Help for the Home PC – Morning Star
Of all of the computer questions I get asked the hardest one to answer is, “What is the best anti-virus software?”
I almost cringe when I'm asked this because my answer is rarely straightforward. I know the person asking the question is hoping for a simple answer, but there really is no simple response.
There are many good anti-virus packages out there – both commercial and free versions. Yet for me, there is no “best.” Why? Because today’s “best” may become next month’s “worst,” or “not as good as it was.”
I've strayed from this position in the past and I've paid the price for it as well. A good anti-virus software comes out. I try it, like it, begin to use it and let others know how well it is working. Then, sooner or later, it misses some infection. Or someone I advised calls to tell me they still got some virus or another.
So let me rewrite some of what I've written. My best advice now is to have more than one anti-virus tool in your software toolbox. Here's a recent incident that highlights the point.
My brother-in-law brought me a friend’s laptop, which had an infection that was redirecting his Web browser and doing other bothersome things while he was on the Internet. The laptop was already running Norton Internet Security as well as Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware. Neither detected or reported any infections, yet whenever I used any Web browser to search the Web I was taken to places I did not want to go. I updated and ran these again; neither indicated any virus present.
My next step was to download McAfee's Stinger virus detector. This detected several infections, cleaned them out and reported everything was fine. Sadly, it was not so. The Web browsers were still being redirected, and now I was getting Javascripts running, linking to websites, even when I was not running a Web browser. Things were getting very annoying. Next was to look for rootkits.
For rootkit detection I started with Sophos Anti-Rootkit. This ran and found the system to be clean. Not convinced I downloaded Kaspersky anti-rootkit utility TDSSKiller. The problem this time was that TDSSKiller would not run! There was no crash, no failure message, just nothing. I went back to the Internet for answers.
On an aside I really, really do love the Internet – information at your fingertips, if you know how to sort the good from the bad. Now, back to our show. Continued...
Nearly an hour later it began detecting rootkit infections in various Windows system files. Some of the infections could not be easily removed or cleaned, so I had to create a boot CD, boot it, clean out the infected files, replace them with new copies, and then boot normally.
Now Kaspersky's TDSSKiller would run, and after another hour or so it detected yet one more rootkit lingering on the system. This it cleaned and reported no other problems. The Web browsers behaved, searches went where they were supposed to go, and things were good with the world. All in all, I had spent more than five hours running various anti-virus, malware and rootkit applications in order to finally cure the system of its woes.
What’s the moral of the story? No single software is a guarantee of total protection. While some are better than others no single one is the best. No matter whose anti-virus software that you use I recommend you always have a backup option available when that time comes where your main anti-virus misses something and your system gets infected. Here are some options: Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, McAfee Stinger, Kapsersky Virus Removal Tool 2010 and Kapsersky Anti-rootkit utility TDSSKiller.
By the way, the two Web browsers I was using were Internet Explorer 8 and Google Chrome. They were already present on the laptop.
As always, if you have questions, are looking for answers or options, send me an email at ibannon@imttec.com or give me a call at 231-933-1545. In the meantime, don’t panic.
Ivan Bannon has been working with computer hardware and software since 1982, from mainframes to microcontrollers. He is currently the vice-president of IMT Technologies, Inc. in Traverse City. Over the years, Bannon has been an IT Manager, software development manager, software developer, and small business owner.
Of all of the computer questions I get asked the hardest one to answer is, “What is the best anti-virus software?”
I almost cringe when I'm asked this because my answer is rarely straightforward. I know the person asking the question is hoping for a simple answer, but there really is no simple response.
There are many good anti-virus packages out there – both commercial and free versions. Yet for me, there is no “best.” Why? Because today’s “best” may become next month’s “worst,” or “not as good as it was.”
I've strayed from this position in the past and I've paid the price for it as well. A good anti-virus software comes out. I try it, like it, begin to use it and let others know how well it is working. Then, sooner or later, it misses some infection. Or someone I advised calls to tell me they still got some virus or another.
So let me rewrite some of what I've written. My best advice now is to have more than one anti-virus tool in your software toolbox. Here's a recent incident that highlights the point.
My brother-in-law brought me a friend’s laptop, which had an infection that was redirecting his Web browser and doing other bothersome things while he was on the Internet. The laptop was already running Norton Internet Security as well as Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware. Neither detected or reported any infections, yet whenever I used any Web browser to search the Web I was taken to places I did not want to go. I updated and ran these again; neither indicated any virus present.
My next step was to download McAfee's Stinger virus detector. This detected several infections, cleaned them out and reported everything was fine. Sadly, it was not so. The Web browsers were still being redirected, and now I was getting Javascripts running, linking to websites, even when I was not running a Web browser. Things were getting very annoying. Next was to look for rootkits.
For rootkit detection I started with Sophos Anti-Rootkit. This ran and found the system to be clean. Not convinced I downloaded Kaspersky anti-rootkit utility TDSSKiller. The problem this time was that TDSSKiller would not run! There was no crash, no failure message, just nothing. I went back to the Internet for answers.
On an aside I really, really do love the Internet – information at your fingertips, if you know how to sort the good from the bad. Now, back to our show.
Since the Kaspersky anti-rootkit utility was not working I turned to Kaspersky's Virus Removal Tool 2010. My hopes went up when this software downloaded, installed and started its scan of the computer.
Nearly an hour later it began detecting rootkit infections in various Windows system files. Some of the infections could not be easily removed or cleaned, so I had to create a boot CD, boot it, clean out the infected files, replace them with new copies, and then boot normally.
Now Kaspersky's TDSSKiller would run, and after another hour or so it detected yet one more rootkit lingering on the system. This it cleaned and reported no other problems. The Web browsers behaved, searches went where they were supposed to go, and things were good with the world. All in all, I had spent more than five hours running various anti-virus, malware and rootkit applications in order to finally cure the system of its woes.
What’s the moral of the story? No single software is a guarantee of total protection. While some are better than others no single one is the best. No matter whose anti-virus software that you use I recommend you always have a backup option available when that time comes where your main anti-virus misses something and your system gets infected. Here are some options: Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, McAfee Stinger, Kapsersky Virus Removal Tool 2010 and Kapsersky Anti-rootkit utility TDSSKiller.
By the way, the two Web browsers I was using were Internet Explorer 8 and Google Chrome. They were already present on the laptop.
As always, if you have questions, are looking for answers or options, send me an email at ibannon@imttec.com or give me a call at 231-933-1545. In the meantime, don’t panic.
Ivan Bannon has been working with computer hardware and software since 1982, from mainframes to microcontrollers. He is currently the vice-president of IMT Technologies, Inc. in Traverse City. Over the years, Bannon has been an IT Manager, software development manager, software developer, and small business owner.
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