the only one then! Though it didn't crash on me, it just got stuck kinds.. the file name kept alternating for ever.. like you know, scanning folder A, file 1 and file 2 and it gets stuck there.. keeps going back n forth b/w file 1 n file 2.... Anyway.

Thanks for your reply, John

Yeah, I have SAS and SpybotS&D too.... At the moment, I have taken out MBAM and was wondering if I should get it back in... But guess I'll do with the other two and also I have Threatfire as well... above all, have NIS 2008 that came with the laptop.. and its very clean and well-protected I guess..

So there... Thanks again Cheers.

 

As I have stated in other threads, I do not find the need for anti-SpyWare scanning software since nothing is ever found; however, I do install and scan now and again to validate that premise!

SAS and MBAM are a couple I keep around to install.

 

I personally use a-squared free, although SAS is good as well.

 

for antispyware you cannot do better than adaware and spybot. but there are some cool other things that go deeper.

there is unhack which will get rid of ANYTHING suspicious, including your windows activation file. its very good though if you are a proficient user.

 

Trust, but verify (or, Доверяй, но проверяй in the borrowed Russian).

 

If anyone hasn't heard, AVG Anti-Spyware is no longer a stand-alone tool and is now apart of AVG 8.0. This is quite discouraging because it was my favorite anti-spyware tool (and collected a lot of spyware for me). Anyway, I currently have AntiVir and probably won't switch to the new AVG just for the anti-spyware. So, should I use MalwareBytes anti malware or SAS? I really don't know much about either.

EDIT: I just checked and I still receive up-to-date updates from AVG Anti-Spyware. Does anyone know what this means(as in should I keep it)?

 

SAS and MBAM are in the same league, MBAM has a more polished appearance if you care about that.
Give both a try, especially if you have been plagued by a lot of spyware before and keep your favourite.
About AVG Anti-Spyware, do you still get daily updates?
As you wrote, you really like the program, so why not keep it as long as AVG keeps updates for this stand alone version available.

 

I now have AVG free 8. Is one of the disadvantages of the free that you cant schedule the scans, because they are greyed? Also, is the AVG spyware built in sufficient - will the antivirus scan automatically scan for spyware?

 

Yeah, I do get updates. I just thought I hear somewhere they were cutting that off...but it doesn't appear to be that way yet.

 

I suppose this should go here rather than free Windows software. It's a VPN for public Wifi.

http://hotspotshield.com/

Of course, it's free but there's a small ad on top of viewed pages, which can be x'ed out. I'll look for a workaround, maybe ad block?

Edit:
Ad block will block the simple ad.

 

I'm not sure if this warrants a new thread, so I'll post this in here for now. If people think it should be its own thread, then I'll make one.

Since there's been a fairly constant request for the best software regardless of paid or free, how about we either make a new thread for the best protection software or add to the present one? I suggest we all put down what we think are the best anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall programs. What I'm not looking for is a thread that just throws out random programs. For instance, from what I've read, it looks like most people do not like Windows Defender, yet it's up as one of the best. Granted it's not recommended which further reinforces the question of why it's even on there when it's not recommended. I think the thread should have a small handful of the best programs with at most 3 entries for each category. Hopefully, this would cut down on the questions/confusion because we would cover all of the available options leaving only the select few as the best.

I'll start off on my suggestions.

Best Anti-virus:

Avira (Free)
Nod32 (Paid)
Kaspersy (Paid)

Anti-Spyware:

Super AntiSpyware (Free)
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (Free)

Best Firewall:

Online Armor (Free)
Comodo (Free)

Remember, the key is to not create a bloated list. Lastly, I picked these three categories because they are by far the most common.

 

Hi jin07,

Just an explanation.
The reason why Windows Defender is on my list, is because it's deemed as a rather decent program by some security veterans at Wilders Security.
The fact that it's got 'Windows' in it's name, is enough for a lot of folks to not like it.
That however is no reason to put it off the list imo.
There are not many free x64 full blown HIPS (advanced spynet) and whether it's popular among most people or not, doesn't really matter imao (or do you know any other free AS with full HIPS?).
Cheers.

 

I also left Windows Defender installed and active

 

Still, the Windows Defender example wasn't the main part of my argument. I'm saying we should cut down on the list size and add paid programs to help people who want to know what's the best program paid or free.

 

The OP requested the best free which, if represented as a Venn Diagram of the intersection of the sets best and free, excludes much of the best set.

 

Hence is why I'm asking if we should change the present thread or make a new one. I don't think it would be a bad idea to have two threads. One with free programs, and one with options selected regardless of price. If you guys don't think another thread or change is warranted, then I'll drop the subject. I believe it would be helpful since a number of people are asking for the best protection software, free or paid, so I thought I would bring up the subject.

 

Anyone else having AVG Anti-Spyware not receiving updates anymore? It was receiving updates for awhile but now it's stopped. What should those using avg anti-spyware switch to for free spyware protection now? SAS or Malwarebytes Anti-Malware?

 

Both if possible. If I had to pick one, Super Anti Spyware.

 

I don't use AVG but there have been several NBR members posting on AVG update issues recently.
For real-time protection, I'd recommend ThreatFire (32-bit only!) and for your on-demand scans indeed either SAS or MBAM.
SAS still has the lead over MBAM where it comes to detection rates according to most recent tests I've read.
Keep in mind, those weren't extensive tests like from AV-Comparatives and some malware will be missed by SAS and cleaned by MBAM and vice-versa.
Cheers.

 

Is Threatfire worthwhile if you have a good firewall? I don't know much about Threatfire, but it sounds interesting. Though I also don't want overlapping protection with Avira, Winpatrol and Online Armor.

 

If you have a HIPS like you've got with OA, there isn't that much of a need for Threatfire.
Which is not a traditional HIPS btw but a behavioural blocker. It's a nice program though, it requires not much user action, it only takes up 8MB mem. usage (on XP), updates regularly and isn't much in your face. (You could run it for a while, just to get to know it).

Adding it could lower the risk from a nasty getting in, but then again we would be talking about lowering a tiny risk to an even more tiny risk.
The problem with going down that road is that adding BOClean would lower the risk even more. And adding another program...etc.
Cheers.

 

Yeah, that's what I was thinking you (or someone else) wrote about it previously. Thanks. I'd rep you, but apparently you must have been one of the last people I repped because it won't let me.

 

I would check your firewall settings. An uninstall -> reinstall should work.

 

Thanks mate...

But firewall settings? it was working well even with the firewall settings before... and its just that suddenly while running the complete scan, it started getting stuck at one place and everytime after that it kept getting stuck at the same place... and yes, I have uninstalled and reinstalled (I think I mentioned this before, no?).. anyway, so there.. for now I am not using it.. will check back later if there is any other suggestions..

 

I wasn't sure if you changed your firewall settings or not because you didn't mention it. Also, sometimes people don't think about it. Did you ever write down where it stopped? Lastly, was this with either scan option? You may want to try the new version of Malware to see if it fixes your problems.

 

Okay, well my avg anti-spyware 7.5 updated today. Don't know what's going on...

One last question: I have Spyware Terminator downloaded on the computer. Do I really need it? I would just install SAS but I think Spyware Terminator has real-time protection. Not sure though...any help would be appreciated!

 

I didn't like Spyware Term when I tried it. I suggest sticking with SAS or possibly adding Malwarebytes. I also think you should drop AVG for Avira.

 

My experience with MBAM is that it tends to fall over ungracefully. Not a full BSOD (like Comodo, for instance), but enough to generate a WER (Windows Error Report) and stop processing without completing the assigned task. Not every version, but enough of them so that I no longer reach for MBAM automatically. In fact, I do not have it installed nor do I have the installer downloaded currently.

 

I wonder why these problems arise with MBAM. If it ever starts to act up, I'll try to figure it out.

 

I read somewhere MBAM does direct reads and writes, which if true could make it very succeptible to hardware interrupt issues. I have had it run just fine, and other times crap out without any real explanation.

 

Same here for me.. if you ask me what I did or what was different that I did for MBAM to start hanging up, I have no idea.. I have always run certain program' like they are supposed to be run... suddenly out of nowhere MBAM started acting up.. tried 3 or 4 times after that, same result and >>> MBAM out for now!!!

 

As reported on Wilders Security and the Malwarebytes forum, there is a critical bug in MBAM versions 1.00 to 1.25.
The bug has been removed in the 1.26 version of MBAM.

This bug only affects you if your computer " was part of a LAN in a configuration that required it to authenticate itself to others".
A fix is posted on the MBAM forum to repair the affected settings.
Cheers.

 

My PC is not "part of a LAN in a configuration that required it to authenticate itself to others", yet MBAM still failed quite regularly without explanation and without completing the assigned task.

Still, SAS and MBAM are the top choices for me when I feel the need to have an ad-hoc scan to provide secondary validation of my PC.

 

I used to pay for all my security needs. For a while I used Norton, then I switched to ZoneAlarm. Now that I'm getting a new laptop, I'm going to need to install AV, AS, and firewall software. I was thinking for a while about renewing my ZoneAlarm subscription or getting the new Norton, but after reading this thread, I'm considering using only free software.

Here's my tentative list:
Avira AntiVir
Comodo Firewall Pro
SuperAntiSpyware
Threatfire

I'm assuming that it's ok to have two antispyware programs, but not two firewalls or antivirus programs, right? I also saw a list similar to this posted somewhere in this thread. My question is if it is alright to use Threatfire in conjunction with Avira AntiVir, since it seems Threatfire incorporates some form of antivirus functions into it as well.

 

Avira and TF do not conflict, so no worries.
And you are right about not running 2 AV's and firewalls.
TF and SAS won't conlict, the free version of SAS (which you are going to use, right?) doesn't have real-time protection.

 

jin07,

thanks for the suggestions. but i do have avira for anti-virus, i had avg anti-spyware as my on demand scanner, not avg the anti-virus.

 

whats better about avira av over avg av ? avira was too anoying with those popups so i switched... i tried the suggestions to disable it but none worked

also, avg has spyware protection built in... is additional spyware protection necessary?

 

Hi folks,

Try this combo ... Avira + Comodo Firewall. Works for me!

BTW, on Avira pop-up ... just say OK and it goes away ... not super annoying for a freeware solution!

G!

 

The elite killer fix for the pop up worked for me.

Layered protection. I don't like putting all my eggs in one basket.

CFP with D+ and Antivir (and SAS) work great together

Since I have 6 scheduled updates a day, I didn't want to deal with it.

 

whats the elite killer fix?

 

http://www.elitekiller.com/files/disable_antivir_nag.htm

 

After thinking about jin07's remark about the somewhat bloated list of anti-spyware/malware removal programs on page1, I've decided to cut some weed.
A-Squared, Spybot Search and Destroy, Spyware Doctor and Spyware Terminator have all been removed.
The first three because they aren't keeping up with the competition; SAS and MBAM, and ST because the HIPS function which made it worthwile, can also be found in ThreatFire (and Windows Defender).

I know some of the programs have been used by many folks here on NBR for a long, long time and there are still many people who will trust the world+dog to f.i. Spybot S&D.
But it's indeed counterproductive to have a list of some excellent, some good and some mediocre (not bad but mediocre) programs. So they had to go.
Cheers.

 

If I were you, I would keep SpybotS&D in the list for some more time....

 

Yeah, I had tried that. Didnt work. XP Home.

What is the disadvantage of AVG compared to Avira ?

 

I downloaded and liked SAS but one problem: I have to restart my computer after every full scan? Seriously? That doesn't seem very customer-friendly to me.

 

Really? I'm starting to think it would be better to pay up for security that's both effective and polished.

 

That shouldn't be the case. What else is going on? Does it pick up anything?