Edit 7 July 2008: I have removed my recommendation for Sunbelt Personal Firewall after some minor problems with it on separate Windows installations. In its place, I wholeheartedly recommend Comodo Firewall for protection against "unauthorized network access." Unlike the Sunbelt product, Comodo Firewall is free.
I was going to post this in the discussion about Internet Explorer; however, I thought it might have a larger audience. I work in IT; friends and family routinely ask me for recommendations regarding antivirus programs. I have had difficulty in recommending free products, not because they are free, but because the IT security work I've done has made me paranoid, and thus, I choose the best of breed (always paid) products.
So, I did some research and now provide the recommendation below for friends, family, etc. As for protecting a Windows PC, there are several categories of attack against which a PC should be protected:
- Unauthorized Network Access
- Viruses
- Gaining Remote Control of PC
- Secret Program Replacement
- Ads and Malware (trojans, etc.)
I recommend a suite of free tools to provide protection against these attacks:
Free PC Protection Software[1]
| Type of Attack | | Type of Protection | | Recommended Software |
| Unauthorized Access | | Firewall[2] | | Comodo Firewall or Jetico Pers. Firewall, ZoneAlarm, Sunbelt Personal Firewall ($10) |
| Viruses | | Anti-Virus | | Avast Anti-Virus or AVG Antivirus, PC Tools Antivirus |
| Gaining Remote Control | | Anti-Rootkit[3] | | Sophos Anti-Rootkit or AVG Rootkit Free |
| Program Replacement | | Anti-Intrusion | | WinPatrol Anti Intrusion or SpywareGuard, or Process Guard |
| Ads/Malware | | Anti-Ad/Malware | | Ad-Aware or AVG AntiSpyware, Spyware Search & Destroy, a-Squared Free Anti-Malware. |
The idea is to pick one piece of software for each of the 5 categories above. The first program in each category is my recommendation, while I feel the others are very good alternatives. These programs should run together without problem, and products of the same category should also run fine together. Of course, the programs should be regularly updated, and it is best if they are set to automatically update. Note that some security products can cover more than one category. This is especially true for some paid "security suites."[4] I based these recommendations on a combination of comprehensiveness and ease of use.
[1]Sunbelt Personal Firewall costs $10. The other programs in the firewall category are free.
[2]Windows XP and Vista include a built in firewall; however, this firewall is deficient. Two firewalls can be run at the same time without problem.
[3]As a slight aside,
Sony BMG music was caught installing rootkits on user machines as a way to attempt to prevent copyright violation. Pop the music CD in the PC, and voila, an infected PC. There was an interesting issue in that Sony pre-installs antivirus software on its PC's. These vendors were extremely reluctant to classify the Sony rootkits as viruses. Nod32 from esset, the antivirus software I use, was among the first antivirus vendors to attack the Sony rootkits. Sony's has demonstrated an absolute disdain for its customers through its handling of this and other affairs. In my opinion, they are worse than Microsoft. I avoid purchasing Sony products.
[4]Norton security suites can provide good security; however, their products do not play well with others. Be careful when installing tools on top of Norton products. Also, uninstalling Norton products can be dangerous and in my experience can force an entire rebuilding of a Windows PC.
I am indebted to
this article from
OSNews as the basis for the above.
