security results

i currently am using bitdefender antivirus plus v10 which is includes firewall, antivirus, spam control and spyware protection. product is rated quite well and i need to test these things so i can make recommendations to my clients.

got my latest email from zdnet and in the article they had a security test function - http://downloads.zdnet.com/download.aspx?&compid=29657&docid=234528&tag=nl.e530

after downloading and installing the program the results were not the best with regards to my protections. the firewall results were terrific 100% protected but the realtime scans for i.e. spyware, virus's were lousy. has anyone tried this test ??? if not maybe some people who read this might try the test and see what your results are and get back to me. am thinking about going back to zonealarm and see how its results come out. would attach a screen print of the results but cant see how to do this here.

after the test is complete they recommend a program called viruskeeper 2007 professional which apparently is realtime in all aspects. anyone know of this product ??? looks like it comes from europe....greg

p.s. i have running on my machine besides bitdefender, spybot, spyware doctor 4, spyware guard.

 

There really isn't any sort of test to tell whether or not your protected 60%, 80% or any specific number. Purely due to the fact that you can't be 100% protected by anything at any time.

These tests are largely contructed to sell software more than anything else.

What you have on your system sounds prtty good, no oddball off the beaten path applications.

I might make a few other recommendations, all of which are free and when combined with the best security tool out there, your brain, such as don't surf dodgy sites, e.g., pr0n, P2P sites, and you don't open any unknown emails you can be more secure than if you had a hundred different security tools.

SpywareBlaster
With SpywareBlaster v3.5.1 , just DL, install and check for updates, enable Internet Explorer protection, and your done! I don't recommend using IE restricted sites protection as it's not a very large database. Use IE-SPYADs below.

To avoid known malware infested sites from loading in IE install IESPY ADS.
And MVPS Hosts File will accomplish a similar tactic and provide another layer of protection.

And to prevent unknown applications from being inserted to start up on your machine install WinPatrol v10.5.0.

Another thing I would suggest, is to install SiteAdvisor. It gives sites a few different 'ratings' and while not fool proof, a good additional layer of information about many sites.

Confused about which apps are good or not? Read about Rogue/Approved Anti Security apps

Hope that helps. I'd just ignore those test results. Rubbish AFAIC.

 

TeMerc

forgot to mention i also have spywareblaster installed and do on every machine i work on new or used.

being that the link i gave was from zdnet i made the assumption that it was most likely reputable and maybe they are trying to sell the viruskeeper product.

spybot during the testing did come up and warn me of attempted changes as did bitdefender which i denied so part of my system is working fine. am still thinking about putting za back on my system. have used for many years and like there product especially now with virus, spyware and spam protection. firewall cant be beat.

have heard of iespy ads and winpatrol but havent tried them before. will give them a try.

 

My take on system suites is they are not all cracked up what they say they are.

My point is the level of protection that needs to be served in so many crusial areas can't be done by one big bundled suite. My own observances have been they are incredibly bloated and I have never seen one perform high in all areas of protection.

There is an excellent thread about system suites on Castle Cops and in that thread they link to Firewall Guide to System Suites

I'd prefer to have stand alone items for my protection. JMHO.

 

TeMerc

your comment on having stand alone apps is interesting. am not a fan of norton because since the 2004 version it has gotten really bloated and takes up an awful lot of resources. plus when it gives one of its famous errors it almost impossible to fix other than to rebuild the machine from scratch. even after hours of talks with norton this is even what they suggest.

one reason why i went to a suite is the possibility of conflicts if using different vendors. but i also use other sfts for added protection.

when i did the install for iespyad - spybot came up and told me it is malicous sft so i cancelled the install. going to try winpatrol.

 

Yes alot of Norton stuff certainly is bloated, but I know McAfee is just as guilty. And oddly enough, both seem to have uninstall problems too, tho Norton is far worse.

Just ignore the Spybot alert about IE-Spyads, its just a false\positive, it does not know the app your installing is safe, it's a generic alert.

 

TeMerc

you have no idea how hard it is to get mcafee off new dell systems. it is so ingrained its unbelievable even with mcafees uninstall tool it still leave services installed. both are pieces of junk. not sure how they can stay in business with their software. have learned the hard way that if my clients have norton or mcafee all i tell them is to get rid of it. i wont even try to fix it just a waste of time. thanks for you input.