Does AVG Anti-Virus protect me from spyware?

Question

Can somebody explain to me exactly what AVG can and cannot do for me. Thanks.

Answer 1

avg is primarily for malware or destructive programs. adaware se is for spyware or junk mail bots..its free and from download.com

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

As the name implies AVG Anti Virus is an anti virus program. To protect your computer from spyware you can download and install AVG Anti Spyware for a period of 30 days. After that it loses its resident shield and automatic update feature but you can still use it to scan for spywares... (Sorry, if this sounds like spamming. Just helping to clarify.) But a good alternative for anti spyware programs is Spybot Search&Destroy which is free and has resident shield (if you set the Tea Timer) but does not have automatic update feature. You can download from www.download.com

Answer 4

AVG is busy enough with the malware and "114,000 Microsoft Virus Definitions"

I have 93 computers and only one is running Microsoft. That one is more trouble than the other 92!

You see, ONLY Microsoft has the "114,000 Microsoft Virus Definitions". None of the 8 Macs, or the 84 computers of various vintages back to 1992, and running *BSD or GNU/Linux, have any problems and can be left on indefinitely.

This one is a Dell Dimension, 4100, with a 933Mhz cpu, and 512Mb of RAM, running http://pclinuxos.com at about 50X faster in all the benchmark tests, than it ran on Microsoft.

I can see some spam virus in an email or two, and look at them, and can then delete them. The included 5500 games and programs also include full Office Suites, plus, code editors.

I can actually grab some Microsoft virus or bot, and modify them, and send them out to takeover millions of Microsoft systems, if I wanted to. So can any 12 year old child who is un-supervised.

There is NO absolute protection from the "114,000 Microsoft Virus Definitions" until you run one of the 700+ virus free OSes, like the 310 found at http://livecdlist.com and the hundreds at http://distrowatch.com

Answer 5

The question seem to have been answered, however, I wish to add that you should not rely on any 1 program for full protection.

It is best to use multilayered security.
Besides the antivirus (even if it has spyware detection) you should have other real time security programs like :

- Spybot
http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Destroy/3000-8022_4-10122137.html

- Ad-Aware
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware

- ProtectX (highly recommended ... stops, traces & identifies several hacker attempts each week for me)
http://www.networkingfiles.com/SecurityApps/ProtectX.htm

- & even a hardware Firewall via a router(as well as the Windows or AV one) .

Look for an antivirus that has identity theft protection ... this will alert you whenever a site is secretly looking to find your passwords & other personal info without your consent.

DO NOT RELY ON 1 PROGRAM DO DO IT ALL !

regards,
Philip T

Answer 6

AVG anti virus protects against viruses. They are most often spread via e-mail, so be cautious about attatchments even if you know the sender. They are rarely spread through web pages.
Trojans and spyware are different programs and an anti virus program may see some of them but probably won't remove them. You need at least 3 anti spyware products.
Ad-ware is different again and you also need an anti adware, plus a firewall.

You need to install one firewall.
The Windows firewall doesn't stop malware on your pc from dialling out.
http://www.zonelabs.com Zone Alarm firewall OR
http://www.comodogroup.com/ - Comodo firewall.

You need to install one anti virus;
http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/ -AVG anti virus or
http://www.avast.com - Avast Antivirus

You need all three anti spyware programs;
http://www.ewido.net - AVG(Ewido) anti trojan.
http://www.safer-networking.org - Spybot Search and Destroy anti spyware. Use the Teatimer settings to protect Internet Explorer, and the Immuniser to stop malware getting on your pc.
Spywareblaster works with Internet Explorer and Firefox. It won't uninstall spyware that is already on your pc, but it will prevent hijacks and other malicious changes to your browser.
Plus;
http://www.lavasoft.com - Ad-Aware SE Personal anti adware
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com

And these are useful utilities;
http://www.mozilla.com/ - Firefox web browser.
http://www.ccleaner.com - Cr*pcleaner Registry cleaner and privacy tool
Winpatrol is a handy utility that manages cookies on your pc and stops unwanted changes to your startup folder.
http://www.winpatrol.com
http://www.siteadvisor.com -MacAffee Site Advisor warns about malware on sites you are about to visit.

http://spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm - The Spyware Warrior site identifies fake anti spyware programs.
https://www.grc.com - Shields Up security site, check your firewall works.

Remember to update and run all of you anti malware programs at least once a week.

Answer 7

AVG can protect you from spyware, virus and trojans. However, their updates are usually three months behind current signatures, thus your level of security is poorer as newer "invaders" will not be detected until it is too late.

Answer 8

* 100% virus detection — AVG’s scanning engine has received numerous awards for its excellent detection of “in the wild” viruses, including the VB100% award. Its unique combination of detection methods provides full protection against viruses, worms and trojans.
* Full on-access protection — The powerful AVG Resident Shield provides maximum protection by scanning every file opened, executed, or saved. It also prevents the opening or executing of infected files.
* Flexible intelligent scanning — The AVG Resident Shield can include/exclude files from being scanned based on individual file extensions and can handle exceptions for potentially unwanted programs such as adware.
* Full e-mail protection — AVG checks every e-mail sent or received, providing full protection from e-mail-borne threats. AVG supports all leading e-mail clients, including MS Outlook, The bat!, Eudora, and all other SMTP/POP3-based e-mail clients, such as Outlook Express. Encrypted connections using SSL are also supported.
* Automatic threat handling — AVG can automatically heal or remove infected files and other threats such as trojans and worms.
* Powerful scheduling — AVG automatically provides recommended daily schedules for scanning and updating, and also allows you to create custom-scheduled events.
* Multiple language support — No need to buy a special language version.

Answer 9

well it does work but not as good as my panda anti virus.
i just scanned one of my laptops with AVG and it found nothing, then i plugged the hard drive into an external enclosure and ran it through one of my desktops using panda and it found 5 virus's which it eliminated instantly.

Answer 10

Nothing is 100% safe, but AVG is as good as most.

Answer 11

anti virus believe it or not protects you from getting a virus
http://www.zonelabs.com/ (firewall)
http://www.lavasoft.com/ (ad-aware)
http://www.safer-networking.org/ (spybot s&d)
http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/ (avg Anti-Virus)
http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/ (Crap Cleaner)
http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/files/EClea2_0.exe (Easy Cleaner)
http://www.download.com/ (A useful site for just about anything & everything else)