What are the main causes of an PC infection?

[Jack]

In February,2011 I have decided to do a little experiment with my girlfriend's laptop.
At that time she was complaining that the installed security solution (Avira Free) was making her laptop slow,so I have decided to uninstall it.
And just to see what she would say without if their weren't any real-time security I have decided to not install any products.
Just to make sure everything will be ok in case of a infection I've made a Image Backup with Acronis True Image Home 2011.

Here is how here security config looked at that time :

General computer knowledge: Beginer
Level of security risk: Low
Operating system: Windows 7 Ultimate SP 1
OS architecture: 64 bit
Non-admin account: Yes
Real-time protection: -
On-demand scanners:
MalwareBytes Anti-Malware
Hitman Pro
Browser(s): Firefox , addons WOT,LastPass,VTZilla and ABP
Backup : Acronis True Image Home 2011

---

She is a regular user , with little amount of knowledge or interest when it comes to PC Security.Like most of the world she knows that Kaspersky and Norton are good security products (Good marketing) ...and she never heard of COMODO.

She uses that laptop for 2-3 hours a day and while using it she mostly is browsing the internet (Facebok most of the time and google-ing for "pretty dress" or "discount for shoes" ) or working with Microsoft Office (work related).
She also listen to music and likes to watch movies on her Toshiba and in fact the only thing that she doesn't do is gamming.

---

After amost 5 months here are the results from MBAM and Hitman Pro :
No malicious items detected

That's right a 0 Infections... And just by using a simple add-on.

My conclusions:

So how did she managed to stay safe?

The internet is a dangerous place but not for everyone.One of the main advantages that my girlfriend had was the simple fact that she wasn't a "a pirate gammer" ...That's right....She didn't start searching for :
Crysis 2 ; cracks, patches or keygen.
Warez is the main source of infection ,at least in my country.
Keygens and Cracks are usually full of malware so just by not searching or using any warez she instantly dropped her chances of a infection too under 10%.

She did browse the web but she only has a few links which she visits (Facebook,Youtube, Assos etc.).
As I've told you she had WOT on her side for the unknown sites and VTZilla to scan any download.
She told me that she never use VTZilla because she didn't need it.

---

From my point of view the main threat to a PC security are warez.
I have been using the PC for almost 5 years and I never managed to see (without looking for it) a fake web page or driveby download.


So what's your point of view? What are the main causes of infection in your country?And is the example above a particular case or can be general if the users uses the system just like my girlfriend does?

 

[iPanik]

I agree.
I have almost the same usage pattern as her: I stay away from illegal software/warez, and i do 90% of my browsing within a selection of sites. I do search and stuff but WOT has me covered there.
I haven't been infected (or gotten any detection) since... eh, many years ago.

When someone asks me for an antivirus recommendation i ask them two questions: Are you a pirate? Do you watch weird pr0n? (needless to say, the weirder it gets the more dangerous it is. ) And base my recommendation on that.

 

[Dejan]

While I do agree with you Jack, I do resolve to piracy a lot of times whenever I'm needing to obtain some software (weather it be a game or not). Although I still consider to be at low risk of infection, since I take extra precession only to download from a specific place that I can rely on and always check the comments. I also always, whenever there's an executable file involved use VirusTotal to check it and will use MBAM Pro as a double-check, all of this combined with my knowledge. Nevertheless, I do agree that warez is dangerous for a lot of people and that resolving to it can lead to a seriously infected PC.

 

[HeffeD]

Please be aware endejan, that piracy/warez is strongly frowned upon here...

 

[Ramblin]

I never downloaded illegal software, cracks, keygens and like iPanik, I
visit the same sites often so the sites that I go to, I know well. Not
all of the sites that I go to are family type sites but they are clean. I
really believe that downloading the wrong installers from the wrong
place its the perfect way of getting infected. Its just a matter of time,
it will happen for sure if that is the usual way to get software. Personally,
I never install anything unless is well known software and the installer is
from the developers site or File Hippo.

Another easy way of getting infected, I think, is having plugins or activeX
that are not updated or rarely used. Myself, I gotten rid of all plugins
on my Firefox, the only exception is Flash. I believe that only having the
plugins that we use often and uninstalling all others, its important.
Same goes with Java. Its been 2 years since I dropped Java, personally,
I don't have any use for it. In my opinion, users should uninstall it if no site
or program that they use, needs it. Java got to be one of the top causes
for an infection.
Using a pirated copy of Windows or not updating a legal copy of Windows
are also important causes for infections.

The good thing is, we have Sandboxie . I honestly believe that using SBIE
and pretty much doing what we all are saying on this thread, will keep us OK.

Bo

 

[Dejan]

Please be aware endejan, that piracy/warez is strongly frowned upon here...

I'm aware of that, but I'm also aware of the fact that plenty of people even here resort to it from time to time. Another thing I didn't mention is that, in Serbia, there is no law that I'm aware of specifically stating that pirating software is illegal, even distributing pirated content is mostly legal as long as it's not used to make money with.

 

[HeffeD]

What you do on your own time is completely up to you. Posting about it on a forum however, (Especially a security oriented forum) is never a good idea...

 

[Dejan]

What you do on your own time is completely up to you. Posting about it on a forum however, (Especially a security oriented forum) is never a good idea...

Jack asked for our point of you view in he's post, I'm only stating what I think about this. Besides that, I don't post about anything related to Warez at all.

 

[HeffeD]

Besides that, I don't post about anything related to Warez at all.

You just stated that you resort to piracy a lot if you need to obtain certain software... What do you think Warez are?

Condoning Piracy is something we want to steer clear of on this forum, OK?

 

[Dejan]

I'm not encouraging warez and not condoning it, I'm only stating the truth about what I do. I also stated in my post:

I do agree that warez is dangerous for a lot of people and that resolving to it can lead to a seriously infected PC.

I do recommend to people not to use warez, although what I posted before was the simple truth of what I do on my own PC and how I keep out of trouble from it, I never stated that piracy is okay or anything like that.

Anyways, to answer what Jack asked as well, I do think in my country that warez is the top reason for infections.

 

[MrXidus]

It's like watching a tennis match, Endejan and HeffeD posting back and forth in response to each other, Anyways I will only post once in this thread.

So what's your point of view?

Many lack common sense.

That is all.

 

[illumination]

Although a drive by or hidden malware are not completely uncommon just surfing the web and or images here in the states, for the most part, i agree with everyone in this thread, of using common sense and safe surfing habits. I tend to keep plugins basic, dont use Java as bo.elam stated, as it was a source of many infections i have seen in computers. Have had this same laptop for over a year now, and no matter what i have used for security, not one single infection. Most of the people i come across with infections, have them due to not keeping everything up to date on their systems.

 

[Deleted member 178]

i think too that warez are the master way to got infected additionally to virus-attached mails and infected USB keys; in the country i reside actually, cracks and keygens are the main way for common people (means not the rich social class) to got original licensed softwares like the various Windows OS, NIS, KIS, photoshop, office, and others.

Only IT and computer students or Geeks have enough security knowledge.

Almost all my friends PC were infected when i check them, after i teach them how to have a safe behavior and using free AV softwares they dont call me so often ^^.

 

[Dejan]

Although I remember our other PC being infected due to my mom constantly downloading those free toolbars, smiley packs etc. We got a lot of unusual behavior last year, like CMD windows opening out of nowhere. Eventually I did a scan with MBAM (probably the first time too) and in short, lots and lots of adware. Point being that while warez is still pretty risky, doing what my mom was doing, downloading those toolbars and free smileys is just as risky and can very easily lead to infection or at least instability.

 

[Deleted member 178]

My youngest girlfriend's sister just unknowingly installed a full korean suite (browser,AV, toolbars,etc...) while surfing on some of her favorite korean singers. i just remove all of them, they left 300+ bad registry keys and some malwares ^^

 

[jamescv7]

Peer to Peer (P2P) can be the main causes too, even the application like Frostwire and other software can be legitimate, but searches can also lead to viruses.

 

[Ramblin]

Searching, just searching for anything its one easy way to get infected.
I can remember specific times that I was searching for DRWebb and the
AV detected something and at another time that I was searching for
A Squared my AV did not detect anything. I found out later that I had
been infected.
That was my last infection and its what open my eyes and motivated
me look for something to fight Zero Day threats.
That infection, led me to Sandboxie.

Bo