An alternate, but not a replacement, would be a browser extension that blocks malicious sites, ads and trackers, because you'd be more susceptible to Scams, Spam, Phishing and Social-Engineering attempts than inadvertently running malware.
Final words... If not already, isolate your browser and downloads folder.
couple questions for
@Spawn :
1) what do you mean by "isolate your browser and downloads folder" ?
2) which browser extensions do you recommend for blocking malicious sites, ads, trackers? And doesn't slow down the browsing experience too much (some slowdown is expected and is fine, but would prefer an extension that doesn't slow down browsing to a few seconds or more while its working)
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OP edited their post after i suggested Windows Defender to ask for software other than windows defender
lol
But from what i've read and seen, comodo FW using cruelsister's settings is pretty much bulletproof (probably not 100%, but then again nothing is 100%).
The only reason to run AV in addition to CFW then would be to lighten CFW's workload by using signature/definition detection by the AV. This means the AV is first line of defense by detecting malware by their definition/signature, and if the AV signature detection doesn't find any malware, then 2nd line of defense is CFW, which takes over when the application is run and protects against malware at time of execution.
So if you are looking for AV to run alongside CFW using cruelsister's settings, then look for one that has good definition/signature detection, since that's all you will care for with the AV software. (and that the AV isn't too heavy).
- Bitdefender free will be good for this IMO (install BD first, then CFW) (for me BD free was light, some users find it heavy, only way to see for yourself is to test)
- Avira's definitions are good i've read, but Avira AV itself is quite heavy and annoying (any malware found results in a full system scan every time last i used it...annoying). So 360TS using Avira engine is maybe a good compromise (
But research if avira definitions used by 360TS is in sync with the avira definitions in actual avira products or not. I've read that sometimes AV engines used by other companies are not 100% up to date and in sync with the original company definitions, they lag behind by a certain time frame...)
