Quite serious Anti Keylogger and security software assistance please

chilipeppersc

chilipeppersc

chilipeppersc

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Tampere Finland
Hello,

I have recently been the victim of an attempted Fraud and am looking to enhance my security on my computer to the extent to which it would be very very difficult to access any information I may input or download.

I currently use only Microsoft security Essentials, is this enough to protect my computer?

I am looking for a trustable, useful key scrambler and/or anti keylogger software for google chrome in particular,

are there any other programs I should install to ensure my computer is safe? Malware or spyware protection or should Microsoft SE do that for me?

Are there any all-in-one software that provide this level of security?

I greatly appeciate any help or input. please only post if you can assist me in this personal, serious matter.

Many thanks

Nick
 
No need to bump so soon.

Software solutions can only do so much and shouldn't be relied upon. Microsoft Security Essentials is the best AV out there but relatively useless against new threats.

1) Keep your operating system and applications (Flash, Java, Adobe reader, etc) bang up to date. Use Secunia PSI to check for updates.
2) Run Google Chrome in Interactive plug-in mode. Settings > Show Advanced Settings > Content settings > Plug-ins > Click to play
3) Disable plug-ins that aren't used on a regular basis. chrome://plugins/
4) Don't pirate software and don't use cracks. Think before you click.
 
If your current computer is untrusted, then the first thing to do is backup/format/reinstall.

MSE is good but there are more aggressive antivirus packages around. Kaspersky is the one I recommend (but I personally use MSE)

Patch your operating system and internet-facing third party programs religiously. Chrome is good for automatic Flash updates (and is a very secure browser full stop)

If you don't use Java, don't install it.

Don't install Adobe Reader.

If you can live without scripting, disable it. This will probably drive you nuts though if you're a heavy web user.

Run in a standard user account/do not disable UAC.

Learn what strong passwords are and don't re-use them across sites.

Don't/don't let anyone install ANY software from untrusted sources. If a binary isn't signed I won't run it (with very few exceptions) This isn't foolproof but useful.

And that's about all I can brain dump right now but it's enough for you to go on.
 
Can only repeat the above and...

Are you the sole user of the computer? Anybody else have admin access? Are you using XP, Vista or 7?
 
I was looking for info on making my pc more secure, the info given is very useful but could you direct me to trusted programs which do

anti keylogging
anti spyware, malware, rootkit etc

those you can run easily and ensure your pc is clean.

I dont really know what to trust on the web atm ......
 
Easy + secure doesn't work. Everything which makes your life easier on a computer is going to make it less secure. Windows is easy to use, easy to break.

My "important" windows install can't see the internet. That's a right pain, but I think it's worthwhile. Day to day, I use a linux install with nothing of great importance on it. That has zero problems with spyware.
 
As mentioned above, first thing to do is if you think the machine has been compromised is to backup, format and re-install.

Then I'd setup another user account with no admin rights. I also like firefox with no script instead of Chrome, install malwarebytes and spybot search and destroy.

Make sure everything is updated, run regular scans, don't click yes to install on anything you're not sure about.
 
Format. Re-install.
Create a Standard User Account. Use that.
Use Google Chrome.
Don't install anything without serious consideration.
Don't pirate software.

If you are really paranoid. Use Linux for everything except gaming.
 
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ok I have a beef with some of the internet security suite suggestions in here.
for 1 COMODO is the best internet security software out there and has been for well over 6 years and is the only internet security software to test 100% and has done so for 6 years in a row by matousec and the only product that confirmed its quality on 64-bit platforms so far, best part is it is absolutely free

Secondly any antivirus/internet security is only as good as the users awareness of how to set it up and use it properly.

also COMODO DRAGON is way better and faster the chrome (looks almost the same)

Knowing about your router and how to configure it is also a good way to protect yourself.
using strong passwords 8+ characters not just words numbers and special characters too not using the administrator account as the main account is good as well.
malwarebytes comodo cloudscanner, spybot search and destroy super anti-spyware are all good spyware/malware scanners
CCleaner is also a good tool in keeping your registry clean as well as your everyday computer clean up, EG cookies recycle bin and many more options.

some people like to just use comodo firewall + avira or MSE

PC tools has also started to be recommended


In the end it is all about user awareness google is your friend start reading up on some subject like router configurations , guides on how to set up your antivirus (which ever one you use)
guides on what permissions you should use at a network level.
keep all drivers and browsers etc up to date
how to clean your registry
http://www.cert.org/homeusers/HomeComputerSecurity/
http://www.techsupportalert.com/how-to-secure-your-pc.php
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/probably-best-free-security-list-world.htm
 
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You should become a Comodo salesman. The browser is pretty nasty. It doesn't bundle Flash like Google Chrome does. Instead, it downloads the plug-in using the Adobe software and adds Flash support to Firefox and Opera if they're already installed. Another downside to using the Adobe flash installer is that it prompts the user and asks them if they would like to enable auto-update. The user should never get to choose.

The other Comodo freeware just acts as an advertisement for the Pro stuff.

COMODO GeekBuddy

COMODO GeekBuddy:

· Live, unlimited remote support for your PC issues
· Just click the desktop icon to chat with your Geek
· Your Geek will fix the problem while you watch
· Proactive support to prevent future issues
· PC Tune-ups
· Optimizing PC & Windows settings
· Help with email & printer setup
· Help installing any software
· More…
Click to expand...

Freeware with a ton of bloat.
 
Comodo is the best free firewall around, has been for years. It's also the most featured free av, was the first to go fully x64 and has more options than you can shake a stick at. Crucially, it has one thing mse doesn't - a good heuristics engine - which ms couldn't fully implement because paid companies threaded to sue for breaking their business model (litigious usa > than financial fraud). The down side is if you don't know what you're doing it's way to easy to mess things up.

That prompt isn't bloat, assuming the user has the common sense you uncheck a box at install. It's actually different from things like avast too, because you'd discover with little effort it's not trying to sell any "pro" stuff that avast does but option remote assistance when something goes pear-shaped (for a fiver iirc). When you see some of the calls pc support line actually get it's more than understandable.

Browser? I wouldn't use the browser of any av company just like I wouldn't use any av toolbars. If you want something fast and secure with no effort chrome is the logical choice. Although I wish people would stop banging on about the flash intergeneration. If people had bothered to read the instillation popup from the last flash release (or checked the task scheduler) they'd know flash automatically checks for updates daily now - independent of browser.

The real problem is still java. The last release reduced the update check from once a month to once a week and you cant change it when uac is enabled either.

Op seems to have a good handle on things though. Malwarebytes and TDSSKiller are both the course if in doubt. The only way to be 100% sure after infection hough is totally scrubbing the drive i.e. bootnnuke it. For paid stuff kaspersky probably tops the recommendations, although I'm partial to sophos, but that's because it's used by so many institutions across the country. In fact they give their mac av away for free because so many of them spread windows viruses.

Interestingly though my uni changed from sophos to the enterprise version of mse recently - but that's far better than the free consumer version :(
 
Azuse05 said:
The real problem is still java. The last release reduced the update check from once a month to once a week and you cant change it when uac is enabled either.(
Click to expand...

Control Panel > Right-click Java > Create Shortcut. Open an elevated command-prompt. Navigate to and open the shortcut. Make the change.
 
Tried that twice already, didn't stick after reboot. Even so, having to simply think about jumping through such hoops makes you wonder how seriously they take security :p
 
Azuse05 said:
Crucially, it has one thing mse doesn't - a good heuristics engine :(
Click to expand...

It has a pretty good one just have to know what settings is best. With that said that goes for any IS or AV. I have mine set up perfect I have given people access to my computer form outside and try many things to infect me and the heuristics has notified me every single time something wanted to run, install or change (user awareness here again) read the pop-ups/notifications, be aware of what your running and have installed.(default deny protection)

@KIA the browser from comodo I have never had any problems with.

Why is adding support to firefox and opera bad if they are installed ? why is asking users if they want to enable auto update bad ?
some advanced users prefer to go directly to the source to update (as I always do) Also why would I make a good salesman if most of their products are free ? Plus there is no data mining or tracking with Dragon like there is with chrome.
General rant:
Also I would like to mention that if you do purchase the pro version of COMODO you get:
live support
infection guarantee ( up to $500 ) they will cover for repairs do not know any other AV that does this.
online back-up ( not sure if the pro version still does this)

I myself use both MSE and COMODO just have to put COMODO into on demand
 
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kipslacher said:
Why is adding support to firefox and opera bad if they are installed ? why is asking users if they want to enable auto update bad ?
Click to expand...

I didn't ask Comodo Dragon to add Flash support to other browsers. It's a good idea to keep a seperate plug-in-free browser for sensitive browsing purposes such as online banking.

Giving users a choice isn't a bad thing but it's far from perfect. I don't like making such a critical update optional.
 
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