Myriad's security config

[Myriad]

My personal preference is Linux .
But my work requires me to have both Linux and Windows systems .
On Linux I generally do not use any malware protection although some
of my Linux systems have grsec as kernel hardening.

I decided to give my answers for Windows as my main system .....
.... at least that way I can give answers to most of the config questions

 

[Captain Awesome]

I think you forgot to add AV
Tiny Wall is a Firewall not a AV.@Myriad
Add some AV,other than it looks ok.

 

[Myriad]

I think you forgot to add AV
Tiny Wall is a Firewall not a AV.@Myriad
Add some AV,other than it looks ok.

I did indeed forget .... but I don't know how to go back and change things .
"Edit" only allowed me to edit my text ( ie " message " )

Edit -
OK - got it now

 

[tonibalas]

Nice config you 've got there.
Avira and MBAE seems interesting and solid combination.
I want to ask you are you using Avira Free and MBAE Free or is any of them is paid?
My recommendation is to enable OS updates.
Or you can upgrade to Windows 10.
Thanks for sharing your config.

 

[King Alpha]

Please, enable OS updates and you're good to go. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Myriad]

Nice config you 've got there.
Avira and MBAE seems interesting and solid combination.
I want to ask you are you using Avira Free and MBAE Free or is any of them is paid?
My recommendation is to enable OS updates.
Or you can upgrade to Windows 10.
Thanks for sharing your config.

@tonibalas
Thank you for those points , but the MS update situation is neither accidental nor
without a great deal of consideration on my part.

IMO what MS are doing with the aggressive pushing of W10 is unprofessional , dishonest
and at times , just downright evil !
I stopped updating W7 a year ago as I believe the updates offer NOTHING to power users
(apart from sneaky hidden GWX stuff that is ).
I know I may be courting controversy by saying that , and it is not my intention , but
it is my heartfelt and sincere opinion.

As for W10 itself .... I have it in a VM , but I will never be using it as my main Windows OS.
.... just my two pesos

 

[tonibalas]

@Myriad i understand what you are saying about the upgrade and i agree that is unprofessional.
About the updates in W7 i think after July 30th you can enable them.

Are you using Avira and MBAE free?

 

[Myriad]

@Myriad i understand what you are saying about the upgrade and i agree that is unprofessional.
About the updates in W7 i think after July 30th you can enable them.

Are you using Avira and MBAE free?

Yes , I am using the free versions of both of those .
I have nothing against paying for software that I use and like , but only if they offer me
something useful over and above the free version .
As far as I can see , MBAM paid only gives me a scheduling option that I don't want and
Avira will stop nagging me with "toaster" pop-ups

As for MS saying that W10 free will end in July .... I take it with a pinch of salt ....
.... it remains to be seen !
Whatever happens , I still won't be installing any updates unless MS start providing full , clear ,
detailed and honest descriptions on their website ( Knowledge Base )

.... call me old-fashioned , if you will .

 

[yigido]

Good config and I respect your opinions about "disabling OS updates"
About Avira Free, good choice, it has great AV engine and heuristics. It has one of the best PUP detections. But, sometimes they marks some malwares as "clean".. only downside of it, and recently this Avira Launcher thing. Anyway, good config

 

[Myriad]

@yigido

Thank you for the reply.

Yes , the Avira Launcher is a royal PITA , but it's otherwise a decent resident AV , and I have tried plenty !
I used AVG for years but stopped for two reasons ; first because it seemed to be hogging resources compared
to earlier versions , and second , because the CEO announced that it would be " sharing " user data from now on.
But I'm not suggesting that some others aren't doing the same , and I guess they deserve a little cred for being
honest and upfront about it

I should add that I totally disregard AV comparison/scoring websites .... just more snake-oil IMO

Regarding PUP detection , Avira hasn't actually found any for me while Emsisoft Emergency Kit has
Sunday is scan-day here, and I run them in this order :-
Avira ( Scheduled ) then EEK then MBAM ( I sometimes switch the running order , just out of curiosity )

I occasionally run SAS as well , but only because it consistently finds the odd tracking cookie that
all of the others miss .
I wouldn't say that I'm a fan , but it's useful if only for this , and that is saying something because my
policy on cookies is positively vicious !

I block them to the point that websites are breaking , then I ease off just a tiny fraction
"adnxs " is a good example ( and after much hunting I found that Skype was the culprit ) , but only
Super AntiSpyware ever found it !!!

 

[Exterminator]

I would enable updates.There are ways to circumvent the Win 10 upgrade but OS Security updates are important.
Otherwise nice config and thanks for sharing it