[jillybean]

Hi,
I am in the process of choosing a new ISP. A number of them offer virus, firewall, anti spyware and add monitoring for an extra $6 (Canadian) per month.
I currently use Adware, Spyware blaster and Nortons but I am reevaluating paying C$60 (per PC) annually for Nortons.

Has anyone evaluated all this stuff and have any experience of ISP virus (etc) protection?

tyia
jillybean

[luke warm]

i've used avg for *years* and it's been great... besides, it's free ... link is:
http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_index.php

look for their free anti-virus program... i do pay for webroot's spysweeper... i think it was 30 bucks for 2 years

[paulg]

I rely on freeware, such as ZoneAlarm firewall and AVG anti-virus, and these have proved extremely reliable and easy to use.

Details available at http://www.pooh-corn...ecomputing.html

p

[hrothgar]

In theory I'm pretty well suited to address this this (My last full time position was working for Symantec in the company' Strategic Planning group)

From my perspective, it might be more useful to change the way in which you are framing the problem. The decision whether to purchase a given technology your self or buy it through a middleman (in this case a bundled service provided by the ISP) is purely a question of price / convenience. You're probably in a better position to make a decision regarding what will make you happy than any of us.

With this said and done, there are some significant issues that ytou need to consider.

Personally, I would never never buy "security" products as a value added service through an ISP. The primary issue has to do with architectural principles.

I prefer network architectures based on smart end nodes connected by big dumb pipes. Accordingly, I prefer that "intelligence" resides on the local PC. Most ISP security system include Intermediate System security models. For example, ISPs anti-SPAM mechanisms involve the ISP scanning incoming email and searching for SPAM and Virus.

Personally, I don't trust the ISPs to do as good a job as a system that I configure myself. More importantly, I don't trust ISPs or the phone companies. I certainly don't want them reading my mail.

From my perspecitve, in an ideal world, all ttraffic traveling across networks will be encrypted so that no-one (the Department of Homeland Security included) can intercept/read traffic.

[luke warm]

i have to say i agree with richard's last paragraph... i think it isn't possible anymore, even this gov't has gone too far the other way

[mycroft]

hrothgar, on Dec 29 2004, 03:52 PM, said:

Personally, I would never never buy "security" products as a value added service through an ISP.  The primary issue has to do with architectural principles.

I prefer network architectures based on smart end nodes connected by big dumb pipes.  Accordingly, I prefer that "intelligence" resides on the local PC.  Most ISP security system include Intermediate System security models.  For example, ISPs anti-SPAM mechanisms involve the ISP scanning incoming email and searching for SPAM and Virus.

Theoretically, I agree with you. However, we live in a world where 90+% of the computers on the internet have never been seen by a computer expert (and yes, I'm including many companies with full-time IT departments. There's a reason MCSE has 100 or so "extra" acronym expansions...)

Quote

Personally, I don't trust the ISPs to do as good a job as a system that I configure myself.  More importantly, I don't trust ISPs or the phone companies.  I certainly don't want them reading my mail.

Me too. However, similarly, I know that the best way to make sure my car works properly is to do all the repairs myself. But I take it to a garage, because I suck at fixing cars, and while it's possible that the garage monkey can be less competent than I, the chance is pretty small.

And handling a Microsoft computer on broadband is like driving a car that has to be serviced every day or two. So my recommendation for jillybean is that if you are *sure* you can handle it yourself, you should. If not, the ISP's default setup is probably going to be better.

If you do go it alone, and have a *personal, non-commercial use only* computer, cardsharp's suggestions are all good (from personal experience, except for AntiVir, which I will have to check out). The only one I would add to it would be Lavasoft's AdAware, which has been the saving grace for many computers that have been brought to me.

I recommend many of these products to the companies I work for - the commercial versions - because they work, and I want to reward their advertising style.

As for Richard's last paragraph, I'm rereading David Drake's "Lacey and His Friends". "When everything became open to a few, much could be forbidden to the generality."

Good luck with it!
Michael.

[luke warm]

i used adaware myself for a long time, and it's a good program... i just think spysweeper is better, tho it isn't free... and i left off zone alarm firewall, i have their free version (yeah, free is my favorite word)... it, the spysweeper, and avg's anti-virus is all i have and i haven't had any trouble

[DenisO]

I've also used Ad-aware (free version) for several years - good program but only for removing spyware that had loaded. I've now found a free blocking prog called SpywareBlaster which looks very good. It runs in the background and my two most recent scans with Ad-aware have found no spyware