Malware Prevention Questions

[ZVallabha]

Hi, in reference to this article on prevention:

http://miekiemoes.blogspot.com/2008/02/how...nt-malware.html

1. Antivirus Scanner

I didn't see CA Internet Security on the recommended list. Is it an acceptable antivirus scanner, or would you recommend we purchase a different one? We previously had Norton. Our computer currently has malware on one of its user accounts, and I wonder if CA Security didn't do a good enough job of blocking it.

Also, with CA Security fulling running, the Windows Security Center reports that Virus Protection is turned OFF.

But I called CA about this and they say we can ignore it, it is a minor bug in their programming, and they are working on fixing it. Should I worry about this?

2. Secure Surfing

Does Firefox have as good security features as IE8? Also, what about Mozilla Thunderbird -- would it be better to only use IE8 with security settings turned to high? Or does it not matter, so long as we follow the prevention tips you outline?

Thanks!

[ZVallabha]

To further clarify my second question: this is actually for my in-laws' computer. They frequently surf popular South Asian sites on the web, some of which seem to contain malware, as they've had malware problems a couple of times in the past. So I was thinking the best prevention would be to have the surf using only IE8 with security and privacy settings set to maximum and downloads disabled. Then they could use Firefox just in case they need to download something that they / we trust. Firefox doesn't seem to have the same high-security options, so IE8 seemed best to me. Is this a good idea? Or is Firefox actually an equally or more secure browser than IE by nature?

[YoKenny1]

I use avast! Free anti virus as it has Web Shield that detects malware sites and prevents them from infecting your system and I use IE8.

http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

Make sure you completely remove CA Internet Security first as it can interfere with any anti virus installation:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5078880_remove-ca-antivirus.html

[mountaintree16]

I wouldn't personally recommend CA.

The following are my recommendations for antivirus protection along with links to downloads for them (free trials for those that require a purchase so you can try them before deciding):

• Kaspersky (free 30 day trial) The official support forum for this product can be found here
  
• Avira Antivir (free for home use) The official support forum for this product can be found here
  
• ESET NOD32 (free 30 day trial) The official support forum for this product can be found here
  
• Microsoft Security Essentials (free for home use) The official support forum for this product can be found here
  
• Avast! (free for home use) The official support forum for this product can be found here
  

Note: If you decide to use one of the trial versions of one of the paid antiviruses then you will either need to purchase it or uninstall it completely and install a replacement antivirus before the trial expires so that your PC is not left unprotected.

MSE Downloads:

• MSE for XP 32 bit
  
• MSE for Vista and Windows 7 32 bit
  
• MSE for Vista and Windows 7 64 bit
  

Definitions Installers:

Note: if installing the definitions in Windows Vista or Windows 7 you MUST right click the definitions installer and select Run as administrator and click Continue at the User Account Control prompt.

• 32 bit Definitions Installer
  
• 64 bit Definitions Installer
  

Also, a good anti-malware program (such as Malwarebytes) should also be used in real-time to prevent being infected.

Are they running XP, Vista, 7?

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