Deactivating the anti- virus when on the Forum- danger?

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 30 Dec 2012 1:23 pm

I'm very stupid when it comes to computers. Many times when I turn it on the antivirus program I have is starting to update. Everytime it slows the computer down to the point that every thing stops. Sometimes the update lasts ten to fifteen minutes.
So my question: is there any danger for an infection when I go to The Forum and deactivate it for this time period .
I hope I made my point clear. Thanks!

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 30 Dec 2012 2:35 pm

I've just noticed that when it's deactivated it still updates, and during this time it puts everything to a halt.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 30 Dec 2012 3:50 pm

I know what you mean. I schedule mine to update during the night once a week. You just have to remember to leave the computer on that night or it will probably do the update the next time you turn it on.

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 30 Dec 2012 11:12 pm

If you want to browse the Interwebs without virus protection, follow these steps:

If you're currently logged into a computer (any operating system) as an administrator, create a new account with administrator privileges and a strong password.
Log out of your current account and into the new one to set it up. Or, "switch users" to the new account, if your OS allows it.
Log out of the new admin level account and back into the old account.
Use whatever user account management utility your computer provides to reduce your existing user privileges to either a "Limited User," or "Power User," or "Standard User."
Log out and back into your usual account. It will no longer have Admin privileges. This means you will have to elevate your privileges by typing the new Administrator level account password into a pop-up box to allow anything affecting the operating system to install, open or update. It also means no more silent drive-by malware installs! You must be tricked visibly.
If you were previously using Internet Explorer as your primary web browser, stop doing that. The last thing you should do with that browser is to go to either http://www.google.com/chrome, or http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ and download one of those browsers.
Install the new browser and copy over your "Favorites" and history, etc. Then, for Firefox, go to and add the No Script! Add-on. Or, for Chrome, install the Script No extension.
Uninstall (Oracle) Java plug-ins from all your browsers and maybe even from the operating system!!!!!
Make sure Adobe Flash, Shockwave, AIR and Reader are fully up to date, if you have any or all of them installed.
Keep you computer or smart devices updated automatically for the operating system (e.g. Windows Updates) and important web-facing software or app components.
Avoid clicking on links in email messages, unless you absolutely expected the message, and/or have an email client that displays the destination URL of a link in a status bar before you click on it.

By browsing with a non-Microsoft browser, with a script defeating extension installed, while operating with reduced user privileges, you will reduce your risk of accidental infection, with or without an antivirus program running.

However, computer users are known in the security trade as the weak link that exists between the seat and the keyboard. Even a Limited User can be tricked by social engineering, or a targeted email attack, into clicking on a poisoned link or attachment and installing malware, while inputting their password into a User Account Control prompt box to let it happen.

That is why having a current version of a prominent anti-virus/anti-malware security program is so important. It isn't as easy to fool as some people are. While no single security program can know about every new piece of malware, or variation of existing ones, they can still respond to suspicious activity and ask you to reconsider before allowing it to continue. This is called behavioral analysis, or Heuristics. It is even more important now than a few years ago. New or altered threats can go without definitions for a day or two. Heuristic analysis can stop a zero day malware attack in its tracks.

I personally trust and use Trend Micro Internet Security programs to protect my devices (including my Galaxy S3 smartphone).

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 31 Dec 2012 5:41 am

Thanks Wiz, I will tell your advice to someone who is better versed than me, to show me the procedure.
Thanks Richard also.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 31 Dec 2012 6:41 am

I use Trend also. Although I have it update and scan in the middle of the night, I never disable it to browse the internet. But, I have a fast connection and yours may be slower.

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 31 Dec 2012 9:33 am

I can't speak for Norton or McAfee anti virus, but Trend Micro has had a function for a couple of years now, the purpose of which is to block your access to malicious or suspicious web pages. When one clicks on a link that leads to a page that Trend's Smart Protection Network has classified as dangerous, all you get is a warning page from Trend. Nothing from that website loads at all. You can override the block, ask them to look over the page/website again, or get outta there.

This protection is important to busy people who click on links all the time. You just don't know when a previously clean website will get compromised to serve malware, or redirect you to a malware server. The Trend Micro Smart Protection Network works fast, in the cloud, and is fed data from all Trend customers about new malware threats.

I have purposely downloaded suspicious files and uploaded them to VirusTotal. Often, on day 1, only a couple of security companies will recognize that the file is malicious. This means that the onboard anti-virus definitions won't protect you from that zero day malware.

However, when I tried to go to those websites using my browser, Trend Micro blocked it as malicious. This came from instant analysis in the cloud, not from onboard definitions. (Don't try this at home unless you are a professional malware investigator)

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 31 Dec 2012 3:54 pm

I believe Trend still has that function. I think McAfee does too.

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 1 Jan 2013 12:02 pm

Richard Sinkler wrote:I believe Trend still has that function. I think McAfee does too.

I was making that point, but thanks for repeating it. The instant protection against loading dangerous pages cannot be overstated. You just don't know when a website that was clean and safe before will get compromised to serve malware.

The Trend Smart Protection Network gets updates about such compromises from computers around the World. Rather than burden personal computers with this data, they keep it on servers called "cloud servers." As you browse the Interwebs and click on links, they are examined in the cloud and blocked if they are classified as unsafe.

This protection is now extended to smartphone users who subscribe to Trend Micro mobile security programs.