Some advice on programs

[Durandal]

Can anyone tell me what the best anti mal/spyware programs are out there? Be nice to know of some that aren't sketchy

 

[Dervish]

I use BitDefender. So far, my computer's been pretty clean when it comes to malware, viruses, trojans and spyware and the like.

 

[Kagayours]

If you're looking for something free, I'd recommend Avast. If you're running it on default settings, though, then the update notices can be pretty annoying (since it apparently updates its virus database anytime any one of its users detects a virus, and does it all without you needing to give it permission to run larger updates that add a ton of stuff at once like you'd normally expect, which is kind of clever) but you can easily just turn those notifications off and won't have to worry about it bothering you anymore. Then it can do its job in the background and, once again, won't bug you about needing to install updates. Worked pretty well for me when I had a PC.

Currently, I have Sophos, which I really only installed because my school recommended it. Currently all seems to be well, but, eh, Macs aren't at quite as much risk, anyway -- so I'm really not sure if I can thank Sophos for the lack of viruses or not, since I haven't tried any other antivirus software on my Mac.

 

[Brovo]

Avast!, MalwareBytes, and Common Sense are free and have worked like a charm for me for years.

Avast! Is an anti-virus tool that works best running in the background while hunting like a bloodhound for incoming threats. It scans files as they're created or opened, so that means it can also protect you from threats in your e-mails and Internet Browser. (Though it's not a firewall, so it won't block the connection--it'll just block the data.)

MalwareBytes is an anti-spyware tool. It's more specialized to hunt out and kill things like password crackers, trojan horses, and so on. It doesn't scan in the background like Avast! does, but because it's more specialized, it scans entire systems fairly quickly, so you can simply run it once every week or so and forget about it.

Common Sense: When something says "lower your firewall for free porn", don't fucking do it.

 

[Windsong]

Been running Windows Defender and AdBlock.

It's free and incredibly resource light. Updates in the background. Scans quietly (no obnoxious pop ups unless it's serious). Have had zero issues despite my sketchy browsing history.

Googling "best antivirus" is probably a far better bet than asking a forum like this though. Though googling does give BitDefender highest ratings. Probably going to give it a try on my wife's computer because she's an idiot when it comes to "is it safe?"

Or just use common sense when browsing and you'll likely never need one.

 

[Astaroth]

Avast and MalwareBytes. Good solid go-to programs. I've heard good things about BitDefender too.

 

[Durandal]

I just want to point out one thing, is that Avast does absolutely nothing for spy/malware, and often doesn't detect things programs FOR that purpose do

 

[Brovo]

I just want to point out one thing, is that Avast does absolutely nothing for spy/malware, and often doesn't detect things programs FOR that purpose do

MalwareBytes is an anti-spyware tool. It's more specialized to hunt out and kill things like password crackers, trojan horses, and so on. It doesn't scan in the background like Avast! does, but because it's more specialized, it scans entire systems fairly quickly, so you can simply run it once every week or so and forget about it.

This is why I suggested MalwareBytes. It's specialized for anti-spyware where Avast! is not.