Is paying for antivirus a waste of money?

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  1. Posts : 3
    Windows 10 64bit
       #130

    Whatever anti-virus you decide to use in the long run its just not enough to cut the mustard and keep you safe, Windows Defender can only do so much as well. Keeping the flow of an anti-virus followed with malwarebytes and you can't go wrong. Every once in awhile run ADWCleaner to clean out anything that has slipped through, you can't go wrong.
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  2. Posts : 3,367
    W10 Pro x64/W7 Ultimate x64 dual boot main - W11 Triple Boot Pending
       #131

    Well if you look at the snipping taken back in Post #120 you will notice I had to start running scans AFTER not having the av software running for a period of time which only then saw something slip through! Some type of ad bot attached itself to Firefox only and not even seen with the FF variants or IE just FF 44, and even 45 where FF will now have to go! The scan found and removed the initial file while wiping FF off entirely should see that totally removed since deep scans are coming up empty for anything else.

    At least I was able find out just what the Wajan bot was all about when scans weren't seeing it as malware but a cleverly written bombshell you get snagged with that appears in the Control Panel just like any other app!

    Is paying for antivirus a waste of money?-ad-bot-wajan-attached-ff-only.jpg

    It was likely something "extra" as suspected that got onto FF along with an addon or came later by way of an exploit. It found it's way into the Recycle bin however in a fast hurry with this type of page appearing when a new Edge window came up.

    Is paying for antivirus a waste of money?-ad-bot-wajan-uninstalled.jpg

    When the prompt for why it was being installed appeared with a selection I chose the "T didn't intend to see this installed" choice there! I can't post the feedback they may be getting here however!
    (I'll likely be giving it to between the eyes after this one! )
    Last edited by Night Hawk; 13 Mar 2016 at 12:58. Reason: additional information added
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  3. Posts : 963
    dual boot W10 10586th2/14291 rs1 Win. Insider since Jan. 2015
       #132

    lehnerus2000 said:
    People keep posting that myth in articles and on forums.

    .....you must mean the newbie myth about visiting only safe websites and being safe on the web without some kind of protection and back up above zero .

    ofc using one's head and prudent back ups don't hurt either because a lot of times by the time a virus ,ransomware scareware , or malware is defined and recognized by the protection software vendor's & web shields or browsers it's old news anyway and some AV/malware prot . stuff & RTP web shields can certainly interfere with installed software ,browsing or more that's true ....lot's of variables


    Win Def and Mbam are working fine on W10 for me on this configuration YMMV , but on the other 3 W10 boxes the family uses I have AVG free and mbam and use Libreoffice 5.1 here and MS word or MS whatever if it comes on a new PC outside of a trial since I retired and don't get MS office free anymore.
    Last edited by blutos cousin; 13 Mar 2016 at 13:31.
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  4. Posts : 3,367
    W10 Pro x64/W7 Ultimate x64 dual boot main - W11 Triple Boot Pending
       #133

    I ran first with McA Fail back in the 90s on the Legacy versions and later on 98SE tried the Symantec System Works but as many commented during the XP days that was bloatware and I ended up running AVG free here as well. But! I ended up downloading addon internet security toolbars since the straight av programs offer only after the fact protection as far as finding what is already on or in an email but not preventing bombshells from getting dropped on you like Post #132 is a primary example of there.

    Effective web filtering can play one of the most important roles since these newer bugs are wrapped to appear as regular programs you might download and install on your own while being slipped on undetected. Once the av program was turned back on here it found traces only of the popup intrusion until determining it may been added on as an unwanted app and you saw the results.

    Malware writers are constantly looking for ways to get around things regardless of which programs you use. Having the web filtering active to filter a suspect site as well as the firewall being on would have likely been enough to prevent what was just seen. And as a rule the better programs are the paid for that see regular support not just some newer version released six months later but new definitions and patches seen monthly if not weekly at times.
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  5. Posts : 963
    dual boot W10 10586th2/14291 rs1 Win. Insider since Jan. 2015
       #134

    FWIW I'm using Mbam web protection ( Mbam Anti Exploit ) also in addition to the Mbam on demand malware scanner .

    I used to run CrApafee AV on the win 9x and XP machines till I got wise to AVG free on XP .been using mbam forever or since it came out anyway .

    I ran CrApafee for a short while on my 7x64 boxes when my ISP was giving it out free until I got fed up with it on 7 x64 and started using AVG & AVAST free on 7x64 and Win Defender and the 2 mbams for Windows 10 on this box and AVG free and the 2 mbams on the other 3 Win 10 PC's here . I keep my Windows firewall on also


    MY ISP offers McA Fail /CrApafee AV suites for an astounding waste of $5.00 per mo. now but I tried that a few yrs back when it was free there . IMO it's a bloatware virus in itself as far as I'm concerned they should call it McMalware and give it to ISIS !☻☻


    Last edited by blutos cousin; 13 Mar 2016 at 16:56.
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  6. Posts : 3,367
    W10 Pro x64/W7 Ultimate x64 dual boot main - W11 Triple Boot Pending
       #135

    I learned from my 95 experience way back when it wasn't worth the effort while with the Symantec System Works(Predacessor of Norton) it was simply the size at the time when drives were simply too small! It took years just to get to the 250gb capacity while now we see upwards of 4-5tb!

    The one real advice for anyone going out to buy a paid for av software is to get the premium with firewall and web filtering type protections rather then just the regular localized av sweeper with email check that won't quite cut it! Running addon toolbars with IE back when running AVG simply wasn't going to work!
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  7. Posts : 963
    dual boot W10 10586th2/14291 rs1 Win. Insider since Jan. 2015
       #136

    I forgot to add I useChrome x64 for my default browsers on all my Windows 10 PC's (4) and standard Windows user accts on the web and the majority of time otherwise as use permits and I dont run any browser tool bars that dont come with any of the broswers and just a few trusted extensions and no Java 6. or 7. or whatever they have now
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  8. Posts : 963
    dual boot W10 10586th2/14291 rs1 Win. Insider since Jan. 2015
       #137

    GEGeek said:
    Whatever anti-virus you decide to use in the long run its just not enough to cut the mustard and keep you safe, Windows Defender can only do so much as well. Keeping the flow of an anti-virus followed with malwarebytes and you can't go wrong. Every once in awhile run ADWCleaner to clean out anything that has slipped through, you can't go wrong.
    I run the mbam scanner now and then at leat weekley it's a must have IMO

    OTOH I gave up on spyware ,adware cleaners altogether. .......IMO half the time they just find harmless pups and cookies that mbam free and cokienator free can spot and remove anyway if your browser cookie cleaner or Ccleaner or resident AV protection cant see them.

    IOW- IMO a waste of time & money YMMV
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  9. Posts : 3,367
    W10 Pro x64/W7 Ultimate x64 dual boot main - W11 Triple Boot Pending
       #138

    I gave up on all those before the Bing search was even out! The IE toolbars were supposed to but didn't as well as the Crawler Security toolbar filter bad sites out. Sadly the same toolbar options generally will tend to leave browser whether IE or other open for exploits!

    Not having web filtering which can actually hitting bad sites however leaves you with cleaning after an incident not preventing one! Early on for Bing while still testing 7 years back I ran right into a Whamy on the search results when going to look something up. One of the first sites in the search results "saw ya comin"! when lowering the boom on you. Web filtering and considering a good firewall will be more of a plus factor in the long run then the av program used for clean up after the fact.
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  10. Posts : 963
    dual boot W10 10586th2/14291 rs1 Win. Insider since Jan. 2015
       #139

    Night Hawk said:
    Well if you look at the snipping taken back in Post #120 you will notice I had to start running scans AFTER not having the av software running for a period of time which only then saw something slip through! Some type of ad bot attached itself to Firefox only and not even seen with the FF variants or IE just FF 44, and even 45 where FF will now have to go! The scan found and removed the initial file while wiping FF off entirely should see that totally removed since deep scans are coming up empty for anything else.

    At least I was able find out just what the Wajan bot was all about when scans weren't seeing it as malware but a cleverly written bombshell you get snagged with that appears in the Control Panel just like any other app!



    It was likely something "extra" as suspected that got onto FF along with an addon or came later by way of an exploit. It found it's way into the Recycle bin however in a fast hurry with this type of page appearing when a new Edge window came up.



    When the prompt for why it was being installed appeared with a selection I chose the "T didn't intend to see this installed" choice there! I can't post the feedback they may be getting here however!
    (I'll likely be giving it to between the eyes after this one! )
    That may or may not have got past Google Chrome but IMO it's the most secure of the mainstream browsers and a lot of the usual testing /review websites seem to think so as well . I use the Windows firewall and mbam real time anti exploit web shield and whatever my router RGW has aside from the resident AV and mbam scanners .
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