How often does your PC get infected?

[IT1]

Hello everyone,

Answer in the following form:

1. How often do you use the computer: (e.g. little use, intermediate or heavy user);
2. Do you engage in 'at risk' activities: (e.g. torrents, online gaming, searching the web for new and interesting sites, downloading wallpapers, etc);
3. Does anyone else use your computer;
4. What is your computer security set up; and finally,
5. How often does your PC get infected?

Here is mine:

1. How often do you use the computer? I'm a heavy user.
2. Do you engage in 'at risk' activities? Yes.
3. Does anyone else use your computer? No. Password protected.
4. What is your computer security set up? I have a big security set up. This ranges from 'at browser' security. (For example, using a Sandboxing program to keep viruses away from the PC), I use Norton360 along with several 'on-demand' scanners such as Malwarebytes, TDSSKiller and Kaspasky Virus Removal Tool.
5. How often does your PC get infected? Rarely happens. The last time I came across one was 2 years ago.

 

[Bongo]

1 heavy user
2 no
3 no
4 Microsoft security essentials
5 never had one

 

[Arc]

1. On an average, 14 hours a day !
2. Not all, but selected.
3. Not usually. There is only one user account.
4. Avast! Free antivirus and MBAM .
5. NEVER.

 

[scr]

1. Turn it on in the morning and off before bed
2. Sometimes, but no torrents or gaming
3. No
4. ESET Smat Security, MBAM and Super AntiSpyware on demand
5. Never

 

[marsmimar]

1. Heavy
2. No
3. No
4. MSE and MBAM
5. Never had an unintentional infection. Have intentionally infected a VM to test various anti-malware products.

 

[FuturDreamz]

1 heavy user
2 only the occasional torrent
3 no
4 Microsoft security essentials
5 never had one

 

[IT1]

Wow, some really interesting replies.
I guess when it comes down to it - all you need is common sense.

 

[pparks1]

1. Every single day. I'm a systems admin for a living
2. High risk activities : No (I don't consider getting wallpaper or gaming to be high risk)
3. Yes, wife and kids from time to time.
4. Router with NAT, MSE and MBAM. UAC on, All windows updates.
5. Not a single issue in last 5 years.

I consider "high risk" activities to be, searching for pirated software, warez, serial numbers, key generators, porn, peer to peer file transfers, torrenting sites for movies and such.

 

[karlsnooks]

Same answer as Bongo:

1 heavy user
2 no
3 no
4 Microsoft security essentials
5 never had one

 

[pincushion]

1. Intermediate, daily, do quite a bit of surfing, mostly research.
2. No gaming or p2p stuff but will surf all areas sometimes using Tor or VPN. Have used Newsgroups in past.
3. Sole user.
4. Run as admin, UAC off (tut, tut), NIS 2011 installed along with SpywareBlaster and a few other tools. Install all usual OS updates and NIS updates daily.
5. Never had any malware on this system or previous XP system - about 10 years of use.

Also -

I tend to use email accounts for specific purposes i.e. one for buying stuff, one purely for banking, others as I see fit. I never open anything I am not expecting.
I do use quite a bit of free software but I am careful where it is downloaded from and I do actually buy stuff (even music) - I must be unusual!
I use CCleaner after every session and so never keep cookies or save passwords to sites - well rarely. I use RoboForm for that.
I take regular system images using Macrium Reflect and also back-up data daily.

Be brave!

:huh: :huh: :huh:

 

[kado897]

1. Heavy
2. No
3. Sole user
4. N360 and MBAM Pro.
5. Never.

The only time I have ever had a virus was on a work machine using XP when I opened an infected internal e-mail from a colleague. Just about everyone else in the company did too until the word got out.

 

[flycaster]

1. 2-4 hours/day + wife uses about 1 hours/day
2. Some at risk usage
3. Wife
4. Password protected on booting and when opening browser. Norton 360, Windows Defender, Spywareblaster, CCleaner on closing
5. None that I have detected

 

[Dwarf]

1. Moderate use, some days more than others and some not at all.
2. No.
3. Yes.
4. Avast! free AV and MBAM pro. Regular automatic updates on both, with flash scans after MBAM updates. Quick scans daily and full scans weekly with both. Accounts password protected.
5. Never.

 

[pparks1]

It's funny that so many people have never had an issue. I've had some of my coworkers get a drive-by malware thing from time to time. Once I was talking with a guy at work who was searching for a solution to a Microsoft Exchange problem (and he was using IE). We googled the error, clicked a link, all of a sudden a photo of Emma Watson on a toilet popped up on his screen, a bunch of Windows opened up, and he more or less had to power off to get control. He had nothing but problems on boot, and ultimately had to format and re-install. I guess the only common sense here which would have protected me was that I would have NOT been using IE.

 

[windude99]

It's funny that so many people have never had an issue. I've had some of my coworkers get a drive-by malware thing from time to time. Once I was talking with a guy at work who was searching for a solution to a Microsoft Exchange problem (and he was using IE). We googled the error, clicked a link, all of a sudden a photo of Emma Watson on a toilet popped up on his screen, a bunch of Windows opened up, and he more or less had to power off to get control. He had nothing but problems on boot, and ultimately had to format and re-install. I guess the only common sense here which would have protected me was that I would have NOT been using IE.

Sometimes, it's the plugins. I got a Java Exploit virus recently. Luckily, it was just in my temporary files and it wasn't running in the background. It didn't do any harm. The lesson learned? Java is an exploitable piece of crud. Another lesson is that I should be going to the same websites that I trust and to buy Malwarebytes PRO.

 

[FerchogtX]

Answer in the following form:

1. How often do you use the computer: (e.g. little use, intermediate or heavy user);
2. Do you engage in 'at risk' activities: (e.g. torrents, online gaming, searching the web for new and interesting sites, downloading wallpapers, etc);
3. Does anyone else use your computer;
4. What is your computer security set up; and finally,
5. How often does your PC get infected?

1.- Heavy User
2.- No, I got plenty of secure sites from which I can get what I need, primarily free software, for music, I got an special site, virus free. P2P and torrents are just too silly for me
3.- Yes, my mom, but is password protected and is the only one that uses it whanever hers is not available (I?m doing some maintenance stuff), she knows my passwords, but she rarely uses my machines, and when she does, she only checks mails, facebook ans twitter, I just trully trust her, no one else.
4.- I just use ESET Antivirus 5, I used to have Smart Security, but its integration with windows firewall and connection mannager sucks, so I use only the AV version now, along with Windows Firewall.
5.- Since I use Windows XP and now 7? (More than 6 years) Never...

 

[Trucidation]

Interesting how we all chime in without asking why the OP wants to know, hehe. This for a class paper or something?

1. How often do you use the computer: (e.g. little use, intermediate or heavy user);
2. Do you engage in 'at risk' activities: (e.g. torrents, online gaming, searching the web for new and interesting sites, downloading wallpapers, etc);
3. Does anyone else use your computer;
4. What is your computer security set up; and finally,
5. How often does your PC get infected?

1> heavy use
2> yes; p2p, porn, programming, gaming, modding - you name it, I've dabbled in it
3> no
4> standard Win7 firewall + MSE, plus an occasional online scan
5> rare, can't remember; probably got hit by the odd 0-day browser exploit or two, but haven't had any issues recently.

Preparation and skill can mitigate risk; many of us here can navigate dodgy websites without picking up a couple extra toolbars (among other things), but I wouldn't ask my barely-computer literate "I use facebook to email the internet!" neighbour to do the same.

 

[edwar]

1) Heavy
2) No
3) No
4) None

Never and I do not use any anti virus or malware software.

 

[wanchoo]

Answer in the following form:

1. How often do you use the computer: (e.g. little use, intermediate or heavy user);
2. Do you engage in 'at risk' activities: (e.g. torrents, online gaming, searching the web for new and interesting sites, downloading wallpapers, etc);
3. Does anyone else use your computer;
4. What is your computer security set up; and finally,
5. How often does your PC get infected?

1. Very heavy user.
2. Rarely except for torrents.
3. No.
4. Avast! Free A-V, Comodo Free Firewall, MBAM Free.
5. Hardly ever. Don't remember the last time when it was infected.

 

[Shamone]

1.. Moderate to heavy user
2..Only play online games from Steam/ only download themes from Microsoft
3..Only user
4..MSE Only/use WOT safe browsing tool also
5..Never