Security For Windows 10 – FreeFile Review

This review addresses how an average user of Windows 10 can easily and effectively maintain security. These are my experiences and observations after more than a year using Windows 10, your mileage may vary.

Antivirus Protection – Many security pros feel that zero-day threats greatly reduce the effectiveness of antivirus programs. Overall, I find Windows 10 to be reasonably secure, and today, most security threats focus on internet browsers. Windows Defender is a lightweight, efficient program, pre-installed with Windows, that operates unobtrusively and effectively. It runs in the background with no user input needed and it receives frequent updates. Use Windows Defender – no additional antivirus is needed.

Browsers – Both Firefox and Chrome are good choices. The best malware blocker add-on is uBlock Origin (available for Firefox and Chrome). Keep your browser up to date and install uBlock origin and you’re good to go. Bear in mind that smart surfing is still the most important thing you can do – no app can help with that.

Malware Scanner – The free version of Malwarebytes does not provide realtime protection, but it is effective when run every week or two, or when a problem is suspected.

Disk Imaging – This is the most important piece to achieve real security. All of the previously mentioned steps can fail, so the ability to quickly recover is key. Imaging software makes an exact copy of the entire C drive, so that the entire PC can be quickly restored after disaster strikes. This will protect you from not just virus and malware attacks, but also from hardware failures and Windows issues. Ideally, the image should be stored on an external drive, so it may require spending about $50. The best free imaging software is Macrium Reflect. It is very fast and reliable.

— — — — The Bottom Line — — — —

1.Use Windows Defender (no additional antivirus programs are needed) 2.Use Firefox or Chrome browsers, with uBlock Origin add-on 3.Get Malwarebytes 4.Consider disk imaging.

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Free File Review – Anti-Virus Toolkit

In the past, I’ve tested most of the popular free anti-virus programs, the latest being Microsoft Security Essentials. This application leads the pack with realtime protection against viruses and spyware and with automatic updates. I found that it operates unobtrusively, using few system resources. System scans are relatively snappy (less than 10 minutes). Installation is quick, although Microsoft verifies Windows first. The interface is simple, offering few options. Most people won’t need to adjust any of them, except, perhaps the scan scheduling.
Another essential tool to defeat the nasties is Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware. It is able to remove viruses and spyware that other programs can’t touch. Although the free version does not offer realtime protection or automatic updates, it is still handy to have when a bug slips past your primary anti-virus. This brute also does system scans in less than 10 minutes.
The final piece of my essential AV toolkit is Spybot Search and Destroy. It is the granddaddy of anti-spyware apps and it is showing its age. It offers realtime protection but no automatic updates. System scans normally take 15-20 minutes. A ton of options are available when in the Advanced mode.
I’ve had good results with the above three programs, but no program or group of programs can be 100% effective against all of the bugs on the web.

Download Microsoft Security Essentials HERE
Download Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware HERE
Download Spybot Search and Destroy HERE

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