Anyone else feel this way about a particular security product?

[truoc]

Hi all. Pretty new user here and long time lurker. Had to make a post to get this off my mind and see if anyone else had similar feelings at any time.

I am a pretty avid computer user and like trying out different security products, but ALWAYS end up going back to one. That one is Norton. Granted I get it free from Comcast, but for some reason no matter what product other than Norton I install I do not feel safe surfing the internet and downloading stuff. I will admit that I have never gotten an infection while using other security products or Norton for that matter, so I'm not even sure why I feel that Norton is the BEST protection. I try to read the most up-to-date reviews on all of the products and install some security products that friends and family recommend, but inevitably go back to Norton. Like a few days ago I had Norton installed, but decided to see if my computer (new Windows 8 install) would run a bit faster just by using the built in Windows Defender. My computer does indeed run a touch faster, but nothing that is out of this world. For some reason I don't feel safe with avast! installed either. My friends rant and rave about how good it is, and yes it is good and light on system resources, but after using it for awhile I just reinstall Norton. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever why I feel safer browsing the internet with their toolbar that has Safe Web when I could have Windows Defender + WOT. Or at least I don't think it should matter because I think WOT might even be better than Safe Web, or am I wrong there? Ok enough of me ranting and hopefully you have stuck with me for this long. So has anyone else felt this way that no matter what security product they have tried they always go back to one even though it might not be really necessary to have such an extensive security product installed? Thanks for listening.

 

[Deleted member 178]

i know what you feel, i had the same syndrom with Comodo IS and Emsisoft IS (the one i am using now).

i always repeat "using what you like and know give you better security than what you don't know"

 

[madyrocksin]

Just remember nothing can provide you 100% safety no matter what product you use(this doesn't mean you should give up norton and start using AnviSoft )

Enjoy your PC don't be scared of it.

If you have really sensitive data on your system just take a backup of it and that is all.

 

[Littlebits]

Everyone here has their favorite security product according to their preferences. But a little secret, no matter what product is your favorite, it is just a helper, no security product will detect all threats, you are the one that controls what you download and install. If you only download from trusted sources you can drastically reduce your chances to be exposed to malware. Most infections today are manually downloaded and manually installed by the users. Doing a little research on a file before downloading it can really pay off. If you can find anything about it then don't download it.

Many users don't understand the concept of security products, they think security products should protect them from all threats and they can do anything they want and be safe but that is impossible since new threats are released faster then what they can be detected.

Security products are just a safety net, the users are the first line of defense. If the user never learns how to safely download and surf the web, no security product will be able to protect them.

Thanks.

 

[Gnosis]

This is why I prefer HIPS, behavior blockers and sandboxing. That is my SUITE.

 

[truoc]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Do you guys think it is better to install a suite like Norton 360 on a computer that will be used by an elderly person that just uses mail, facebook, and occasionally goes on random websites or do you think the built in Windows Defender + Adblock + WOT + LastPass is sufficient for said user?

 

[Gnosis]

IMHO, I would give him Avast Free set on gaming mode. Windows 7 firewall is fine if he has 7.
MBAM on-demand will complete it.
I would not recommend anything else for novice or elderly users.
You might also hook him up with a Sandboxie shorcut to his favorite browser. Set it to "drop administrator rights" and "delete contents upon closing" and he can do no harm with it, nor will you need to explain anything except that the Sandboxie/browser shortcut is the safest and easiest way to randomly surf via search engines.

 

[Gnosis]

If I was going to pay for security, and thought it would not spook my elderly paddowan, I would buy KIS for him.

 

[truoc]

Thanks for the suggestion. It is actually for my grandma and like I mentioned she mainly plays the games on Facebook, does some internet banking, and has a tendency to sometimes click on links on Facebook even though I've stressed how important it is to not do that! She is pretty good about not clicking on links in her email though so that is a step in the right direction. I will be going the free route so it's either avast!, the free version of Norton 360 provided by Comcast, built in Windows Defender in Windows 8, or some other free product. She actually uses LastPass, but as far as WOT goes I don't think she knows it's even installed and/or doesn't pay attention to it. She basically just wants to get on there and have it do what it's supposed to do.

 

[Gnosis]

Anytime you are able to convince the elderly to not click on email links and not to watch Fox News, you have truly moved a mountain.

I started to mention WOT or Dr. Web's "link checker", but with the elderly, whether they are somewhat savvy technologically or not, the less, the better; even if being lighter decreases security a bit.

My parents are getting up there too. One of their PC's has AVG Free and the other two have Avast Free set to gaming mode. Other than that I keep it simple and all has gone well over the years. MBAM on-demand and Windows firewall completes the extent of their security.

Furthermore, you might consider an add-on like Keyscrambler personal edition (freeware) to encrypt keystrokes when they are banking or ordering online.

 

[truoc]

Haha not watch Fox News, that is pretty good. She does indeed not click on links or watch Fox News (that I'm aware of) so I must be doing something right!

As far as WOT and other link checkers go you are absolutely right about keeping it simple I believe. I don't think she even pays attention if it is green or red or even cares for that matter. She is going to click on it anwyays.

I will admit that even though I know a little bit about computers I haven't messed with Sandboxie that much. I will give it a whirl on her PC granted it doesn't mess up her browsing experience too much and is compatible with Windows 8. I totally forgot about Keyscrambler as I have used that in the past on several different PCs. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[Gnosis]

No problem. You are welcome.

Sandboxie is great for wreckless surfers. She can surf, click and view and never know the difference other than not getting infected with malware. The only time it will get complex for her is when she wants to download any file such as software, etc. Set Sandboxie to "immediate recovery" and after she downloads her file(s) she will simply answer "download to same location", which will release it from the sandbox into the sector of RAM that is not quarantined by Sandboxie, and then onto the hard drive.

 

[Ink]

I've begun to use Zemana Anti-Logger Free (still in beta), it supports a lot more than FF & IE browsers and especially since I use Google Chrome, something that KS Personal doesn't support.

What about using a Standard Account? (with Windows 8 Windows Defender).

Sandboxie could be a good idea, depends on the user, and Drop My Rights is similar to a non-admin account.
- Supported on Windows 8? Not sure.

 

[mercurial]

Thanks for the suggestion. It is actually for my grandma and like I mentioned she mainly plays the games on Facebook, does some internet banking, and has a tendency to sometimes click on links on Facebook even though I've stressed how important it is to not do that! She is pretty good about not clicking on links in her email though so that is a step in the right direction. I will be going the free route so it's either avast!, the free version of Norton 360 provided by Comcast, built in Windows Defender in Windows 8, or some other free product. She actually uses LastPass, but as far as WOT goes I don't think she knows it's even installed and/or doesn't pay attention to it. She basically just wants to get on there and have it do what it's supposed to do.

Since your favorite security product is Norton i would suggest Norton 360 over Norton Internet Security if you are willing to get a paid AV, personally i have used both Norton 360 and Norton Internet Security and found that 360 is more of a install and forget thing which is perfect for novices and the elderly, while the NIS required you to dig around a bit for some of the setting and stuff. If you choose to go the free way then Avast AV with Win 7 FW should suffice, though if you feel that combo unsafe u can load Avast AV with Zonealarm FW or Zonealarm AV + FW.

Hope that helps you out

 

[madyrocksin]

so i guess its more of a browsing issue for you,
why dont you use a sandboxed browser shortcut for your grandma,
just configure it pretty well like allowing only the browser+adobe+java(if its needed) to run
and setting it to automatic delete after exit,
i guess that should keep your system infection free at least for browsing sessions

obviously you are exposed to exploits if your system is not updated with security patches