So, you think you are secure and don't need precautions

[pparks1]

I've seen numerous posts of people who don't feel that they need a virus scanner or malware scanner with Windows and that they don't need the security features like UAC because 1) they know what they are doing 2) they use common sense 3) they have never had a problem in the past 4) they only go to reputable sites.

So, yesterday at work, I format my Vista Enterprise machine and load Windows 7 Enterprise. I'm on an active directory domain and my user account is a member of the local admins group. I have UAC enabled at the defaults. I've got the Windows firewall enabled. I have Trend Micro installed as this is what we use at the corporate level for AV protection. We use a checkpoint firewall device for outbound access to the internet. I use Firefox. And I'm a systems admin for a living, have been for over 10 years and manage both Windows and Linux servers and am certified on both platforms.

On my way to work today, I notice that the typical DJ's on one of the local station don't seem to be on. Going into a commercial, I head an ad which seems to indicate that there might be new personality doing the morning slot now. So, after getting settled into work for the day and a few things done..I hit google.com and search for "Deminski and Doyle" which turns up a handful of links about the DJ's leaving WCSX. So, I click on a couple of the stories to read about what happened and BLAMMMOOOO, Trend goes off, at the same time that some "security threat" website pops up claiming my machine is infected with all sorts of junk and I need to buy their product. Further looking shows numerous broken icons on my desktop that were fine when I booted up this morning.

So, there you go. Somebody who has taken precautions, knows a bit about what he is doing, is using the latest and greatest OS's with features enabled and is simply using the Internet to google something non-nefarious...and even with all that...I'm hit.

For those wondering what it was, it wasn't a big deal...it turns out to be JS_RENOS.WCF. JS_RENOS.WCF - Description and solution. According to Trend, it's non destructive and not much of a problem....but I'm still interested in my broken icons.

 

[richc46]

Thank you for sharing that important information. I think that it deserves rep and I have given some.

 

[nate42nd]

Thanks for passing this along. I am in the middle of taking "Anti Virus PC 2009" off a machine right now.

It made it through McAfee and IE at my workplace. People need to be careful. They are out there just waiting to strike.

 

[Carbonyl]

Blackhat Search Engine Optimization ('Gaming Google') and hijacking flash banner ads ('Malvertisement') are two trends on the sharp rise. The bad guys realize that people are smarter than they used to be, and won't open those emails/go to those porn sites anymore. More than fooling people into clicking links from trusted sites, these techniques can actually inject attacks into trusted sites, period. Imagine one day that you click on a bookmark to visit your favorite blog - which just so happens to be serving up banner ads at that time with hidden nasty stuff - BAM! You've been hit.

There's no such thing as 'Safe Surfing'.

As a note: Blocking javascript and flash can mitigate these attacks somewhat. Use Noscript on Firefox, and whitelist javascript and plugins in Opera. And if you EVER see an attack like this with a fake scan, NEVER click anywhere in the browser or otherwise. Clicking the 'Cancel' button will initiate the download. Clicking the red X button will initiate the download. Always go to the task manager and kill your browser. Then run MBAM or similar to clean up the leftovers in the cache, which should be harmless.

I think you still need to accept the installation manually, but if you're not patched up to code or are hit by a day-0, you might get infected without doing anything. That's the case right now with the Adobe vulnerability if you have javascript enabled.

 

[Jacee]

Web Masters who own/moderate sites, need to be doing their share by checking daily for a 'hijack' and adding patches as needed.
Neglected sites get injected code .... site owners who allow advertising, need to look into the practices of the advertiser.

 

[noobvious]

Thanks for the reality check. I guess I will get over the annoyance of NoScript watching everything I do, and accept the extra layer of protection.

 

[pparks1]

There's no such thing as 'Safe Surfing'.

I frequently use my work laptop at home on the evenings as a web appliance for surfing the web, updating facebooks and keeping up with my forums. For that reason, I run a dual boot with Ubuntu 9.10 which is what I use when I am using the laptop at home. It's honestly the closest thing that I have for safe surfing as most of the malware/spyware/virus/trojan/activeX/javascript issues simply don't work on that platform.

 

[zigzag3143]

I also swear by NoScript. Annoying Yes worth it You Bet

 

[CrazeeAFGuy]

Thank you for sharing that important information. I think that it deserves rep and I have given some.

I have to agree with you. However, I have been enjoying they latest round of malware infections..... it's been help supplement my income.

 

[manhunter2826]

Love NoScript also. Does a superb job

 

[Dogz]

I read about a report in Maximum PC that out of 10 viruses 8 ran WITH UAC enabled so you do need antivirus.

 

[Jacee]

Unfortunately, even with UAC on, people will click "yes" to something they downloaded and want ... even tho' it may contain malware.

 

[Dogz]

One thing the authors of those viruses is make it look like your anti-virus has an alert.

 

[UrbanBounca]

On the flip side of the spectrum, I'm an average Windows user since about 1995, and haven't used an AV until late last year, and that was experimenting with MSE. I've never had any problem with a virus/malware, and I'm a firm believer that common sense is the best tool against any virus. You don't click on a random link. You don't download a file in question.

You don't need a degree to be a security expert. Honestly, I read the OP and laughed.

 

[pparks1]

On the flip side of the spectrum, I'm an average Windows user since about 1995, and haven't used an AV until late last year, and that was experimenting with MSE. I've never had any problem with a virus/malware, and I'm a firm believer that common sense is the best tool against any virus. You don't click on a random link. You don't download a file in question.

You don't need a degree to be a security expert. Honestly, I read the OP and laughed.

So, are you telling me that you never pull up Google.com and search for something and then click on any of the returned links to see the results of your search.

I fail to see where what I posted was funny or odd in any way. It's not as if I was searching for anything of questionable content. I would have to believe that the overwhelming majority of Google searches result in returned links that 99% of people click on at least a few of them...otherwise what is the point of searching.

 

[UrbanBounca]

On the flip side of the spectrum, I'm an average Windows user since about 1995, and haven't used an AV until late last year, and that was experimenting with MSE. I've never had any problem with a virus/malware, and I'm a firm believer that common sense is the best tool against any virus. You don't click on a random link. You don't download a file in question.

You don't need a degree to be a security expert. Honestly, I read the OP and laughed.

So, are you telling me that you never pull up Google.com and search for something and then click on any of the returned links to see the results of your search.

I fail to see where what I posted was funny or odd in any way. It's not as if I was searching for anything of questionable content.

No, I use Google all the time, but I won't click any link that isn't legitimate. There is a difference between Wikipedia.org and 8349stuff.38373.gythel.com.

 

[Carbonyl]

On the flip side of the spectrum, I'm an average Windows user since about 1995, and haven't used an AV until late last year, and that was experimenting with MSE. I've never had any problem with a virus/malware, and I'm a firm believer that common sense is the best tool against any virus. You don't click on a random link. You don't download a file in question.

You don't need a degree to be a security expert. Honestly, I read the OP and laughed.

I'd recommend reading the thread. The point here is that you don't need to 'click on a random link' to get infected. You don't need to download a file in question, either.

Got Adobe Acrobat installed? If you do and have Javascript enabled, right now it's perfectly possible to visit a trusted webpage you've gone to for years, navigate there via BOOKMARK, and get infected.

The vectors of attack are changing. If you think malware only spreads through emails and porn sites, you're flat out wrong.

P.S. It's perfectly possible to get a rootkit on your machine with or without A/V and never realize it. I've run MBAM on several machine of people who had no idea they were infected. Just because you don't 'see a problem' doesn't mean there isn't one there. I get a little tired of the 'I've never been infected' routine, seeing as there's no way to actually know that you've never been infected without your knowledge.

 

[UrbanBounca]

On the flip side of the spectrum, I'm an average Windows user since about 1995, and haven't used an AV until late last year, and that was experimenting with MSE. I've never had any problem with a virus/malware, and I'm a firm believer that common sense is the best tool against any virus. You don't click on a random link. You don't download a file in question.

You don't need a degree to be a security expert. Honestly, I read the OP and laughed.

I'd recommend reading the thread. The point here is that you don't need to 'click on a random link' to get infected. You don't need to download a file in question, either.

Got Adobe Acrobat installed? If you do and have Javascript enabled, right now it's perfectly possible to visit a trusted webpage you've gone to for years, navigate there via BOOKMARK, and get infected.

The vectors of attack are changing. If you think malware only spreads through emails and porn sites, you're flat out wrong.

I'm not arguing they aren't out there. I'm arguing that it doesn't take a genius to stay clean, even without an AV.

 

[Carbonyl]

On the flip side of the spectrum, I'm an average Windows user since about 1995, and haven't used an AV until late last year, and that was experimenting with MSE. I've never had any problem with a virus/malware, and I'm a firm believer that common sense is the best tool against any virus. You don't click on a random link. You don't download a file in question.

You don't need a degree to be a security expert. Honestly, I read the OP and laughed.

I'd recommend reading the thread. The point here is that you don't need to 'click on a random link' to get infected. You don't need to download a file in question, either.

Got Adobe Acrobat installed? If you do and have Javascript enabled, right now it's perfectly possible to visit a trusted webpage you've gone to for years, navigate there via BOOKMARK, and get infected.

The vectors of attack are changing. If you think malware only spreads through emails and porn sites, you're flat out wrong.

I'm not arguing they aren't out there. I'm arguing that it doesn't take a genius to stay clean, even without an AV.

I think the point is that the attack vectors are getting more crafty. As I said 'Safe Surfing' isn't possible any more. If you think you can prevent infection just by restricting your clicks, that's just not possible anymore.

I realize people hate AV software, but it serves as a line of defense against unforseen attack vectors.

 

[UrbanBounca]

I think the point is that the attack vectors are getting more crafty. As I said 'Safe Surfing' isn't possible any more. If you think you can prevent infection just by restricting your clicks, that's just not possible anymore.

I realize people hate AV software, but it serves as a line of defense against unforseen attack vectors.

You are more than welcome to use it, but I've never had any symptom of a virus/malware. I'm not arguing they aren't getting advanced, and I'm not arguing that I'll never get one, but I can assure you, upto this point, I've never had a virus. I've used online virus scans a couple times, and I've even installed Norton and McAfee at one point, simply to prove that you don't need an AV to stay clean.