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Thread: Securing Your Computer

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    Thumbs up Securing Your Computer

    Securing Your Computer - Updated July 19, 2011

    It seems to me that this tutorial section was looking a little sad (and dated) so over the next few days I'm going to try and write a few new tutorials for this section. The first will be this one, which is how to keep your computer secure.

    I know some advanced users will just say use Linux and then you don't have to worry about all of this, but some people can't use it (a family computer for example that people need to know how to use) or simply can't break fully away from their windows programs (like games). Anyway, enough rambling, on to the tutorial.

    Making Your Computer Secure

    The first obvious step is software to protect your computer, there are many options and several that work well. In this tutorial I will be showing you how to use the ones that I personally trust.

    The programs we will be using are:

    It is important to understand that each one of these programs has a very separate and different purpose, but that is why they work well together.

    Step 1 - Anti-virus - OLD SEE BELOW FOR UPDATE
    Probably tied with a Firewall (coming later) in terms of importance, anti-virus should be one of the first things you install on your PC. For this tutorial I'm using AVG Anti-Virus because their free version works exceptionally well and it has always worked consistently for me.

    So here we go:
    1. Download AVG here. You can download whatever version you like, but the free version works fine. You should also know that the AVG installer downloads all it's files when you run it. There is also an offline version, but you will need to find it yourself.
    2. Run the AVG installer and let it download all it's files.
    3. Once the files are all downloaded you should be taken through an install wizard. Most of the default options are fine, but just be aware that it will try to change your search engine in Firefox and IE if you let it. You can disable this with a checkbox, just pay attention.
    4. Upon completion AVG may ask to restart your computer. Don't do that just yet. If it doesn't great, if that's the case they changed their installer since I used it.


    Step 1 - Anti-virus

    There are many great Anti-virus programs that will protect your computer. Some do a better job of this than others, some of these great options are listed here:



    There are others mentioned below in this thread, but these are the programs I would personally recommend. Oh yeah, and they are all free. All of the install procedures will be similar to that of AVG. If you choose COMODO Anti-virus though, all you have to do is continue on to the firewall section of this guide, and install the anti-virus along with the firewall. (it's just a check box)
    Step 2 - Firewall

    The Firewall, for those that don't know, is what allows connections out and into your computer. It is also the program that stops many unwanted applications from having access.
    For most people the firewall that is built into Windows does a good job. However, there are many programs that can automatically add exceptions into the firewall to allow themselves access to your network and the internet, for this reason we use a 3rd party firewall, known as Comodo Firewall.
    I should also mention that Comodo has an anti-virus as well, I've never really used it so I can't vouch for it's effectiveness.

    On to installing Comodo:
    1. Download Comodo Firewall here. Again you can use the paid version if you, I'll be using the free one. If you know what bit OS you have you can save some time on your download, as only downloading one, say the x64 will save you about 34MB of bandwidth.
    2. Run the installer for Comodo once it finishes downloading. Agree to the terms but watch after it asks for your e-mail (not required) as it will have a product selected called COMODO GeekBuddy. I am not going to install this and I would personally recommend you do the same unless you think you will need support down the road, as it doesn't say the support is free.
    3. After a short automatic download, a different installer window will open, just click next.
    4. At this point you will be asked about what level of protection you want;
      Firewall only
      Firewall with Optimum Proactive Defense
      Firewall with Maximum Proactive Defense
      I'm going to select Firewall Only as that is all I'm using Comodo for, select whichever option you like.
    5. Next Comodo will ask you about using COMODO DNS servers, I was at first tempted by this option until I saw that it automatically blocks "Malicious" sites. That wasn't a clear enough definition for me because many sites that I have used for finding programs, etc. fall into this category. I would much rather use Google DNS, more about that in another tutorial later.
      For now, select I don't want to use Comodo DNS.
    6. Now click the final install button to make Comodo actually install on your system. This may take a few minutes, or seconds, it will really just depend on the speed of your system.
    7. After Comodo has finished make sure you turn off your Windows firewall. This can be accessed from control panel. I would post a picture but it varies in each version of windows, so I'm hoping you'll be able to find it. If you can't find it, post here, I'll help you.
    8. Restart your computer.

    At this point your computer is more secure than most of the computers that are around right now. I'm going to update this later with how to further protect it, and how to fix it if it gets something not so great on it. Expect an update soon!

    If you think I missed something, or am wrong in some area, post, and I'll take it into consideration!
    Last edited by Silent; 07-19-2011 at 06:37 AM.
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    Edit: Ruined your threads layout adding this post here =/

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dgby714 View Post
    Edit: Ruined your threads layout adding this post here =/
    Still looks ok to me? And thanks for the links, I'll look into those!
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    Quote Originally Posted by Silent SPY View Post
    Still looks ok to me? And thanks for the links, I'll look into those!
    I meant if you were gonna add more post after that one with more info, now my post is just gonna be stuck between them lol >..>

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    Gotcha, lol. Well I think I'll be able to fit it into that post, if all else I can just make it into a different tutorial anyway, as those two other programs kind of go with my next one.
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    Sorry, but I wouldn't recommend AVG to anyone. It slowed my computer down to a snail last time I used it. I suggest MSE(Microsoft Security Essentials) with Malwarebytes and Spybot S&D.
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    Umm.. AVG sucks really bad... It's equivalent to having Norton and McAfee..
    Get yourself Avast Antivirus and for spyware/adware get MalwareBytes or SpyBot Search and Destroy. For seriously preventing keyloggers (Pro's make them FUD) you'd actually need a Key-scrambler and to remove DMZ mode from your router..
    Last edited by Brandon; 07-06-2011 at 05:07 AM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Geo View Post
    Sorry, but I wouldn't recommend AVG to anyone. It slowed my computer down to a snail last time I used it. I suggest MSE(Microsoft Security Essentials) with Malwarebytes and Spybot S&D.
    I've never had slow downs caused by AVG, but I will look into MSE.

    Quote Originally Posted by ggzz View Post
    Umm.. AVG sucks really bad... It's equivalent to having Norton and McAfee..
    Get yourself Avast Antivirus and for spyware/adware get MalwareBytes or SpyBot Search and Destroy. For seriously preventing keyloggers (Pro's make them FUD) you'd actually need a Key-scrambler and to remove DMZ mode from your router..
    I was going to get to MalwareBytes lol, but I have to disagree with you on AVG being like Norton or McAfee, it's no where near that bad. Due to the feedback I'm getting though, I am looking into other alternatives.
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    Nice tutorial.

    I've found that ESET Smart Security 4 is a way better antivirus than AVG. It doesn't slow down my computer at all, even with it's background scanning. It also boots up extremely quickly when you start your computer. Another great thing about it is that it takes barely any time at all compared to other antiviruses to scan your hard drive, yet it's virus signature database is huge! It will catch anything which isn't FUD, however it can detect FUD apps as potentially dangerous and ask you what you want done with it. It also finds viruses extremely fast. If I start to download a virus, it will delete it before it's even half-way downloaded, leaving me unable to download it. ESET Smart Security 4 is also super easy to use and understand. That's why I think it's the best antivirus out there.

    I also suggest using KeyScrambler so key loggers won't be able to key log you in certain applications.

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    I use ESet Nod32 AV (not Smart Security) and Windows firewall. That and smart browsing has kept me virus free.

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    I use intelligence. Haven't been troubled by a virus yet. *knock on wood*

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    Quote Originally Posted by pyroryan View Post
    I use intelligence. Haven't been troubled by a virus yet. *knock on wood*
    While this is definitely the best practice, sometimes protection is needed anyway. I for example run a few game servers every now and then, and the ports are open and forwarded to my computer. In the case that something manages to find those ports, I want to have the proper fail-safes in place.
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    Which is the least cpu and emeory intensive AV while still retaining speed and begin quick?
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    I'll try to answer this from a pure minimum requirements standpoint as I have not used all the AV that are in existence. I'll use the specs for the AVs that people have mentioned in this thread. All of them require at least Windows Xp. Here is the list:

    Avast! Anti-virus: Minimum Hardware Requirements
    Pentium 3 Processor
    128 MB RAM
    200 MB of free hard disk space

    AVG Anti-virus: Minimum Hardware Requirements
    Processor Intel Pentium 1.5 GHz or faster
    Memory 512 MB of RAM
    Hard disk free space (for installation) 750 MB

    Recommended system requirements
    Processor Intel Pentium 1.8 GHz or faster
    Memory 512 MB RAM
    Hard disk free space (for installation) 1400 MB

    Comodo Anti-virus: Minimum Requirements.
    Windows 7 / Vista / XP SP2
    128 MB RAM / 350 MB hard disk space

    ESET Smart Security 4 & NOD32 not free: System Requirements
    Processors Supported: Intel or AMD x86-x64
    Operating Systems: Windows® 7/Vista SP2/XP SP3/2000 SP4
    Installation size: 250 MB
    Memory commit charge: 80 MB

    Microsoft Security Essentials: System Requirements
    For Windows XP, a PC with a CPU clock speed of 500 MHz or higher, and 256 MB RAM or higher.
    For Windows Vista and Windows 7, a PC with a CPU clock speed of 1.0 GHz or higher, and 1 GB RAM or higher.
    VGA display of 800 × 600 or higher.
    200 MB of available hard disk space.

    I hope this helps to answer your question. All those stats are pulled straight from the products download page. It seems that AVG and MSE are the fatties, while ESET is the litest, but not free. Avast! and Comodo both look like good compromises.
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    Personally I run linux, but ....

    My customers run SuperAntiSpyware Pro Lifetime edition (I buy it in bulk for a really great deal). High risk customers also have Eset Nod32 AV, as they compliment each other rather than interfere. I haven't had the opportunity to use it yet, but as I'm in the partner program SAS can remote in to remove and analyze anything they don't pick up.

    I used to use MBAM, but the support just wasn't there. MSE is nice and light, but it seems like it doesn't do much.

    Everyone also gets AdBlock Plus, WOT, and OpenDNS. NoScript too if they're up for it.

    People say that Sandboxie is very effective, but tricky to let the good downloads in. I haven't tried it though.

    Either way, you want a full image backup (RedoBackup/Clonezilla/Acronis) whenever you make major system changes, plus daily/weekly backups of user files. The fake antivirus malware (rogueware) is so obvious and prevalent that over the past few years it has made us forget about the quiet malware. The new TDL4 trojan will even remove obvious malware so that you won't even realize it's there. Malware hosing the MBR, and otherwise making the system unrecoverable is also becoming more common. So your best defense is having a disaster recovery plan (works for windows and harddrive corruption too).

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    MSE as posted above

    hijackthis as posted above

    also malwarebytes
    immunet

    all very good programs
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    Updated the guide to reflect some feedback I got from you all.
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    Don't really like comodo, I use to have it on my netbook, and out of nowhere a process called cmdagent.exe would run and use over 90% CPU and lag the shit out of my system for a good 20-40minutes (This would happen very often)

    I installed avast on it and now it runs much better. I still use comodo on my desktop however because I am lazy haha
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