What's the Best Anti-virus?

zapp22 said:

do you guys SERIOUSLY think any "AV" outfit, writing for Windows, is putting their best/brightest minds on a dying market segment?
nonsense.

as I pointed out weeks ago, even the officers of some of the big outfits that make money on large accounts and spin out crippled packages for consumers say that the packages are ineffective against modern malicious wares.

its important for the browser guys to do a great job of hopeful prevention at the browser level. Again, the best/bright minds will be on the handset versions of browsers. if the code is fairly easily ported to Windows xx, that will be good for the shrinking base of PC stalwarts.

Well Zapp mate I have said time and time again on this VERY tired thread there is no way known to man or science that can possibly give anyone an infallible AV. Because going on even on old figures 50,000 new malwares per day how could any company possibly fix it before it has had chance to make an impact.
In fact to me it would take at least an hour and I reckon I am being very conservative at that to pick up anything malicious and put out a fix for it. By the time that has happened something else will have taken it's place and on it goes.
To say that it depends in the main on how careful one is when using the net or emails - whatever goes before saying. Besides even being careful does not stop the hackers and it is my belief if it is there to be broken then they will.
I think the thread would be better titled "The current most effective AV" because it has like I said been going on since Adam was a boy.

The thing is, the "old recognized" threats are still being used. So you are better off to have an AV that knows about those. If you have layered security, then likely you will find at least some behavior analysis as well. Something in that layer will alert to suspicious activity. Even if it's Scotty barking about a new startup. As mentioned, no AV can catch every new exploit, but if they update soon after it's discovered, then you are at least protected going forward. The likelihood of you being exposed to some zero day, hot off the presses exploit of course would depend on how you surf. The major worry would be something new no one discovers for a long time. Not an unreasonable fear as many exploits have been discovered after being present for years sometimes. A Guy

Yes I know mate but this thread does drag on a bit and I think that there are a lot of folks who think that because they have some sort of security onboard they are safe.
I think like I said last post perhaps the thread title is a bit subjective - again made up in all sincerity I have to add but does attract everyone's own preferences - some of which I would not use in a pink fit and does not really address the problem of being careless when on the net.

I have said more often than I care to think about it and that is the best security is sitting in front of the keyboard and it is a pity that folks go out and buy computers and are blinded by sales pitches that are simply money grabbing exercises, and consider themselves safe and just go about their business oblivious to what is actually happening.
How you educate people and overcome that is nothing that you or I could ever hope to address and I suppose in a way it keeps the forum afloat to some extent

It was more of a general reply. I see people basically saying AV is useless because of new zero days always appearing. While that may be true, they aren't all prevalent in the wild, and an individual may not actually ever encounter one before they are added to an AVs definitions. And the majority of exploits encountered may indeed be older, more common ones that most AV will detect.

Any AV is better then no AV. A better performing AV increases the odds in the users favor. An AV is just one piece of the security puzzle. Even if you have all the best pieces though, you can never be 100% protected. So...do the best you can. System images are also great insurance should something sneak by.

Yes this subject has been discussed ad nauseam, but people continue to post here, so on it goes. And sometimes something posted needs to be countered

A Guy

Bill I wasn't criticising you personally as you say it has been done to death and absolutely an AV is better than nothing or otherwise I wouldn't be using one.

The posts that get me ticked off are the ones that either try to shove a certain one down ones throat, reckon none are needed and those who run multiples and wonder why things are in such a mess.

Really it is an unsolvable problem and like music there always seems to be a new tune or music theme around and like them not all are to everyone's liking. But at least there is music eh?

I think you have made a very valid point in imaging as you know how many posts do you or I for that matter have to ask for system specs and have they backed up data - it is something that makes my participation and I am sure yours too rather tedious at times and I really it in itself a real problem and why I write up my little ditties because one gets so tired of typing the same stuff over and over again.

Anyway better get back OT

Lol, the majority of what we help with here is the same thing over and over. Or some variation thereof. After years, do we yearn for some arcane, never before seen problem? I belong to a group, it's old WebTV members mostly. The PC issues they have I almost never reply to, as they are so basic, and others help them. I think those questions over and over must be an IT persons version of Hell. We are on the same page my friend

A Guy

Well Bill I wasn't trying to be a smart ass and I certainly would not want to offend you in any case. I agree re the threads tat are different - mind you sometimes the outcomes for virtually the same problems can be very very different which I find sometimes quite strange

Me personally I head for the threads that are really quite old, have had a heap of views sometimes in excess of 250 and no replies, and yep you probably have guessed it as soon as I do put something (usually very simple) in there is a torrent of others who are on the whole far better qualified to answer than me jump in with tons of fixes.

However it strikes me as odd that some threads are left for so long. But again doing it this way I do get some that are really appreciative of me answering them and for me that is the bottom line here in SF and a real buzz for me - so much better to give than to receive eh?:)

I take no offense. You know me, what you see is what you get I rarely get worked up over things (But if I do, watch out, lol). A Guy