›
This forum is in permanent archive mode. Our new active community can be found here.

Don't Use Anti-Virus Software

AprecheApreche
edited April 2010 in Technology
We always say that nobody should really ever use anti-virus software. It makes your computer slow, and causes other problems. Meanwhile, it doesn't provide any real protection. The only good protection is a NAT router and a non-stupid user. If you do stupid shit on your computer, you will get virussed and spywared, no matter what tools you think are protecting you. If you play it smart, you will never have a problem. Well, something just happened that gives one more reason not to use anti-virus software.

McAfee quarantines svchost.exe on millions of WinXP machines worldwide

It can break your computer, just like a virus.
«134567…10

Comments

  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    Fuck, my work laptop has McAfee. Please don't strike here please don't strike here please don't strike here.
  • AprecheApreche
    edited April 2010
    Fuck, my work laptop has McAfee. Please don't strike here please don't strike here please don't strike here.
    Just don't update the virus definitions, or uninstall that shit, if it isn't broken already.
    Post edited by Apreche on
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    Just don't update the virus definitions, or uninstall that shit, if it isn't broken already.
    I have no choice in any of these matters. All I can hope is that the admins catch this.
  • Victor FrostVictor Frost
    edited April 2010
    This is why I highly recommend Microsoft Security Essentials. Great protection, low memory footprint, tiny install, and you can be damn sure THEY won't break Windows.
    Post edited by Victor Frost on
  • CremlianCremlian
    This is why I highly recommend Microsoft Security Essentials. Great protection, low memory footprint, tiny install, and you can be damn sure THEY won't break Windows.
    Yea, I use this on my windows 7 machine and gee it comes free with windows... how convenient and I'm pretty sure Microsoft isn't in the security business to make money as much as to make windows look better! (which I can't say about the others)
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    as to make windows look better
    By look better you mean stop other AV companies from fucking it up?
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    Guess which school had all its PC labs shut down because of faulty antivirus software?

    Bonus: They thought it was a worm and told us not to go on the wireless networks because of that. Turns out it was the polar opposite.
  • RochelleRochelle
    Our work computers all run on XP and have McAfee. I'm very interested to see what happens.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    Our work computers all run on XP and have McAfee. I'm very interested to see what happens.
    I have much work to do, I'm very uninterested in this. I just want it to work.
  • DaikunDaikun
    edited April 2010
    I haven't used anti-virus software in a couple of years. The default firewall settings have kept my 7-year-old Windows XP machine safe ever since I've stopped using AV programs. I've found that my computer runs faster and more smoothly without the software than with it.

    We need to convince paranoid computer users out there that their machines aren't instant missile targets if they have their AV software uninstalled for more than a second. They need to learn to embrace having an AV-free machine.
    Post edited by Daikun on
  • SovaSova
    That would also make them more paranoid and maybe stop downloading shady shit off of shady sites. Then they wouldn't have their computers all full of spyware and malware powering the Russian mafia.
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    edited April 2010
    Real-time protection in any AV program only serves to slow your computer down, but despite this I think doing a weekly scan helps for peace of mind.
    Also, when it comes to stupid users, although we would all prefer them to be less stupid, AV software helps to mitigate their stupidity.
    Post edited by lackofcheese on
  • AprecheApreche
    Yeah, the typical user is too stupid to tell what is ok to click on, and what is not. If they have some AV software, then at least maybe it will stop the first few stupid clicks, and it will be a month instead of a day before they click on something the AV can't recognize.
  • SovaSova
    edited April 2010
    I say let them play in fire. Once they get burned enough they might learn to stay away from dangerous things, thats how humans learn for the most part. Let them fail in a grand way and after they do that enough they might actually start to figure some things out. If not then they just destroy their comp and can't download any prons which doesn't bother me at all.
    Post edited by Sova on
  • MarcusNobleMarcusNoble
    I give all of these reasons not to use anti virus software to my parents and they still tell me "Well you can download this free stuff that verizon lets us have". I still haven't downloaded it and still haven't gotten any viruses.
  • Nine BoomerNine Boomer
    I just deleted a virus of a friend's computer after he downloaded something stupid. The antivirus didn't do shit, and I ended up spending 2 hours battling it to get it to a point where the antivirus would turn on. I'm frankly amazed I managed to actually clean the computer as much as I did. The real virus scanner found 23 different trojans.I know there are still more remaining but I managed to get his data off of it which is what he needs. Now I'll just connect my USB stick into a linux machine to get all the data needed and wipe it clean.
  • LyddiLyddi
    Well what about people like poor stupid me? I never go to sketchy sites, and I never really download anything at all, not even music. Facebook is probably the sketchiest site I go to. I clicked on a website from a Google search (1st result!) which looked totally legitimate, and just by visiting this site, I managed to get malware so bad I am going to have to reinstall Windows to get rid of it. I didn't even click on anything in the site, and I immediately closed Firefox as soon as I saw the site was overrun by sketchy fake antivirus stuff. I thought I had my security settings on high, but obviously not. Sigh.
  • ......
    I clicked on a website from a Google search (1st result!) which looked totally legitimate, and just by visiting this site, I managed to get malware so bad I am going to have to reinstall Windows to get rid of it.
    Firefox and Google (first result just means it's the best match to your query) will tell you when a site you are about to visit might install malware upon continuing. Either it was not the culprit, or you were patient zero. Using NoScript and adblock will go a loooooong way into preventing shady sites from doing things, as long as you're not clicking willy-nilly "Allow".
  • DaikunDaikun
    edited May 2010
    Well what about people like poor stupid me? I never go to sketchy sites, and I never really download anything at all, not even music. Facebook is probably the sketchiest site I go to. I clicked on a website from a Google search (1st result!) which looked totally legitimate, and just by visiting this site, I managed to get malware so bad I am going to have to reinstall Windows to get rid of it. I didn't even click on anything in the site, and I immediately closed Firefox as soon as I saw the site was overrun by sketchy fake antivirus stuff. I thought I had my security settings on high, but obviously not. Sigh.
    In the event that something like that happens, I'd recommend just downloading an anti-virus program, then getting rid of it once it's done its job. You won't need it anymore after that (it'll likely become problematic if you keep it any longer, anyway), and then you'll have a new website you know you'll avoid in the future.

    Give Malwarebytes a quick run, then uninstall it.
    Post edited by Daikun on
  • chaosof99chaosof99
    edited May 2012
    Well, for some bizarre reason I was watching YouTube when this shit popped up. Its of course a scam which hides parts of your hard drive, pretending to have found a problem, then charging you to "repair" the problem. Not sure how I got it. Haven't visited any sites I haven't visited plenty of times before without running into a virus.

    Anyway, running Mawarebytes now, which has already found 23 infected items. Will let it complete the scan, then toss this shit out and uninstall it again.
    Post edited by chaosof99 on
  • trogdor9trogdor9
    If you're gonna do the virus software route (rather than the wipe everything out and start over route), you might as well run ComboFix too.

    http://www.combofix.org/
  • AprecheApreche
    Well, for some bizarre reason I was watching YouTube when this shit popped up. Its of course a scam which locks up parts of your hard drive, pretending to have found a problem, then charging you to "repair" the problem. Not sure how I got it. Haven't visited any sites I haven't visited plenty of times before without running into a virus.

    Anyway, running Mawarebytes now, which has already found 23 infected items. Will let it complete the scan, then toss this shit out and uninstall it again.
    Yet more evidence. There's a reason we tell you guys not to trust ANYTHING. Yet, the mistakes are still made, even by the people who think they are vigilant enough. Since I have not had a virus or infection in many many years, I think it is safe to say my level of vigilance is enough.
  • chaosof99chaosof99
    Scott, I didn't visit any unusual sites, and I didn't install any new programs. You'd have to be a fucking psychic to know how I got this problem.
  • RymRym
    1. Install Adblock.
    2. Uninstall Java if you have it (unless you need it).
    3. Stay super on top of Adobe Reader updates
    4. Run Microsoft Security Essentials
    5. Never visit song lyric sites.
    6. Never install warez or "shareware"
    7. If an ad makes its way through adblock, NEVER click on it.
    8. If someone emails or SMSs you a link, NEVER click on it.

    Did you break any of those rules?
  • AprecheApreche
    Scott, I didn't visit any unusual sites, and I didn't install any new programs. You'd have to be a fucking psychic to know how I got this problem.
    If I had access to your computer I bet I could figure it out. It could be one of those things that Rym and I always say is shady and all you kids disagree, such as Joy2key or CCCP or who knows what. Show us your add/remove programs list.
  • RymRym
    Also, be on one of the most recent two versions of Windows. If you're runnin 2000 or XP (or really even Vista at this point), you're in a bad place.
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    edited May 2012
    It could be one of those things that Rym and I always say is shady and all you kids disagree, such as Joy2key or CCCP or who knows what. Show us your add/remove programs list.
    This is really fucking annoying. Knock it off. Rockfish look benign and are deadly poisonous. Just because you don't like the GUI or the website doesn't make it malware.
    Post edited by WindUpBird on
  • chaosof99chaosof99
    Screw you Scott. I probably could give you full access to my entire system, demonstrate it in every conceivable way that I didn't do anything wrong, and you'd still tell me I did something I shouldn't have.

    Anyway, Malwarebytes found the problem and eliminated it. Only thing I had to do in addition was to move the files the shitty program moved away.
  • RymRym
    It could be one of those things that Rym and I always say is shady and all you kids disagree, such as Joy2key or CCCP or who knows what. Show us your add/remove programs list.
    This is really fucking annoying. Knock it off. Rockfish look benign and are deadly poisonous. Just because you don't like the GUI or the website doesn't make it malware.
    Those two programs aren't malware. However, people who install them seem much more likely to install similar-looking things that ARE malware.

    Furthermore, google for joy2key. There are lots of things that claim to be "joy2key" from various sites with different checksums. How much do you want to bet many of them are malware trojans?

    Finally, it's not just the UI of joy2key. Look at the web site, the developer, the documentation: it has so many of the warning signs of malware that, even if it isn't, I wouldn't have personally trusted it without a LOT of research. Saying it isn't malware was the extraordinary claim in this case.


    While Scott is (as always) blunt and caustic in his presentation, I do point out that I am a senior technologist and computing expert. This is one area of my expertise. That said, I ask again, did you break any of the rules I noted above? Ever? Even just one time?

    And, are you 100% up to date on Windows updates?



  • RymRym

    Anyway, Malwarebytes found the problem and eliminated it. Only thing I had to do in addition was to move the files the shitty program moved away.
    You should still re-install when it's convenient to do so. You can't be sure you're clean. Even on infection once and the computer is fucked for all intents and purposes.
Sign In or Register to comment.