imported post
Walleye wrote:
deepdiver, what browser are you using and antivirus? My antivirus didn't find it and Firefox blocked a number of popups but not new tabs opening - I removed it with Malwarebytes after having a difficult time getting Spybot S&D to nail it.
I run Firefox with the NoScript add-on for a browser (to deal with those pesky IE only sites which I have to deal with a lot at work, I use the IE tab or the Agent Switcher add-ons to make the other computer think I'm running IE - it works about 98% of the time). I have Firefox set up to delete all personal information every time I shut it down. I run Bitdefender Internet Security Suite for anti-virus which also has anti-spam and anti-phishing filters. I also have Spyware Blaster and SpyBot Search & Destroy installed and up to date. It appears to work pretty well. I didn't even know that OCDO had any ads on the site until I happened to browse the forums one day without logging in and saw a few, but still didn't see most of the ads people were talking about until I looked at it on a friends computer. Some part of my security software filters out all of that.
I ran a deep spyware/virus scan tonight in Bitdefender and a full Spybot scan and found no spyware/malware on my computer. I don't know which parts of which software is catching what (before getting Bitdefender last summer I ran AVG free anti-virus, ZoneAlarm free firewall, Spybot Search & Destroy, Spyware Blaster and Firefox without the NoScript add-on for about 3 years and still never got spy/malware on my computer using those FREE (freeware) programs).
I also manually run a little free program called "CleanUp!" (another freeware) to clean up all cache before I turn off my computer as well as a little program called MRU-Blaster (yep, freeware) to delete those pesky clogging MRUs every other day or so or more often if I have hit a sight where I might have been exposed to spy/malware. That just gets rid of a possible hiding spy/malware/trojan hiding out in the memory or cache that will run on a reboot. It is easier to get rid of it before shutting down than after it is trying to install on a reboot.
I'm fairly knowledgable on computers although I am far from a computer guru or a Level III tech. Some of that stuff may be unnecessary or redundant in some people's opinions, however, I have set up a lot of friend's and family's computers with all that freeware and have only once had to fix one again because they got infected and that was because they hadn't run an update. Most of it runs passively and the other stuff uses no more memory than stuff you buy. The only downside to the free stuff is that you have to manually update a lot of it.
I've tried a lot of different security programs (anti-virus, anti-spam, pop-up blockers, firewalls, etc) over the years and finally settled on the above combination as the best of the free stuff. I have also used Norton home and corporate, McAfee (which I will never recommend to anyone for any reason) and TrendMicro anti-virus and internet security suites. Of those I think the best is TrendMicro (PC-cillin), but this year Bitdefender was rated better and as my TrendMicro on the one computer was expiring, I just bought a multi-license Bitdefender and replaced the TrendMicro and put it on the other computers as well. I've also used and tested a lot of different firewalls over the years and while I like ZoneAlarm Pro firewall's added features over the free version, I do not like their security suite. It is all that dinking around with liking this but not that, that finally got me settled on my current 2 configurations I use, one including purchased software Ifor computers I use professionally) and the other using all freeware (for computers that are personal use only).
If anyone wants links to any of that freeware I mentioned above just PM me and I'll give you the links to it.