Internet security suite vs. standalone AV

[nclr11111]

Been using CIS for a couple of years now and i´m very happy with it, but recently i got into a discussion of pros and cons of using a whole suite compared to a standalone AV in an infection-prevention perspective. (Virtual Kiosk, safesurf etc. are not interesting!)
I realized that i could´nt win the discussion since BB and HIPS now are incorporated into several (all?) antiviruses and that was the main cause to why i choosed the suite in the first place.

I hope you can help me with som good arguments here since the bloke declared all users of suites to be either idiots or forgot to take of their tinfoilhats! Personally i don´t give a s*** but i don´t want him to affect others to chose only AV´s for protection!

So the question is something like this:
- Since many AV´s contains some sort of HIPS or BB, what are the benefits of using a whole suite compared to a standalone AV?

Need some ammo for this discussion please!
//nclr

 

[Exterminator]

For a Security Suite it depends on how tightly intergrated it is.If you disable one part of it,it might affect the others.Security Suites offer the convenience of having everything together however some are not good at everything.Stand alone products have a chance for conflict with each other.
Stand alone products however allow you to choose the best parts of your security configuration.A good AV from software (A) a great firewall from software (B) as long as there are no conflicts you kind of get the best of both worlds if you will.Stand alone products maybe give you a little more flexibility in terms of configuration.

It is really comes down to what works for you.There is no right or wrong answer.Trying them on your system is the only way to really know which is a better fit for you.CIS is an excellent free Security Suite.There are also very good free standalone AV's & Firewalls that run excellent together.

I don't know if this is the ammo you are looking for but I would take the neutral position going with that it all depends on the user,system and preferences.

 

[nclr11111]

Well, i should have been more precise in my question. What it comes down to is the benefit of a suite compared to ONLY an AV+ win FW for protection. No other 3rd party SW. Just Suite vs. a lonely AV for protection!

Thx for the reply though!

 

[starchild76]

as exterminator stated you can mix and match between various product , some combinations can demand a lot from your system : they use a lot of recources. If feel comfortable with a security product and love it , why do you have to defend it?? what you love , others may hate! like everything in life , its a process of trial and error , before you find a product that suits you.

the benefit of a suite is that is extensive with various modules : firewall - antivirus - antispam - parental control - sometimes system tuneup

with antivirus you have to rely on only they av engine and sometimes behaviour blocker or hips.

 

[Exterminator]

Well, i should have been more precise in my question. What it comes down to is the benefit of a suite compared to ONLY an AV+ win FW for protection. No other 3rd party SW. Just Suite vs. a lonely AV for protection!

Thx for the reply though!

Windows firewall is good.A standalone AV + Windows Firewall + Sandboxie and a couple on-demand scanners can be every bit as good as a security suite.However a standalone AV and windows firewall is fine.Then add some extensions to your browser and your good.
In fact in Windows 8 using Windows defender + Windows Firewall + UAC and Smartscreen is just as good as combinations of standalone products or Security suites.
I used ESET Nod 32 Antivirus and Windows Firewall for a couple years and was never infected.
It just depends on you.Even the best paid or free Security Suite is not 100% and the same holds true for standalone products.There are pros and cons to everything.In the end it is what works for you and what makes you feel comfortable.
Like starchild said you don't have to defend something that works for you.I use Emsisoft Internet security Pack on Windows 7 & ESET Smart Security 7 on Windows 8.1 because that is what works best for me and what I prefer on these 2 operating systems.

 

[aztony]

In the end it is what works for you and what makes you feel comfortable.

And that is the bottom line.

 

[Deleted member 178]

do i heard combos?


in fact solutions are mostly destined to common users , they integrate all the needed features (and some more) to assure a decent protection against common malwares without hampering the system or making it unstable.

now enter the "Combos", my field of interest; combos if properly set gives you a tighter protection, since each soft is very specialized on its area of protection, but they are mostly destined to advanced users since you may have to tweak each soft correctly to avoid overlapping features or conflicts; you have to notice taht combos generally use more resources since each softs run its own drivers/services/executables.

if you are a no-brainer set & forget type of users , you wil prefer suites while paranoids and tweakers will go for combos.

 

[Gnosis]

Stand alone products have a chance for conflict with each other

Very true. I have assembled very few custom suites that cause no slowdowns at boot or otherwise. WSA, Sandboxie, and TF is the smoothest quasi suite to date. TF and Sandboxie alone are not even noticeable at startup or when surfing or tasking.

I think that this particular member (nclr11111) would appreciate ESET.
I recommend a custom suite consisting of Sandboxie, PrivateFirewall, and a cloud AV of your choice if you choose to opt out of CIS. I am a fan of CIS, just so you know.

 

[nclr11111]

Very true. I have assembled very few custom suites that cause no slowdowns at boot or otherwise. WSA, Sandboxie, and TF is the smoothest quasi suite to date. TF and Sandboxie alone are not even noticeable at startup or when surfing or tasking.

I think that this particular member (nclr11111) would appreciate ESET.
I recommend a custom suite consisting of Sandboxie, PrivateFirewall, and a cloud AV of your choice if you choose to opt out of CIS. I am a fan of CIS, just so you know.

Nah! I´m have no intention of getting rid of CIS. I love it!
Tried alot of combos and suites during the years but are now happy with CIS. Wouldn´t use ESET if i got it for free FYI!
This was more of a theoretical debate with a dude who argued that all user that need more protection than a stand-alone AV are more or less idiots.
My concern was that his way of reason would make those less knowing think that a stand-alone AV is the solution to all malwares!

 

[yigido]

Only Comodo Firewall is very stronger than all the other suites or stand alone AV. CFW has whitelist and cloud
There is not huge diferences between CIS and only Comodo AV.

 

[illumination]

if you are a no-brainer

if you are one of these, chances are a computer will serve you no purpose

 

[kjdemuth]

I think you can get some good protection in stand alone but Combos can differently be just as strong if not stronger. If I have CFW, Sandboxie and qihoo 360. I have the protection of CFW, HIPS, auto sandbox and cloud scanner. Along with that you have Qihoo 360 proactive defense and great detection rate. Adding sandboxie protects all your browsers from things like Crypto and other exploits. If you really want to be safe you can add either hitman pro alert or MBAM Anti-exlpoit. All of these are very light and are probably lighter than say Kaspersky IS. You have to look at Combo's that work for you and include everything that a suite might give you. It's not for everyone but it can work.

 

[viktik]

i will switch to

360 IS + Comodo Firewall + Zemana anti logger+hitmanpro

360 is has very good detectio rate . has good proactive features. has sandboxing.
Windows firewall is enough in most cases. Adding comodo firewall will provide extra protection if you run new unknown application most often.

Zemana can protect from data stealers.

everyday hitmanpro scan can give extra assurance.

 

[yigido]

i will switch to

360 IS + Comodo Firewall + Zemana anti logger+hitmanpro

360 is has very good detectio rate . has good proactive features. has sandboxing.
Windows firewall is enough in most cases. Adding comodo firewall will provide extra protection if you run new unknown application most often.

Zemana can protect from data stealers.

everyday hitmanpro scan can give extra assurance.

Thats it GO..

 

[Littlebits]

Some security suites have already ditched their own firewall and are just using Windows Firewall arp.
Windows Firewall is good enough especially if you already have a router with network firewall.

You have more flexibility using just an AV + Windows Firewall, the other components included in most security suites are just extra bloat that most users would never need or would actually use.

Thanks.

 

[nclr11111]

if you are one of these, chances are a computer will serve you no purpose

I will NOT "like" this!

 

[illumination]

I will NOT "like" this!

Lol, it only stands to reason, if you have no brain, you will be in no need of a computer

 

[Gnosis]

the other components included in most security suites are just extra bloat that most users would never need or would actually use.

Heard that. Two thumbs up.