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Comodo Internet Security -- a cautionary tale?
Curt:
So I chose to remove it all, lock, stock and barrel, and go back to MSE.
...
My desktop PC is currently "only" protected with Windows' inbuilt security: the firewall and Defender.-oblivion (April 11, 2015, 09:50 AM)
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I am guessing your last claim maybe is the actual one; right now you're not using MSE, but Windows Firewall and Defender? :-\
I am using MSE (and Windows Firewall), and I like it.
Microsoft Security Essentials: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security-essentials-download
oblivion:
So I chose to remove it all, lock, stock and barrel, and go back to MSE.
...
My desktop PC is currently "only" protected with Windows' inbuilt security: the firewall and Defender.-oblivion (April 11, 2015, 09:50 AM)
--- End quote ---
I am guessing your last claim maybe is the actual one; right now you're not using MSE, but Windows Firewall and Defender? :-\
I am using MSE (and Windows Firewall), and I like it. -Curt (April 11, 2015, 04:02 PM)
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No, I was discussing (maybe not as clearly as I might have) two systems: a Win7SE netbook (which is now running MSE and Windows Firewall) and a desktop machine which is using Win8.1 "native" security, which consists of Defender and Windows Firewall.
MSE is okay, and definitely less hard on system resources than Comodo, but it's realtime protection needs some work to get right, particularly where things like FARR are in use. Still, I got it working reasonably well last time I used it and it hasn't changed much recently... ;)
I'm pleased I'm not alone in considering it "good enough" anyway -- I occasionally worry that MSE is a big target and therefore more vulnerable to attack, almost by definition.
Innuendo:
Coming into this thread late, but hopefully I can contribute something.
To address the problem you had with Comodo towards the end, oblivion, I believe Microsoft provided a way inside Action Center to change the way notifications are presented regarding what Windows thinks is and and isn't installed on your system in the way of security software. That would be an acceptable temporary solution until you can report the problem and Comodo can fix it. It's their responsibility to report the abilities of their software to Windows so Windows can accurately report the abilities to you.
Comodo probably introduced a bug in the way things are reported. Of course, Comodo just may think a person is always going to use their full suite and didn't even consider someone may not want to use everything they provide. Another thing you may try is see if there's a way to reinstall the suite with just the security component(s) you'd like.
As for MSE, there is no way on God's green Earth that MSE could be described as "good enough" by any stretch of the word by modern standards. Microsoft cut funding to MSE years ago and it has really started to show in the last year or so. I have seen, with my own eyes, systems get infected in real-time while the MSE system tray icon stayed green the entire time. Proceeding to then do an in-depth scan turning up *nothing* unusual all while browser windows are popping up on your screen stating your computer *may* be infected, dialogs for bogus Adobe Flash updates, etc.
Use MSE only if you are solely concerned with finding cracks and keygens on your system as that seems to be the only thing Microsoft is issuing signature updates to protect users from these days.
Curt:
I have seen, with my own eyes, systems get infected in real-time while the MSE system tray icon stayed green the entire time. Proceeding to then do an in-depth scan turning up *nothing* unusual all while browser windows are popping up on your screen stating your computer *may* be infected, dialogs for bogus Adobe Flash updates, etc.-Innuendo (April 12, 2015, 12:03 PM)
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-terrible! :o Thanks for warning.
-----------
Here I am not recommending or warning, just informing, and using the situation to tell about a giveaway from sharewareonsale and Webroot:
"Sale ends in 1 day 22½ hrs or until sold out": http://sharewareonsale.com/s/webroot-secureanywhere-antivirus-sale
Is the program working via some virtual cloud? I don't know yet, I was so far just drawn by the timing and how lite it seems to be.
Terms and Conditions
This is a 1-computer 1-year license, for home use
Note: This is for new users of Webroot. You may or may not get the full year if you've used Webroot in the past.
You get free updates for one year
No free tech support
You must download and install before this offer has ended
Read more at http://sharewareonsale.com/s/webroot-secureanywhere-antivirus-sale-sharewareonsale
--- End quote ---
When I was quite younger than today, webroot was a respected name. I don't know how it is today.
http://www.webroot.com
The left column of a "Compare versions", the two more expensive versions not shown here:
oblivion:
To address the problem you had with Comodo towards the end, oblivion, I believe Microsoft provided a way inside Action Center to change the way notifications are presented regarding what Windows thinks is and and isn't installed on your system in the way of security software.-Innuendo (April 12, 2015, 12:03 PM)
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I probably didn't explain myself very well on that front.
The problem here was not that Windows was telling me I was at risk. Windows was happy the moment I switched Windows Firewall back on, having disabled the Comodo one.
Comodo's tray icon, in the Pro version, only has one state when there's a security issue from its viewpoint, and IT doesn't look to see if there's an alternate firewall running, it just panics because the Comodo firewall isn't. Windows, by contrast, knows that there's a firewall running, even if it's not the Windows firewall, and only bothers to mention it at all if you go and look at the Windows firewall settings. Although it goes against the grain for me to praise Microsoft for anything, that's exactly the behaviour I'd hope for.
That would be an acceptable temporary solution until you can report the problem and Comodo can fix it.
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Comodo's view seems to be that if I didn't want all the abilities of the paid version, I shouldn't have updated it.
Which I guess I can sympathise with. I assumed the paid version would be an improvement over the free version within the facilities I was actually using, not just a way to get access to components I didn't actually expect to have to use, or particularly need.
Another thing you may try is see if there's a way to reinstall the suite with just the security component(s) you'd like.
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If I decide to switch away from MSE again -- and I may, I change my mind about the best security choices based on what I read and experience -- then I'll look at other possibilities too. The increase in performance of my poor little netbook since removing Comodo has been such that I'm actually thinking that I made a poor choice initially, despite the positive reviews.
As for MSE, there is no way on God's green Earth that MSE could be described as "good enough" by any stretch of the word by modern standards.
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Nevertheless, might it be "good enough" given that I use Firefox with Noscript, rarely if ever connect to the net anywhere except behind a router that I've told to use OpenDNS with all the "filter out the bad guys" setting enabled and rarely if ever download stuff from places I'm not confident of?
For the time being, anyway. ;)
Just out of interest, although I've got a license for MBAM and can therefore use its realtime stuff if I want, I never have. Does anyone have a view on whether ditching MSE and turning on realtime protection in MBAM would be a step forward or back, given my other (hopefully fairly safe) practices?
Use MSE only if you are solely concerned with finding cracks and keygens on your system as that seems to be the only thing Microsoft is issuing signature updates to protect users from these days.
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Does that include Defender?
My favourite realtime AV was NOD32 -- I switched away from it only really because I lost confidence in Eset's support for it compared to the fullblown security suite, and as (at the time) I was using either Windows firewall or my lifetime license for Outpost (I must check if that still exists!) depending on which machine/OS I was using, I really didn't see the point of buying into components I didn't need (where have we heard that before?!) But I'm pretty agnostic, really: I'll consider anything that's not going to cripple the machine's performance and has at least some credibility (so let's forget about Norton and McAfee!)
I've never seriously considered ClamWin (except its portable version lives on a thumbdrive in case of dire need) -- last I looked I think it was still missing disinfection facilities -- but from what you say I might be as well served by it and MBAM as I am by MSE...
Food for thought. :)
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