No, you often aren't. There's *slight* protection from incoming attacks due to the fact that the router will provide NAT (meaning your internal machines aren't automatically exposed to the Internet by default) but depending on the router there are ways to "trick" it into exposing them (abuse of UPnP and PMP-NAT to name two). And there's no protection against outgoing traffic (hidden keylogger on your PC piping every keystroke over an HTTP packet stream to Russia? 99% of routers will simply allow it, it's traffic going from your home LAN to the Internet so it must be OK cos it's not an attack).

Also, software firewalls have more useful features like being able to block traffic by process (i.e. block everything Internet Explorer does but still allow Firefox for web browsing; can't do that with any kind of router firewall because it's all port 80) so they're not inherently less secure.

Its more complicated than i thought. Think overkill might be my best option. Think ill pay for the full malwarebytes version and probably the full AVG profesional version as well. I run the windows firewall also or is there a better one i should run??

Personally, I just have the standard Windows firewall, Microsoft Security Essentials and Malware Bytes (free edition). Free tools *can* be just as good as paid tools, you just need to spend a few minutes learning what each one does and how to use it appropriately (your anti-virus program will never be as good as a dedicated anti-malware program for example). The detection rates are no different between free and paid IMO, there's no business sense in making your free product crap in comparison to your paid product, because you'll never convert "triers" into "buyers" that way. For example if I tried the free AVG and got infected, my train of thought wouldn't be "oh, I'd better pay for AVG next time then", it would be "oh, I'd better find another vendor altogether". In order to have a chance of selling your product you have to accept that the majority of people are going to try your freebie first so you have to make it good at the basics.

As long as you have:

Firewall (and don't just answer every random prompt with "yes")

Anti-virus running in the background

Anti-malware run once a week or so

A little bit of common sense and don't click on every flashing ad banner

That will mostly keep you covered at a fraction of the cost of software subscriptions. The only time any of my PCs have been infected with anything are when I've done it on purpose to try and figure out how to disinfect from it (usually in a virtual machine).

Glad to hear you got your pictures back......hang on.......I'm the 999,999,999th visitor today ......wow I've won a brand new Mini :party: , wahoo all I have to do is click........

Glad to hear you got your pictures back......hang on.......I'm the 999,999,999th visitor today ......wow I've won a brand new Mini :party: , wahoo all I have to do is click........

I do have a sneaky suspicion i shouldnt have clicked something that i did, but i didnt think i needed to worry behind my inpernetrable firewall and antivirus shield. Why cant all the clever people work for antivirus software companies rather than being malicious bar stewards. What exactly do they get out of spreading virus's anyway? Well the one i got did ask for money so maybe some brain dead people actually pay them. At least im not quite as thick as them.

PS which website is it i can win the mini??

No, you often aren't. There's *slight* protection from incoming attacks due to the fact that the router will provide NAT (meaning your internal machines aren't automatically exposed to the Internet by default) but depending on the router there are ways to "trick" it into exposing them (abuse of UPnP and PMP-NAT to name two). And there's no protection against outgoing traffic (hidden keylogger on your PC piping every keystroke over an HTTP packet stream to Russia? 99% of routers will simply allow it, it's traffic going from your home LAN to the Internet so it must be OK cos it's not an attack).

Also, software firewalls have more useful features like being able to block traffic by process (i.e. block everything Internet Explorer does but still allow Firefox for web browsing; can't do that with any kind of router firewall because it's all port 80) so they're not inherently less secure.

all true but at the end of the day, unless you tick yes to something it cant get through as technically the pc your using isnt visible to the wwb, only the router, so again the end user is the problem and not the firewall, upnp is never on by default and id doubt anyone who has these issues would know how to either

going off on another tangent, the old conspiracy bit in me often wonders who makes a virus, after all theres money to be made in the cure

going off on another tangent, the old conspiracy bit in me often wonders who makes a virus, after all theres money to be made in the cure

Too true. Unless it just malicious bar stewards but they dont have much to gain and know a lot about computers to merely sit at home wasting their lives writing computer virus's.

It would be pretty complicated to make a clever computer virus so surely these skills would enable these people to hold down a decent job so i cant see them dicking about just for kicks. Maybe it is the antivirus companies themselves who release these virus's. After all if these is no virus's then they are out of a job.

Pretty cynical but either conclusion isnt great i.e pure and simple malicious attackers who do this purely to cause disruption and inconvienience or crooked antivirus companies generating work for themselves.

Browser protection is what a lot of people never think of; all those AV programs are useless if something hijacks your browser.

I havent had a single infection since I started using the following with Firefox about 3 years ago.

ABP+

NoScript

FlagFox

TACO

REASON TO KEEP THE FREE VERSION OF MALWAREBYTES

Most viri these days, the first thing the try and do when infecting your computer is to take over or block any AV programs running in memory, then they download the relevant files to over-write vital parts of the AV programs, so it will tell you everything is fine and dandy, while the virus takes full control of your PC.

The unpaid version of MWB is NOT resident in memory UNTIL you want it to run a scan, so the virus cannot detect it until it is usually too late to stop a scan detecting it.

I also use Private Firewall 7, which blocks and reports any internet accessible program that has been changed since the last reboot - it can be a pain when first installed, but if you think about each request instead of blindly clicking "OK", then you can pick up any unauthorised program changes.

Browser protection is what a lot of people never think of; all those AV programs are useless if something hijacks your browser.

I havent had a single infection since I started using the following with Firefox about 3 years ago.

ABP+

NoScript

FlagFox

TACO

REASON TO KEEP THE FREE VERSION OF MALWAREBYTES

Most viri these days, the first thing the try and do when infecting your computer is to take over or block any AV programs running in memory, then they download the relevant files to over-write vital parts of the AV programs, so it will tell you everything is fine and dandy, while the virus takes full control of your PC.

The unpaid version of MWB is NOT resident in memory UNTIL you want it to run a scan, so the virus cannot detect it until it is usually too late to stop a scan detecting it.

I also use Private Firewall 7, which blocks and reports any internet accessible program that has been changed since the last reboot - it can be a pain when first installed, but if you think about each request instead of blindly clicking "OK", then you can pick up any unauthorised program changes.

Interseting point about malwarebytes. I havent paid for the full version yet. Youve got me thinking now. Its a pity there isnt one programme that does it all for you as whenver is start interferring too much i normally balls things up,

the only safe bet is to have a backup! I learned the hard way, now I have a Clickfree backup drive simple to use , very easy to backup and restore , and has saved my bacon more than once

http://www.amazon.co...51299031&sr=8-5

Yes its lots of money but will backup muliti PC'S and mac'S

you can never protect from all attacks , only thing you can do that is 100% is backup and restore

Edited 27 October, 201213 yr by g0bgb

I just had this pop up on my screen and i just system restored it to a week ago. Does anyone know if this is good enough to get rid of it? Everything seems to be working fine.

wont harm doing a malwarebytes scan

The system restore will stop it loading, but its still present on your computer in a dormant state. Best bet is to do a full scan using something like malwarebytes.

Thanks the mad monk and mannyo. Malwarebytes downloaded and scanning.

We regularly get calls at work from "Windows Support" telling us they have diagnosed a virus on our computer and they then start directing us to a site to download a program so they can control our machine.

The last time they called they got me, was hilarious - Stung them on for a while then told em I had a Mac!

I used to work for an IT suppport company who had a very similar name to one of the company names acting on behalf of microsoft that make those scam calls. We used to get alot of calls from very irate people who had fallen for it and realised their pc was screwed and their credit card had been raped

Had a couple of people at work have had the message from the metropolitan police popping up on on their pc's

Thankfully due to how locked down the pcs are shut down the PC clear the roaming profile reboot, and its gone