The issue is this: Virus scanners are behind the curve. By the time the scanner can catch a particular virus, you were already infected. If you hadn't yet caught the virus, it mutated and won't be caught by your scanner anyway.
Besides, one company's scanner is good at catching one type of virus, while another company is better at another. This makes it a Russian roulette on whether your scanner is the top-dog that day, so you can never be sure.
And then there is the problem with performance. Symantec's and McAfee's antivirus programs are so bloated, your poor computer struggles to breath. On many-a-computer where I thought there was a virus, I found no problems. However, once I uninstalled the anti-virus software, the machine ran like a champ.
McAfee is particularly troublesome because of their sneakily installed program called "McAfee Security Scan Plus", found when ever you install Adobe Reader or Flash. McAfee Security Scan Plus does nothing to stop a virus and once you are infected, it advertises their product. See Keyliner article "Time to Remove Adobe Flash and McAfee").
The Key is This:
Most viruses sneak in because other programs (such as Adobe Flash, or your browser) are buggy -- or because you allow the virus to install!
The key to the virus problem is this: Surf Carefully!
Here are hints:
* If you didn't ask for the program, don't allow it to install. Click "Cancel" on all unexpected or surprise pop-ups.
* "You are infected with a virus" popups are always a virus asking you to install. No matter how important the message looks, cancel - or better - close the browser. If you say yes to the message, you will be infected.
* If Windows displays a grey screen with a UAC prompt "do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer", click Cancel -- especially if you are surfing. (Of course, if you *know* you asked for the install, allow it).
* If the screen says a browser plugin is missing or you cannot play this video or game without installing a new Codec or Video Player, cancel.
* Coupon-printing programs are evil.
* Free games are not free, you will get unexpected visitors when installed.
* Free "ToolBars" (even from reputable vendors), are spyware and are universally bad. This includes Yahoo Toolbar, "Ask" toolbar, and "Google Toolbars." If you have any of these toolbars installed on your browser, all good anti-virus programs will remove them! Why? They are spying on you.
* Free music and video programs (Torrents) are infested. My friend and I call free music programs "virus installers." I call them a pain in the ***".
What to do:
If you need a program or a plugin, go to the vendor's site and install it yourself. Do not accept an invitation to install from a third-party webpage or email. Trust your source.
Surf around to see if the program is bad. See what people comment about. If in doubt, don't.
General software download sites such as "CNET", "SourceForge", and "PC-Mag" are not trustworthy. Go to the author's or publisher's home page to do the download and even then, research.
What I do:
I am a safe surfer and I have taught my family to cancel all installation prompts. But I still use a virus scanner. You will laugh -- I use Microsoft's Security Essentials (MSE). MSE is free and un-intrusive.
More importantly, it has never found a virus on my computer -- and some would say on any computer. Yes, the program is that bad. By all accounts, it is the worse program on the market, but the price is right and it is not a pig. But even Microsoft of ashamed of their program; it had so much promise when it started, but then as the years passed, it has fallen. Mr. Satya Nadella, are you reading this? Make us proud and fix this!
Never-the-less, I still use Microsoft's virus scanner -- but I also have safe surfing habits. And importantly, I have lots of backups in case I am wrong. If my computer caught fire and burned to the ground, I would not care. How many backups? Four to be precise, and you should too:
1. A constant backup of all data, using something like a Western Digital Drive. Keyliner reviewed here.
2. A frequent full-computer disk image (/backup) using Acronis. Keyliner reviewed here.
3. A periodic USB disk backup, copying my data folder - then, disconnect the disk.
4. A periodic Google or Microsoft One-Drive backup offsite for the most important files. Then disconnect the auto-sync feature or close the program (you do not want a virus to infect your machine and then infect the backup through the sync folder).
What if you are a loser?
If your machine were infected, clean-up the mess after-the-fact using all of these (free) programs:
A. MalwareBytes Free Scanner
B. Kaspersky Offline (bootable CD) Scanner
C. Microsoft Security Essentials (bootable CD)
See this Keyliner article for the steps:
Virus Cleanup Steps
These three programs will almost always clean a machine -- but expect to spend two long days waiting for the scans to complete and you will need a second, un-infected computer to get the software.
Pray you do not get a ransom-ware virus because nothing will save the machine short of a backup/restore.
What to do If you like to Surf Porn or Download Free Music or have Teenagers?
Like McAfee and Symantec, these vendors also sell programs that run in the background and monitor your computer in real-time. If your machine is at risk because of poor surfing habits, teenager users or others who will click anything, install a better scanner than Microsoft's free MSE.
I have not purchased or tried these, but I have faith in the these two companies. Pick one or the other:
MalwareBytes "Full Protection"
Kaspersky "Total Security"
I often use their free programs to cleanup. These two products ought to do the same in real-time. Never install a second virus scanner without removing the other first.
Related Articles:
Virus Cleanup Steps
