Security question

[funfun]

I am running a Win 7 64 ( updated ) router for firewall, 7 fw, LUA, MSE, Malwrebytes free, Hitman pro free, Sandboxie free delete contents upon closing , and use Chrome for my browser. I only use this computer for surfing, and was wondering how likely it would be to get hacked or infected other then the usual click on me social malware stuff which seems to be about 99.9% of the problem?

 

[Alpha90]

Honestly in my experiences the chances of getting infected if your not doing much more than websurfing would depend verymuch so on your firewall. If someone is actively doing a port scan and your ports are all in stealth mode and do not respond to the request then the likelyhood of you getting hacked is close to nil.

 

[funfun]

Thanks for the reply. I was kinda thinking along those lines myself, but im far from being a guru when it comes to these things.

 

[Alpha90]

I can not make a claim to be that myself but i am cautious in my security concerns and take all preventative measures I can and I have yet to have a serious external threat to my systems.

 

[Britton30]

Firewalls don't give a lot of protection against malware, security suites and anti-virus programs do that. I would recommend using only one anti-virus with real time protection running otherwise they will conflict.

The bad guys are always working different ways to get to your PC, even visiting a poisoned site can infect you without your knowledge and the firewall won't stop it. There are also infected PDf, jpg, doc files out there too. Always keep everything updated, re Adobe Reader, it has been popular for attackers to use. Remove Java, it also can bring its own set of infections since criminals work at it.

 

[Petey7]

I do not wish to disagree too much with Britton, but uninstalling Java without being sure you do not need it would be premature. But if all you do is surf the web the most trouble you will have is a few websites not working perfectly, and Brittons concerns are valid.

Chrome is not a good browser in terms of security. The biggest problem I find with it is that when a site trys to start a download automtically Chrome automatically saves the file to your computer. I recall one time clicking what seemed to be a safe link and as soon as the site loaded a file was downloaded automatically. Luckily MSE did its thing and no problem occured, but it was around that time that I decided to switch to IE9. I wish it had a couple of Chromes features (mainly pinning sites to the new tab page) but other than that I prefer over Chrome.

 

[Golden]

FunFun,

Getting hacked and picking up malware are two different things entirely.

Your Windows 7 firewall prevents software from sending out information from your PC to the rest of the world. Your router is a hardware firewall that prevents the outside world gaining access to your computer. To be effective, the ports on the router should be closed and/or in stealth mode minimising your signature to the outside world.

Use ShieldsUp to test the status of these ports:

https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

Regards,
Golden

 

[JMH]

I only use this computer for surfing, and was wondering how likely it would be to get hacked or infected other then the usual click on me social malware stuff which seems to be about 99.9% of the problem?

As well as all the other good advice you have had...

To protect yourself from the evils of the internet your basic protection should include

*Anti Virus Program [ MSE is popular & is used by many people here]
*AntiMalware Program
*Firewall
*Router / firewall

FYI. Router security

It is important you update programs & scan regularly.

Exercise caution with what you click on.
Avoid engaging in activities such as file sharing, warez cracks, adult content, online gambling or other high-risk behaviors.

The obvious one of course is the responsibilty of the person clicking the mouse.
Exercise that responsibility - Resist temptation!

 

[Mike Lonewolf]

FunFun,

Getting hacked and picking up malware are two different things entirely.

Your Windows 7 firewall prevents software from sending out information from your PC to the rest of the world. Your router is a hardware firewall that prevents the outside world gaining access to your computer. To be effective, the ports on the router should be closed and/or in stealth mode minimising your signature to the outside world.

Use ShieldsUp to test the status of these ports:

https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

Regards,
Golden

Loved that site Golden, below are my results
Your system has achieved a perfect "TruStealth" rating. Not a single packet — solicited or otherwise — was received from your system as a result of our security probing tests. Your system ignored and refused to reply to repeated Pings (ICMP Echo Requests). From the standpoint of the passing probes of any hacker, this machine does not exist on the Internet. Some questionable personal security systems expose their users by attempting to "counter-probe the prober", thus revealing themselves. But your system wisely remained silent in every way. Very nice.