Just wanting to know whats the best software I can have to keep my self secure from hackers and viruses. I have an old friend that always got into my stuff and threated me. I havent talked to him in about a year but I always get scared that I have something on here. I try to patch all the holes I can but I know crackers/hackers can get around things. Back to the point I just want to know what you guys use or what you're wanting to use. Right now I'm using Malwarebytes, Avast, and Spyware Doctor. I was using HMA for about 2 months, but I forgot to pay the bill. So, yeah! If you guys could help me out that would be awesome. Thanks.
Honestly, you do not really need anti-virus software if you're smart on the internet. Chrome is the safest broswer, look it up (i only use it), and i don't download/click on sketchy stuff.
the only thing i am running is essentials.
I've been running this fresh copy of win 7 pro (no bloat-ware) [FUCK YOU TOSHITBA] for almosy 1 yr now, and i havn't had a single issue
HiJack This! (this is a way powerful removal tool if a little more technical)
Run ad block on your browser and enable it in incogneto (because lets be honest 90% of malware is going to be on those les than scrupulous porn websites)
It's all free. If that's too much of a hassle then switch to linux.
If you really want windows to be secure there is only one thing you can do, not connect the PC to the internet.
No matter how hard you try there are always unfixed holes in the security, now the real question is will someone actually use it against you, what do you have to hide/lose. If you are a celebrity or a government agency like the FBI or something you'll probably want to be as secure as possible.
If you are a regular home user you should be able to live with MSE (microsoft security essentials) and your common sense of not downloading questionable files, now if you lack this common sense or don't have much experience you can use malwarebytes as well as MSE. No need to do more then that as a home user imo, I have been using just MSE + common sense and have not had a virus pop up on me in over a year (I use an enterprise level computer forensics tool to scan for viruses/hacktools from time to time as well but it hasn't managed to find anything on my PC)
It looks like you have good coverage in the area of malware detection, which is definitely a plus. However, if you have someone actively targeting your PC with a dedicated attack, they can exploit vulnerabilities in any process connected to the Internet. I would look into getting some good IDS software (Snort works, if that's available on Windows) and configuring your firewall. I've only done this on Linux (Snort and iptables - and sorry, I'm not an expert by any strecth of the imagination), but there should be plenty of tools available to keep script kiddies at bay.
Locking down some unused ports would help, and there are a few other cheap tricks you could find with a Google search to improve security - mostly just update software as needed. But, if this kid's a real problem, it might take some research and effort to put some good defenses in places and get some peace of mind.
If it's that serious I would call the cops and tell them someone has been hacking into your home network over the past year. See if they can get rid of the problem for you and if they can get some more details they might be able to provide you with better tips or maybe even a solution (switching ISPs or asking the ISP for a new IP could be a good start)
Eh, the thing is that I don't even know if he is. I just know he has before and could very easily do it again. I don't know if it is just me but I don't think the police could really do anything, if he is smart he would be under a VPN nd then he would never be cought. I don't think I should be worrying about it but its just something I always have on my mind when I'm doing something personal (facebook, Steam, etc). I have a 6 word and 9 number password for Steam just for the reason of that.
Well let me tell you a few things, VPN providers have to keep logs of everything they do and when the police comes to ask them why their IP was doing something illegal they can either point to the logs and show the cops who really did it or they do not point to the logs and risk being fined or shut down. So I wouldn't worry about that.
Also just to let you know if he has "hacked" your PC before it doesn't matter at all how long your password is because he could install a keylogger and it would send him a copy of everything you typed on that computer. He could also have installed a rootkit which cannot be detected by normal anti-virus software most of the time.
Personally I think you are being too worried about it, if I may ask what did he do to your PC when he "hacked" it?
Could they tell what VPN provider he was using? Yeah, I would think he would of put a keylogger on my computer. The thing is that I havent seen anything go taken or anything. I think I'm too worried about it too, its just something that bothers me when really doing anything online. I mean I don't do anything risky online or anything other than torrenting, but I've been doing that for years. All he did was put something in my Windows folder he said, but that was on my old laptop. Then he started putting all these folders on my desktop just saying random things. I havent talked to him in over 6 months atleast.
The best security for Windows is a padded cell where WiFi can neither come in or go out and ethernet wire is not available within a 100 mile radius. The machine has to be in the off position at all times.