Need a good security setup

Laptop is coming tomorrow and free antivirus programs are not my strong suit. Can i get some help. I already plan on using MSE but i do not know what goes well with it. I also use google chrome and if there is any apps on there that help then please tell me about them.

Thanks,

Vapkez

 

Depends on what kind of security you mean...

One of the key factors is the user himself

Else:
UAC on maximum, Windows Firewall.

You could use Firefox with Adblock too - helps against potentially malicious ads. If you want - noscript, but I find that too tedious to set up.

 

Well like i said. I am not really good with this stuff. I usually game a lot and download things from the internet often. For example, a minecraft texture pack as a Winrar file.... No torrents or music though.

 

Games themselves should be reasonably safe.

-> Downloads is possibly the weakest point in your browsing habit then.
(Apart from potentially browser exploits)
But as long as you dowload only software that seems legitimate or from a reasonably trustworthy source (e.g. recommended by others) there isn't too much danger there.

I suspect in the end you should possibly just not worry too much.
Oh, and keep a backup of your important stuff
In a lot of cases today, you are possibly more likely to suffer HDD failure (from a bad bump or drop for example) than file damage due to malware.

 

Exactly what i thought. Thats all i am looking for, just one or two programs to compliment MSE so i do not have to worry about anything.

And I am only using chrome. I really dislike other browsers...

 

Well, there will always be a loophole.

IT is never ever 100% secure - it doesn't exist, cannot exist. Anybody who claims that is lying. (Exception: a computer in a bank vault/safe as long as the safe/vault is not opened)

But as long as you keep an eye on what kind of stuff you download you should be perfectly safe.

-> Oh, and if you are paranoid
Run this every 2-3 months Microsoft Safety Scanner - Remove Spyware, Malware, Viruses Free

 

Thanks yeah i know how to use common sense when online so i wong be too worried about it. Thanks for the link, much appreciated.

 

Here's the setups i use

G73: MSE as active protection and malwarebytes as an on demand scanner.
N50: Avast! 5 with spybots S&D as a scanner
Opera browser on both

Get an active protection like MSE and an on demand scanner you keep up to date and use to scan once in a while. Use of common sense is still the best security measure.

Infection free since 2009 .

 

Would you recommend Malwarebytes as a good on demand scanner?

 

This is what I have used for over a year. Works well for me.

 

Well it's definitely "light" though I see no reason to leave UAC off.

 

You have purposefully misquoted me.

Please read up on what UAC does and turn it on. Else, you might as well bin the antivirus software - the heuristic detection rate for even the best products is about 60% -> i.e. if you get malware that isn't in the signature you have a very high chance that it will not be picked up.

Besides - any piece of software (for example written by idiots) could damage your OS without UAC.

UAC will prevent unauthorized changes to system files and will virtualize system files and the registry for software that requires access.

UAC should be on an on maximum. (That's where it's better on Vista - maximum on default)

 

Isn't UAC just a firewall so you things cannot change things on your computer? If it is, then why do you run Windows Firewall? Also, since Windows firewall is already installed when you install the OS, do you need to tweak it a lot to make sure it does its job?

 

Read my post again....

A firewall affects ONLY internet connections.

In fact, I'd venture as far as to say that a firewall without UAC is pointless - you could easily just ave your software change your firewall settings once it is on your computer...

On that note:
The most common ways of getting any form of malware are still email attachments and downloads/installations by users who didn't look closely at the "offered product".

 

Judging from his avatar, he's probably using linux, so UAC and Windows FW isn't available for him. His message is vague, so the post has no value to the thread.
OP, just make sure that you scan all files that you download. Also keep JAVA up to data as there are neverending patches against new exploits.

 

Ironically, all the Linux users should shut up where UAC is concerned (provided they are ciritcising it)... they had it for years - it's that little box that prompts you for your root password (in fact, I find it more annoying than UAC on a Linux VM for playing around with - a good reason for me to use a short password - but hey, I'm not using Linux for any productive use - so no real loss)

Isn't it strange - Linux users will happily point out what security features they have in their OS, Windows users in the past would point at some of the Linux features and call them a good idea - then Microsoft implements them and suddenly everybody (or at least the majority) is unhappy with it...

 

Yeah, the dislike of UAC is pretty funny. I've heard linux users complain about it, which is hilarious.

But linux has far more protection against moving to admin than UAC.

 

Has it?

Isn't a part of the "issue" with security on Windows the fact that everybody by default runs an administrator account?

All I get in Linux is a box that prompts me for the root password - at least that is the only thing I ever encountered.
In Windows with UAC I just click a direct proceed.

-> In terms of usage not really different - except that Linux is more cumbersome (but also more secure against people who will not know the password)

 

UAC is the only method Windows uses to keep users from moving to admin. linux/*nix has a UAC-like function as well as other kernel-level layers of protection.

 

Well I use:

Prevx 3.x for AV
MBAM on demand

I set the process exclusions so they don't interfere....works great; and Prevx is very light, very fast (I've seen nothing like it), and cloud based.
Support forum for Prevx is at Wilders Security Forums in case you want to read about it there.

I make my living on the machines, and I don't mess around with that stuff; Prevx lets my mind wander like it usually does...LOL.

Oh yeah, Common Sense 1.1.

 

comodo free firewall with hips+ enabled
mse 2.x
EMET
UAC at maxium level (with password prompt)

 

Sorry for bumping a thread that has been dead for the past few days but how did you enable password prompt with UAC at maximum level?