How to be bullet-proof?

LukeNukesEm

Level 5
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Sep 14, 2016
204
I am using windows 10 and I currently have kaspersky premium and i'm trying different second opinion scanners such as hitmanpro, zemana, and emsisoft. I tried hitmanpro and it was okay, i'm currently trying zemana and it looks pretty good. My question is What antivirus should I be using and what second opinion scanner should I be using if my only concern is security. I don't care about false positives, or the ui, or the speed of scans. Just what will be most likely to make me bullet proof. (Note I also use purevpn) Thanks for the help!
 

Exterminator

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Oct 23, 2012
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Are you using Kaspersky Antivirus(KAV) or Kaspersky Internet Security(KIS) ? Either one of those provide excellent protection and I would stick with that.Update to the 2017 version if you have not already.
You can have more than one on demand scanner and Zemana is one of the best.
Good browsing habits and common sense go a long way into making your system and you personal info secure as it has already been said above that there is no "bullet proof" security solution or combination of them.
Some are better than others but nothing is 100%.Best to try different combinations until you find what works best on your machine.
It would be best to post your security config here Security Configuration Wizard as you will get a lot of different ideas and combinations to consider.
Enabling UAC to at least default and preferably max with Smartscreen enabled system wide will also help to secure your system.
 

_CyberGhosT_

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I agree with all the comments here and will add, even if you could find a config
that was 99.9 % secure, to make it 100% you would have to remove yourself from the
equasion. The user is the weak point with the config, even the best of us make errors and just one at the wrong time and you will have been compromised.
I think the closest you will get is with a good white-listing software or auto deny, and a high scoring AV like BitDefender, or Kaspersky ect.
If I was using Sig-based software I would run the new Bitdefender AV Premium and VoodooShield, That would be a monumental config ;)
 

FrFc1908

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Jul 28, 2016
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just practice safe browsing habbits and stay away from dodgy sites! do not open suspicious emails and be click happy! one more thing could help you out a lot also : shadow defender! turn on shadow mode whenever you go online and your pc will be like fort knox :D
 

shmu26

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just practice safe browsing habbits and stay away from dodgy sites! do not open suspicious emails and be click happy!
that's good advice.
instead of looking around for that mythical bulletproof suit, instead just get your rear end off the shooting range. think before you click. mind over mouse.
 

Evjl's Rain

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there is a way to be bulletproof literally
1/ install an AV with great signature and light (avira maybe?), avast, or defender with high cpu usage fixed, KiS
2/ disable windows updates
3/ install shadow defender -> set: enter shadow mode on boot (drive C only)
because of this every you reboot your pc, it's in shadow mode. malwares cannot infect your pc. if they can, just reboot and they will be deleted

after a month or a few weeks, you can temporary disable shadow mode, do some windows updates (quite unnecessary), update your AV signature (highly recommended). durring this time, usb flash drives and internet surfing must not be used to prevent infection. you can add all your AV folders into shadow defender exclusion so if you can do definition update without having shadow mode disabled. internet cafes do this all the time and they have never get infected unless malwares infect during they disable shadow mode


edit: KIS 2017 already provides great protection, you can combine it with shadow defender and disbale its signature update (set to manual)
 
Last edited:

XhenEd

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Mar 1, 2014
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Totally impregnable? Impossible. :)

Even if you install all the known-to-be-very-effective anti-malware softwares, multi-layered or not, once you are targeted, especially by a skilled hacker, you cannot survive that attack.

As for which of of anti-malware to install, my opinion is to install at least one of these (or all of them, but that will be redundant and many issues might come up): Kaspersky (not just KAV; with TAM enabled), ESET Smart Security, Emsisoft, AppGuard (Lockdown mode), HMP.A, and ZAL or ZAM.
 
L

LabZero

Your system may not be bullet proof because there are too many variables in the game, but already your current setup offers a good security level, and you can add ZAL and EEK.
A few years ago Criptolocker has caused millions of dollars of damage to lots of companies, also protected with multi-layer security systems.Why?
Because they didn't know the ransomware!
The first defense line is the user that must be trained in safety context and in the use of advanced tools.
But against a targeted attack, APT, for example, no security plan is possible because some advanced malware are designed to attack, flying under the radar.
In short: multi-layer security, a sandbox, a good backup plan, know-how and common sense.
 

nclr11111

Level 6
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Feb 25, 2011
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You could add another layer of protection by using what you have+some of the suggestions above and virtulize the whole thing with VirtualBox or VMPlayer.
Still won´t be bulletproof but another layer which will protect you if you get infected.
However, in order for this to work you can never transfer files from the virtualized os to your main since some malwares sences virtualization and activates only when not sencing virtualization.
But this way you at least can scan all files with whatever Scanners you like, VT etc. in a safe environment.
 
L

Lucent Warrior

there is a way to be bulletproof literally
1/ install an AV with great signature and light (avira maybe?), avast, or defender with high cpu usage fixed, KiS
2/ disable windows updates
3/ install shadow defender -> set: enter shadow mode on boot (drive C only)
because of this every you reboot your pc, it's in shadow mode. malwares cannot infect your pc. if they can, just reboot and they will be deleted

after a month or a few weeks, you can temporary disable shadow mode, do some windows updates (quite unnecessary), update your AV signature (highly recommended). durring this time, usb flash drives and internet surfing must not be used to prevent infection. you can add all your AV folders into shadow defender exclusion so if you can do definition update without having shadow mode disabled. internet cafes do this all the time and they have never get infected unless malwares infect during they disable shadow mode


edit: KIS 2017 already provides great protection, you can combine it with shadow defender and disbale its signature update (set to manual)
I would like to point out, that even though Shadow Defender is excellent protection and restarting the system leads to a clean slate, it will not however protect you from malware running on the system in SD mode, that connects outbound with all your information. A good two way firewall with outbound notifications would be a must if you do not have the means necessary to protect your valuable information such as encryption. I would never suggest disabling windows updates either.

As to the OP post, there is no such thing as 100% bullet proof, unless you disconnect from the internet and turn off the system. The advice in this thread about learning safer habits, gaining experience, is completely spot on to helping you achieve close to your desire though, and of course, always having back ups for your fail safe.
 

Solarquest

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Jul 22, 2014
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I agree with @_CyberGhosT_ and @shmu26 as will all that said 100% is not possible, most if you are a "heavy clicker".
Kaspersky (in tuned mode), Voodooshield and HMP (paid version) would give you a very good protection.
Shadow defender or other virtualisation software (Virtualbox, VMwarw, sandboxie..) would add another "thick" layer of defence.
Change the password of your router, disable remote admin, update firmware, check wpa2 is enabled for wifi.
Disable autorun in windows as remote access and shared folders, keep windows and programs always updated.
Don't install flash and Java (or at least set them up to ask for permission to be run).
 

Evjl's Rain

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I would like to point out, that even though Shadow Defender is excellent protection and restarting the system leads to a clean slate, it will not however protect you from malware running on the system in SD mode, that connects outbound with all your information. A good two way firewall with outbound notifications would be a must if you do not have the means necessary to protect your valuable information such as encryption. I would never suggest disabling windows updates either.

As to the OP post, there is no such thing as 100% bullet proof, unless you disconnect from the internet and turn off the system. The advice in this thread about learning safer habits, gaining experience, is completely spot on to helping you achieve close to your desire though, and of course, always having back ups for your fail safe.
it's true. I suggested to disable win update because it might cause problem with shadow mode when system is restarted like in the worst case it might cause endless bootloops. This is why even the pc is on shadow mode it still needs great a AV and firewall. my friend has been using this strategy for 9 years for his ancient laptop and now it hasn't been infected (after a reboot). Of course it may be infect while using and something might be leaked out but this is almost the best way I can thing of to approach "bulletproof"
 
O

Omnipotent

Shadow Defender is great and in most cases will protect you against malware. However as @XhenEd mentioned if you're a high profile target then a skilled hacker with the time, money and resources can find a way around almost anything including Shadow Defender. Anything is possible, you can never be 100% safe. Millions of malware is released into the wild in a daily basis, malware creators are becoming more smart and creative. Kaspersky themselves were infected by very sophisticated malware thought to be a generation ahead of them, dubbed Duqu 2.0 which was used to spy on them and steal information. Some malware can shut itself down if it knows that you're running Shadow Defender/VM to evade detection from malware researches, that's why Shadow Defender is good since you can restart your PC whenever you want even if you're unaware of undetectable malware. Your router can become compromised too if you use Shadow Defender or a VM through DNS hijacking, solution would be to create a strong password for your router, instead of using admin username and password as password.

Read more here: http://media.kaspersky.com/en/Duqu-2-0-Frequently-Asked-Questions.pdf
 

adyblueboy

Level 2
Verified
Feb 15, 2014
77
To be safe:
99%-Disconnect from internet.
80%-User with a huge experience and knowledge.
35%-60%-Any AV.
As long as you do not step into the real dark web you do not have to worry so much... :)
 
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ExoGen CyberSecurity

Level 3
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Sep 17, 2016
113
The short answer is you can't have bullet-proof security setup. The best configuration you can get is 99.99% and from there you can start removing ( xx.xx %) depending on your computer knowledge, browsing habits and so on. Having 3-4 security products doesn't equal with better protection.

If I get an exploit for your Windows version, I load the payload and by using low level attacks I kill all your security software and you will not even notice :)
 
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