TSGL: ATTN: RAYMOND.........Re: Antispyware Win2K

Olivia Francis thecrosseyedcow at gmail.com
Mon Mar 5 23:23:20 EST 2007


I received an Off List message from Raymond and he is still a member of this
List.
Sorry, Toni, but I doubt that he'll respond to your plea for help because he
doesn't know the answer and don't bet that he truly is a CISSP.
Olivia


On 3/3/07, Olivia Francis <thecrosseyedcow at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Toni
> From what I understand, Raymond is no longer with the List.
> Looks like someone else will have to help you with your question.
> Olivia
>
>
>  On 3/3/07, Beezersmom at aol.com <Beezersmom at aol.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Raymond, since you are a Certified Information Systems  Security
> > Professional
> > (CISSP) would you
> > recommend to any of us on this list to follow the  advise in the article
> > by
> > Mark Snyder?  You've told us that you are a  huge fan of NOD32 and use
> > it on
> > all your PC's, would you even consider throwing  all your NOD32's to the
> > wind or
> > would that be akin to living on the edge or the  last rock?
> > I, along with probably some other members, would truly be interested
> > in  what
> > you would have to say on Mark's article since your speciality  is
> > Computer
> > Security and would appreciate and respect your opinion, thanks  in
> > advance.
> > I'm not giving up my paid PC-cillin not matter what, so are we
> > wasting  money
> > or protecting our PC's?
> > BTW, I haven't received any of the emails on this subject except
> > misterclever's.  I did go to the Archives to check it out and there
> > are  about 20 emails
> > that I haven't received before and after
> > _TSGL:  : Make your internet faster, safer, smarter. _
> > (http://tsgserver.com/pipermail/list_tsgserver.com/2007-March/012293.html)  Chuck
> > Neuenschwander
> > _annandchuck  at yahoo.com _
> > (mailto:list at tsgserver.com
> > ?Subject=TSGL:%20:%20Make%20your%20internet%20faster,%20safer,%20smarter.&In-Reply-To=
> > 45E4801C.8050003 at gm
> > ail.com)  Fri Mar 2 12:34:17 EST 2007 and my email  it's  dated 3/2/2007
> >
> > 2:14:29 PM Eastern Standard  Time      being the last one I received
> > before right
> > before misterclever's.
> > Toni
> > "Everyone needs to be  loved...especially when they do not deserve  it."
> >
> > In a message dated 3/2/2007 11:57:47 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> > misterclever at hotmail.com writes:
> >
> >
> > So my  conclusion is, if you can't quite bring yourself to "cut the
> > cord" at
> > least go the free route and save some  bucks.
> > ----------------------------
> >
> > I actually agree wholeheartedly  - I often chuckle at the posts on here
> > by
> > people running 3 AV apps and  seven bloatware antispyware apps when all
> > they
> > need to do is stop  downloading some new kittens screensaver or stop
> > using
> > thirty seven  different smiley emoticons in their email.
> >
> > That being said, it's useful  to at least run a spyware scan now and
> > again -
> > Hence my question about  Windows 2000 compatibility.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Geoff Glave
> > Vancouver,  Canada
> >
> > >From: H Davis <hdavis1 at gmail.com>
> > >Reply-To:  Tech Support Guy Mailing List <list at tsgserver.com >
> > >To: Tech  Support Guy Mailing List <list at tsgserver.com>
> > >Subject: Re: TSGL:  Antispyware Win2K
> > >Date: Fri, 02 Mar 2007 12:42:32  -0500
> > >
> > >This is a condensation of an article written by Mark  Snyder which
> > >appeared in Neat Net Tricks Premium, issue 138, 2/28/07.  There are no
> > >easily available archives for you to access the article  and I was
> > >reluctant to copy it here completely but the preceding issue  of NNT
> > >asked readers to forward a copy to their friends to
> > increase  readership.
> > >So I guess I'm stretching a point by forwarding this but  it's
> > >interesting and applicable. I've shortened it a  lot.
> > >
> > >You can subscribe to NNT at http://www.neatnettricks.com/  I think it's
> > >about  $12/year.
> > >
> > >***************************
> > >Having already in  these pages taken such controversial, i.e. "crazy"
> > >stances such as  defending spam and even AOL(!), it seemed only
> > expected
> > >that I might  now suggest that antivirus and anti-spyware applications
> > >are not only  unnecessary but a waste of your computer's resources. So,
> >
> > >on September  2, 2006 I disabled all security applications with the
> > >exception of my  firewall. I did not, however, put my $3,000.00 in
> > >computer equipment at  risk simply to write an article for this
> > >publication nor did I  undertake this action without serious
> > >consideration. It was simply that  I was tired of the cost, both in
> > >dollars and computer resources that  this security was exacting on me
> > and
> > >my equipment. I suspected that  much, if not all, of this security
> > >paranoia was being created by the  very entities that claimed to
> > prevent it.
> > >
> > >Do I still have a  computer? Is it riddled nearly unusable with virus
> > and
> > >spyware? Have I  lost my mind? Read on and decide for yourself.
> > >
> > >Fear can also be  used by companies (and governments) to support and
> > >promote actions and  policies that otherwise might be ignored. For
> > >example, while many  malware alarms are legitimate, I have the feeling
> > >that, all too often,  the purpose of the warnings is to advertise the
> > >company's software by  creating paranoia rather than as a public
> > service.
> > >
> > >The Pew  Group published a study in which 92 percent of 1,000
> > PC  owners
> > >interviewed admitted to having various software programs  installed on
> > >their computers at an average cost of $129.00 Of this same  number,
> > only
> > >seven percent could actually recall having had their  computer infected
> > >before or since having installed the software.  Furthermore, of those
> > who
> > >reported using security software in an active  (always on) mode, fewer
> > >than one percent reported having ever seen a  warning that the software
> > >had stopped an attack. Yet, we all continue  to purchase or download
> > and
> > >install the latest most powerful antivirus  programs, antispyware
> > >programs, anti-trojan programs, adware blocking  programs, and on and
> > on.
> > >In fact, not only do we install these programs  on our computers but we
> > >are told that we must keep them running in  "background" or "active
> > >mode," allow them to start as soon as our  computer boots, and even
> > allow
> > >the ability for them to "phone home" at  will (a true security breach)
> > so
> > >that they can automatically install  updates. But even that is yet not
> > >enough. We find that we now must have  a "layered defense," (something
> > >even I promoted two years ago in an  article for this same publication)
> > >meaning that maybe having just one  of each of these programs is not
> > >enough! And who is telling us this?  For the most part, the makers of
> > the
> > >software programs  themselves.
> > >
> > >In recent years, there has been a lot of debate  over whether there is
> > >any need to run antispyware applications or even  an antivirus program.
> >
> > >In fact, according to the well-respected security  expert George Ou,
> > >"Running an antivirus program on a personal computer  is like having a
> > >bomb squad inspect a suspicious package inside the  house right next to
> >
> > >you." He continues, "Running antivirus or third  party security
> > software
> > >such as antispyware programs and firewalls  makes you even less  safe!"
> > > http://blogs.zdnet.com/OU/?p=234&tag=nl.e622 In this same  article,
> > Mr.
> > >Ou claims to have run personal computers for over fifteen  years using
> > >some form or another of Windows and has never had a virus  on his
> > >computer. He claims that even his family computer runs without  an
> > >antivirus or antispyware program and has never experienced
> > any  problems.
> > >His findings are backed up by Adrian Kingsley- Hughes,  writing in the
> > >November 15, 2006 issue of Zdnet. Mr. Kingsley-Hughes  argues that an
> > >over- reliance on security software (which, as you may  have by now
> > >concluded if you have read this far, is not all that  secure) creates
> > >"sloppy thinking". Using "common sense", he says, will  go much further
> > >in protecting your computer than relying on software  programs.
> > >
> > >I agree. It is well known that most true computer  experts and IT
> > >professionals do not use security software as such. They  have long
> > known
> > >that the disease is worse than the cure and that the  way to protect
> > your
> > >computer is by securing it through such means as  limiting
> > administrative
> > >rights, etc. In a quick and admittedly  unscientific survey that I took
> > >for this article, only two out of 16 IT  professionals and three out of
> > >22 qualified experts I contacted use any  type of antivirus or
> > >antispyware programs running on their home  computers. This is not to
> > say
> > >that they do not use programs to scan for  spyware or viruses; but
> > rather
> > >than running them actively, they use  them only on demand to manually
> > >scan. All admitted that the drain on  computer resources far outweighs
> > >any potential benefit received from  having these programs running in
> > the
> > >background and increasing the  potential threats to their systems.
> > >
> > >So, armed with all of the  above information, I disabled all of my many
> > >security programs other  than my firewall on September 2, 2006. As of
> > >this date, January 4,  2007, they are still disabled. I surfed the Web
> > as
> > >much as I always do,  visited the same type of sites that I always do,
> > >downloaded around  thirty-five programs, many for future NNT reviews
> > but
> > >also a large  number of freeware programs. I used my computer no
> > >differently than I  ever do. I am using a DSL connection and am on line
> > >24/7, and generally  on the Internet an average of 7 hours per day. The
> > >only disclaimer I do  need to make is that I do not use peer-to-peer
> > file
> > >sharing programs  nor am I a connoisseur of pornography, both types of
> > >computer use known  to increase one's risk of infection. I scanned my
> > >computer once a week  for viruses using AVG 7.5 and scanned for spyware
> >
> > >once a week using A  Squared, Ewido, CounterSpy, Spyware Doctor,
> > >ZeroSpyware, and  SpySweeper, simply to make sure that I could report
> > my
> > >results as  honestly and thoroughly as possible. In four months of use
> > I
> > >found zero  viruses, and the only spyware discovered was an occasional
> > >tracking  cookie (Atwola and About.com <http://about.com/>) which were
> > easily removed. That's
> > >it.  Period. What I did find, however, was that by not having these
> > >security  programs load at start-up my boot time decreased from
> > >approximately 107  seconds to 33 seconds and my computer responded as
> > if
> > >I had just  doubled my CPU and RAM. RAM usage alone dropped by 20
> > percent
> > >and on my  machine that was like installing another 200MB of RAM!
> > >
> > >Do I  recommend that each of you reading this do likewise and disable
> > all
> > >of  your security software? That is for you to  decide.
> > >********************************************
> > >
> > >I  share Snyder's opinion and have a NAT router (includes a  hardware
> > >firewall function) for my Internet connection and run the free  Zone
> > >Alarm firewall on each machine on the network. But I still use
> > AVG  free
> > >antivirus and Windows Defender, also free, as my only  active,
> > >continuously running "anti" ware on each machine. I scan  occassionally
> >
> > >with AdAware, Spybot and AVG AntiSpyware and can't  remember the last
> > >time I saw any kind of alert except tracking cookies.  And one of the
> > >machines on my network is still running XP, SP1 with NO  updates since
> > it
> > >was bought. We refer to it around here as "the grand  experiment".
> > >
> > >So my conclusion is, if you can't quite bring  yourself to "cut the
> > cord"
> > >at least go the free route and save some  bucks.
> > >
> > >H Davis
> > >
> > >Geoff Glave wrote:
> > > >  Hi Everyone,
> > > >
> > > > Just wondering what anti-spyware app  people are liking for Windows
> > > > 2000 these days? I was a big fan of  MS-AS & then defender, but they
> >
> > > > don't support Win2K any more,  so I'm looking for suggestions.
> > > >
> > > > Cheers,
> > > >  Geoff Glave
> > > > Vancouver, Canada
> > > >
> > > >  _________________________________________________________________
> > > >  Don't waste time standing in line---try shopping online. Visit
> > > >  Sympatico / MSN Shopping today! http://shopping.sympatico.msn.ca
> > >  >
> > > >
> > >
> > >  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >  >
> > > > _______________________________________________
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> > > >  http://www.tsgserver.com/list/
> > > >
> > >
> > >--
> > >H  Davis    hdavis1 at gmail.com
> > >
> > >_______________________________________________
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> >
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