Given my gaming laptop to my mum - worried about malware, viruses etc

Cromulent

Cromulent

Cromulent

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I have given my Mum my gaming laptop which is a really high end machine because her old computer was about 12 years old and was incredibly slow. She knows next to nothing about computers. She even managed to get malware installed on her old iMac although I have no idea how she managed that particular feat.

So she now has a Windows 10 Home laptop and is using Microsoft Edge and occasionally Microsoft Office 2013. She uses Gmail's web interface for email.

I'm really worried that she will accidentally install some malware or a virus on her machine. I have not told her the administrator password and her user account is just a standard account in the hopes that that will prevent the worst problems from occurring but I'm wondering if there is anything else I can do to make sure she doesn't install any malware or viruses on the computer.

If I bought the premium versions of Avast and Malwarebytes do you think that would be enough? Is there anything else I can do to prevent problems in the future? At the moment she is just using the built in anti-virus in Windows 10 Home.

Does anyone have any suggestions at all?
 
It's a worry isn't it, while you can be savvy and know what not to click and what option to look carefully at when installing (because those adware bits of install wizards are quite devious, switching no to mean install etc.). You just can't teach the likes of relatives the knowledge to be as cautious.

As you have premium MWB and Avast, just run MWB every now and then and see what it picks up. Avast should stop anything too serious getting on and the user account being unable to have admin privileges should prevent most obvious means of entry.

Try not to worry about what might happen, but I understand your concern.
 
Lots of things you can do.

As she's using Edge and Windows 10 home why not set her accounts as a child account of your own, that way you can see what kind of things she is running and what websites she is visiting. Setup teamviewer on there with auto remote access so you can remote in when you like to check it over

Just make sure Windows Defender is running and updated.

Make sure auto update for MS products are running and set up.

Turn UAC up full

Install AdBlock for edge.

Create a word document on the desktop called "What emails to ignore" or something like that, give examples of the types of things to look out for in phishing emails. Education is the key, all the software/hardware protection means nothing if an uneducated user is at the keyboard. Teach her about the scam phone calls too.
 
Switch her to Chrome and use ublock, I find these days 9 times out 10 all the malware gets in cause they've clicked on a pop up either by mistake or genuine. If it doesn't appear then harder to get installed.
 
Thanks all :).

I'd really like to keep the laptop as I might want to use it myself in the future for some light gaming and if I ever go away somewhere. My Mum does have an old Android tablet that she uses when she is not on the laptop and just for showing people things.

As for doing things to monitor what she is doing, that feels a bit like "big brother" to me. I know technically it would be the sensible thing to do but I don't want to spy on my Mum. One thing I will do is switch her over to Chrome though and install some adblocking software on it and activate the premium versions of Avast and Malwarebytes on the machine and hope that will stop most problems on the machine.

Personally the Google Chrome addons I use are:

Adblock Plus
Disconnect
Privacy Badger
HTTPS Everywhere
Web of Trust
 
Cromulent said:
Personally the Google Chrome addons I use are:

Adblock Plus
Disconnect
Privacy Badger
HTTPS Everywhere
Web of Trust
Click to expand...

You can replace ABP and Disconnect with uBlock Origin, it has the same filter list as both of them and works a lot more efficiently.

No need for the premium version of Avast, the majority of the features it has is junk, on both my parent's laptops I just have the core shields of Avast installed and removed the extra stuff (software updater, browser extensions, safezone browser, grimefighter, etc) as it was just bloat slowing the PC down.

A combination of both uBlock Origin and Avast has worked pretty well for them. I have the free version of Malwarebytes and AdwCleaner installed as well just in case but haven't needed to use them yet.
 
hornetstinger said:
Install Linux.
Click to expand...

Why? Windows may be less secure than Linux but Linux certainly isn't 100% secure either. She'll be better using a system she already knows over a brand new one, not to mention the OP will probably know more about securing windows than running and making sure Linux is secure.
 
AHarvey said:
Why? Windows may be less secure than Linux but Linux certainly isn't 100% secure either. She'll be better using a system she already knows over a brand new one, not to mention the OP will probably know more about securing windows than running and making sure Linux is secure.
Click to expand...

I've used Linux extensively since 1999 so I'm pretty good with it but the point it is a gaming laptop and well I want it to play games if I ever need it back rather than doing my usual programming work which is what I use Linux for. My Mum doesn't really know how to use Windows 10 but I'm sure Linux would just confuse her more. At least she has book on Windows 10 which is pretty easy to read. Most Linux books are going to be to technical for her.

I'll install the free versions of Avast and Malwarebytes as well as installing Google Chrome and the addons that people have mentioned.
 
Just buy her a chromebook for peanuts, bought my daughter one a few weeks ago off Ebay for £60 and its brilliant as a web and email machine.
Boots in seconds and the battery lasts 12 hours.
 
Columbo said:
Just buy her a chromebook for peanuts, bought my daughter one a few weeks ago off Ebay for £60 and its brilliant as a web and email machine.
Boots in seconds and the battery lasts 12 hours.
Click to expand...

Then I'd have to find something to do with my laptop. I guess I could give it to my Dad instead who is much more technical. I just don't want it sitting around not being used. My Mum has offered to buy it off me but that seems a bit cheap on my part. I don't mind giving it to her.

But yeah maybe you are right. I could get her something that suits her needs better.
 
Given my gaming laptop to your Mum - worried about malware, viruses etc... but *not* that there's some pron you might have missed? :D

I'd personally go with getting her a dedicated machine, easily replacable and buttoned as tight as you can reasonably make it.
 
ttaskmaster said:
Given my gaming laptop to your Mum - worried about malware, viruses etc... but *not* that there's some pron you might have missed? :D

I'd personally go with getting her a dedicated machine, easily replacable and buttoned as tight as you can reasonably make it.
Click to expand...

Haha :). I didn't actually get the chance to use it for porn. I might just get her a £500 PC that is custom built for her needs. Integrated graphics, a small fast SSD and a reasonable monitor would suit her fine. She probably only needs 8GBs of RAM as well.
 
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