Your pictures - are they safe?

Cormac wrote in post #17925428
And if you can get it from random websites again, if mcafee lights up with a red screen the site is closed immediately. I never skip warnings

No only is McAfee one of the top 5 worst pieces of trash you could install on a PC, you can't rely on it (or any antivirus) to protect you. It only knows about what it knows about, not the new thing that was just created.

In addition to one of the standard Anti-Virus packages I've also been using Malwarebytes for the past several years (paid version) which has done a decent job of keeping most of the vermin out.

It is not perfect - only as good the folks who update it - but it's stopped several attacks, quarantined a few questionable items and alos warned me of dubious sites that were not obviously of that category.

sapearl wrote in post #17925628
In addition to one of the standard Anti-Virus packages I've also been using Malwarebytes for the past several years (paid version) which has done a decent job of keeping most of the vermin out.

It is not perfect - only as good the folks who update it - but it's stopped several attacks, quarantined a few questionable items and alos warned me of dubious sites that were not obviously of that category.

None of the anti-whatever software is perfect but I think malwarebytes is a must have.

Rod

RodS57 wrote in post #17925851
None of the anti-whatever software is perfect but I think malwarebytes is a must have.

Rod

Absolutely +1 on the Malwarebytes.

A few years back some sort of intrusive and obnoxious installer software had gotten into my machine - not a paralyzing virus or anything - but it obviously gotten there because of something I'd done. Some quick research discovered that Malwarebytes had a fix for it so I downloaded the free version. Shortly thereafter the intruder was gone and I decided to pay the $29.95 for the pro version - cheap insurance well spent.

My antivirus is Norton. Either it and my firewall is pretty good at keeping things out since it hasn't raised an alarm in a long time, or perhaps my wife and I have been practicing good habits.

sapearl wrote in post #17926012
Absolutely +1 on the Malwarebytes.

A few years back some sort of intrusive and obnoxious installer software had gotten into my machine - not a paralyzing virus or anything - but it obviously gotten there because of something I'd done. Some quick research discovered that Malwarebytes had a fix for it so I downloaded the free version. Shortly thereafter the intruder was gone and I decided to pay the $29.95 for the pro version - cheap insurance well spent.

My antivirus is Norton. Either it and my firewall is pretty good at keeping things out since it hasn't raised an alarm in a long time, or perhaps my wife and I have been practicing good habits.

I always had install issues with Norton antivirus software but it has been years since I tried it. I found it usually caused problems with the other software installed on the machine. Now, go back far enough to the old Norton utilities in the dos days and it is a different story. I still miss Norton commander but Linux has virtually the same program called midnight commander so I'm happy. The Windows machines in the house (wife's, daughter's) are using AVG which works very well.

Rod

RodS57 wrote in post #17926128
I always had install issues with Norton antivirus software but it has been years since I tried it. I found it usually caused problems with the other software installed on the machine. Now, go back far enough to the old Norton utilities in the dos days and it is a different story. I still miss Norton commander but Linux has virtually the same program called midnight commander so I'm happy. The Windows machines in the house (wife's, daughter's) are using AVG which works very well.

Rod

Norton utilities, etc for DOS were awesome. When Win95 came out, I was excited to get the updated version but was disappointed when they turned out to be annoying crap. Norton has never recovered. I see just about all security suites cause more problems than they solve. Some even introduce MORE security holes than they pretend to plug. I recently removed AVG from a PC that was amazingly slow without any good explanation. Internet ping times were in the 300 ms range. I removed AVG and BOOM, 20 ms pings and a snappier PC. They all monkey around in parts of Windows where they have no business and eventually screw something up.

Interestingly enough, its no longer just a windows problem anymore...so whether its IOS or windows, the biggest problem is still the person sitting in front of the keyboard...

"Sorry Mac fans -- now you're no better off than regular old PC users."

"KeRanger is an unwelcome arrival for Apple fans who have long heralded the Mac as a sort of untouchable rival to the traditional Windows PC"

http://www.cnet.com …ng-mac-found-in-the-wild/

digirebelva wrote in post #17926137
Interestingly enough, its no longer just a windows problem anymore...so whether its IOS or windows, the biggest problem is still the person sitting in front of the keyboard...

Yep, its no harder to trick a mac user into entering their Admin password than it is to get a windows user to click through a UAC prompt. Well, maybe slightly harder because most of the mac users I see first deny there is a password, then have to go looking through scraps of paper to find it when I need to install something.

digirebelva wrote in post #17926137
Interestingly enough, its no longer just a windows problem anymore...so whether its IOS or windows, the biggest problem is still the person sitting in front of the keyboard...

"Sorry Mac fans -- now you're no better off than regular old PC users."

"KeRanger is an unwelcome arrival for Apple fans who have long heralded the Mac as a sort of untouchable rival to the traditional Windows PC"

http://www.cnet.com …ng-mac-found-in-the-wild/

In the real world when it comes to the nasty stuff the net serves up it is only a matter of time for anyone or any os but what you do on your computer will to a large extent determine how vulnerable you are. I have my main machine which is networked but isn't normally used for Internet access for surfing. After raising a family in the computer age I have an abundance of older machines that I can use to surf and a severe virus infection is only a minor inconvenience as a fresh install only takes a couples of hours.

Rod

Contrary to what Mac users would say, the only reason OSX hasn't been targeted as hard as Windows is due to numbers. Way less use OSX, therefore there is less to gain targeting them. Software will never be 100% secure, there will always be someone smart enough to find the holes. Personally, I only use Windows Defender and common sense, haven't had a major virus in years.

mike_d wrote in post #17926132
Norton utilities, etc for DOS were awesome. When Win95 came out, I was excited to get the updated version but was disappointed when they turned out to be annoying crap. Norton has never recovered. I see just about all security suites cause more problems than they solve. Some even introduce MORE security holes than they pretend to plug. I recently removed AVG from a PC that was amazingly slow without any good explanation. Internet ping times were in the 300 ms range. I removed AVG and BOOM, 20 ms pings and a snappier PC. They all monkey around in parts of Windows where they have no business and eventually screw something up.

Norton tried to build bigger and bigger utilities and suites that did everything IMO. They just ended up being intrusive at least, bogging down the system, or interfering with operations at worst.

I try to use the least Norton that will do the job and have just been using Norton 360 for the past several years. It seems to play well with my other stuff. I didn't like that they recently auto-renewed me at twice the price, claimed I OK'd that in the small print - I suppose that's possible but I don't recall it - so when I called and complained they gave me a 50% discount which was decent of them.

mike_d wrote in post #17926132
I see just about all security suites cause more problems than they solve. Some even introduce MORE security holes than they pretend to plug. I recently removed AVG from a PC that was amazingly slow without any good explanation. Internet ping times were in the 300 ms range. I removed AVG and BOOM, 20 ms pings and a snappier PC. They all monkey around in parts of Windows where they have no business and eventually screw something up.

Try https://www.avira.com/. Consistent high rating and runs smooth in the very background where it belongs. Free, if you can handle the pop-up now-and-then. My employer also evaluated avira as a top performer and only gave it up last year to switch to a solution that had better network admin tools.

-dave-m- wrote in post #17926226
Contrary to what Mac users would say, the only reason OSX hasn't been targeted as hard as Windows is due to numbers. Way less use OSX, therefore there is less to gain targeting them. Software will never be 100% secure, there will always be someone smart enough to find the holes.

That is not at all contrary to what I would say, and I am a Mac user.

Why did you think it would be contrary? Even when talking to Apple employees at the Apple Stores, and to Apple Support staff on the phone, they say that macs tend to get fewer viruses because there are just so many less of them. None of the Apple employees that I have ever spoken to have ever claimed that mac's operating systems are in any way more resistant to viruses than other operating systems. Every single time, they attribute it to "less numbers".

So again, why do you think that is contrary to what mac users would say?

.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #17930707
That is not at all contrary to what I would say, and I am a Mac user.

Why did you think it would b econtrary? Even when talking to Apple employees at the Apple Stores, and to Apple Support staff on the phone, they say that macs tend to get fewer viruses because there are just so many less of them. None of the Apple employees that I have ever spoken to have ever claimed that mac's operating systems are in any way more resistant to viruses than other operating systems. Every single time, they attribute it to "less numbers".

So again, why do you think that is contrary to what mac users would say?

.

I'm sure their message has nothing to do with product liability.

Even an offline PC can be caught out, what if a friend gives you a USB drive with some photos to look at, that USB drive has been in their computer which is probably connected to the net and then your security falls at the first hurdle.

I use Eset Smart Security and have done for years and its always served me well and is very un-intrusive into my daily workings on my PC or laptop. On top of that regular scans, back ups, checks through installed files and running services have kept me relatively safe but none of it is fool proof. Just keep your eyes open and fingers crossed.