Am I protecting my computer enough so that I wont get hacked or get a virus?

Question

I am using windows firewall and Nod32 as my anti spyware, is there anything else I could be doing and do you have any tips for keeping safe on the internet and generally keeping your computer safe, thanks allot guys.

Answer 1

NOD32 is a good antivirus program, but doesn't provide spyware protection. Windows Firewall only provides inbound protection on Windows XP, so if you get a virus or spyware infection, it will be able to connect to the internet, send out personal information, and potentially be used to attack other computers.

If you're on Windows XP, these are tools I can recommend as reliable, having tested all of them within the last two months. If you're on Windows Vista, your choices are more limited for both commercial products and freeware.

firewall:
Comodo (http://www.comodo.com), or
PC Tools (http://www.pctools.com/firewall), though Comodo will be a bit easier to use, but PC Tools works on Vista.

antispyware:
Spyware Terminator (http://www.SpywareTerminator.com) or
Spyware Doctor (http://pack.google.com)
either one will give you good, realtime protection, along with
Ad-Aware Free (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/ and
Spybot S&D (http://www.safer-networking.org/
for additional removal ability. All four should work on XP and Vista.

Finally, a generic intrusion protection tool is a good supplement to the tools in the first three categories. The best one I've tested is System Safety Monitor Free edition (http://www.syssafety.com) which does a better job than most of the commercial intrusion prevention applications from major vendors. I'd recommend it for XP, while for Vista, the UAC protection built into the OS should suffice.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

Add these programs:

http://www.comodo.com/boclean/boclean.html

http://www.superantispyware.com/

http://www.ccleaner.com/

http://www.iobit.com/advancedwindowscareper.html

Widows firewall is not that great - it leaks, use comodo pro firewall (not ready for Vista yet):

http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

Nod32 is not an anti spyware program - its the best anti virus program. Nod32 weakness is it misses some spyware.

Answer 4

A properly configured security suite (antivirus, firewall, antispyware, etc) that is automatically updating and that you know how to use is a good start.

You'll also want to ensure that Windows update is completely up to date with the latest security patches and that you have it automatically downloading and installing new ones.

The same goes for any programs you use... it's always wise to check the vendors website for security patches and updates.

You may also want to harden your system (disable unnecessary services, etc...)... you can find guides online for this... I would not do anything you are not comfortable with.

Safe browsing habits, not installing crap like registry cleaners and other BS would also be a suggestion, common sense, etc...

Turning off things like remote assistance, remote desktop, file sharing... using encryption and strong passwords and not saving information in your web browser.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

NOD 32 is an excellent anti-virus (one of the best). It is not an anti-spyware program. You need both an anti-virus AND an anti-spyware.

Download and scan your machine, on a regular basis, with one of these GOOD anti-spyware /anti-adware programs.

SUPERAntiSpyware:
http://www.superantispyware.com/

A-Squared:
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/

Ewido (Now called AVG Anti-Spyware) do not download AVG anti-virus.
http://www.ewido.net/en/download/

All the above have a free edition, that's probably what you will want to download.

Answer 6

You are using the same software as me. Yes, that is pretty good, but make sure you don't download games without backup files. Using backup files allows you to sort reset the computer, and all the things that are not installed on the computer when you made the backup file are just gone, including all that weren't on at that time.

Answer 7

If you're not sure if you're using the right or optimal protection, you could just head to www.download.com and download some of the virus, hijack, & etc. protection programs. Some of them are free some of them are just free samples. Check the reviews first if it's any good.

Answer 8

Use AVG Free:
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/downloads-products/us/frt/0?prd=aff

and ccleaner:
http://www.ccleaner.com

Answer 9

Use a secure browser
http://firefox.com
This is a very secure browser and is fast, and easy to use.

AVG Free Anti-Virus
http://free.grisoft.com/
AVG runs frequent tests and automatically informs you if something's suspicious in your computer to stop viruses.

McAfee SiteAdvisor
http://www.siteadvisor.com/
This is a browser add-on and it tells you if the site is bad, or has been reported to contain viruses or something bad. This even works in Search Engines!

Hope I helped!

Answer 10

Goto http://www.geeksjunction.com to know how to protect your computer from viruses and spyware.