Battle Secure Environment: Avast SafeZone's Bank Mode vs Comodo Virtual Desktop

Ink

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Help page for Comodo Virtual Desktop:
"The Virtual Desktop is a sandboxed operating environment inside of which you can run programs and browse the Internet without fear that those activities will damage your real computer. Applications running in the Virtual Desktop also leave no cookies or history behind on your real system, making it a secure environment for Internet banking and online shopping. It is also ideal for visiting any risky websites/links and for testing out beta/unstable software."​

Help page for Avast SafeZone Bank Mode:
"Bank Mode, formerly known as Pay Mode, provides a virtual desktop which acts as a safe and clean computer within your real computer. This protects against a potentially hijacked host or network and prevents keyloggers and network-based eavesdropping from capturing any of your data."​

Help Me Decide based on: (bullet points added to assist your replies)
  • Ease of Use
    • How easy is it to use and navigate around it? Is it simple to add/remove applications to/from the virtual desktop? Switch between secure and non-secure modes? Is there a tutorial?
  • Graphical User Interface
    • Does the UI feel native, or troublesome to started?
  • Inclusive Product Features
    • Features that make it your preferred choice, how it benefits it you and others?
  • Preferred Product and Why?
    • State which you prefer and why it's your final choice.
    • If you haven't used either, but use a different program, choose Other in the poll above, with your reasons why (see above for help).
From what I see in the help files and brief usage so far:
- Isolation: Allow a secure environment for online banking and shopping sessions.
- ID Theft Protection: Prevent keyboard logging and screen capture malware from stealing your sessions' data.
- Protect more than one: Add multiple programs to the virtual desktop.
- Extensions: Limited range of extensions within the default browser.
 
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N

NullByte

Other (State and why) I voted other (I'm a linux user), I use Ubuntu Live CD/DVD. The reason why it's because this way your OS will be loaded in RAM and no "Malware" can get my ID or Credit Card info.

Signed malware can still bypass the secure environment (Bypassing Browser Memory Protection or DLL injection for this see the last TrojanBanker or Botnet).
 
H

hjlbx

COMODO Virtual Desktop:

The extent of the virtual desktop's online banking protections is unclear; COMODO has never released any definitive explanation.

We know it protects the physical system from whatever is running inside the virtual desktop.

However, it is not clear if it also protects the virtual desktop from whatever is running on the physical system (e.g. - banking trojan - Man-in-the-Browser); I think it does - based upon prior MRG Effitas test results.

Virtual Desktop does not isolate program data.

Virtual Desktop's anti-keylogging is limited to use of the virtual keyboard.

Virtual Desktop does not encrypt network data; user has to pay for Internet Security Complete to get network encryption ($90 per year) - and even with the VPN - I do not know if the Virtual Desktop network traffic is encrypted by default. I think you have to enable the VPN for your home wifi.

Too many unanswered questions... therefore, I cannot recommend COMODO Virtual Desktop for online banking.

Plus, there are too many other problems with COMODO's products - bugs, people have a hard time figuring out how it works, etc.

* * * * *

I tried Bitdefender Safe Pay - but at $34.95\year for network encryption - it is a rip-off. Although, I will admit, of all the on-line banking softs (browser isolation), I liked it the best.

On-line banking softs don't include network encryption in their free versions; to get network encryption requires purchase.

If you ask me, I think the whole on-line banking isolation softs are not needed by someone who keeps their system clean. The whole premise is to isolate your browser from whatever banking trojan might be lurking on your system - namely Zeus and SpyEye... LOL. That's easy enough to accomplish all by yourself - just keep your system clean by not downloading unknown\untrusted files.

Browser isolation for banking doesn't prevent anything else - like malicious javascript, page re-directs, exploits, web-page based keylogging, phishing, etc.

The only value I see to on-line banking isolation is the network encryption - which you can get using a VPN. But a lot of banks will not permit use of a VPN - because the bank wants to track your IP for security reasons.

There are decent alternatives: HMP.A, Webroot, Quarri MyPOQ (completely free), etc.

There are no easy answers to the issue of on-line banking.
 

vivid

Level 5
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Dec 8, 2014
206
Virtual Desktop is the way to go even if it's worse. You could impose restrictions with HIPS and that makes it superior.
 
H

hjlbx

Virtual Desktop is the way to go even if it's worse. You could impose restrictions with HIPS and that makes it superior.

That is true, but a lot of users have found that when they create HIPS and other rules, those rules will randomly disappear; it is because of the long-known "disappearing" rules bug in CIS.
 

jamescv7

Level 85
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Mar 15, 2011
13,070
I cannot choose between them nor because their virtualization concept is so confusing and question for effectiveness.

Their sandbox is more on the protection basis rather concept like Sandboxie.

Sandboxie is great for overall concept followed by using anti-keylogger like Keyscrambler for securing the keystrokes.
 

broughie

Level 2
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Sep 11, 2013
87
I use/vote Bitdefender Safepay free for banking & shopping which speedy and easy to use . It gives total isolation from Windows and a malware pre check , it has a virtual keyboard against keylogging which Safezone doesnt , it has screenlogging protection which Sandboxie plus Keyscrambler doesnt have and has its own secure password manager which others dont have. If i feel paranoid I open Cyberghost VPN before Safepay which then encrypts the network and Safepay for max protection.
 

Ink

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@broughie SafeZone's Bank Mode does protect against Keyloggers, without a VKeyboard. As to what extent I haven't actually tested with real-world (harmful) keyloggers, but perhaps an experienced tester could?. Allowing screen-shots in Bank Mode can be toggled, by default it's disabled to protect users.

Safepay is not completely free. Cannot use without a Bitdefender Account. :(
upload_2016-7-4_0-17-14.png

Yet Comodo has 9 votes in Poll, none of which have explained. Thanks for your reply. :)
The extent of the virtual desktop's online banking protections is unclear; COMODO has never released any definitive explanation.

We know it protects the physical system from whatever is running inside the virtual desktop.

However, it is not clear if it also protects the virtual desktop from whatever is running on the physical system (e.g. - banking trojan - Man-in-the-Browser); I think it does - based upon prior MRG Effitas test results.
 
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H

hjlbx

Yet Comodo has 9 votes in Poll, none of which have explained. Thanks for your reply. :)

LOL... very few users really know what COMODO can or cannot do. Official, technical infos are scant - and user tests are unreliable.

MRG's tests are reliable for the most part.

@Huracan - you might want to look into Quarri MyPOQ - it is free - and it really does work and has been thoroughly tested by MRG Effitas; it never fails their online banking tests.
 

DardiM

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May 14, 2016
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I use Kaspersky Total Security : Online payment protection tool.
=> payment by PayPal account or directly by Visa card (KTS virtual keyboard)
==> SMS received on my personal phone with a temporary code to enter on a protected web page
===> KTS virtual keyboard used to enter the code to validate my payment.
 
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broughie

Level 2
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Sep 11, 2013
87
Huracan -Safepay is completely free, I am long time user & have installed it on friends & relatives pc's , none of whom or I , have ever had a Bitdefender account . My AV is Avast but having used both I much prefer Safepay features to Safezone .
 
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Ink

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Safepay is completely free
Free to download and use, but like most Bitdefender products you cannot use without a valid account. Hotspot Protection in Safepay is Premium, according to their landing page.

Thanks for the feedback. :)
 
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