Lot of fake anti virus infections

I have a lot of computers coming into the shop these days with fake antivirus programs. What are you tech savvy guys using to secure your browsers? Or what browser do you feel makes you more secure? I would like to give a computer to someone and not have it come back to me within a month, even with virus protection on the machine.

And without having to lock down everything, so the internet is non-exiting. The internet would be pretty dull without images and stuff.

I'm on the verge of telling my customers to just purchase the paid version of Malwarebytes, because Norton, McAffee, AVG, etc seem to be letting this stuff slip on by.

Troy

14+ hours Actively online each and every day ... both here on ATS and elsewhere. No issues to speak of, that is unless you include the one's intentionaly sought out to determine removal techniques, processes.

AVG Free. Ccleaner. spybot S&D. That's all.

ComboFix takes care of virtually all the fake alert fear factor crapwares encountered thus far .... and there have been Many.


$.02

Here's what I have running on my PC:

Antivirus

Avira Personal Free (daily updates, weekly full system scan)
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (weekly updates, weekly scan)

Browsers
latest versions of the following:

Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox + addons
Flock
Opera

Flock & Firefox addons

NoScript
AdBlock Plus

Other Utilities
WinPatrol
System Explorer
CCleaner
Revo Uninstaller
Auslogics Disk Defrag

sometimes there's nothing wrong with the software that's installed on a computer and the tech guy can only do so much. it is during times like these that i am tempted to believe that the error in the system is often found between the keyboard and the chair.

ps: just in case most of your clients who use Windows still insist on using IE, ask them this:

"Have you noticed that Windows comes with a browser pre-installed? Its just great, isn't it? But since basically IE and Windows are interdependent on each other due to their being tied at birth, what do you think happens if something goes wrong with IE?"

pps: and try to wean your clients away from adobe acrobat, use sumatraPDF instead.

[edit on 3.11.10 by toreishi]

I second everything toreishi said, but would like to add that the Web of Trust addon for FireFox is a must.

Also, never access the internet with an administrator account if you're using Windows. Created one or more 'Limited Account(s)' and use it/them when accessing the internet.

The reason for this is damage control for if/when you do contract a virus. If you're using an Administrator account when you get infected, the virus will have administrator privileges, and you really don't want that.


TA

Edit for grammar.

[edit on 12-3-2010 by TheAssociate]

That's a good reminder about not running in admin. That's really one of the gateways for infection on Windows machines. But, then, you have people who are lazy aren't really going to use the separate limited account, and don't like the "run as" thing. Some people are easily confused. I can sometimes only do so much on my end though.

Google Chrome, thus far hasn't gotten my machine infected since I last reformatted my own personal machine. IE and Windows firewall seems to lay out the red carpet for Malware for some folks. Chrome seems to have gotten some things right with the "sandbox" feature I was reading about today.

And I definitely think the way to go is not have the browser and operating system tied together, like IE and Windows.

I'm thinking a good Antivirus program + non-free Malwarebytes + a browser like Chrome is good protection. Running behind a router is a good thing as well because of it being a firewall.

ComboFix is new to me. I have looked briefly at it.

Thanks for the input guys.

Troy

reply to post by cybertroy

Speaking of how useless the Windows firewall is...

Try ZoneAlarm firewall. It's free and thus far has worked quite well for me.


TA

You're the second person today who recommended Zone Alarm. I have only been exposed to it a little in the past.

Troy

Originally posted by toreishi
"Have you noticed that Windows comes with a browser pre-installed? Its just great, isn't it? But since basically IE and Windows are interdependent on each other due to their being tied at birth, what do you think happens if something goes wrong with IE?"

Actually I heard (no idea how true or valid this is) but I herd that IE is very hard to separate from windows, they are not two stand alone pieces of software, at some fundamental level they are intertwined... I think it's something to do with certain types of code will always be processed by IE on some level.....

The good thing is that Microsoft lost another one of those unfair business practice case thingies - so some time soon we should (should! fingers crossed) be seeing an update where by you are actually given a choice of all the top browsers with IE being just one of them.... I also think future versions of windows will have this option as you install or set up for the first time.

edit: oh just to say I have been quite impressed with microsoft security essentials, I think it's a great AV for free, it defiantly out performs the likes of Norton and such.... I'm banging my head against the wall cos all of my family shell out on Norton without thinking and then moan cos their computer gets buggy. Also Ccleaner and Adaware, and when I notice any specific problems an hour on google makes your mind bigger

[edit on 12/3/2010 by Now_Then]

1.) I run in a nonadministrative account.

2.) I use ESET Smart Security antivirus.

3.) I have found over time that my Mozilla Firefox Browser is more secure than my Chrome browser. As a result I am fixing to ditch Chrome.

a.) I made Firefox more secure by installing Flashgot and linking downloads to Internet Download Manager. Now drive by downloads are cancelled just about every time. I will know completely when I make a new image with only Firefox.

b.) Chrome is still susceptible to drive by downloads but the antivirus has killed them so far. I am not going to push it much longer though. Eventually something will get through.


4.) I use PeerGuarding to block a ton of peers and I am fixing to make a new image with Peerblock installed instead.

5.) I use Open DNS filtering and filter phishing sites along with custom router software.

6.) When all of the above fails I have an image file that I restore the OS partition from. I use BootItNG for this and have for years even before I had antivirus. I always completely power down the computer before doing so however because some viruses survive soft reboot.
I use a 13 GB partition approximately but I should of made it 16 or even 32 GB. The OS should always be on a separate partition from the data drive.

7.) I one day hope to explore Linux and make my own custom hardened Linux.


I hope this helps.

AVG and Iobit security 360(free) both have toolbars that help prevent downloading of those virals.

Zone Alarm is is the best free firewall as far as I can tell.

I was using Avira for awhile,but I found I got really annoyed with the pop up that occurs all the time.

Educating your "people" is the best way to prevent the recurring fake antivirus scam from making you nuts all the time.