The Freeware Security Suite – Because why should I pay for it?

Security

You may have heard from people that the best way to keep your computer secure from malicious software is to buy a heavy (and expensive) anti-virus software package, along with an anti-spyware program.  Run these two programs every month or so.  You might have been told that doing this is a good practice.

Wrong!

Several programmer friends of mine, including several authoritative security forums (Wilders Security Forums and Tom’s Hardware), stress that one of the best defenses against malicious attacks is good old common sense.

Most viruses are picked up via download, so good sense says that you should be wary of downloading anything that isn’t coming from a reputable site.  If you don’t know what it is, don’t ever download it.

My own personal practice is that I never download anything unless I go to get it myself (so if I’m offered anything while I’m browsing, I refuse).  What do you do if you clicked an “OK” button, remembered that you shouldn’t have done that, and now something is downloading and you can’t stop it?  Press Control-Alt-Delete, open the Processes Tab, and shut down your web browser (iexplore.exe for Internet Explorer, firefox.exe for Firefox, chrome.exe for Google Chrome).  If a download is still occurring, then press and hold the power button of your computer until it turns off.  Reboot your computer and scan it with your security programs.

However, new viruses are made every day and spyware is getting better and better.  So, for all things outside of best web browsing practices, you will need security programs.  Not to worry, though.  All that you need can be attained for free and comes highly recommended by the pros at CNET.com and Wilders Security Forums.

Here’s a list of what type of protection I use and the program(s) to accomplish each type:

Anti-Virus – Avira Anti-Virus Free Edition

Avira Anti-Virus

This is an excellent free anti-virus program.  It leaves a smaller footprint than AVG or Avast which means that the program consumes less of your computer’s resources.  CNET.com has rated this the best free anti-virus program as of September 2009.  It even ranks higher in consumer reports than many pay-to-use programs.

You can schedule daily definition updates and virus scans (I make mine once a week).  This is the only security program that I have set to automatically startup when I turn my computer on, and it stays on the entire time.  If you can put up with an ad every time an update/scan is run then this is definitely a must-have for your security suite.

Anti-Malware – Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, SUPERAnti-Spyware ( , Iobit Security 360)

I’m using “Malware” as a term that encompasses spyware, rootkits, and any other malicious software.  The important thing to remember is that no single anti-malware program will catch everything in one go.  There are several very good programs are aimed at specific types of attacks (such as trojans or rootkits), but these are considered innefficient because they miss a great amount of differing types of attacks.  Alternately, most of the popular software today is focused on overall, general protection, and they are prone to miss the very subtle attacks that type-specific programs catch.  To remedy this, I use a variety of anti-malware programs run in sequence after each other.  I like to picture this like a net being pulled through the water multiple times to get all the filth out of it.

They do not run in the background, however.  I manually start, update, and scan my computer with them every couple weeks.  Then I turn them off.

Malwarebytes has held one of the leading free anti-malware software titles for a long time.  Their updates are even able to handle viruses and spyware that pay programs like Webroot Spysweeper miss.

SUPERAnti-Spyware is another year-after-year top performer in the free anti-spyware department.  Well worth the download.

Iobit Security 360 just came out a few months ago, and it’s download count on CNET.com is already extremely high.  I’ve ran a couple scans and the depth of customization in searching for malware suggests an incredible thoroughness.  It also has a nifty array of additional features such as system maintenance functions (a free version of Advanced System Care 3).

Iobit Security 360

However, I’ve only been using it for a week, and I don’t feel right suggesting it as a permanent addition to my Security Suite until I have used it a bit more.

Firewall – Comodo Firewall

Considered by CNET experts to be the top of the line in free firewalls.  The free version of this firewall is powerful and meticulously vigilant.  It is so sensitive that I stopped using it.  I’m sure that you can adjust the sensitivity level for incoming/outcoming items, I just feel that Windows Firewall and/or Windows Defender are sufficient for firewall protection.  Windows Firewall comes standard with Windows XP, but Windows Vista has both Firewall and Defender.

Encryption - TrueCrypt

This free software makes encrypting drives, partitions, external drives (including jump drives) a simple process while maintaining a good amount of cryptographic strength.  This is the type of encryption that the Government uses for up to Top Secret classification.  I mainly use this for securing my backup partitions from possible infiltration by malicious software or in case I lose my jump drive somewhere.

So, with these programs at your disposal (and all completely free!) and using best practices and good sense when browsing the web, you should never have problems with security again!  Well, at least for the next few years until those damn hackers get so good that they can break into our minds directly..

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