Microsoft Security Essentials done -- what to switch to?

[ikon 439]

Per Bitdefender, once you create a My Bitdefender account and login to the prompt, this popup will cease and you can monitor statistics via the web account.

 

Thanks Jason.

So after much research and time I purchased a 5-PC license of Avast Pro Antivirus. 

 

Today I saw this:

 

http://www.maximumpc.com/microsoft_sending_mixed_messages_regarding_security_essentials_av_protection2013

 

 

Another endorsement for BitDefender.

[Drashna Jaelre 159]

Personally, I like ESET, and probably always will.

 

 

And as for MSE.... I've recently had to REINSTALL two computers that were running MSE because they got hit with the CryptoLocker virus stuff. 
Seroiusly, one the system has been infected.... god, it trashes the system. BADLY. I mean, I've manually removed viruses more than a few times, but that stuff, don't bother. Restore or reinstall and save yourself time.

[awraynor 98]

And always have a good backup. Read an article today about ransomware and especially CryptoLocker, it also said just reinstall and save yourself the headache.

[Jason 84]

Can you share any links? Am not familiar with either. Thanks.

[awraynor 98]

Very easy to find posts on CryptoLocker:

http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/10/youre-infected-if-you-want-to-see-your-data-again-pay-us-300-in-bitcoins/

[Jason 84]

Thanks. That's scary stuff. Have Bitdefender and Malwarebytes now installed on each of my workstations and my server. And using several iblocklists with pfblocker on my firewall.

[awraynor 98]

Trying BitDefender on my wife's notebook.

I'm thinking the stolen device locator functionality

is a little "suboptimal".

 

With a refresh it said it was at the house next door.

Much better. 

[Drashna Jaelre 159]

Jason, 

 

if you're really paranoid about that, setting up Snort on pfSense may be a really good idea. It's an IC (intrusion countermeasure), so should help.

Also, not downloading anything from emails is a good idea.

[Al_Borges 97]

This entire post was started by a unsubstantiated "quote " / interview on a relatively obscure website

 

I think we been baited into this folks

 

Has any one seen any confirmation of this assertion?

 

There are fine third party AV products and there are reasons to pay for them. But it is wrong to market them on the basis of FUD

 

( for what its worth, I am a paid antimalwarebytes User - mostly for triage of screwdriver up systems)

 

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[... 32]

As the OP I guess that's on me.  Although I don't think of HTG as that obscure and in my experience their research has been fairly solid. The same story was picked up by ZDNet, LifeHacker, ITWorld, Infoworld and other online sources.

 

However the original quote coming out of Microsoft was confusing and further statements haven't cleared it up much.  So yes, this may be based on FUD or at the very least unclear communication.

 

The takeaway from the original HTG article did say that "If You're a Geek, You Can Get By With MSE".  But in my home I'm the only one and this was more about the other 3 users who aren't geeks and making sure they are safe.  What was unstated in my post is that over the last year or so I've felt that MSE was slipping a bit and wasn't as robust a solution as it once seemed.  So that colored my initial reading of the article and decision to try something else.

 

I've moved on to being a paid Avast 2014 user.  Price per PC was under $20/year so fairly reasonable for a paid AV.  So far I'm happy.  Probably what will happen next month is MS will release a whole new version and it will be awesome and then I'll feel stupid for having doubted them.  

 

...or they won't.  Redmond moves in mysterious ways.