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| |  Would You Surf The Web Without Malware Protection?
Updated
Sep 19, 2009 at 11:42 AM by CaptainPC
Recently I read an interesting article by Michael Scalisi, an IT manager based in Alameda, California. The title of his article is “I Surf Unprotected”. This is the reason for the title of today’s blog, which kicks off the topic of PC security. As a follow up to this posting, we will look at some safe security practices that will help us all in the war against malware.
Mr. Scalisi begins his discourse by strongly recommending that people use antivirus and anti-malware software. I could not agree with him more. He then relates that all computers on his network run McAfee Anti-Virus Corporate Edition, and that he regularly uses various anti-malware applications when cleaning up his client’s computers.
However, he has been conducting an experiment for the last two years on one of his own computers, in that he does not use any antivirus software. Now Mr. Scalisi also made it clear he does not store critical documents or conduct online banking, and if the computer crashes and burns it will be no real loss except for the end of his experiment.
Incredibly, he has not been infected by any virus or malware in the two years he has been surfing the web on this computer. The only protection he has is that he is behind a Linksys firewall, and he has Windows firewall enabled. Windows firewall is less than impressive, but the Linksys hardware firewall is a good piece of kit. Mr. Scalisi began the experiment using Windows XP, but has also upgraded to Vista for a time, and currently Windows 7 beta is running on the machine.
After announcing, “Don’t try this at home, kids”, Mr. Scalisi relates how he has to regularly clean up infected computers at work despite the fact they have the antivirus, antispyware and firewall protection installed and running, as would be expected in today’s corporate computing environment. So, how did he successfully manage to pull off this obviously dangerous experiment without suffering some very negative consequences? Mr. Scalisi went on to outline the following points:
A. Trust no one. All of us have seen a pop up window asking us to click ‘OK’ or ‘Cancel’. When asked to make the choice, the right thing to do is click on the ‘X’ instead to close the intruder.
B. Never open e-mail from people you do not know, especially any attachments to the email. (To this point I add, if you receive an attachment supposedly from a friend, call the friend to confirm he or she actually sent it before you open the attachment. Some malware will hijack a person’s address book and send itself to everyone listed in the address book. In this manner it can infect a large number of computers.)
C. Never open email from companies regarding products you did not order.
D. Keep your computer up to date with the latest security updates from Microsoft. It is a good practice to set Windows Update to automatic so you will receive all the critical updates offered in a timely manner.
E. Stop installing cute applications that put smiley faces in your e-mail. (This is referring to software offered freely for your enjoyment on questionable web sites. If your e-mail software has this capability built in, then by all means enjoy it.) The key thought here is ‘stop installing’ software assuming it to be safe. Google it to see if there are any cautions posted anywhere. Be absolutely certain it is safe to use.
F. Do not open UPS tracking e-mails from products you did not ship or order.
G. Do not click on “Scan your computer” or similar popup from a program you do not recognize. When in doubt, press Ctrl-Alt-Del, and start the Task Manager, click the applications tab, highlight the app currently running and click on “End Task.”
H. Also add to this list to delete any email suggesting you have inherited a vast sum of money from someone anywhere in the world. Please never click on a link in such an e-mail or send anyone your personal information.
We must remember Mr. Scalisi practiced the above for two years and counting, without receiving infection, despite having no real malware protection.
If you are certain you have adequate malware protection in place, and if you diligently heed the above tips, you should have a safer online experience. To quote Mr. Scalisi, “Just because you’re wearing a helmet, doesn’t mean you should keep bashing your head into a wall!”
We invite your comments, questions, or if you have other tips to share, please do so.
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| | No. 1 | 
Sep 19, 2009, 09:45 AM
Re: Would You Surf The Web Without Malware Protection?
Thanks, Captain.
I rigidly adhere to points A - H.
| | No. 4 |
Sep 20, 2009, 10:03 AM
Re: Would You Surf The Web Without Malware Protection?
Excellent tips! thank you for sharing
| | No. 5 |
Sep 21, 2009, 11:43 PM
Re: Would You Surf The Web Without Malware Protection?
I have both Norton's and AVG, neither of which I have installed on my new compurer. They seriously reduce performance. About once a year or so, I format my hard disk and start all over anyway.
Do you have a recommendation?
| | No. 6 |
Sep 22, 2009, 05:03 AM
Re: Would You Surf The Web Without Malware Protection?
Hello Pierrette, and thanks for the comments and question! I quit on Norton a few years back due to the same frustration. I have been using Avast Antivirus Free Edition for the last two years and really like it. It is available for download at Avast.com. Give it a shot and if you do not like it, you can easily uninstall.
As far as Avast performance goes, some people believe it to use too much memory. I look at how security software affects my system performance rather than how much memory it requires (within reason of course), and have found Avast to be light on my computers. As a case in point, two weeks ago I removed my seven year old Pentium 4 from my home network, uninstalled both Avast and Zonealarm firewall so I could determine if there were any performance increase. I cannot see any real performance increase on my P4. Since I will no longer be using the P4 online, I will not replace the security software.
Even if you have just one computer, and you are happy to reformat/reinstall once per year, everyone you e-mail could be at risk of picking up any infections you may be carrying. There is also the increased risk of some malware sending itself to everyone in your address book. If you have this computer connected to a home network, then your other computers are definitely at risk.
A great program to use as a supplementary check on malware is Malwarebytes Anti-malware Free version. Malwarebytes is great to use about once per week to scan for bad stuff. Between Avast and Malwarebytes, I have had no problems with malware infestation.
Hope this helps, and have a safe computing day!
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