Avast false positive & took 5 hour from them to response, very disappointing!

Yesterday, December 12, 2009 exactly at 12:15am GMT, Avast! release a disastrous update with their Virus database that they called VPS update. The VPS update 091203-0 flagging hundreds of files as being infected with "Win32:Delf-MZG" Trojan and "Win32:Zbot-MKK" (here's what Avast techny say), It's pretty silly for me, cause it took 5 hours long!!!!! for them to correct it....... I found this very very very disappointing response, 5 hour?!

Lucky for me, at that moment I was at my friend house using my laptop with Kaspesky Anti Virus running, but not my friend...... She use Avast and right after the update her PC goes crazy from Avast virus warning and Avast recommend to restart the PC and run a boot-scan, "the Avast specialty", but to bad for her ,she use to set the boot scan to auto delete when virus are found. So as the result, Avast delete in total of 275 "mistakenly suspected" virus which include some windows file along with some registry key.

Yup, you guess it, her PC crash!!! So both of us along with other friend working on our project a moment before decided to stay and accompany her while she re-install her PC. After the re-install finish, we decided to wait, cause through my laptop I browse the internet and found so many many people using Avast complaining about the same issue, but we couldn't decide whether it's really a false positive with Avast or they are genius? LOL, I know I should have known better, Avast never achieve the reputation as the greatest like Kaspersky, BitDefender, Norton, McAfee or even AVG, their best achievement would only goes as far as the best in middle class Anti-virus.

But since the lates Avast 4.8, I believe they started on the right track to go there, event though the last result from av-comparatives November test shows a surprising back to it nature of middle class average anti-virus again with only 53% detection rate. To be fair, almost every Anti-virus software have gone trough the same case, and I believe in the next coming year, maybe they could actually compete in the Top Spot with those great name such as like Kaspersky which is the best there is right now, but for those of you who want other alternative, use the best free Anti-virus there is on the market after Avast chaotic silliness update than, Avira Free, It has much much better detection rate than Avast, but it's doesn't provide as many protection as Avast and it surely eat more resource than Avast (read my review here)

For me, I'm still using Avast on my home PC, not that I'm one of those fanatic fans of Avast, I switch from to those who offer the best protection and ofcourse free, and right now there are only two choice between Avast or Avira Free really, and I goes with Avast because it's very light, the lightest really, cause I try every well known Anti-virus there is on my old PC at home as a prove to it. So I would say if I use a higher more resourceful PC I go with Avira or even stay with Avast, but any last than that I go with Avast, but choosing an Anti-virus is like choosing a wife, so it's all come's back to which your feelings tells you to.

Ruroni Kenshin Painting Collection

Agnitum Outpost Firewall pro 2009 Review

Yesterday, I install & try the Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro 2009 version 6.7.1 after I feel that I evaluated the free version enough and very satisfied with how the product perform for the last 2 month or so. Even though my biggest motivation to try the Pro version, were actually base on the online firewall test from http://www.pcflank.com// a web site that provide series of test to check the vulnerability of firewall that install on your computer.

Base on the test result, I found that my firewall protected my computer very welll, all ports are close, but not every ports were stealth, which mean that my computer are still vulnarable from hackers (even though there's a very very little chance that a hacker want to mess up with my computer, cause accept my collection of songs, free programs, and games, there's actually nothing on it). The test result also recommend me to use Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro, so I think what the hell, I just gonna give it a try & see if there a significant difference between the two, or other Free Firewall program that I install on my other Computer & one on my Laptop.

After I install the Pro version I decide to give another shot on that test...... I expect to get an outstanding result from the test, but surprise surprise, the test show exactly the same result when I was testing it with Agnitum Outpost Firewall Free, Online Armor Free, PC Tools Firewall Plus!!!!! And one thing that make me can't stop laughing was, once again it recommended me to use the Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro.....

Even so, I still have a high level of respect to those 4 outstandingFree Firewall (including ZoneAlarm Firewall Free), cause I did try other free firewall program, and they didn't past the test as good as those 4 free firewall that I mention above.

Even though the pro version of Outpost Firewall provide user with the expert view, which allow user who have more advance knowledge to make more adjustment on the firewall setting, which in this case, it will allow you to make all the ports to become stealth. But to most home user who didn't well enough equipt with firewall knowledge, trying to made an adjustment on firewall can be catastrophic!

As an example a simple change on the firewall rules can make you unable to login to any of your e mail account, facebook, or other kind of account via website.
If you like to try it by using the Outpost Firewall Pro, just follow this simple steps:
Click setting >>> Web Control >>> change the web control level to maximum
to undo that setting, you just simple need to reverse the process :
Click setting >>> Web Control >>> change the web control level from maximum to Optimal

On Outpost Firewall Pro, you might found that the Real-time spyware protection or Web Control disable, that's not actually a problem really, cause if you like to enable it here's the answer why it was disable and how to enable it (agnitum support article)

So for home user who feel they need a personal firewall protection as their security layer, but doesn't equips with enough firewall knowledge, I believe Agnitum Outpost Firewall Free would be the best choice, cause it's the only firewall program that didn't bother the user by showing pop-up asking wether this program or that program should be allow or not to access the internet, creating something on the registery key, etc. while most user automaticlaly click yes/allow without really undestanding what or why, this program with it's "Auto-Learn Mode" provide you with enough level of safety & confort.

So unless their is something really unusual that need user review, this program will run smooth in the background and take care the rest for you. When it comes to resource, all Agnitum Outpost Firewall Free(also pro), Online Armor Free, PC Tools Firewall Plus & ZoneAlarm Firewall Free were all equal, they were all very light on system resource so they will not slow your system performance. Some how I think I fall in love with agnitum outpost firewall both the free and pro version, but if you're looking for other firewall with similar outstanding performance Online Armor Free, PC Tools Firewall Plus & ZoneAlarm Firewall Free will be my next recommendation.

But ofcourse you can always trust that windows firewall as long as you keep that automatic update on & upgraded you Operating system to their latest service pack. Windows XP SP2 or higher provide you with resonable inbound protection, while both Windows Vista & Windows 7 probide you with resonable inbound & outbound protection.

Goodluck & have a save surving!

Creating free security suite

Active Virus Shield (use to powered by kaspersky) use to provide an excellent free protection, but after Kaspersky re-draw their service from free to become EXPENSIVE, we need to found our a self another free security suited solution.
Base on an assumption that a single antivirus program cannot protect our computer, we need to find other element to built the security suite we need. From the information that I have, It's need to contain 5 major element :

1. Anti-virus
2. Anti-spyware
3. Email Security
4. Browser choice
5. Firewall
   

After some trials, errors & reading reviews from so many source, I found my favorite Free security Suite combination as followed :

1. Avast Free Antivirus
   
2. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (MBAM)
3. For Firewall I'll say choose between this two Online Armor Free or Agnitum Outpost Firewall Free ,both are good
   

For the web Browser, I think Mozilla Firefox or Opera would be a better choice than the standard outdated IE. For Email security, thanks to Avast! It has Internet mail protection in it.

Other Free combination that I could also recomended here are:

1. Avira AntiVir Personal as an alternative anti-virus option. Compared to Avast, the free Avira doesn't provide Email scanning protection and other online protection like Avast did, but it has a slightly better virus detection rate.
   AVG Free would be the next alternative, it's provide a complete protection as Avast did, but AVG takes LOT of computer resource & compared to Avast & Avira, AVG has the lowest detection for virus & rootkit protection.
   
2. For Firewall PC Tools Firewall Plus would be a good alternative, or the other more familiar firewall choice for most people, ZoneAlarm Firewall Free
   
3. For Anti-Spyware/Malware, I found non that can beat Malwarebite' Anti-Malware(MBAM) but so many review suggest SuperAntiSpyware, as an aditional security layer a long side MBAM, they are both free & not like anti-virus software, using more than one anti-Spyware application wouldn't hurt your computer.

I would like to give my highest appreciation for two of the following software (note; I have no affiliation with neither one of them) :

1. Malwarebite' Anti-Malware, when you buy Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware you get a lifetime license for $24.95, which I think 'very' reasonable for lifetime protection, is it not? On the otherhand, the commercial version runs in the background and prevents infections, the one that I experience my self was the IP blocking module, It automatictly block those bad content from the bad un-secure website that I visited (I do lots 0f unsafe internet site, I'm sure you know what I mean ^_^)
2. Avast with their motto "all antivirus software should be free for non-commercial use" and not just free it's also a very good software