Computer security?

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

For a number of years now I've been "bumbling along" with my electronic tech "stuff" without thinking very deeply about security - just trying to understand it takes all my time! I now realise I've got several devices all networked together which could, perhaps, be better protected.

Since I bought my licensed MES I've spent a lot more time on my laptop than I used to - on this forum, on you tube tutorials, searching out spare parts, etc. Now my Hudl2, which I found very handy for "sofa surfing" has thrown in the towel and I'm thinking of putting all my eggs into the windows "bucket" and buy a small laptop, or maybe a 2 in 1 to replace it (thanks Andy for the Lenovo Yoga suggestion). I never really got to grips with android, can't run VCDS and MES on it and I don't have a smart 'phone.

So for the last few days, whilst I've been looking at possible choices, I've come across a number of ads for computer security and it's made me reflect on my present provision. On my old Vista laptop (the only other computer I've ever owned) I ran AVG free and never had a problem of which I was aware. When I got the new one, Windows 10, about a year ago, I did a little research and Avira free came out tops so I run that with Defender doing it's occasional, in the background thing. - You could joke that, being a Scot, the free programs hold a certain attraction!

Anyway there was one, quite detailed article, which I found very interesting. It pointed out that most of the free programs were really pretty good at intercepting viruses these days but not good at all the other cr*p. On that assumption it recommended running Defender (which it said was now really quite good at nailing viruses and costs nothing as it's built in to Win 10) together with something like Malwarebytes pro (which runs real time, unlike the free versions, but you have to buy it). The feature thought that this combination would be pretty hard to beat without spending silly money and would offer very considerable advantages compared to just running a program like my Avira free.

So I'd love to know what the opinion of other forum members might be - bearing in mind that I'm a "hammer and screwdriver" type!
Thanks all
Jock

 

[Officina red]

I also use windows defender and malwarebytes, and i've never had a problem, but i'm no computer expert.

 

[Eklipze3k]

The first thing, in my opinion, to prevent any unwanted stuff happening on your machine, is to ditch Edge and use either Chrome, Firefox or Opera in conjunction with a good ad-blocking plugin (I use Firefox and recommend AdBlock Plus). Windows Defender has done me proud so far, and I don't use anything else. As long as you stick to trusted websites (thus avoiding the possibility of installing malicious software), and your router has a good firewall built in (which most do these days) the chances of infection or data loss are really quite small.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I also use windows defender and malwarebytes, and i've never had a problem, but i'm no computer expert.

Thanks 'red, that's very useful to know. Do you use the free version of Malwarebytes or the paid one? I ask because I believe the free one only runs when you manually initiate it? Gawd, just listen to me, I actually sound as if I know what I'm talking about!

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

The first thing, in my opinion, to prevent any unwanted stuff happening on your machine, is to ditch Edge and use either Chrome, Firefox or Opera in conjunction with a good ad-blocking plugin (I use Firefox and recommend AdBlock Plus). Windows Defender has done me proud so far, and I don't use anything else. As long as you stick to trusted websites (thus avoiding the possibility of installing malicious software), and your router has a good firewall built in (which most do these days) the chances of infection or data loss are really quite small.

Thanks Eklipze I use Chrome (The day I bought the old Vista machine our office support guy set Chrome up for me and I've just always used it). Didn't know about the adblock plus thing though. I'll look into it, thanks.

Our Router was supplied by our provider (Sky) quite a few years ago now, it's not the latest version but seems to work fine? - Should I be considering the latest one? I don't think I visit any "dodgy" websites. I never open email attachments unless I'm really sure about them - for instance family photos from daughter or sister - and I pay for most things by Paypal.

You know what I find most annoying of late? these darn notices about cookies which seem to pop up everywhere. You can't even read an online newspaper without one spoiling it!

Oh, bye the way, as you'll have read earlier in this thread, my Hudl has decided to "retire" itself. It's given me quite a few challenges lately to keep it going and I've just had enough. I think I'll just drop it in to our local council recycling centre but should I do anything to it first to ensure security - given that it "died" whilst in use - So will still be logged into our forum and my email - and maybe something else I suppose?

 

[Officina red]

I only have the free version of malwarebytes at the moment, i must get around to buying it lol, for your hudl 2 , i like to do a factory reset before i dispose of tablets and phones, but on advice from someone who's more of a expert than me, i removed a hard drive from a laptop before i got rid of it, stil have it in one of the draws some where,

Not very practical for a tablet

 

[irc]

With the Hudl, have you tried the standard Android boot loader sequence (usually pressing power on while holding volume button + or -)?
Just a thought...
Used to have a generic Android tablet which sometimes seemed to forget how to power on normally. Going into the boot loader menu and then simply doing an Exit and Reboot got it going again.
(Only used it for browsing so never bothered to fix it properly, but you can do a factory reset from there too)

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

With the Hudl, have you tried the standard Android boot loader sequence (usually pressing power on while holding volume button + or -)?
Just a thought...
Used to have a generic Android tablet which sometimes seemed to forget how to power on normally. Going into the boot loader menu and then simply doing an Exit and Reboot got it going again.
(Only used it for browsing so never bothered to fix it properly, but you can do a factory reset from there too)

Thanks irc. Yes I've actually done that before but the trouble is that with Tesco having given up on it some time ago it tries to do something I don't fully understand. I think it tries to upload a later version of some of the things like the store and then nothing works because it won't work with the older version of android. I did find a very complicated way round it on line but it took ages. It did all work again after that but I cant find it again! I've just had enough and as it can't upload a later version of android anyway I think it's time to bid it a fond farewell!

 

[portland_bill]

Take a look at bitdefender.co.uk
I've been using them for years and like them a lot. Like all software companies they are not perfect, but they are honest about issues and fix them quickly, although they occur rarely.
Don't purchase immediately. Download and install the trial version, and register it using your email address. Shortly afterwards you'll likely get an offer beating the website price.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Take a look at bitdefender.co.uk
I've been using them for years and like them a lot. Like all software companies they are not perfect, but they are honest about issues and fix them quickly, although they occur rarely.
Don't purchase immediately. Download and install the trial version, and register it using your email address. Shortly afterwards you'll likely get an offer beating the website price.

Thanks PB. I've had a brief look at both Malwarebytes and Bitdefender and if I understand correctly Malwarebytes is very much an add on to whatever antivirus you are running whereas Bitdefender does both and you would not be running it alongside Win Defender, or Avira as I'm running just now?

 

[portland_bill]

No need to add anything to Bitdefender.
Never run two antivirus programs together. They will often conflict, and see each other as a virus. When you install Bitdefender it will search for anything like that which may conflict and prompt you to uninstall, or at least to allow Bitdefender to uninstall it.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Thanks PB. If I've understood correctly Malwarebytes seems to actually encourage you to run it concurrently with an antivirus as it is specifically antimalware (who'd have guessed with a name like that?). However it does occur to me that Your Bitdefender, as it seems to integrate both, may be less likely to have "holes" which things could slip through?

I may be naive but I can't understand how large institutions, like banks etc and even government, can rely on a system - the internet - which is so utterly infested with gangsters, fraudsters, and general "baddies". Isn't it time to either sort it or invent something entirely new for these basically important facilities which everyone needs?

 

[DaveMcT]

One of the issues I always had with Windows was the processor load of running anti malware programs would really slow down the computer.

One of the advantages with Apple Mac is the OS design won't allow malware to run around your PC and cause havoc. Nothing gets installed unless you enter your password. Apple is uber fussy about what it will allow which can be annoying but I'm not trying to run games or do any software engineering so it's all good.
Windows will run on a Mac (both use Intel chipsets) but you need the paid for OS and dual boot the machine. I don't use Windows enough to justify the cost of buying a copy.
My plan for MES is to buy an old windows laptop and keep it for that job only. It wont have internet connection so wont need anti-malware to clog it up.

New Macs are (very) not low cost but used ones like mine are reasonable and still going strong.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apple-MacBook-Pro-13-Core-i5-2-5Ghz-4GB-500GB-Jun-2012-A-Grade-12-M-Waranty/183090067067?hash=item2aa104b67b:g:qLgAAOSwWxNYw9JJ:rk:1f:0
Memory upgrade to 16Gb is about £60.

 

[Denis Benitez]

When they entered my computer las time , the virus deleted all my files and it was really difficult to restore it back , I'd found a hard drive recovery data recovery service that helped me. when it last happend to me , I've tried to restore my picturesc from my HardDrive , because I had there photos of my old fiat .

 

[chris3234]

And I've not had s viruses in 15 years of running Windows
It's not hard just don't download **** from random website's that's how 95% of infections occour


And if your anti virus is slowing down your system a lot it's probably underspecced to begin with I think that's why a lot of people think Apple systems are faster they down allow you to purchase a underspecced system like a lot t of companies selling a Windows based one do

 

[allenb]

Thanks PB. If I've understood correctly Malwarebytes seems to actually encourage you to run it concurrently with an antivirus as it is specifically antimalware (who'd have guessed with a name like that?). However it does occur to me that Your Bitdefender, as it seems to integrate both, may be less likely to have "holes" which things could slip through?

I may be naive but I can't understand how large institutions, like banks etc and even government, can rely on a system - the internet - which is so utterly infested with gangsters, fraudsters, and general "baddies". Isn't it time to either sort it or invent something entirely new for these basically important facilities which everyone needs?

I use Malwarebites in addition to Windows Security as well to catch some additional malware that Windows might glaze over. But I'm careful with what I click or download, so I haven't had many problems to begin with

 

[AndyRKett]

And I've not had s viruses in 15 years of running Windows
It's not hard just don't download **** from random website's that's how 95% of infections occour

Same here, have been using windows laptops for 15 or so years and windows desktops for another 7-8 years before that, probably the last time I had any sort of virus was back in the late 90s and then it was usually a simple fix.

Even my old netbook with an atom processor is still able to run windows and other programs with an anti virus program running, I just don’t visit websites with malicious downloads and don’t use any pirated software, I also don’t try to do too much at once.

I have an iMac as well and my wife uses Apple laptops, personally I still prefer windows and not paying the Apple premium for every piece of software.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

As I started this thread and haven't posted for some time I thought I'd just do a wee (make that big) update in case anyone is interested?

So where am I now? Earlier in the year I upgraded to the latest Sky router so hoping the inbuilt security will be much better than my old one which was at least 15, maybe more, years old. I've made a fairly detailed list of the websites I visit and had my "DELL" friend check it out. He thinks I'm at minimal risk. I've also been running AVIRA Free for several years and he recons that's hard to beat and better than Defender so I'm sticking with it. I don't think I've got any problems, certainly none of the things he's told me to look out for seem to be happening.

Interestingly I had problems connecting the new router. I think I've mentioned this before somewhere but just in case you're interested? The way things were previously set up I had one cable going from the netgear router to a multiway TP Link switch with the other devices - Amp, TV, Blu Ray, Humax sat box and WD NAS (I like to hardwire where I can) all plugged into it (the TP switch). When the new router arrived I simply unplugged the netgear and plugged in the new Sky one. All seemed Ok until we tried to use catch up TV that night - conspicuously absent! I spent some time going through all the initializing procedures with the Humax box but without success. Rang Sky who told me to do what I'd just tried and then suggested sending an engineer (only £65 to you sir!) I decided to struggle on by myself!

To keep things nice and neat I made my own bespoke AV cabinet, to match our Ikea Furniture in style, which racks the amp and centre speaker below the TV with 2 thin shelves above the screen for the blu ray, sat box and VHS. The two front speakers sit either side of the base unit so the whole package is only slightly wider than the total screen width (43" screen) Behind this is a shelf which houses the router, switching box and NAS. From the room side it's all very neat, has a minimal footprint and there's nary a cable to be seen. With my setup things are further complicated because I use my amp as a video/audio switching box so the disc player, NAS and Humax sat box all feed output to the amp and then everything goes to the TV on one HDMI input - which is an ARC connection so any audio playing from the TV's tuner or the Sat box can be played back through the big amp. (The VHS player has a separate Scart to the TV) It's worked brilliantly and means everything is controlled via just 2 remotes, but there are a lot of wires going all over the place.

As I'd had no success trying to get the humax and router to speak to each other I began wondering if it was a poor cable connection somewhere. Couple of hours later I'd tried everything I could and still had no success. The Humax just wouldn't talk to the router! My DELL pal came round for an evening and did lots of fiddling but in the end didn't achieve any more than me! So I swapped it back to the old router and it worked perfectly! Then when our 'phone and internet contract (we stopped sky tv some time ago) was up for renegotiation I made it part of the agreement that they get the new router working with all my devices and make no charge. An engineer arrived quite quickly and fiddled about for a while before announcing it fixed. Indeed it was! She'd unplugged the cable from the Humax to the switching box and plugged it straight into the back of the router on the one free port left (unlike the old Netgear router which had 4 ports the new Sky one only has 2 ports. But why didn't I think of trying that?). All working fine now - or so I thought - so off she went and Mrs J was delighted to have her On Demand/Catch up TV programs back. I suppose the new router's security "stuff" just didn't want to have anything to do with the TP Link switch? Strange though that the interactive stuff on the Blu Ray player, which comes through the TP Link box via the internet - so via the new router - is working just fine? Oh well, just count your blessings Jock!

I was feeling pretty happy with all this, especially knowing I now had a much higher level of security from the new router. That evening I went on with my laptop to sort out and transfer some family pictures from the computer's hard drive to the NAS (I backup to the NAS so I have 2 copies in case something packs in.) I do the transfers by "click and drag" with the laptop drive snapped to one side of the screen and the NAS to the other, it's a delightfully quick and easy way to do it. BUT, AAaargh! I can see all the files on both drives but can't move anything from one to the other! Of course I immediately suspected that there was still some sort of a problem with the new router communication. By now my DELL pal is self isolating as he has health problems so I didn't feel I could bother him and slogged on, every now and again, for some time (months) trying to find out what was "wrong". Tried Sky again but we were back to the call out charge so no thanks. The strange thing was that I could show pictures, do slide shows and play music from the NAS via the TV and Amp, just couldn't alter the files in any way, they were locked.

Then I had a sudden supernova like flash of inspiration! I remembered the laptop had done a humongous update sometime around when I started having this problem. So I started delving into the parts of the control panel commands which relate to communication between the laptop and the NAS and I found a new link, which previously wasn't there, right off the bottom of the page so you have to scroll down to see it. All the original links were still there too. I found that when I clicked on the original commands I could view all the files and individual pictures in both machines, even run them on the TV as a slide show or play my music files but only by linking using this new command which had appeared at the bottom of the screen could I alter or transfer files between the two. So what's that all about? Obviously that humongous update reconfigured something, but why? and how was I supposed to know about it? All working fine now that I know to do it this way though. Aaaaaargh! computers!

Oh, whilst we are on about "computery things" anyone noticed that Pay Pal is going to start charging an "inactivity fee"? That made my heart skip a beat for a minute. I've looked into it and it would appear that they will be charging £12 per annum for any account which is "inactive". I think that all you have to do is log into your account once a year to avoid this charge. From what I've found out so far you don't actually have to pay for something or actually use their facilities, just logging in and out again should do it? I may be wrong though and I'm trying to get confirmation from them on what is involved. They also seem to be putting quite a bit of security stuff in place. For instance they've twice emailed me codes to use during purchase before the transaction would conclude. Slightly annoying, but I suppose reassuring? There seems to be more security stuff coming in the not to distant future when you look on their website.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Here we go! reference the Pay Pal comments I made above. My son in law just alerted me to this: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/n...0&utm_campaign=nt-oneliners-one&utm_content=1 Which seems to cover it all I think. Not as draconian as I'd feared.

 

[DaveMcT]

I have my mobile number registered with PayPal so they can text security numbers when needed. I use it for eBay so no worries about inactivity.

I'm thinking about getting a VPN but need to find one that's not got any association with China. Google "VPN avoiding china" and see what comes up!!!

Edit - this looks pretty good https://www.cyberghostvpn.com/en_US...{{tid}}&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=10362