Do I really need AntiVirus software?

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makken

Golden Member
Aug 28, 2004
1,476
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hey guys,

I'm wondering if I really need to run Anti Virus software.

I never really used one until I started my freshman year in college. I've thought that viruses weren't that big of a deal, and were really hyped up from the media. Unfortunately, a few weeks before move-in to the dorms, I received instructions on how to prepare your computer for campus internet access, and one of the requirements was Antivirus software, stating that the school WILL kick off students without virus protection software.

Luckily I just brought a new laptop that came with Norton Internet Security, which included antivirus protection. I had uninstalled the program, but upon reading that e-mail, I decided it was best to just put it back on.

Over the course of the year, Norton caused me more headaches than actual viruses themselves. The program seemed bloated, slowing my computer quite a bit, and almost doubled my boot up time. The lack of options in configuration was also frustrating. (no option to disable automatic updates, can't even find the option page to unschedule automatic scanning of drives, etc).

After about 8 months, I was completely fed up with Norton, took it off and decided to try out some other programs. McAfee felt the same as Norton, tried AVG Free edition, much better, but caused stability problems. I stuck with AVG for the rest of the school year.

This year, I'm living off campus, so i'm not subject to the antivirus requirement for the school connection. I'm debating whether or not to keep antivirus software installed. A lot of my friends swear by it, and I admit, Norton and others did catch a few virus/trojans/malware during my freshman year.

That said, what do you guys think? Is AV software really mandatory in this day and age? I've reformated recently and XP keeps warning me that I do not have antivirus software installed.
 
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nsafreak

Diamond Member
Oct 16, 2001
7,093
3
81
Always keep AV software installed. I use AVG Free edition and it hasn't caused any stability issues for me. You could always try Avast, Kapersky or AntiVir
 
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dguy6789

Diamond Member
Dec 9, 2002
8,558
3
76
An AntiVirus and Firewall are VERY important to a computer's security. There are so many viruses out there, that you WILL come upon one much more often than you would think. Having your computer hacked is much less common, but it is still good to have the protection.


 
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bockchow

Platinum Member
Sep 18, 2001
2,156
1
71
Antivir is the best of the free ones i've used. if your willing to spend a little Kapersky is good. i'd never let a windows pc connect to the interent without an antivirus running.
 
mechBgon

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
1
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Bigger picture: since you're going to school, I strongly suggest a budget wired router like a Netgear RP614 that you keep inbetween your computer and all other computers/routers/networks as a hardware firewall. If you want, you can lock it down extra-tight like my page shows, by arbitrarily disabling TCP/UDP traffic on all the ranges of ports you don't have an actual use for.

And I'd vote for having your antivirus software installed, yeah. If you avoid risky behaviors (warez, porn, installing "free" stuff that catches your eye, opening unexpected email attachments, etc) then a free antivirus plus a firewall is a good start. If you engage in risky behaviors, then spend the $35 for Kaspersky Antivirus Personal and enable its Extended Database option in the Threats & Exclusions area.

Also, can I suggest this: if there's any chance that a roommate/friend will ever use your computer, then make a new user account in Control Panel > User Accounts and name it Visitors. Change its account type to a Limited account and leave it without a password. Put passwords on your Administrator-class account(s). Now a guest will be able to log on as Visitors and use the computer, but will have very little traction to, say, infect it with spyware by accident.
 
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makken

Golden Member
Aug 28, 2004
1,476
0
76
Originally posted by: mechBgon
Bigger picture: since you're going to school, I strongly suggest a budget wired router like a Netgear RP614 that you keep inbetween your computer and all other computers/routers/networks as a hardware firewall. If you want, you can lock it down extra-tight like my page shows, by arbitrarily disabling TCP/UDP traffic on all the ranges of ports you don't have an actual use for.

And I'd vote for having your antivirus software installed, yeah. If you avoid risky behaviors (warez, porn, installing "free" stuff that catches your eye, opening unexpected email attachments, etc) then a free antivirus plus a firewall is a good start. If you engage in risky behaviors, then spend the $35 for Kaspersky Antivirus Personal and enable its Extended Database option in the Threats & Exclusions area.

Also, can I suggest this: if there's any chance that a roommate/friend will ever use your computer, then make a new user account in Control Panel > User Accounts and name it Visitors. Change its account type to a Limited account and leave it without a password. Put passwords on your Administrator-class account(s). Now a guest will be able to log on as Visitors and use the computer, but will have very little traction to, say, infect it with spyware by accident.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the notes. I do have a Linksys wireless router hooked up, and am using the wireless from that. The connection is shared with about 7 or 8 people, and they all have strange p2p programs, so I don't know which ports to block specifically (and i am the offical administrator of our network :p) I've locked down a few ports before, but that just resulted in one of my roommate's blubster going haywire. I do use ABC (Another Bittorrent Client), which AFAIK uses random ports between 10000 and 60000.

I do engage in some risky behavior (mostly searching torrent searchengines for the latest anime downloads :p) so I may give antivir a try, it seems to be highly recommended as a free solution.

I did used to have a guest account on my system back in the dorms, but i've taken it off when i moved out. also considering putting that back on
 
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PsharkJF

Senior member
Jul 12, 2004
653
0
0
Yes. Absouletly yes.
When I moved into my room they offered people hubs to share between the 2 person rooms - believe me, you will never see as many viruses anywhere as you will see on a college campus. You need a antivirus for sure, and a router is a very good idea to keep yourself clean of all the crap that dumb college kids with dellerons will spread across the network.
 
mechBgon

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
1
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If you're sharing the Linksys router with others, then use a software firewall and do not trust the local network (if using free ZoneAlarm, set the Trusted Zone security to High, for example; if using WinXP Firewall, use the "don't allow exceptions" setting). This keeps their computers from molesting yours if they get infected/subverted (the Linksys' firewall won't protect you guys from eachother, only from the outside world). Or consider giving your computer its own dedicated router, that's what I'd be doing if I were you.

If you play with risky stuff then Kaspersky may be worth the money. Also (duh) keep your system patched up. :)
 
Rottie

Rottie

Diamond Member
Feb 10, 2002
4,795
2
81
AntiVir is good and free but I would enable if I take it outside from my home along with Sygate Personal Firewall. I am behind from the best router.
 
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Evander

Golden Member
Jun 18, 2001
1,159
0
76
IMO, AV software is not necessary if you're a careful computer user (not downloading and executing files you can't trust is a biggie, and not using outlook express is said to be another good preventitive action. updating security updates for your softwares/windows is a good idea, but i've never been religious about it). I've been on the web since before there was a web, and I've never had a virus and I've never used anti virus software, though I do have a copy of antiVir downloaded so i could if i wanted to.
But if other people are using your system, then it may be time to reconsider.
 
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networkman

Lifer
Apr 23, 2000
10,436
1
0
Originally posted by: Evander
IMO, AV software is not necessary if you're a careful computer user.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, just like real life, you can be as careful as you want and still suffer from random chance. Plenty of people take their vitamins, wash their hands, Lysol the heck out every surface and still catch the flu or common cold. ;)

Besides that, both in real life and in the computer world, you could very well catch a virus and not know you're infected until much later(even years!) when symptoms actually start to appear.. remind you of any particular virus?

It's much better to be protected up front with regular updates, and checking for signs of infection than just to be blissfully ignorant hoping a problem doesn't occur. You can and should be wary to protect yourself and others.


 
mechBgon

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
1
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It does beg the question... how do you know you're not infected if you don't have antivirus software installed ;) And if you have the misfortune to get a rootkit on there, then it can hide stuff even from antivirus software. Got to get the first punch in, and to do that, guess what you need to have installed and running...? Yeah. ;)

A while back, someone hacked a server that serves advertisements for The Register, a perfectly legit IT-oriented site. The hacked server began serving Bofra worms in place of advertisements to some people :D Bofra at that time had only been "on scope" for a short period of time, and only WinXP SP2 was inherently immune to it. The Reg's writeup on this attack

Here's another one: if you mis-type "Google" when typing www.google.com, and spell it Googkle, off you go to virus land. AntiSource's writeup on this Think there might be more of this in the future? I do. ;)

Layered defenses are where it's at. Patching, using a Limited account when you don't need Admin powers, antivirus protection, firewall protection, and avoiding risky behaviors all have their place.
 
M

makken

Golden Member
Aug 28, 2004
1,476
0
76
alright, thanks everyone for their replies

I've decided to try out AntiVir, but I'm encoutering one problem; it doesn't seem to have an argument to update virus definations when run in a command-line environment. am I overlooking something, or does the program not have this feature at all?

If it doesn't have this feature, is there another one you guys can recommend that does? Thanks.
 
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alm4rr

Diamond Member
Dec 21, 2000
4,390
0
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doesn't your school offer free A/V software? Check with computing office
 
M

makken

Golden Member
Aug 28, 2004
1,476
0
76
Originally posted by: alm4rr
doesn't your school offer free A/V software? Check with computing office
Click to expand...

they offer a free version of Norton which I already have.
 
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