(poll) Six free security tools from Microsoft

[Curt]

Well, I really was tempted to post this under "Found Deals and Discounts", but...

Fred Langa from Windows Secrets has posted about six free security tools from Microsoft. We already know most or all of them, but I thought it would be right to remind our forum about these tools:

Please first read the story at https://windowssecrets.com/top-story/microsofts-six-free-desktop-security-tools/
- You know, "common ground".

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At the same time I will of course like you to tell
if you are using any of these?  ((take the poll))
and tell us WHY? / experiences, good/bad  

[app103]

The Malicious Software Removal Tool comes periodically through Microsoft Update, so I figure, why not? It has never found anything on any computer I have owned.

Microsoft Security Essentials has never found anything, either.

But these are only backup security tools for me.

Might be that my primary anti-virus (common sense, upgrades available daily) has been doing a fine job of protecting my PC. But nonetheless, in case it ever fails, I'd like to have that backup running.

Microsoft Security Essentials doesn't seem to be as much of a pig with system resources as most of the AVs I have tried. Only person to ever complain about it is my daughter who always seems to be using the PC when it's doing it's weekly full system scan. She says it causes Chrome to lag. Of course it's very likely she is playing Flash games when it does. And we know what a pig Flash is. I am not going to blame MSE for that.

But if she would sleep at night on Sundays, she would never notice it.

[Jibz]

I use MSE as well, it's free and lightweight, and like app says, if you are not the type of person who clicks anything that pops up, it works quite well.

I have used various commercial anti-virus and personal firewall products over the years, and most of them have gradually turned from sleek power tools to huge suites that try to do everything, but end up just eating up space and time on your computer.

There was a recent article that described how many of the anti-virus solutions available don't really protect very well against the threats of today, because they try to solve the problem of file viruses from 10 years ago.

I am also using EMET from Microsoft.

[f0dder]

What Jibz said

[40hz]

+1 w/the above. I've pretty much standardized on using the MSE/EMET combination with an occasion full system scan with either Super or Malwarebytes "just in case." That plus a little prudence - and regular Windows and definitions updates - has served me well so far (knock wood).

[TaoPhoenix]

Hmm. I believe MSE does block the worst of the "drive by" attacks, which is for me what the real reason of an AV is - it's not about clicking popups, it's stuff that just magically jumps onto your machine for zero reason. So that part is okay by me. I have seen it block a couple random "file viruses" here and there when I strayed a bit too far.

See elsewhere for my mixed reactions on EMET.

However I do think something like either Hijack This (haven't tried the other ones like M.B. etc.) are important because AV's don't warn you of the "grey ware" that gets in there with the bundled installs of "legit" programs. To me that's the biggest creeping threat because it takes real skill by the user to play a game of "opt-out minefield" to avoid all of it!

[tomos]

As above for MSE on 7

Windefender replaces MSE on Windows 8 and is on it by default (not sure what Windows Defender does on 7). It seems to be okay in my limited use of my Win 8 laptop. (I mainly just use it as a rather big and expensive mp3 player at this stage, but that's another topic.)

[Ampa]

Er... I don't actually know. I think Widows Defender at the very least is installed, but I've never consciously used any of them.

[oblivion]

I have always had a slightly ambivalent relationship with AV tools.

My main desktop machine is more used by my wife (who routinely hits the "temporarily allow everything on this webpage" option in NoScript, sadly) so I have a paid AV package on there (eSet NOD32).

This year, they offered me an almost free update to the full Internet Security offering. I resisted: I have yet to see one of those that doesn't cause more problems than it solves.

My netbook has had MSE for the last two years but, amidst odd reports of it being less secure than it was (because it's become a big enough target, I guess) I've just replaced it with NOD32 too (the second license was reasonably cheap).

Interestingly, dcupdate works a heck of a lot faster now MSE's gone.

So I still use the Malicious Software Removal Tool, even though it's never found anything and makes Patch Tuesday more of a chore than I'd like and Defender's on both systems -- NOD32 replicates quite a lot of its functionality, I think, but they seem to coexist happily.

MSE did find something, once, on my netbook: an infected JPG on some webpage or other, if memory serves. NOD32 seems a decent-enough product, the support is at least reasonably responsive, the program's very configurable, not very obtrusive and seems effective.

I hadn't even heard of the offline version of Defender before reading Fred Langa's article yesterday. Nice to know it exists, I guess. Ditto the Safety Scanner.

[kyrathaba]

MSE has saved my bacon on a few occasions ... AND ... wait for it ... it's endorsed by EliTheComputerGuy.

[PhilB66]

Did not know about Microsoft Safety Scanner, downloaded... WTF moment of the day...

[kyrathaba]

I use MSE and EMET constantly, with less frequent uses of SB-SD, and MBAM. Those along with twice monthly Macrium images form the basis of my PC defense.

[Curt]

Powerful Free Microsoft Security Tool EMET has Been Updated

Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit 4.1, EMET, a toolkit for deploying and configuring security mitigation technologies.

homepage and download: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=41138