Good News for Malewarebytes

[oneeyed]

I mostly agree with your rant jimbo45. The AV industry is mostly based on scare tactics, very similar to what the guys creating virus/malware and such do.

But what irks me the most is the concept of Anti-Virus in itself is flawed.... And it is deliberate because it encourages having the "best" AV or the one detecting the most, which is a non-ending and ultimately useless quest.
Fact : There is NO AV in the world that can protect you against everything. Why ? Because if you create something new and never seen before, it isn't in the database of signatures and it will pass the virus scan very easily.

A very good read related on this subject is : The Six Dumbest Ideas in Computer Security

Basically it is a fool's quest to enumerate something that has become exponential. Maybe when AVs signatures attain 1GB size, some people will realize this but I doubt it.

Some solutions already exist that are much better at protecting against malware than AVs, including but not limited to:
* Sandbox applications (Sandboxie, Virtualization, etc..)
* Block executables by default policy (Software Restriction Policy, present on all windows since XP or Applocker since win 7)
* Frequent reset to a default state of your system (Steady State by Microsoft, Deep Freeze by Faronics, etc... or even manually with any disk cloning application like Macrium Reflect or Acronis True Image)

 

[loveandpower]

@oneeyed

I am just curious here, are the rest to default state programs such as Deep Freeze actually fool proof? I know several school systems who use it and it just peaked my interest when I read the name. Will it restore it every time no matter the malware/virus? I think of a restore point where sometimes viruses can still come back or restore with it.

Another notable restore program is Norton Ghost. ​

 

[oneeyed]

Foolproof sure. As long as you keep your backup in a safe location, not accessible by malware, say a removable drive. If the backup is extensive enough, then the reset will overwrite everything, malware and such crap included.

It is a very good solution as proved by the multiple public internet places using it like universites, internet cafes and such.

Keep in mind that while Deep Freeze and other such applications are fine, they only automatize something that you can do yourself with relative ease : Backup your system drive on a removable drive at a point where you are sure it is free of malware, and restore it frequently. For security reasons, the backup/restore should be done outside of windows so it won't be tampered by anything malicious, so use a live-cd or include the application on the removable drive and reboot from it.

 

[jpolacko]

I mostly agree with your rant jimbo45. The AV industry is mostly based on scare tactics, very similar to what the guys creating virus/malware and such do.

But what irks me the most is the concept of Anti-Virus in itself is flawed.... And it is deliberate because it encourages having the "best" AV or the one detecting the most, which is a non-ending and ultimately useless quest.
Fact : There is NO AV in the world that can protect you against everything. Why ? Because if you create something new and never seen before, it isn't in the database of signatures and it will pass the virus scan very easily.

A very good read related on this subject is : The Six Dumbest Ideas in Computer Security

Basically it is a fool's quest to enumerate something that has become exponential. Maybe when AVs signatures attain 1GB size, some people will realize this but I doubt it.

Some solutions already exist that are much better at protecting against malware than AVs, including but not limited to:
* Sandbox applications (Sandboxie, Virtualization, etc..)
* Block executables by default policy (Software Restriction Policy, present on all windows since XP or Applocker since win 7)
* Frequent reset to a default state of your system (Steady State by Microsoft, Deep Freeze by Faronics, etc... or even manually with any disk cloning application like Macrium Reflect or Acronis True Image)

Never did disk cloning before. How does that work?

 

[oneeyed]

Never did disk cloning before. How does that work?

How to Backup and Restore Your Windows in 10 Minutes? - Windows - Applications
Acronis True Image 2014 - Hard Drive Imaging Review and Tutorial
v5: How to clone a disk (Clone Disk, v5)

 

[jpolacko]

Never did disk cloning before. How does that work?

How to Backup and Restore Your Windows in 10 Minutes? - Windows - Applications
Acronis True Image 2014 - Hard Drive Imaging Review and Tutorial
v5: How to clone a disk (Clone Disk, v5)

Thanks oneeyed!

 

[azasadny]

I use Acronis True Image 2014 to clone drives and I've used it for about 10 years with excellent results.

 

[jpolacko]

Okay it a try. I plan on buying a 600 SSD and wanna move my OS over to it is that possible or should I start fresh? I just started reading about SSD and how good they are so I wanna give it a try.

 

[topgundcp]

@oneeyed

I am just curious here, are the rest to default state programs such as Deep Freeze actually fool proof? I know several school systems who use it and it just peaked my interest when I read the name. Will it restore it every time no matter the malware/virus? I think of a restore point where sometimes viruses can still come back or restore with it.

Another notable restore program is Norton Ghost. ​

@loveandpower
Another piece of software you might want to look at is: Shadow Defender - the easiest PC/laptop security and privacy protection tool
It is lighter and easier to use as compared to Deep Freeze.
Deep Freeze vs Shadow Defender | Wilders Security Forums

 

[loveandpower]

I think I am still considering Deep Freeze over Shadow Defender even though they are both great programs by the sound/research I have done.

 

[Allison]

I use Windows Defender, the firewall, UAC and something that can’t be matched by any anti-virus suite, common sense. The last time a virus exploited my system, it was purely my fault because I forgot to unclick a promotion that came with the program I wanted. As long as you respect sensible rules you will be fine and backup anything you can’t afford to lose.

My new computers always come with trialware antivirus I have to kill. I’ve saved my parents at least a thousand dollars by teaching them to have confidence in Windows Defender/Microsoft Security Essentials and to be mindful in their online activities. They were the ideal targets of those AV companies which is why I hate the fear campaigns ran to exploit people and scare them into buying unneeded bloatware.

 

[jpolacko]

I use Windows Defender, the firewall, UAC and something that can’t be matched by any anti-virus suite, common sense. The last time a virus exploited my system, it was purely my fault because I forgot to unclick a promotion that came with the program I wanted. As long as you respect sensible rules you will be fine and backup anything you can’t afford to lose.

My new computers always come with trialware antivirus I have to kill. I’ve saved my parents at least a thousand dollars by teaching them to have confidence in Windows Defender/Microsoft Security Essentials and to be mindful in their online activities. They were the ideal targets of those AV companies which is why I hate the fear campaigns ran to exploit people and scare them into buying unneeded bloatware.

At the end it all boils down to what you do online and what you download. Always be careful with what you download and install. But I I agree with your post.

 

[jimbo45]

I mostly agree with your rant jimbo45. The AV industry is mostly based on scare tactics, very similar to what the guys creating virus/malware and such do.

But what irks me the most is the concept of Anti-Virus in itself is flawed.... And it is deliberate because it encourages having the "best" AV or the one detecting the most, which is a non-ending and ultimately useless quest.
Fact : There is NO AV in the world that can protect you against everything. Why ? Because if you create something new and never seen before, it isn't in the database of signatures and it will pass the virus scan very easily.

A very good read related on this subject is : The Six Dumbest Ideas in Computer Security

Basically it is a fool's quest to enumerate something that has become exponential. Maybe when AVs signatures attain 1GB size, some people will realize this but I doubt it.

Some solutions already exist that are much better at protecting against malware than AVs, including but not limited to:
* Sandbox applications (Sandboxie, Virtualization, etc..)
* Block executables by default policy (Software Restriction Policy, present on all windows since XP or Applocker since win 7)
* Frequent reset to a default state of your system (Steady State by Microsoft, Deep Freeze by Faronics, etc... or even manually with any disk cloning application like Macrium Reflect or Acronis True Image)

Hi there

A good read - but I DO disagree with what the article says on educating users -- education is NEVER wasted -- even if you think a particular technique is out of date and won't be used so a waste of time a user learning how to deal with it.

Recently someone was rescued from a place by using the Morse code for SOS -- bet that hasn't been used for ages -- however it's still instructive as a visual device to show youngsters about Binary code (a dot and a dash shows the concept very quickly- and by speeding a film up you can explain to young kids the concept of Binary data transmisstion, compression and even encryption).

My Grandad was always saying "The price of Education is expensive -- but the Price of IGNORANCE is ASTRONOMICAL. I don't know where he got the expression from but it's certainly true.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[visruth]

My Grandad was always saying "The price of Education is expensive -- but the Price of IGNORANCE is ASTRONOMICAL. I don't know where he got the expression from but it's certainly true.

The very truth,