Internet security features?

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Jimmy9190

Jimmy9190

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Feb 17, 2007
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Clermont, Florida
This recent thread got me to wonder about internet security:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=3038890&page=1

I use MSE and MBAM Pro, my browser is Firefox 21.0 and I have Do Not Track, Ad Block Plus, Webmail Ad Blocker and Web Of Trust. I use a few other add-ons with FF too but none of them really have much to do with "security". I have MSE and MBAM excluded from each other. Neither one has ever found anything malicious on my computer. My email provider is Yahoo.

The OP in that thread had someone or something access his email and send out multiple emails to his address list. Then the next day some dirtbag was trying to make a fraudulent charge on OP's credit card. Someone somewhere was up to no good with OP's info.

I have done some reading over the last few days trying to learn more about internet security, anti-phishing and anti-spam software. Firefox and Yahoo both say they have internet security and identity safeguards built in but I was unable to find out exactly what the safeguards are and/or how well they might work, how effective they may or may not be.

MSE is an anti-virus and anti-malware program. MSE is not about financial or personal info security. AFAIK, MSE does nothing to combat phishing or email/financial info theft. Neither does MBAM. I surf the web very carefully and do not open email attachments. I delete spam when I receive it. I try to be very careful online, I do not surf porn or other unsavory sites and I use Secunia to keep all of my programs updated.

So, here is my question...just how "good" are the basic internet security aspects of your average browser, whether it be Firefox, Chrome, Explorer or any other browser? Is it or might it possibly be more secure to use an actual Internet Security Suite, such as AVG Internet Security? I have not had any problems with MSE but I am close to removing it and going with a suite. AVG for 3 computers for one year can be had on Amazon for less than $20.00. I am thinking about doing their free trial and if all goes well I may buy the suite.

Please know that I am not trying to be paranoid here. I would just like to have as much peace of mind as possible. Thanks for any info.
 
I just use Windows 7, MSE, Chrome (only because I have a Chromebook and it syncs) and common sense.

I have never found paid anti-virus to be worthwhile, and the free versions generally turn into malware themselves by constantly hounding you to upgrade or buy something else. I tried AVG free a few years ago and got very turned off by them trying to sneak tool bars and software in, and popups to try and get me to upgrade.

Keeping your system up to date, uninstall Java and watch for phishing sites is the best advice I can give. I am sure some others will chime in.
 
There is no internet security, just try your best.
frown.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Jimmy9190
The OP in that thread had someone or something access his email and send out multiple emails to his address list. Then the next day some dirtbag was trying to make a fraudulent charge on OP's credit card. Someone somewhere was up to no good with OP's info.



It seems like you're doing enough. It doesn't matter what kind of software or OS you're using if someone can guess or come to know your email (or other) password. Generate strong passwords, change them from time to time and use different ones for different purposes. Good practices will usually be more effective than products that compensate for bad practices.

If you want to take security more seriously, use Ubuntu. If you REALLY want to take security more seriously, there are some other Linux-based OS's out there made specifically for the paranoid: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/linux-distros-paranoid-secure-distros-si/ (LPS, the second one listed, is maintained by the U.S Air Force! TAILS is probably the most common, though. Neither make for that great a desktop experience.)
 
There is no such thing as security or privacy anymore. If you plan around that you will have more success than any devices, scheme or software that you can employ. A friend that is hired by companies to attack their systems to help establish the best security possible has yet to be blocked out of a clients systems and hardware. Granted, he is very smart and has a lot of resources available but so to the bad guys. He uses every dirty trick you can imagine including once having lunch in a company cafeteria within earshot of a couple of employees the inadvertently exposed a path into the system. Another time is was a midnight raid on the dumpster in the parking lot with the president of the company standing by. His latest success was playing racket ball with an unsuspecting employee at a nearby gym. He has also created duplicate web sites with URL's representing common misspelling mistakes but making sure the transactions are cancelled. This he has done with sites used by employees checking in with updates and information of one kind or another and stupid as it sounds this scheme works enough times to be very useful. If you understand that there is no security and no privacy when you use a computer, cell phone, tablet or other device you will have better results and remain safer.
 
I have a friend who works for microsoft, known him since high school and he convinced me too use MSE and quit paying for virus software programs.
MSE is a cloud network, its free, and if you are using windows as your operating system, its the best for your pc. if someone wants too hack you, they will regardless of what "protection" you have.
Microsoft will for free, if hacked, fix it all for free if using MSE. He also recommended using google chromes incognito window instead of the standard one that always open 1st, not bulletproof, but it helps.
Like others have stated, nothings private or secure on the net anymore, dont believe anyone who tells you different. If you think our US government is bad, you dont want too know what microsofts been doing for years now.
Unless your working for some secret agency, MSE will offer you the most up too date virus protection available, for free.
 
"I have never found paid anti-virus to be worthwhile", Huh?
"There is no internet security, just try your best", Huh?

I think these are irresponsible comments. You can think this if you want, more power to you but I would not recommend your course of action to anyone else.
 
Thanks for the replies. I am not looking for better anti-virus protection. MSE is pretty good at that on its own. So is MBAM Pro. I have them both isolated from each other so they both work in real time. I am interested in the actual security of my system and the info in/on my computer. That info is comprised of bank and credit card data, account numbers, social security numbers, info from my tax returns and mortgage application, online shopping, online bill payments, info about my family, pictures of my family, lots of sensitive data is on here. I want to protect that data and keep dirtbags from stealing my info so they can empty out my bank account and run amok with my credit cards. I try my best to avoid any kind of phishing sites and do not even open suspicious emails. I use a regular user non-admin account for normal every day computer use. However, I do wonder if a suite could help do a better job at keeping my info secure than I can by myself.
 
Originally Posted By: Blueskies123
"I have never found paid anti-virus to be worthwhile", Huh?
"There is no internet security, just try your best", Huh?

I think these are irresponsible comments. You can think this if you want, more power to you but I would not recommend your course of action to anyone else.


Please, enlighten us...

Don't just do a drive by post saying we're irresponsible and not tell us why.
 
Jimmy9190, if i were you, i would contact my ISP. get someone on the phone who has some form of authority too let you know how secure your service is, adn what insurance they may or may not offer while using there service if youre information was stolen.

and i second dishdude... please enlighten us, i can always afford too learn more, and am not ashamed too admit it.
 
Maybe I have found an answer to my own question. This is a link to the Identity section of the online owner's manual for AVG Internet Security Suite:

http://aa-download.avg.com/filedir/doc/AVG_Anti-Virus/avg_avc_uma_en_2013_14.pdf

I tried pasting the text here but it would not work. The part about how AVG Identity Protection works to keep identity thieves from stealing my bank account information and passwords is enough to make me try the free trial version of the suite. That is the type of protection I am looking for and I have my doubts as to whether the level of protection offered by Yahoo and Firefox will be anywhere near as tough as that of a paid Anti-Virus/Security Suite.

Also in section 6.4 there is some info on AVG's email scanning and anti-spam functions. If AVG really works like the manual says then it may offer much better protection than what I have now. It is definitely something to think about. I don't mean to harp on AVG alone, I am sure there are even better suites out there, but I did read some good reviews of AVG as a whole. The Free version is good and the suite appears to be even better and I can buy it cheap on Amazon.

What do you guys here think?
 
It's marketing hype. Yahoo already scans attachments for viruses and has a spam filter.

If you install the free trial, you'll never get it off your system.

These companies prey on people that are paranoid and don't know better.
 
Originally Posted By: Turk
There is no internet security, just try your best.
frown.gif




Yup. The term is an oxymoron.
 
Thanks again for your info here. I just read that AV Comparatives rated AVG very low, it was at the bottom of the barrel on a lot of their tests as recently as last month. I also read it was very hard to remove the AVG tool bar and restore any other previous search engine preference when removing AVG. I should probably just leave well enough alone. My system works very well as it is. I don't have the best computer money can buy but it works well enough for me, and is quick and light with MSE and MBAM. When I had Avast 7 on here it was slower and a bit sluggish. It was also on the slow side with Norton Internet Security 2012. I would wonder whether any other paid AV would do the same. I do use a lot of common sense online and hopefully will not have any internet dirtbag problems.
 
In Windows 8 and Mac OS 10.8 Mountain Lion you can use the Guest Account and when you log out nothing is saved. All documents, files, etc., are deleted. Now this is not going to work if you do want to download something from the internet or if you are trying to use Windows Update to update your operating system and Office, of course. But if you at least use the Guest Account when you are unsure of a website but need to visit it your safety is increased.
 
Originally Posted By: Mystic
In Windows 8 and Mac OS 10.8 Mountain Lion you can use the Guest Account and when you log out nothing is saved. All documents, files, etc., are deleted. Now this is not going to work if you do want to download something from the internet


Don't quote me on this, Mystic, but I *think* that using a Guest account on Windows, Mac and most Linuxes would allow you to save files from the internet directly to a USB drive (or other removable media). It would also be easy enough (and may well be enabled already) to set up a section of the hard drive (not necessarily anything technical like a partition, just a folder somewhere) that is writable by this Guest account so that files could be saved temporarily; "temporarily" meaning that they would not be saved after the Guest account "session" has ended.
 
Originally Posted By: JANDSZIRKLE
Jimmy9190, if i were you, i would contact my ISP. get someone on the phone who has some form of authority too let you know how secure your service is, adn what insurance they may or may not offer while using there service if youre information was stolen.


My ISP is Bright House, it is pretty much the same as the Comcast service that is available in other parts of the Southeast. I can get MacAfee Antivirus for free through Bright House. It was odd to me but I was unable to find much info at all on MacAfee Antivirus online. Just out of curiousity does anyone here know anything about it? Good, Bad or Indifferent?

Thanks.
 
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