Microsoft Security Essentials

Hi folks, I would like to get some opinions on MSE. Right now, I am using MSE, Malwarebytes and Superantispyware for all my security issues. Once a month I also run Eset online scanner. Question??? yesterday morning I ran MSE and it found nothing, then I ran Eset and it found 6 viruses, why is that???? or why didn't MSE find anything. I always update the various software before I begin any scans.

 

Interesting, I'm not even going to attempt to answer that, we have security specialists that know far more than I,

Don't suppose you made a note, or have a log of the files, infections found by Eset? Just curious as to if they were false positives. or if MSE had actually missed them.

ether way I use MSE so I'll be watching this thread with great interest.

 

Hi Match, thanks for the comment and no, I did not make a list, there were 6 Trojans and I simply had Eset quarantine them and subsequently deleted them. I am not a big fan of quarantine because to me, they are still in my machine and I want them gone. I am seriously thinking about removing MSE and going with say Avast or AVG and I will still run Eset once a month to be on the safe side. I am thinking that MSE should have found those Trojans after updating that software and yet there were still 6 viruses in my machine?????

 

Quarantine is quite safe, Rich. When quarantined the trojans can't go anywhere.You have the option to delete them if you wish.

 

I'm like Rich - I have visions of little virus thugs plotting an escape from their virtual cell in quarantine.
Zap em' is my philosophy

 

I agree Ken, thanks for you kind comment. Just as a point of interest, I ran MSE again a while ago, did a full scan and it found nothing. I downloaded the free AVG antivirus thinger, updated it first as normal, then I ran a full scan with it. It found 2 Trojans???? So, I deleted MSE from my machine, as far as I am concerned it is useless.

 

I go against trend.I only have Malwarebytes and run a scan every 20 hrs.
Sick of AV's as they miss so much and give false positives.
My computer runs faster and less popups and crap alerting me.
That's my choice.
How do you know the 2 trojans weren't false positives?, Rich.
In AV tests MSSE rates very poorly.

 

I am not sure if they were Dougie, the point is, how come AVG found something and MSE did not. Well, it's academic now as I canned MSE.

 

Hum, this is very interesting, I am running scans right now and see what if anything I find, MSSE ran earlier and found nothing, Malwarebytes has just finished and reported nothing, I will report back later after SAS and Eset online have run.

Edit to add, SAS is still scanning, but I must ask Rich, is your system 64 bit? and did you run the Eset from the 32 bit version of Internet explorer if it is 64 bit?

Nev.

 

Yes, my machine is 64 bit and I have the current 64 bit Eset.

 

I only mention that as Starbuck recently advised someone to use the 32 bit version of Internet explorer as the download is or was 32 bit. I wasn't aware that there is now a 64 bit version of the Eset scanner and maybe he doesn't know either, or had other reasons perhaps.

Any way I have run all scans and including the 32 bit Eset scan as well. Disappointingly nothing was found by any of them as I was hoping Eset might find something so I could research it to see if it was a genuine nasty or false positive.
Maybe proves I have a clean machine, but leaves me with little to actually say regarding whether MSSE is any good or not.
However MSSE did pull me out of a hole a couple of months back.

Here is a short story and proof you can never be careful enough.
A friend had asked where he could buy a computer in the local area, this was because he couldn't go searching on line as he had nothing to do it with, as it would be his first computer.

So as well as the shops and dealers I know of, I used good old Google to search the area for me. I found quite list of dealers and general repair or sales people, so looked at a few of their websites to see what impressions they give and what they have to offer, it was one of them that had been compromised, and was hosting a fairly nasty trojan. MSSE jumped on it and trashed it straight away which I am glad to say did a good job of cleaning up. So good marks to MSSE for at least that.

However it means a possibly reputable (or not) computer dealer, has an infected website, which I suppose a computer dealer or repairer is a good target for the hackers to invade. Perhaps a case of "You killed my virus so I will infect you with another"
I did send an e mail to the site owner, but no reply as yet. Makes me think the business could now be defunct.

Nev.

 

Well no point in me doing a full scan I did a clean re-install my PC last week and haven't really been surfing or Downloading much since, something to do with Easter School holidays limiting PC time so I've basically been only going on my regular sites/forums, but in the past I've known Eset get Nasty over intall/setup software in my Download folder that I knew was safe.

 

I haven't used Eset for quite a while as an installed package and never did use the full suite. A few years ago I was using NOD32 from Eset which seemed to work well. Can't say from personal experience but have heard that the quality of Eset has dropped a bit.

If you installed AVG (If I were to change I'd go with Avast over AVG but anyway...) while Security essentials was still on your system there is no telling what AVG actually found. It could even have been Security Essential's infection database.

 

Any AV program that needs a removal tool to get it completely off your OS I steer well clear of.
There is so much new malware written daily all these AV's are playing catch up all the time.
The one's that update daily are the ones that are trying hard to keep on top of this menace.
A good site advisor also helps when surfing the net.
I use W.O.T.

 

May I put in my nickle's worth? I will anyway!! As a security adviser here and admin on two social sites, I do a lot of surfing all over the internet. I use Avast Pro and Malwarebytes Pro, plus Spywareblaster. That's it and I cannot remember the last time I had my computer infected. Over the years, Avast has only presented me with one false positive. Avast Pro rates sites and even if a site has a reasonable rating, if there is malware, it will block my access with a warning. It also has sandboxing which I use from time to time. I use an XP firewall and have a wireless router. I used to use AVG many years ago and it let in viruses and updating was always late. Not so with Avast. I am happy with my choices and have no intentions of changing unless there becomes an issue. I do use Dr. Web [on demand] to scan URL's & links prior to clicking on them when in unfamiliar territory. When I post links here with my updates, I always try to make sure the links are clean.

The worst I have found are the packages provided by the IP server. I visited a neighbor who complained about her computer and found something like 80 pieces of malware after a malwarebytes scan of her pre-packaged security software .. the look on her face was priceless.

Have you ever done a Shields UP test of your computer on Steve Gibson's site? I have and my computer is 100% stealth and does not exist on the internet. Shields UP! -- Internet Connection Security Analysis - do the test for the fun of it.

Anyway, you probably didn't want to hear any of this, but I told you just the same.

 

I did do the test for fun, Snoopy.

 

Yep - according to the test I don't exist

Thanks for the link Snoopy.

 

Not exposing anything!! I do not exist!

 

OK I've been talking to people that don't exist, I'm not sure if I should be concerned or not!

P.S. I exist but am unseen

 

I just did the test and I don't exist either