I'm confused,do I need a firewall,anti-virus and anti spy software?!?

Question

Do i need all and why? which ones?

Answer 1

You definitely need a real-time antivirus and real-time firewall.



You can get by without real-time antispyware/antimalware IF your antivirus has antimalware capabilities AND if you scan with a couple of on-demand antimalware programs regularly.



* Real-time = live monitoring and protecting.

* On-demand = scan and removal of malware only when you run it manually.



For an antivirus I use and recommend the free version of Avast.

I find it to be the best *all-around* free antivirus.



> Avast Free v6: http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download



For a firewall, I use and recommend the Comodo firewall, but it has a pretty demanding learning curve, and I don't really suggest it for inexperienced users.



If you have Vista or Win 7, the Windows firewall is fine.



For on-demand antimalware, i use and recommend the free versions of *both* Superantispyware and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.



Keep them both installed, updated, and scan with them regularly.



> Superantispyware: http://www.superantispyware.com/

> Malwarebytes Anti-Malware: http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free



* If you want to spend money for protection, the paid antiviruses generally offer more features than the free ones, but NOT more protection.



* Also if I was to recommend buying the paid version of anything, it would be the paid version of Malwarebytes, because it gives real-time protection.

Malwarebytes Pro will not conflict with any other real-time programs.



* Only have one antivirus and one firewall installed; but you can have all the on-demand programs installed as you like.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

You need all 3. The firewall acts as an immediate defense but it doesn't block everything. You should get an anti-virus that runs in real time. This means it will block threats as they're coming through. But an anti-virus only blocks viruses. You also need an anti-malware program to protect you from all other threats. Malwarebytes and superantispyware are good free anti-malware programs. For antivirus I use AVG but avast is also recommended. Both are free.

*Don't get more that one anti-virus. They run in real time and can interfere with each other.

**Don't get comodo unless you know what you're doing. It will make or break your system.

Answer 4

Yes as they all do different jobs. If you want free then I recommend Avast , superantispyware and Malwarebytes. coupled with Comodo firewall They are all free for personal use . It is safe to use two anti-spy products but never use more than one A/V as it can cause conflicts. You should run A/V and anti spy weekly.

Answer 5

heebus_jeebus's answer was a bit long but very accurate. He couldn't have said it better.



I usually recommend Avast (Free) + Windows 7 built-in firewall + antispyware (eg. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware or SuperAntiSpyware).



You can use Comodo firewall which is better than the Windows firewall but it's so intrusive and beginners may find it too difficult to use.

Answer 6

Before that, what is you operating system... Microsoft Windows(XP, Vista, 7), Linux Distro (Ubuntu, Fedora...) or Mac OS X...



If you are using Windows then you really need both firewall, anti-virus and spyware...This is because Windows can infect by VIRUS (worms, trojan, adware, spyware....)



Personally, I prefer avast! Free Anti-virus...FREE, FAST and SAFE and Comodo firewall that is also free. If you like to paid, I recommend Kaspersky Internet Security...





If you are using Linux Distro then you are free from Virus, so you don't need anti-virus software...but I think you still need firewall (most linux have built-in firewall)



Sorry, I am not sure in Mac OS X...because some say MAC is free from virus and some say they have discover virus in Mac...but I know you still need firewall in Mac OS

Answer 7

The truth is, you need more than "heebus..." suggests if you use Windows for Internet tasks.

And Windows never reaches a plateau or a point where users can say "There. That's all I ever need to do.", because new and clever ways to get around todays anti-everything will be unleashed tomorrow.

You must constantly babysit this OS and dedicate hours every week to do it.

So, if you follow "heebus..." solid core-advice, add these tid-bits to your arsenal:

Get Firefox as your default browser & use it for everyday surfing; fall back to iE only for "last resort" viewing of substandard websites & Windows updates.

The following tips help, but methods ("vectors") are dynamic.

FIREFOX: Tools> Options> Privacy> top drop menu set to "Firefox will use custom settings..."> Check 'Accept Cookies from sites'

►Un-Check 'Accept 3rd Party cookies'.



A good collection of effective add-on's (Official Mozilla) is here:

https://addons.mozilla.org/collections/dunbar-pappy/dunbarpappy/

AdBlock Plus (with 'subscription' added) & "Better Privacy" also help defray rubbish.

►► At minimum, get the #1 item for malware prevention: NoScript, which constrains automagically fetching & deployment of tainted assets.

[see this page for how it works, and how to use it...very straight forward; http://noscript.net/features#contentblocking

INTERNET EXPLORER does not handle 3rd party assets very well (or anything else) and won't give nearly the control as Firefox or Chrome. It is garbage.

Use at your own risk.



And, get these installed: ►"HOSTS file" (from mvps.org) which blocks evil webpage assets from re-directs which install malware or trashware. (Vista requires special instructions; on-page link)

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

SpywareBlaster (snoopware prevention and hostfile guardian); http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html



Use "Sandboxie": http://www.sandboxie.com/ for even better protection.



If you don't have time or skill for 'updating', have a look @ "Secunia": checks all your 3rd party stuff for updates.

Freeware, and has a one click 'install solution' feature...very handy.

http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/



Making all these changes seems overwhelming, and it is a pain in the keester; but it MUST be done, and constantly tweaked...or stop using Windows on the Internet; move to Linux. 'Mint" seems to be popular and easy to install & use.

Answer 8

Firewall and an Antivirus software is essential.Lots of harmful viruses can enter your PC simply by browsing.

Answer 9

what's the terrific unfastened Anti Virus? Use unfastened Avast or unfastened Avira (you could only run one AV): why to no longer use unfastened AVG: AVG unfastened would not comprise Anti-Rootkit protection so rootkits may well be hidden on your gadget. AVG unfastened would not comprise the hot risk-free Downloads & instant Messaging protection (information superhighway safeguard technologies) so it would not demonstrate screen your downloads and verbal replace for viruses and secret agent ware. what's the terrific unfastened anti secret agent application ? there is no longer one, the terrific techniques-set to secret agent ware is named the layered techniques-set & it truly is the terrific.

Answer 10

Yes. It would help if you said what operating system you had and version.

~

Answer 11

You should try AVG antivirus it work for me.