Best Virus Protection Software?

[Aquamarine]

Ugh! I am so mad :mad: . Last night I got a pop up saying that one of my files might be infected with a virus. Grrr :mad: ! This has never happened to me before (well at least on this computer) What really sucks is that this is a new computer...my old one was really old and was filled with viruses until finally it just gave out. The virus that I may or may not have is called a bloodhound or whatever. All I know is that it had a REALLY ugly face.....it looked kinda like a mean devil dog (lol its kinda funny how this virus has a face :eek: ). I dont know much about computers or anything...so i'm lost...We currently have AVG virus protection but I guess it doesnt work all that well. So, my question to you all is...What kind of virus protection software do you have :confused: ?

[catnapper]

When was the last imte you updated your virus protection? Its only as good as your last update. Viruses change almost daily.

My hubby's computer got an awful virus a month or so ago, it took nearly a week for McAfee to develop a repair for it, but they did and it was downloaded the second it was available.

Oh, I've used Norton's, Panda, and McAfee. I HATED Panda, which is Staples brand. It was awful and in many ways acted like a virus itself. Norton's had a few bugs of its won. So far I like the McAfee.

[Aquamarine]

Well, with AVG, it updates by itself whenever there are new updates available. You know, I even thought about getting Panda...I've heard it might be the best one out there (but this was from only one person). Guess that doesnt sound so good now...I've had Norton but for some reason it wasnt allowing me to go online and people have told me Norton is a virus. I might just have to try McAFee...Thanks for replying :)

[IRescue452]

Don't use norton, it gives you a mega virus when you try to take it off the computer. It happened to me, my grandparents, and a friend. It infects your files and uses up all the computer's power if you try to take it off. AntiVirus companies are a bunch of scammers. McAfee never gave us problems yet, but you have to update so often, which is true of all antivirus software.

[Aquamarine]

Eeek well its a little too late...We had Norton and we still do...kind of. We still have the little icon on the bottom right hand corner but its disabled. We're gonna have someone remove it from our computer soon. Hopefully there will be no problems. :confused:

I'll look up McAfee later on today. :) It looks like this may be the winner.

[Blue_Frog]

Well, heres my 2-cents worth...

Like previously mentioned, any antivirus is only as good as its most recent update, as an antivirus is just that - its to prevent a virus, but not necessairly help to clean it out once an infection has occurred.

Having said that, once a virus is detected in your computer - depending on the virus type (virus, worm, trojan, etc.), theres several ways to tackle the problem. Could you give us a little information>

- What was the full name of the infected file that it found (filename.***)
- What was the full virus name?
- What operating system do you have (windows xp home, windows 2000, etc.)?
- What is the antivirus you currently have on your computer, the software version, and what is the date of the virus definitions (the most recent update?)

This way we could help to point you in the right direction for removal -- and depending on the problem, Symantec (Norton) has a ton of free tools on the website to help remove the problem.

I'd be more than happy to give you a hand to the best of my abilities - i used to work for an antivirus company as tech support for virus removal -- can't guarantee that I can fix it, but i might be able to help :)

[Blue_Frog]

Symantec Free Online Scanner (only tells you the infection name, does not clean)
http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/default.asp?productid=symhome&langid=ie&venid=sym

Symantec Trialware Page (30 days free)
http://www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/downloads/index.jsp

McAfee Trialware Page (30 days free)
http://www.mcafee.com/us/downloads/index.html

E-Trust Innoculate Trialware Page (30 days free)
http://www3.ca.com/solutions/CollateralList.aspx?CCT=19506&ID=271

E-Trust Free Online Scanner (scans not cleans)
http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/virusinfo/scan.aspx


*** Note: Do not install more than one antivirus on your computer at a time - they will conflict with each other based on the way they interact with your operating system ***


Also, since we're touching on virus problems, an entire other class of problems can come up with Spyware, Ad-ware, etc. Try ...

Lavasoft Adaware
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Ad-Aware_SE_Personal_d506.html

Spybot Search and Destroy
http://www.majorgeeks.com/SpyBot-Search_&_Destroy_d2471.html

[Aquamarine]

Thanks! I'll answer those questions later on today since I dont have time right now.


I just found out it is a trojan horse...AVG is scanning my computer right now and it indicates that 5 objects are infected...:(

[Blue_Frog]

Yeah ... Its one of the worst feelings finding out that you've got an infected computer - i've had clients that have lost wedding photos to worms, important files to viruses, and had their systems hijacked by trojan horses. :(

Although, one of the funnier things i came across was when my dad infected his computer with porno-spyware-popups from something he'd clicked on, and called me at work to help (in his words) "make the naked ladies go away" as his girlfriend was giving him a hard time in the background.


I'm generally around until about 5pm EST (hometime!), but i'll keep an eye out for your compy information :)

[trayi52]

I have Trend on my XPS, and it updates itself every morning. So far, so good. I have never used this virus program before, so I don't know that much about it. I have always used Nortons, which I got tired of pretty quick. The updates would not let me into my Outlook Express! I could not download my mail at all. So I had to stop letting it update. That was bad!

Hope you get your problem solved.

Willie

[Karen]

Best virus protection? Owning a Macintosh. Most viruses are Windows-based, and cannot touch me.

[Blue_Frog]

Thats true for the most part, but now that apple has gone in with Intel, and Apples are going more mainstream you may start running across more and more viruses targeted at Mac users :(

i.e.
http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2006-021614-4006-99&tabid=2


But in all reality, theres more viruses targeted specifically at AOL users than Mac users ... and even some targeted at Cell Phones now too ...

http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2005-030809-4208-99


(edit: same link pasted twice! d'oh!)

[Karen]

Thats true for the most part, but now that apple has gone in with Intel, and Apples are going more mainstream you may start running across more and more viruses targeted at Mac users :(

Not until I succomb and buy an Intel-based machine. Right now, there are a few viruses that target Unix- on which Mac OS X is based, but very few. I also do not - and will not - use Outlook or Internet Explorer, which are notoriously porous and vulnerable.

[Lady's Human]

Viruses affect the OS, not the chip. Until Mac becomes a less robust system, it will continue to have the virus immunity afforded by the OS.

When a popup shows up on your screen telling you that you have a virus, more often than not it is a popup ad from the browser, not an actual virus.

system security advice? Turn OFF windows messenger. As a default it is on, but leaving it on opens up a direct path to the OS. To turn it off, go to the start taskbar, settings, control panel, admin tools, then double click on services. Find messenger in the task list, double click on it, and disable it. This will not affect the computer, unless you are on an administered LAN, in which case check with your admin people.

Set up your virus scan to scan all downloaded files on download. This varies between a/v services.

AVG is excellent a/v protection, you most likely have autoscan on d/l turned off, which opens a hole for a virus to get in.

I would also reccomend downloading the free lavasoft ad aware s/w, and spybot S+D. these will give additional protection, as there are viruses which get into your system through adware.

[Blue_Frog]

yep ... the intel tie in was that theoretically, with intel chips being a more mass-produced chip than the earlier propriatery mac/apple hardware, the price of a mac may come down enough that more people may be interested in purchasing one, therefore making the system more interesting to virus writers / hackers / etc. (horray for run-on sentences :rolleyes: ) Unfortunatly, Macs aren't completely safe from other problems tho (OS exploits, etc), but still by far better than windows.

priv kill (evil_virus_process) ;)

If you're interested in a free Linux-based OS, the Ubuntu OS seems to work pretty well --- http://www.ubuntu.com/

[RedHedd]

Norton does provide a removal tool for their software. It does a pretty good job of removing everything. I've had McAfee and Norton and am sticking with Norton Internet Security. It locks my PC down so no baddies get in.

if it's a Trojan, also install, update and run AdAware and/or Spybot Search & Destroy (both free).

[Aquamarine]

Well, heres my 2-cents worth...

Like previously mentioned, any antivirus is only as good as its most recent update, as an antivirus is just that - its to prevent a virus, but not necessairly help to clean it out once an infection has occurred.

Having said that, once a virus is detected in your computer - depending on the virus type (virus, worm, trojan, etc.), theres several ways to tackle the problem. Could you give us a little information>

- What was the full name of the infected file that it found (filename.***)
- What was the full virus name?
- What operating system do you have (windows xp home, windows 2000, etc.)?
- What is the antivirus you currently have on your computer, the software version, and what is the date of the virus definitions (the most recent update?)

This way we could help to point you in the right direction for removal -- and depending on the problem, Symantec (Norton) has a ton of free tools on the website to help remove the problem.

I'd be more than happy to give you a hand to the best of my abilities - i used to work for an antivirus company as tech support for virus removal -- can't guarantee that I can fix it, but i might be able to help :)


- I dont know the whole file name because I cannot access that file...so here's part of it..
C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Owner\Application Dat... (i dont know how to get it so i can read the entire file name. I've clicked on it and everything and I still cant see the whole file name)

-Well last night the virus was called bloodhound.Exploit.56
Right next to the file name it says 'Trojan horse Downloader.Generic2.KMB'

- We have Windows HP vs15x (hopefully i am answering these questions right...I'm clueless when it comes to computers :confused: )

- Right now we currently have AVG free Edition...the most recent update was on 8/14/06 at 2:34. We do still have norton but like I said before...its disabled.

Thanks everyone for trying to help me out...:)

My dad is going to have his friend come by to see if he can help us.

I just dont understand all these viruses...how exactly do you get a virus? I thought you only got them if you downloaded something. :confused:

I'm tempted to just have everything from this computer removed and just start over...Eeeee this is just so stressful...

One other thing, I have the option to move this virus and the infected objects into a 'vault'. Should i just do this? What exactly do trojans do to computers? lol sorry for all the questions..i'm just...lost and tired lol.

Edit~ I just looked up some info about McAfee and viruses and I'm pretty sure this is the trojan I have...
http://vil.nai.com/vil/Content/v_137760.htm

[Lady's Human]

You don't have to KNOWINGLY download a file to get a virus, which is why the "scan on download" option needs to be found and activated.

Again, download Spybot S+D, and the Lavasoft Ad-aware SE Personal. These in combination will eliminate the spyware that probably downloaded the virus.

If Norton is disabled, it should be removed. Multiple a/v programs sometimes cause conflicts with each other, even if not used.

DELETE the infected object. Putting them in a vault merely locks them away, you need to remove them from the H/D. (The vault option is normally used by sys admin types to track down and find the source of the virus)

[RedHedd]

- I don't know the whole file name because I cannot access that file...so here's part of it..
C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Owner\Application Dat... (i don't know how to get it so i can read the entire file name. I've clicked on it and everything and I still cant see the whole file name)If you're looking at the file location through Windows Explorer (you'll be looking at a regular file tree-type window). the file name is in a column. If you look up at the top of the column you can resize it by dragging the little divider line to the right to reveal the whole file path OR you can just right-click on the file name and look at the Properties. I don't recommend just deleting this one file - it's probably has tentacles buried deep in the Windows registry. Use a virus program or spyware program which will remove all traces of the offending file.

[Lady's Human]

Redd, I think what the OP was referring to was the options in AVG. It gives you the option to quarantine (vault) or delete the file, not just throwing the infected file in the trash (doesn't normally work with a virus anyway).

[Blue_Frog]

Well, one good thing is that the file (it was only the one right?) was listed as a trojan-horse downloader, so it will not be a necessary system file -- i'd do what Lady's Human said and delete the infected file.

Was your dad's friend able to get rid of the file for you, or were you able to delete it last nite?



A couple of other things you could do ...

(I'm not sure if this is your computer, or a shared family computer, but i'd check with someone like your Dad before doing the following)

1. Run the windows updates. Sometimes, if your system is not up to date (Windows, internet explorer, etc.), then you can get files dropped onto your system just by visiting a website as the web site author exploits holes in your system to do file drops. I've attached a PDF file i made up this morning outlining how to manually run the windows update, and how to set up automatic updating in Windows. (file is Running Windows Updates.pdf

2. Download both Lavasoft Adaware (http://www.majorgeeks.com/Ad-Aware_...sonal_d506.html) and Spybot Search and Destroy (http://www.majorgeeks.com/SpyBot-Se...troy_d2471.html). These are Spyware Removal tools, and can both be installed without a problem on your computer. They will find many things that Antivirus programs will not.

3. Uninstall one of the antivirus programs on your computer -- if you have been happy with AVG, then uninstall the Norton (Symantec) application. You should be able to do this through the Windows Control panel (click Start - Settings Control Panel, and select the 'Add/Remove Programs' option. Norton should be listed in there, and you can select it and uninstall).

4. Set up your AVG antivirus to a higher scanning level. You should be able to find a document on their website (under the Technical Docs section) at http://www.grisoft.com/doc/8/lng/us/tpl/tpl01 .This information may also be listed in the Manual that came with the software application (maybe when you got the computer?). If not, i think you can download a copy of the AVG manual on their site at http://www.grisoft.com/doc/74/lng/us/tpl/tpl01


If you'd like a quick description of What is a Virus, Worm and Trojan, you can read the information here: http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav.nsf/docid/1999041209131106

[Aquamarine]

I wanna thank everyone for the wonderful advice! :) :) Thankyou! :)

Well, we decided to take our computer to a computer repair shop( If i tried to remove the trojan myself I probably would've made it worse lol) Now for the good news.... The virus is finally gone! I'm so happy! Woo hoo! We decided to try McAfee. It works really well. We also got Spy Sweeper and Zone Alarm . Can you believe they found 97 traces of spyware???!?! Amazing! lol
Again, thanks so much for the advice. I really appreciated it.