Best Anti Virus?

blade · Post by **blade** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 3:49 pm

Bear with me, I did a whole lot of research and spent a lot of time for this.

We've discussed this a lot here and most prefer nav. Nav has 2002, 2003 and 2005. Now I noticed a symantec corporate version. Any idea about that one?

Ok, a few weeks or maybe a month ago I was running nav 2003 and my system started acting strange. Ran a full scan and nothing was found. Ran that free trendmicro online scan, nothing was found. Ran AVG, 4-5 viri were found. :; wtf! nav 2003 with the latest updates found nothing.

So I got miffed at nav and uninstalled it, went back to just AVG. Ran spybot search and destroy off and on and each time it found and supposedly removed a dsi (something like that) exploit. After a reboot it was always back. Searched google and read a lot of sites. Overall most said the best av is http://www.kaspersky.com/downloads it removes on average from what I saw over 98% of viri. Norton was 80-95%. Of course it varies at each site who tested them, but kaspersky was always at the top. Panda was at or near the top on some tests, but on most I saw they had kaspersky better, or just didn't list panda. Or vice versa.

The average said the <font color=red>best free av</font color> is http://www.free-av.com/ FreeAV found about 85% of viri, AVG found 69-80%. It use to be better, but new viri are tougher and getting tougher. AVG had always been my old standby so these results dissappoints me.

I tried nav 2005, did a full scan and nothing was found. Ran AVG, nothing was found. Uninstalled nav again

and installed that kaspersky. <b>Scanning is by far the slowest with kaspersky, but damn if it found 3 trojans on my system</b>. 3 that nav and avg missed!

Of course a test next week may have different results since the trojan/virus makers keep making new and tougher ones. But from my findings with kaspersky, I'm sticking with it for now. It is user friendly, just scans real slow when doing a full scan. Doesn't use as much resources as nav either. From what I can tell it uses slightly more than avg. Under task manager all I can read from it is kavsvc.

You can search forever on google finding what you need. Most searches go to a site selling an av. :;

Anyway, I'd suggest trying kaspersky. They have a 30 day free trial. Do a full scan and see. I'm sure glad I did.

Viperoni · Post by **Viperoni** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 5:06 pm

The 5 DSO exploit items is an issue in Spybot, it'll keep on "finding" it. Turns out it's nothing at all, so just disregard it.

Good informative post

Executioner · Post by **Executioner** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 6:38 pm

Yeah, I read the same thing about Kaspersky, but since I just had an AV poll a month ago, I decided not to bring it up again. I'm currently running NAV 2002. I had 2003, but I hated that Norton Recycling bin, and there was no option to not have it installed.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 6:58 pm

The Corporate (or Enterprise) versions of both NAV and McAfee are FAR better products than the regular version. I highly recommend the Enterprise version of McAfee (version 7.1 is what I'm running and I think it's the latest).

It's MUCH lighter on memory and resources than NAV, and doesn't require the massive updates that NAV always seems to require. Also I've never needed to restart my computer after an update as is common with the regular version of NAV.

The only problem with corporate versions is that they generally don't support Outlook Express - only Outlook, but anyone here should either be using a better mail client than OE or should be savy enough not to run infected attachments (I use OE myself but I have HTML disabled).

Executioner · Post by **Executioner** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 8:39 pm

I have both - Outlook Express and Outlook. Should I move my stuff over to Outlook and dump OE, or maybe move to a better email client?

FP - what's your take on Kaspersky?

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 9:00 pm

I've heard good things about Kaspersky but never used it myself.

If you like OE there's nothing wrong with it, and anyone here is probably tech savy enough to install all the latest security updates and not gullible enough to click on a link in an email or open a suspicious attachment without scanning it.

I use OE only because I've been using it a LONG time and I'm comfortable with it. I've never really liked the look and feel of Outlook.

However I disable HTML embedded messages by checking "Read all messages in plain text" in the OE settings under the Read tab.

There's absolutely no reason I need to see HTML in an email and this is how many of the exploits get through. It's also how scammers hide the actual path of a URL.

The funny thing is how most scam and spam emails are gibberish when you look at them in plain text. Gives them away real easy. Usually there's just random words in the plain text to try and fool spam filters.

I have been reading my messages in plain text for a year with no problems. If a friend sends a legit HTML formatted message (most people just use HTML for text formatting) then I can still clearly read the message in plain text.

Most legitamate companies send their emails in both plain text and HTML (if they use HTML at all). For instance I can read all of NewEgg's invoices just fine in plain text, although if I want to print it neatly I can always open the HTML attachment.

Only negative is long URL links may be incomplete in plain text, but the only time that's been an issue is if a vendor sends me a package tracking link and it's easy enough to open the message in HTML or (what I usually do) just copy the tracking number and go to the web site and paste it in myself.

BTW: I STONGLY recommend people at work who use OE disable HTML - prevents the porn junk mailings from potentially getting you into trouble.

MegaVectra · Post by **MegaVectra** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 9:13 pm

I use Avast. It works great.

http://www.avast.com/

DocSilly · Post by **DocSilly** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 2:04 am

Kaspersky has one of the quickest response times to new viruses, it takes them in average 3 hours to deliver new defenitions against new viruses, McAfee or NAV can take up to a few days .... I think I'll try it out next.

blade · Post by **blade** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:34 am

Originally posted by DocSilly
Kaspersky has one of the quickest response times to new viruses, it takes them in average 3 hours to deliver new defenitions against new viruses, McAfee or NAV can take up to a few days .... I think I'll try it out next.

Interesting. That must be why the default auto updater is set to every 3 hours. No reboots have been needed so far after an update.

Learning it more and there is a slight delay when opening a window, like a browser. It scans as a window opens. But once open, the speed is just fine.

Thanks for that info Viperoni.

I figured as much, but I'm glad I researched more. Kaspersky I believe is here to stay. Otherwise the best free one I found is that freeAV. According to the overall test results.

69-85% is still better than nothing.

MegaVectra · Post by **MegaVectra** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 7:06 am

Here is the log from Avast showing how often it updates.

"7/12/2004 12:52:59 PM 1089651179 1044 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/12/2004 4:54:23 PM 1089665663 1044 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/12/2004 8:55:46 PM 1089680146 1044 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/13/2004 12:57:08 AM 1089694628 1044 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/13/2004 4:58:32 AM 1089709112 1044 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/13/2004 8:59:57 AM 1089723597 1044 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/13/2004 1:01:21 PM 1089738081 1044 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/13/2004 5:02:47 PM 1089752567 1044 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/13/2004 9:04:49 PM 1089767089 1044 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/14/2004 12:03:21 AM 1089777801 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/14/2004 4:08:49 AM 1089792529 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/14/2004 8:10:13 AM 1089807013 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/14/2004 12:11:37 PM 1089821497 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/14/2004 4:13:00 PM 1089835980 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/14/2004 8:14:23 PM 1089850463 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/15/2004 12:15:46 AM 1089864946 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/15/2004 4:17:10 AM 1089879430 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/15/2004 8:18:34 AM 1089893914 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/15/2004 12:19:58 PM 1089908398 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/15/2004 4:21:23 PM 1089922883 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/15/2004 8:22:48 PM 1089937368 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/16/2004 12:24:11 AM 1089951851 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/16/2004 4:25:36 AM 1089966336 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/16/2004 8:27:01 AM 1089980821 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/16/2004 12:28:25 PM 1089995305 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/16/2004 4:29:49 PM 1090009789 1028 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/17/2004 3:10:53 AM 1090048253 1008 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/17/2004 7:12:20 AM 1090062740 1008 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/17/2004 11:13:45 AM 1090077225 1008 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/17/2004 3:15:10 PM 1090091710 1008 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/17/2004 5:19:08 PM 1090099148 1020 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/17/2004 5:26:32 PM 1090099592 1016 There is a new version of the virus database (VPS) available on the Internet.
7/19/2004 5:12:03 AM 1090228323 1232 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
7/19/2004 5:15:31 PM 1090271731 1232 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
7/21/2004 1:04:20 PM 1090429460 1036 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
7/23/2004 11:17:22 AM 1090595842 1012 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
7/26/2004 3:34:29 PM 1090870469 1012 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
7/27/2004 7:41:26 PM 1090971686 1012 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
7/29/2004 7:51:01 PM 1091145061 1028 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
7/31/2004 8:03:33 PM 1091318613 1028 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
8/2/2004 12:13:05 PM 1091463185 1028 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
8/3/2004 12:19:07 PM 1091549947 1028 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
8/4/2004 12:25:05 PM 1091636705 1028 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
8/9/2004 4:48:20 AM 1092041300 1028 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
8/9/2004 4:51:44 PM 1092084704 1028 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
8/11/2004 9:01:06 AM 1092229266 1028 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
8/13/2004 1:13:18 PM 1092417198 1028 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
8/16/2004 5:27:45 AM 1092648465 1028 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
8/17/2004 5:33:42 AM 1092735222 1028 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
8/20/2004 9:51:32 AM 1093009892 1028 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
8/24/2004 1:31:10 PM 1093368670 1024 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
8/27/2004 9:47:18 AM 1093614438 1024 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
8/27/2004 9:50:48 PM 1093657848 1024 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
8/31/2004 11:11:31 AM 1093965091 1020 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
9/1/2004 7:16:47 AM 1094037407 1020 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
9/1/2004 11:18:24 AM 1094051904 1020 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
9/2/2004 11:24:26 AM 1094138666 1020 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
9/23/2004 4:05:57 PM 1095969957 1004 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
9/24/2004 10:35:55 AM 1096036555 1192 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
9/28/2004 8:50:02 AM 1096375802 1192 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
9/28/2004 4:52:41 PM 1096404761 1192 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
9/29/2004 11:49:18 AM 1096472958 1184 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/1/2004 7:59:46 AM 1096631986 1184 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/4/2004 10:55:07 AM 1096901707 1188 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/6/2004 11:06:58 AM 1097075218 1188 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/8/2004 1:51:09 PM 1097257869 1324 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/11/2004 10:09:03 AM 1097503743 1192 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/12/2004 2:11:02 PM 1097604662 1192 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/14/2004 6:13:41 AM 1097748821 1192 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/15/2004 10:16:08 AM 1097849768 1192 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/19/2004 4:32:48 PM 1098217968 1260 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/20/2004 4:34:44 PM 1098304484 1260 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/21/2004 12:36:39 PM 1098376599 1260 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/22/2004 12:38:40 PM 1098463120 1260 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/26/2004 4:43:32 AM 1098780212 1260 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/27/2004 12:46:01 PM 1098895561 1260 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/29/2004 4:49:17 AM 1099039757 1260 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/29/2004 8:50:32 AM 1099054232 1260 The virus database (VPS) was automatically updated.
10/29/2004 12:51:54 PM 1099068714 1260 The program was automatically updated. "

TruckStuff · Post by **TruckStuff** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 9:29 am

Blade, what did you google for those comparisons? My NAV subscriptionis about to expire so I'm thinking about switching AV packages.

Executioner · Post by **Executioner** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:11 am

Here is a link from Anand's on AV:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview ... id=1375461

and this one:
http://www.schadentech.com/Reviews/Anti ... oundup.htm

and:
http://www.av-comparatives.org/

I have Kaspersky running in a spare system in my garage, and after I updated the program via the net, I performed a complete scan of all HD's. It took well over one hour to complete, as I had a 120 gig drive with several RAR, ZIP, BIN, and EXE files. The program will check ALL files in any archive format, including the installation EXE files. During this time, the cpu usage was quite high on my dually P3 1GHz system, but it was using only one cpu at 50-100% while scanning. The interface is nice, and it's also great you don't have to reboot when updating.

blade · Post by **blade** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:34 pm

Originally posted by TruckStuff
Blade, what did you google for those comparisons? My NAV subscriptionis about to expire so I'm thinking about switching AV packages.

Too many to list. I kept track for a while but it was so many. Exec listed some. Most had kaspersky at the top. It is very thorough. A good time to do a full scan is when you leave for the day.

But heck, it found 3 trojans that the others missed. My system is noticably faster now, whatever they did.

Avast is good mega, I used it before and was pleased with it too. It has one of the best looking interfaces. But for the free av's it wasn't ever listed at the top. freeav scored better.

wvjohn · Post by **wvjohn** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:32 am

ok, tried kapersky on my work box that had both NAV 2003 corp pro and avg

found and deleted 4 viruses but I can't seem to find the log atm of what they were.....

scan was slow and it stopped for prompt when it found some password protected archives from spybot...

I will run it through the trial with norton and see how it shapes up

blade · Post by **blade** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 2:26 pm

scan was slow and it stopped for prompt when it found some password protected archives from spybot...

Same exact thing happened to me. It's that 'fake' dso exploit thing that's a bug with spybot. I went to that folder and deleted them all. If I recall, it's under documents/settings, all users, application data, spybot, recovery. Or the next time you get to that point, have your mouse on that pasword protectd items and it'll show where they are. Now scans don't stop for that.

Not sure it keeps a log. I selected the option to delete a problem when found.