Tech/Computer advice from me

[tshile]

fear - feel free to post, or send me a pm, with details and I can see what I can get you. it may take a few weeks to find the right deal, but you can definitely find them if you're willing to look/wait.

 

[tshile]

A read I thought was interesting. Can be applied to many different things in life
http://dcurt.is/what-a-stupid-idea

 

[tshile]

I have a hard time making this its own thread, those who care to keep up with this one will just receive the benefit of information like this from time to time. (only matters if you run a business or care about the business you work in )

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4532

iOS 6.1 and later devices (iphone and ipad) have a bug that fills up log files on a Microsoft Exchange server (email server) eventually crushing the server because it runs out of space. If you have a lot of devices just the connections can bring the server to its knees.

If you have exchange 2010 SP1 or later, simply update all the iOS devices to 6.1.2. If you have an earlier version of exchange 6.1.2 does not fix the problem. I know, I just spent the last 2 hours ****ing figuring this out.'

Proposed solution we're currently trying:
- remove exchange account from device
- hard-reboot device by holding down home button and the screen on/off button until you see the apple logo
- add account back.

 

[fansince62]

It's all about the specs and the cost of them. I can't tell you whether the lower-priced used PC at the pawn shop is worth the cost without knowing what it is you're paying for it.

There are deals to be had everywhere - in stores, online, pawn shops, and craigslist.

You have to know what you're budget is, then figure out what you're trying to do, then see who/what meets those needs.

exactly.......

 

[fansince62]

multiple virus/malware scanners can conflict with each other and cause problems. I strongly recommend ditching the old school approach of using multiple scanners.

read the updates and antivirus section here:
http://www.bgobsession.com/showpost.php?p=132804&postcount=2

btw..pls provide a technical explanation including the reasoning behind limiting oneself to a technology with a documented correct single point detection rate of about 20-25%. pls provide a technical explanation of where the conflicts actually occur and when they occur.

to give you your due, I'm well aware of recent articles you may be reading that have addressed run time latency and conflicts. I have arguments about this at work all the time. In the end, I base my position on the mathematics of the problem space itself and the implications of that for how parsers are coded and signatures written.

in truth, end point AV tools are there for hygiene purposes mostly. they don't accomplish a whole lot. returning to a previous theme, you want to know what is happening upstream where there is real money and dedicated expertise.

 

[tshile]

btw..pls provide a technical explanation including the reasoning behind limiting oneself to a technology with a documented correct single point detection rate of about 20-25%. pls provide a technical explanation of where the conflicts actually occur and when they occur.

I'll do my best

Interestingly enough, in looking for hard numbers, I found that Security Essentials has lost its AV accreditation..... which is a problem I'll have to figure out and do some more research on.

But... http://www.informationweek.com/security/antivirus/microsoft-security-essentials-loses-av-c/240142986

According to AV-Test, from September to October 2012, the effectiveness of Security Essentials at spotting zero-day malware attacks -- including viruses, worms, and Trojan horses -- dropped from 69% to 64%, compared with an industry average of 89%. For detecting malware that's been discovered in the past few months, Security Essentials fared better, with a 90% detection rate, but that's still below the 97% average for the industry.

So, I would argue that your 25% number isn't entirely accurate

As for when the conflicts occur and on what - my opinion is based on my experience and dealing with issues caused by it. I don't have concrete case studies of it from which to give a very specific technical explanation. I will, however, try to give you a couple of scenarios that are what i'm talking about...

Two virus scanners can collide on any file, or block in memory, and cause problems - whether its a false positive, corrupted data, crashing of a program, destroying a system file that causes the system to not boot or become unstable, etc.

Another issue would just be a big hit on performance - I view the quality of an AV virus to, in part, be determined by how it does (or more specifically, doesn't) slow down my computer. This depends entirely on how you have them configured - if you have one set as a passive for on demand scans and another set as active, then you're probably not going to see this problem; I would, however, suggest you turn off your active scanner while running your passive scanner.

Most of my concerns on the issue come from a general point of view and whether or not you have those problems will depend entirely on your specific setup (products your using), and how you've configured them.

Anti virus/malware stuff has been going around for over a decade now, and unfortunately things that used to work or be good practice just aren't anymore. Running multiple scanners is one of them.

That's not to say that you shouldn't run multiple scanners, or that it's bad - just that you run a risk of having complications, and (more importantly, in my opinion) you lull yourself into a false sense of security; "I have two virus scanners, so my computer is protected"
The reality is that virus scanners are only a small part of what you should be doing to protect yourself, and doubling or tripling up on them creates diminishing returns (in addition to possible complications) when compared to a more broad security approach.

If you presented me with three options:
A- 2 virus scanners, and random things elsewhere
B- 1 virus scanner, OS up to date, java/adobe/flash up to date guaranteed
C- 0 virus scanners, OS up to date, java/adobe/flash up to date guaranteed

I'd take them in the order of B, C, A - I'd prefer b, but would take C if I had to; A just isn't nearly as secure as everyone likes to think.

Hopefully that sheds some light on it.

edit: just as a disclaimer - these are just my opinions. I have no problem providing the information I use to form them, but they're still just my opinions Trust me, I wont take any offense if you find opinions from someone else and decide they're better/more correct

 

[HOF44]

Another issue would just be a big hit on performance - I view the quality of an AV virus to, in part, be determined by how it does (or more specifically, doesn't) slow down my computer. This depends entirely on how you have them configured - if you have one set as a passive for on demand scans and another set as active, then you're probably not going to see this problem; I would, however, suggest you turn off your active scanner while running your passive scanner.

This is my biggest problem with running multiple AV/Malware programs at once. I have more than one on my computers as sometimes it's necessary if you do get an infection as one can have better luck against certain things than the others. However I only ever have one actively monitoring for problems. The performance hit is just to much to have 2 or 3 programs scanning everything before it opens.

 

[fansince62]

the 25% number comes from an article posted at DarkReading about a week ago and is confirmed by internal numbers where I work.

signature based scanners almost by definition will not catch any zero days. they are not much use against polymorphic code.

if I run scanners in series where's the conflict?

if I run scanners at night when I'm not using the machine what do I care how long it takes?

I return to my point about the math of the problem space. there are infinite ways to change strings and encoding. it's strictly a tail chase which a competent hacker is going to win every time.

we are singing the same tune when it comes to the utility of these things. what counts is what is upstream.

 

[Fear The Spear]

If you source a cut-price computer from a pawn shop, you could possibly inherit MORE problems than you have now.

What I have done is rent my laptop, and it is a rent-try-buy scheme where I pay $x per month, over 36 months, then when I have 6 months remaining, I am offered an upgrade, which also means a new contract, or I can retain what I have, pay $1 as the last payment, then the laptop becomes mine to do whatever with. The good thing about this is that if ANYTHING fails, I just take it back to the rental outlet and they fix it, free of charge. The bad is it could take some time for the repaired laptop to be sent back to me.

But, as mentioned above, assess your budget and decide whether it is better financially to purchase a new unit, refurbished unit, or to keep trying to resolve the problems with your existing unit.

fear - feel free to post, or send me a pm, with details and I can see what I can get you. it may take a few weeks to find the right deal, but you can definitely find them if you're willing to look/wait.

Thanks for the input and the offers from each of you. I just have to wait and see how some medical and doctor's expenses play out, before knowing what I have to spend on the computer budget.

 

[tshile]

Well, not all antivirus products are purely signature based - if they were then you wouldn't have an industry standard of 89% catch rate for zero days.

There's also the issue of end-user knowledge. It sounds like you know what you're doing and you're happy with your routine - I wouldn't recommend it as a general rule for most people, assuming most people don't really know what they're doing.

I stopped running multiple scanners about 6 or 7 years ago. I've received 0 viruses. It is my opinion that there is quite a long list of things you should consider doing before opting to install a second antivirus scanner.

My biggest issue is my experience shows that majority of computer users don't know how to use a computer and what goes on; if that wasn't the case identity theft and botnets would not be the serious problems that they are. So those people read things like 'run two antiviruses to make up for what others miss' and they get lulled into a false sense of security.

Just my opinions on the matter though, while I fancy myself to be a good Sys Admin I'm not naïve enough to think I'm also a security expert.

 

[fansince62]

This is my biggest problem with running multiple AV/Malware programs at once. I have more than one on my computers as sometimes it's necessary if you do get an infection as one can have better luck against certain things than the others. However I only ever have one actively monitoring for problems. The performance hit is just to much to have 2 or 3 programs scanning everything before it opens.

got it. mis-communication between T and I. running concurrently, I agree, can be problematic when it comes to resource contention.

I don't do that. there is the option of having one run real time and then run another during "off hours".

in the event, in the years I have been running these things they have never really caught all that much. given the stats on what we know to be the exploits and scans per day.....they just don't do all that much.

as a sysad you and T probably know a lot more than I do at the action end. I work architecture and operations.

 

[fansince62]

from an online source:

Malware has quickly evolved to take advantage of weaknesses in digital defenses. In 2012, more than 40 million Windows systems were infected with malware, according to data collected by Microsoft in its annual Security Intelligence Report. And Google researchers found that, of four common antivirus scanners, the best only detected 25 percent of real-world malware, and combined, the scanners only caught 40 percent of malicious downloads.

 

[tshile]

Do you have a link to the source you could share?

 

[tshile]

Nevermind, I found the source
http://www.darkreading.com/advanced-threats/five-habits-of-highly-successful-malware/240154057

Interestingly, they listed their #1 reason has as big of an emphasis on keeping your system up to date as I do

Like a real-world pathogen, malware does best when the potential victim's immune system is compromised. Unpatched systems with out-of-date--or no--antivirus software have about a 1-in-80 chance of being infected in any given month, according to Microsoft's latest Security Intelligence Report. The same report found that the average fully-patched Windows systems running up-to-date antivirus had only a 1-in-500 chance of being infected.

 

[fansince62]

Nevermind, I found the source
http://www.darkreading.com/advanced-threats/five-habits-of-highly-successful-malware/240154057

Interestingly, they listed their #1 reason has as big of an emphasis on keeping your system up to date as I do

no argument there!

 

[tshile]

There is no Pandora windows 8 app.
You have to use MetroRadio, log in with your Pandora ID, to get it in app form.

This type of BS is going to doom the platform. I should be able to search for Pandora, see a Pandora app, and know what I need to do. You know, like every other platform that utilizes apps and a app store

 

[SkinnedAussie]

I hear that there are a lot of people wanting to 'down grade' from W8 back to W7 because W8 is NOT yet compatible with a lot of peripheral equipment.

With that in mind, to think there would be a range of apps suitable for W8 is just wishful thinking.

 

[Burgundy Burner]

Fare thee well, Hotmail.

Staying with W7 and have no desire to get W8.

 

[tshile]

I hear that there are a lot of people wanting to 'down grade' from W8 back to W7 because W8 is NOT yet compatible with a lot of peripheral equipment.

With that in mind, to think there would be a range of apps suitable for W8 is just wishful thinking.

Uhm... what peripherals? That doesn't make sense once you understand the fundamental changes they made in win8.

The need for device-specific drivers is gone. If it worked in XP, Vista, or 7 it most certainly works in win8... I'm curious what it is they claim doesn't.

Fare thee well, Hotmail.

Staying with W7 and have no desire to get W8.

Yeah, definitely wouldn't pay to upgrade. I get them for free so I take advantage of that.

I love win8, but their app platform suck and if they're serious about the mobile market they need to address that or they're going to be left in the dust.

 

[SkinnedAussie]

I'm only going by what I've read. A lot of those who have migrated to W8 want to go back to W7 as they can't get anything attached to the computer to work.

Office environments are finding that printers no longer work, for example. Gamers are saying that W8 makes their games glitch, whereas there was not a problem with W7. Then there are those who used W7 as the base of their home theatre, but can't even get the computer to 'talk' to the HDTV with HDMI. In fact, some can't even get any response at all from their TV, no matter how they connect to it.

When I have a reason to load Windows, I'm happy with my W7 install, but I mostly boot in to Ubuntu 12.04LTS.

I've also read that W8 is more suitable for a touch screen set-up.