Security, antivirus, malware, etc., what do I really need?

[WesternGuy]

I have Norton/Symantec and have had it for years and have had no problems. I had a small problem and took it to my local "fix-it" shop and they said there was a "virus" and they were running Malwarebytes on my desk top. They suggested I install it and use from now on. My question is - what do I really need as Norton claims to detect malware as well as viruses? For those of us who are not really that technically literate, this presents a problem as to exactly what we do need. Any insight that anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

WesternGuy

 

[4745454b]

In the olden days I remember needing several different types of scanners. AV was good at detecting virus but not much else. Used to use Adaware to remove ad programs. But adaware sucked at removing virus. Each of these different scanners were good at removing one type of thing, but those days are mostly passed.

Here's the thing though. There are some virus that are able to detect what program you have and are able to disable if there is a known flaw in the program. I've worked on PCs before that have AV installed but the virus went around it. Installing some other AV scanner is able to find the bug and remove it. I'm not surprised they put something else on to remove what the other failed to stop. (no AV is 100% either.) You can use either program, or move onto to another if you like. Just remember that if you think you have a virus on your PC to install something else and see what if finds.

 

[takochako]

I have Norton/Symantec and have had it for years and have had no problems. I had a small problem and took it to my local "fix-it" shop and they said there was a "virus" and they were running Malwarebytes on my desk top. They suggested I install it and use from now on. My question is - what do I really need as Norton claims to detect malware as well as viruses? For those of us who are not really that technically literate, this presents a problem as to exactly what we do need. Any insight that anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

WesternGuy

Since you already have Norton installed, keep that and if it isn't out of your price range, buy Malwarebytes Premium too. Norton might be able to catch some malware, but it's always better to have 2 or more security programs installed. What Norton doesn't catch, odds are, Malwarebytes will. I prefer ESET Smart Security over Norton, but it is kind of expensive compared to other options.

Basically, just because an antivirus claims to be able to catch all viruses and malware, it's not true. There is no single antivirus/antimalware that can catch everything. So it's better to have Malwarebytes and Norton simultaneously (just don't run scans simultaneously, that can cause problems with them being able to correctly detect viruses and malware).

 

[WesternGuy]

In the olden days I remember needing several different types of scanners. AV was good at detecting virus but not much else. Used to use Adaware to remove ad programs. But adaware sucked at removing virus. Each of these different scanners were good at removing one type of thing, but those days are mostly passed.

Here's the thing though. There are some virus that are able to detect what program you have and are able to disable if there is a known flaw in the program. I've worked on PCs before that have AV installed but the virus went around it. Installing some other AV scanner is able to find the bug and remove it. I'm not surprised they put something else on to remove what the other failed to stop. (no AV is 100% either.) You can use either program, or move onto to another if you like. Just remember that if you think you have a virus on your PC to install something else and see what if finds.

Thanks 4745454b. Right now, I think I will keep Norton, but on the advice of one of the technicians in the "fix-it" shop, I am going to add Malwarebytes to the mix. Hopefully, that will help in catching more of these pests.

 

[WesternGuy]

I have Norton/Symantec and have had it for years and have had no problems. I had a small problem and took it to my local "fix-it" shop and they said there was a "virus" and they were running Malwarebytes on my desk top. They suggested I install it and use from now on. My question is - what do I really need as Norton claims to detect malware as well as viruses? For those of us who are not really that technically literate, this presents a problem as to exactly what we do need. Any insight that anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

WesternGuy

Since you already have Norton installed, keep that and if it isn't out of your price range, buy Malwarebytes Premium too. Norton might be able to catch some malware, but it's always better to have 2 or more security programs installed. What Norton doesn't catch, odds are, Malwarebytes will. I prefer ESET Smart Security over Norton, but it is kind of expensive compared to other options.

Basically, just because an antivirus claims to be able to catch all viruses and malware, it's not true. There is no single antivirus/antimalware that can catch everything. So it's better to have Malwarebytes and Norton simultaneously (just don't run scans simultaneously, that can cause problems with them being able to correctly detect viruses and malware).

Thanks takochako, I will keep Norton for now, although, ESET was suggested as a good alternative by one of the technicians in the "fix-it" shop. He also suggest Malwarebytes Premium, I have taken that suggestion and installed the app, however, Norton doesn't play nice with it as there seems to be a bit of a conflict regarding protection while attached to the web. When I try to turn the web protection on, something turns it off. I am assuming that something is Norton. Maybe having ESET would resolve that - don't know.

 

[4745454b]

Westernguy, I fixed your messages. When you quote someone you need to have your reply WITH the quote. It's possible to have someone post between the quote and your reply which can lead to confusion. If you get done replying and see your message is not with the quote, go ahead and edit the quote message and copy/paste your reply.

Personally I use one scanner, and then install another when I think I need it. I normally use AVG, with Avira waiting in the wings if my machine is acting funny. I do this mostly because I know both scanners and both are free. I personally don't like the idea of two programs installed and running at the same time. They might not deep scan at the same time, but the active scanner is going at the same time.

 

[thunderforces2017]

I prefer security softwares , they have all of them inside

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Malwarebytes is now a single solution if you use the Premium version. Nothing else needed.

 

[WesternGuy]

Malwarebytes is now a single solution if you use the Premium version. Nothing else needed.

Interesting, because more and more of the recommendations that I see on the web, suggest that having two scanners is the preferred situation with Malwarebytes being one of them. This just makes the whole thing more confusing to those of us who rely on people in the know for recommendations in these situations. I go back to my original posting - what do I really need as Norton claims to detect malware as well as viruses? For those of us who are not really that technically literate, this presents a problem as to exactly what we do need - the responses, while appreciated, show this is still a bit of an uncharted area as I have three seemingly different responses. I guess I will stick with Norton and Malwarebytes for now and keep ESET as a possible replacement for Norton should the need arise.

My thanks to those who responded - it definitely got me thinking.

WesternGuy

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

New Malwarebytes Premium 3.0 description:

Announcing Malwarebytes Premium for Windows:

Malwarebytes for Windows is a next-generation antivirus replacement. The first of its kind for home users, Malwarebytes for Windows employs four independent technology modules—anti-malware, anti-ransomware, anti-exploit, and malicious website protection—to block and remove both known and unknown threats.

 

[takochako]

I have Norton/Symantec and have had it for years and have had no problems. I had a small problem and took it to my local "fix-it" shop and they said there was a "virus" and they were running Malwarebytes on my desk top. They suggested I install it and use from now on. My question is - what do I really need as Norton claims to detect malware as well as viruses? For those of us who are not really that technically literate, this presents a problem as to exactly what we do need. Any insight that anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

WesternGuy

Since you already have Norton installed, keep that and if it isn't out of your price range, buy Malwarebytes Premium too. Norton might be able to catch some malware, but it's always better to have 2 or more security programs installed. What Norton doesn't catch, odds are, Malwarebytes will. I prefer ESET Smart Security over Norton, but it is kind of expensive compared to other options.

Basically, just because an antivirus claims to be able to catch all viruses and malware, it's not true. There is no single antivirus/antimalware that can catch everything. So it's better to have Malwarebytes and Norton simultaneously (just don't run scans simultaneously, that can cause problems with them being able to correctly detect viruses and malware).

Thanks takochako, I will keep Norton for now, although, ESET was suggested as a good alternative by one of the technicians in the "fix-it" shop. He also suggest Malwarebytes Premium, I have taken that suggestion and installed the app, however, Norton doesn't play nice with it as there seems to be a bit of a conflict regarding protection while attached to the web. When I try to turn the web protection on, something turns it off. I am assuming that something is Norton. Maybe having ESET would resolve that - don't know.

There is a bug with Malwarebytes where the web protection gets disabled and then you can't re-enable it. It is usually fixed with a restart or updating Malwarebytes. I don't think it would be Norton disabling it.

New Malwarebytes Premium 3.0 description:

Announcing Malwarebytes Premium for Windows:

Malwarebytes for Windows is a next-generation antivirus replacement. The first of its kind for home users, Malwarebytes for Windows employs four independent technology modules—anti-malware, anti-ransomware, anti-exploit, and malicious website protection—to block and remove both known and unknown threats.

While Malwarebytes can catch a very large amount of malware, it's always better to have two different programs --one specialized antivirus, and one antimalware-- to fall back on each other. If something manages to get by Malwarebytes that doesn't get by ESET, your files might be screwed.

 

[WesternGuy]

"There is a bug with Malwarebytes where the web protection gets disabled and then you can't re-enable it. It is usually fixed with a restart or updating Malwarebytes. I don't think it would be Norton disabling it."

I have the latest version of MWB (3.3.1) on my desktop and I still have this problem. I try to enable Web Protection, i.e., turn it on, and it says "Starting..." and then it goes off again. Something is not right and I have been told the Norton doesn't like competition, but I don't know it that is right or not.

Interesting - I installed MWB on my laptop and it shows version 3.0.6 as the "latest". It also show that Web protection is on and the same Norton AV is installed on the laptop as is installed on the desktop. When I try to upgrade it (MWB), it says there are no new upgrades. NOW, I am really puzzled.

I even more puzzled because MWB just updated on my wife's laptop and it shows as version 3.3.1 with Web Protection on. The same version of Norton AV is also running on her laptop.

????????

 

[takochako]

"There is a bug with Malwarebytes where the web protection gets disabled and then you can't re-enable it. It is usually fixed with a restart or updating Malwarebytes. I don't think it would be Norton disabling it."

I have the latest version of MWB (3.3.1) on my desktop and I still have this problem. I try to enable Web Protection, i.e., turn it on, and it says "Starting..." and then it goes off again. Something is not right and I have been told the Norton doesn't like competition, but I don't know it that is right or not.

Interesting - I installed MWB on my laptop and it shows version 3.0.6 as the "latest". It also show that Web protection is on and the same Norton AV is installed on the laptop as is installed on the desktop. When I try to upgrade it (MWB), it says there are no new upgrades. NOW, I am really puzzled.

I even more puzzled because MWB just updated on my wife's laptop and it shows as version 3.3.1 with Web Protection on. The same version of Norton AV is also running on her laptop.

????????

It's not really a bug with a specific version of MWB, it's more of a glitch that randomly occurs. I've had this happen on multiple PCs and eventually it just goes away. If it continues to happen, you could always reinstall MWB.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Reinstall usually fixes it, just have your key available to re-enter.

 

[WesternGuy]

Reinstall usually fixes it, just have your key available to re-enter.

I was thinking that is what I would do. Presumably, uninstall first. Thanks.

UPDATE: Did the reinstall and that seems to have resolved this issue.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Reinstall usually fixes it, just have your key available to re-enter.

I was thinking that is what I would do. Presumably, uninstall first. Thanks.

UPDATE: Did the reinstall and that seems to have resolved this issue.

Excellent glad to hear.

 

[Avast-Team]

My question is - what do I really need as Norton claims to detect malware as well as viruses? For those of us who are not really that technically literate, this presents a problem as to exactly what we do need. Any insight that anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

WesternGuy

Going to your original question, WesternGuy -- the key is to pick a solution that handles both traditional threats like viruses and trojans, and newer threats like polymorphic malware, fileless attacks and exploits, ransomware, etc.

Avast does this in a variety of ways (CyberCapture, Behavior Shield, AI/machine learning, and so on) so you would only need one application to prevent against all kinds of threats. Another key is that while signature detections are useful, for example to speed up detections and streamline detection, more is needed to protect against newer or unknown threats.

I know that's oversimplfying it a bit but I hope it helps from a high level. Basically -- look for security software that can handle both traditional threats and new. If you have any questions at all, we're here to help.

On a side note, our newest release adds additional anti-exploit protection, you can read about that here.

 

[WesternGuy]

My question is - what do I really need as Norton claims to detect malware as well as viruses? For those of us who are not really that technically literate, this presents a problem as to exactly what we do need. Any insight that anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

WesternGuy

Going to your original question, WesternGuy -- the key is to pick a solution that handles both traditional threats like viruses and trojans, and newer threats like polymorphic malware, fileless attacks and exploits, ransomware, etc.

Avast does this in a variety of ways (CyberCapture, Behavior Shield, AI/machine learning, and so on) so you would only need one application to prevent against all kinds of threats. Another key is that while signature detections are useful, for example to speed up detections and streamline detection, more is needed to protect against newer or unknown threats.

I know that's oversimplfying it a bit but I hope it helps from a high level. Basically -- look for security software that can handle both traditional threats and new. If you have any questions at all, we're here to help.

On a side note, our newest release adds additional anti-exploit protection, you can read about that here.

Thanks Guys. I think I will go with what I have for now - Norton/Symantec antivirus and Malwarebytes Premium. Who knows what I may need in a few years.

WesternGuy

 

[alto767]

Antivirus programs are efficient when it comes to classic online threats such as trojans, keyloggers, worms, and viruses while antimalware can detect sophisticated and newer strains of malware and remove them to strengthen the security of your device. I recommend using both programs because they complement each other when it comes to security. I also recommend extensions such as pop and ad blockers to avoid random pop-ups on your pc.

 

[WesternGuy]

Antivirus programs are efficient when it comes to classic online threats such as trojans, keyloggers, worms, and viruses while antimalware can detect sophisticated and newer strains of malware and remove them to strengthen the security of your device. I recommend using both programs because they complement each other when it comes to security. I also recommend extensions such as pop and ad blockers to avoid random pop-ups on your pc.

This makes a lot of sense and is sort of what I have done. I am running Norton for antivirus and Malwarebytes to cover a lot of the other stuff. I realize there may be a little overlap between the two, but that is okay as long as they don't start "fighting" each other. I also realize that they may not ultimately cover everything, but I don't know if that is even possible, given the rate at which these things evolve and mutate. I think I have the best for me at this time. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?