Any catches with using free anti virus software

[ben2talk]

I used to take part in forums about my desktop/OS. Full time job keeping up with what anti-malware measures are needed... just a couple of months away and when you come back it's all a foreign language.

 

My last blue-screen was in 2007, over ten years now - downloaded Ubuntu and never felt the need to pay for another licence to borrow Microsoft software. Now it's even easier to get an ISO and put it on a stick, last time I was using infested computers I started taking my stick and rebooting to my own desktop.

 

Is it really worth the effort? unless you're forced to use something that ONLY runs on a Mac or a Windows system then I see no reason to bother with them at all.

[elgenon]

I love SuperAnti-Virus on my Win 10. Kaspersky was discredited as being a Rusky Trojan Horse. But I don't know.

[geoff65]

18 hours ago, QPRFC said:

I would just stick with Windows Defender built into Windows 10 by default.

 

I also run CCleaner once a month to clear cookies, cache and most importantly to clean up my Registry.

Not much sense in running CC for a general clean up, they also get rid of all your good cookies as well, your forever haven to manually log back into every site you belong to, that's where superantispyware comes into it, they remove all your tracking, bad etc and unnecessary cookies and keep your good ones. The only time I would use CC is if infected to the point i would have to use CC and other sophisticated ways of infection removal. Just a word of warning, using any kind of registry cleaner can be asking for trouble if you don't know what you're doing, tho they have come along way since the earlier days, I wouldn't encourage general users to run/use them, but if you do make sure you take steps to back up your pc before you run the program.

[Isaanbiker]

On 5/5/2019 at 2:32 AM, Stocky said:

Kaspersky has a free version, but you can pick up a licence on Ebay for very little cost.

+ 1 Got Kaspersky on all PC's, notebook and phones. Bought licenses of E-bay for almost nothing. It's the best and offers protection when you're doing online banking. 

 

   Windows Defender on for periodic scans and Kaspersky. No more is needed. 

 

    The free ones are 99 % crap. 

Edited May 9, 2019 by Isaanbiker

[JoePai]

Remember everyone, there is no such thing as free !

[Vacuum]

On 5/8/2019 at 2:27 AM, elgenon said:

I love SuperAnti-Virus on my Win 10. Kaspersky was discredited as being a Rusky Trojan Horse. But I don't know.

https://www.superantispyware.com/privacy_policy.html

[Isaanbiker]

9 hours ago, Vacuum said:

https://www.superantispyware.com/privacy_policy.html

OUR VERDICT

SUPERAntiSpyware was unreliable and missed multiple simple threats in our tests, but the free version may still help you remove some lesser nuisances.

 

AGAINST

• Poor detection rates
• Missed our ransomware simulator
• Real-time protection can be accidentally disabled
• Not a full antivirus replacement

https://www.techradar.com/reviews/superantispyware

 

• CONS

  Worst-yet scores in hands-on malware blocking test. Not tested by major antivirus labs. Poor score in malicious URL blocking test. No Web protection.

•  
• BOTTOM LINE

  SuperAntiSpyware Professional 6.0 doesn't attempt to protect against actual viruses, but it promises protection against a wide range of other malware types. It doesn't remotely deliver on that promise.

 

https://www.pcmag.com/review/326459/superantispyware-professional-6-0

 

 

KASPERSKY 2019

EDITOR'S CHOICE

THE GOOD

• Nearly perfect malware protection
• Many customization options
• Password manager, backup software, rich parental controls
• Light-to-moderate performance hit

 

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/kaspersky,review-3864.html

 

You can buy a key for one-year protection for almost nothing on eBay 

US $5.90

Approximately THB186.26

https://www.ebay.com/itm/KASPERSKY-INTERNET-SECURITY-2019-1-PC-DEVICE-1-YEAR-GLOBAL-KEY-Sale-5-90/163683768387?hash=item261c501843:g:zo8AAOSwbg5cnbuB

 

Edited May 11, 2019 by Isaanbiker

[wgdanson]

On 5/9/2019 at 4:10 PM, JoePai said:

Remember everyone, there is no such thing as free !

totally correct. You have paid for Defender when you bought W10.

[Isaanbiker]

1 minute ago, wgdanson said:

totally correct. You have paid for Defender when you bought W10.

Or upgraded for free from a fishy activated W 7 version, using an easy tool. 

 

     The upgrade worked when the PC with W 7 was activated at the time of the upgrade. Plenty of stuff available. 

[JimmyJ]

Have been using Avast Free for years, but about to go antivirus free - it seems unnecessary these days. It's been a very long time since anything has been detected via an antivirus on my computer,   including occassional runs of SuperAntispyware and Malwarebytes.

And I go to every type of website, torrenting, live streaming, etc.

 

Meanwhile, I'm giving a company essentially Super User privilege to be able to get into every  corner of my hard drive and collect who knows what.

If they are not selling their antivirus, they are selling you.

And they slow down one's speed, use up resources.

 

 

The best defense against ransomware is daily incremental backups.

 

Antivirus was much more important years ago.

 

 

Edited May 11, 2019 by JimmyJ

[SpaceKadet]

On 5/9/2019 at 3:55 PM, Isaanbiker said:

+ 1 Got Kaspersky on all PC's, notebook and phones. Bought licenses of E-bay for almost nothing. It's the best and offers protection when you're doing online banking. 

 

   Windows Defender on for periodic scans and Kaspersky. No more is needed. 

 

    The free ones are 99 % crap. 

Do pray tell how it "...offers protection when you're doing online banking."

You are already connected to your bank with SSL or TLS, and only NSA can hack it.

[SpaceKadet]

OOPS! Seems Kaspersky has done it again.....

 

"Yet Another Russian Hack of the NSA -- This Time with Kaspersky's Help" https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2017/10/yet_another_rus.html

 

You all know that Russians write the best hacking programs? It all comes from the time of cold war and hi tech embargo. They just learned to write tight code on shit hardware.

[gk10002000]

I use AVIRA free version and have used it since 2005.  Only had one issue once on my old toshiba satellite with an annoying thing that I was able to clear with a little work.  I also use CCcleaner now and then to clean up files and the registry, and run malawarebytes now and then but not in live real time mode only launch it now and then then close it.  My friend had told me years ago that AVIRA was the standard in Germany but I can't confirm that.  Highly recommend it

[JimmyJ]

8 hours ago, JimmyJ said:

Have been using Avast Free for years, but about to go antivirus free - it seems unnecessary these days. It's been a very long time since anything has been detected via an antivirus on my computer,   including occassional runs of SuperAntispyware and Malwarebytes.

And I go to every type of website, torrenting, live streaming, etc.

 

Meanwhile, I'm giving a company essentially Super User privilege to be able to get into every  corner of my hard drive and collect who knows what.

If they are not selling their antivirus, they are selling you.

And they slow down one's speed, use up resources.

 

 

The best defense against ransomware is daily incremental backups.

 

Antivirus was much more important years ago.

 

 

Deleted my Avast Antivirus after I wrote the above.

So into my first day of being free of realtime antivirus.

 

Will follow up and post here if I pick up something which the antivirus might have caught.

 

I'm also not going to do any manual scans with Super AntiSpyware or Malwarebytes unless it seems I've caught something.

Edited May 11, 2019 by JimmyJ

[Stocky]

14 hours ago, SpaceKadet said:

OOPS! Seems Kaspersky has done it again.....

Done it again? That's the original claim from 2017 - nothing new there.

[elgenon]

On 5/10/2019 at 9:06 PM, Vacuum said:

https://www.superantispyware.com/privacy_policy.html

Thanks. I like it but always get the name wrong. Don't think about until I need it.

 

My computer gets taken over periodically but this Vacuums up the bad guys. 5555 Sorry about that.

[bendejo]

On 5/7/2019 at 1:51 AM, Vacuum said:

Of course not. Apple is direct-connected to NSA.

OK, I gotta ask: is this simply a joke on Apple?  If yes, then you've stumbled across some ironic humor.

 

 

[Vacuum]

On 5/8/2019 at 2:38 AM, geoff65 said:

Not much sense in running CC for a general clean up, they also get rid of all your good cookies as well

You can choose what cookies to keep.

[Vacuum]

9 minutes ago, bendejo said:

OK, I gotta ask: is this simply a joke on Apple?  If yes, then you've stumbled across some ironic humor.

 

 

No joke. Big A , MS, and a well known search engine are well connected to the three letter organization in the west. And don't forget the '14 eyes' countries.

[bendejo]

39 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

No joke. Big A , MS, and a well known search engine are well connected to the three letter organization in the west. And don't forget the '14 eyes' countries.

Mr Jobs ran a different computer company at one time, the NSA was probably their biggest customer.

 

 

[NoshowJones]

On 5/7/2019 at 2:35 PM, QPRFC said:

I would just stick with Windows Defender built into Windows 10 by default.

 

I also run CCleaner once a month to clear cookies, cache and most importantly to clean up my Registry.

I thought the registry did not matter with newer computers, or is that only with SD?

[Fruit Trader]

On 5/9/2019 at 3:55 PM, Isaanbiker said:

+ 1 Got Kaspersky on all PC's, notebook and phones. Bought licenses of E-bay for almost nothing. It's the best and offers protection when you're doing online banking. 

Yep Kapesky sure gets its pants in a twist.

Wife has the crap on our office PC driving everyone nuts ....