Security of machine without Win Updates since July 08

Hi,

I am on a Vista laptop which had Windows Update turned off since July 2008. I just installed about 57 updates including a number of security fixes.

Considering there are a lot of zero-day exploits etc. what are the chances I may have a trojan/virus and how can I make sure they are detected & eradicated beyond using AVG antivirus scan?

I don't visit warez/keygen/pirate sites but these days there are even trusted sites that have been hijacked to exploit Windows security fixes.

What I can I do for peace of mind? I have a disc image of my original install if that is the best way to be sure.

Thanks

 

hmm I would suggest you to do a online scan

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

or

http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html

or

more like those

http://www.tipandtrick.net/2008/60-...spyware-and-malware-scanners-scan-or-removal/

 

I'm really liking Secunia http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/

I'm usually pretty good with updates but this app keeps me honest letting me know which apps haven't been updating in a while and are vulnerable to attacks

 

I have PSI too mate but it is not a virus/malware scanner but a good way to prevent yourself form hack attacks

 

It sure is! It's great for updating those apps you never use.

For malware, I've been using spybot search & destroy - I think it's awesome for scanning and immunization. Is there anything better?

 

Download, install and then update latest Spybot.
http://www.spybot.com/en/index.html

It's free, and one of the best.
If you find something via Spybot and are unable to remove it, then boot into safe-mode and re-scan the system again with Spybot.
Once you find those bugs again (if you have any to begin with) you will be able to remove them.

 

For online scanning, besides those mentioned by vinumsv, I can also recommend F-Secure online scanner (it can also clean infections and uses a Kaspersky engine among others).
You also might want to give Prevx Edge and Malwarebytes'Antimalware a run.
I don't recommend Spybot S&D for cleaning any possible infections.

Like you mentioned yourself, for true peace of mind a clean install works best but if you know yourself to be a safe surfer/responsible user than that is probably overkill.
Cheers.

 

Hm ... among other things ... I've been using Spybot for years now without any adverse effects.
In fact, I was able to remove plenty of infections that bothered my friends computers for some time now, and their OS was not affected in a negative capacity.

Baserk ... mind if you explain why don't you recommend Spybot for cleaning potential infections?

 

^ The reason i don't recommend Spybot S&D for cleaning anymore is because there are free programs available that are much more effective for that purpose.
Also, if I would recommend Spybot and another one like SAS or MBAM, there is a risk that only 1 program is used; when that comes up with a 'clean' verdict, folks might skip the next suggested program.

I've used Spybot S&D myself for years and I liked the program very much.
But nowadays there are much more powerful programs available so I only recommend to use those.
Cheers.

 

Hello, thanks for all the replies.

I am running AVG Free 8 w/ latest updates.

I ran F-Secure online virus scanner and it reported four viruses:

W32/Fakealert.AZT (C:\USERS\ALLUSERS\AVG8\UPDATE\BAKU...)

W32/Fakealert.AZT (C ROGRAMDATA\AVG8

W32/Fakealert.AZT (C:\PROGRAMFILES\AVG\AVG8\AVGCOREX.D...)

I attempted to disinfect and clean but F-secure couldn't. F-secure "crashed" in the internet explorer window.

I followed guide to deleting Trojan.FakeAlert processes but the Windows processes to delete did not show up in taskmanager processes list. I also didn't find any of the popups that declare I have a virus and that I should download anti-virus programs.

Is this a false positive from F-secure?

 

As i said in your other thread about the same thing .... you can ignore this as they are False Positives.