PC Security

ok...what are the differences between these other then the prices

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2017 $45

Bitdefender Internet Security 2017 $61

Bitdefender Total Security 2017 $71

Now windows 10 does a fair job but as all my banking etc is done online I would like to add an extra layer to my protection.

Have tried some free ones in the past but they have not impressed me and am under the opinion you get what you pay for.

So is it best to go the whole package or just the AV program ? Or will MS look after me

 

I've been banking online for yonks and have never had any issues without 'extra layer of protection'. Having said that, that doesn't mean I never will lol

 

Personally I find AV and IS tools a waste of money. Just don't visit suspicious websites or download suspicious crap and you will most likely be fine.

 

MS is fine unless you want centralised reporting or advanced features such as whitelisting devices or other endpoint style control not afforded by Windows.

If you want to spend money on protecting yourself with a notably better improvement, I would suggest you buy your own domain, migrate your email to that and have it filtered through a premium spam service such as Ironport or Mimecast.

You'll have to shop around though, not all spam services are created equal - and i wouldn't recommend anything other than those two.

Yes this includes G-Suite's Postini and O365's "Advanced Online Protection" or whatever its called this week.

 

In the last year or two I've started also not using av software and tbh I'm not had a problem, that I know of. I do regular scans with software such as malwarebytes though.

 

I'm the same. After switching from Windows XP to Windows 7 on buying a new computer in 2014 I never got around to installing an anti-virus program. I used to use AVG free version & I don't think it ever saved me in all the years I used it.

I've not had any problems in the last 2 years despite not using an anti-virus program because I'm smart enough to recognise emails containing viruses & delete them from my TPG inbox. The closest I've come to disaster was years ago when I tried to login to my Commonwealth Bank account & RoboForm that I use to log in to various bank accounts, forums etc refused to log me in telling me that the website wasn't the Commonwealth bank site that I'd saved in RoboForm. I then realised it was a very realistic looking facsimile of the CBA website! AVG didn't try to stop me from logging in but RoboForm did.

I scan my PC periodically with Malwarebytes, I take regular images of my system with Acronis & I do daily backups of data I wouldn't want to lose to multiple drives including an external one and a backup computer. A ransomeware virus wouldn't bother me. I'd be up and running in 30 minutes after restoring an Acronis image & my backed up data.

As far as my bank account being hacked the banks have pretty good monitoring systems. My credit card was blocked about a year ago because my bank noticed a suspicious debit for $14 to some company in the US I'd never heard of. It was a fishing expedition to see if my stolen credit card details worked. Who stole my credit card details? Probably a corrupt employee at PayPal which is the only place that had the card details. I've long distrusted PayPal and since getting a new credit card I haven't told PayPal the new card details.

 

"Now windows 10 does a fair job but as all my banking etc is done online I would like to add an extra layer to my protection."

if this is the case, go for anyone lol

 

There are only two main attack vectors in modern Operating Systems:
1) Trick the user into installing malware.
2) Exploit a bug to allow malware.
(I use the term Malware loosely to mean a virus, spy ware, or any form of malicious software or activity.)

So if you are informed and vigilant, you can avoid (1).
If you patch your software, backup your data and keep your banking type logins secure, you can minimize the effects of (2). If you don't have a name like Julian Assange, you won't be directly targeted with either (1) or (2).

Perhaps the biggest threat to a modern operating system is children, or specifically teenage boys. God help all the parents out there, you need it.

 

Seems to be.....they certainly love visiting dodgy sites and clicking "yes" to every single prompt that pops up purely in the hope of pron gold.

 

Additon to 1.
- use a browser that lets you run ad and script blockers - enable them by default, white list your banking site and select others you trust. but default block everything. It will prevent malicious sites getting you by accident (e.g. the email link mybank.com.au.somesite.ru won't work) - you'd have to allow them explicitly first - then it's all your fault.

And for 2. run an external firewall and keep patching up to date, otherwise there's not much you can do to protect against OS bugs.

 

I'd venture that the only purpose of Antivirus software is that it is a requirement laid out in the terms and conditions of banks' online banking services.

From (for example Westpac's T&C (.PDF) Section 3.13)

I'd venture to suggest that failure to have up to date Antivirus software might give grounds for a bank to refuse a claim of account compromise. I wouldn't want to be having to argue the toss over something as trivial as that.

So even if you don't think you need antivirus software, your bank might, and things could get real expensive.

Callan

 

I'd respond to that by saying that the built in stuff in Win10 is more than sufficient to satisfy any legal requirements or obvious nasties, and anything else you manage to infect your PC with is either your own fault (those damned Linux ISO files and massive amount of clickbait ) or a hacker specifically targeting your machine. Since the last option is EXTREMELY unlikely unless your name is Bill Gates, then good habits and Windows inbuilt AV are ample for the task.

I wouldn't spend a cent on Anti Virus (bit of a misnomer these days, most malware is aimed at ripping you off, not killing your computer) unless I was some kind of commercial enterprise. For a normal user with decent habits, nothing extra is necessary. That said, no way would I switch off the Windows AV, its there, its not intrusive, why take the most basic level of protection away?

I haven't had any malware that I'm aware of on my machines for years. I used to use AVG Free until it started to become so intrusive it was virtually malware itself.

If your computer is running Windows AV and something happened with the bank, the banks guarantee to cover your losses against any electronic theft, either online or via a keycard. Mind you, this can take a long time to process (months sometimes!!) which could be an issue for some people.