This all could be a very

pr0gr4mm3r — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:04:37 +0000

This all could be a very good April Fools joke.

Conficker Worm Deadline

decibel.places — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:53:25 +0000

Conficker Worm Deadline Passes Quietly - So Far

So is Conficker 4/1 a hoax? or did the publicity avert a disaster?

I notice that McAfee is prominently included in this article - can't buy publicity like that (unless you bankroll the malware creators).

I still have some files around for an April Fools virus hoax I planned in 1997, using animated gifs... I know, not funny - but "those were different times," as Lou Reed said...

Norton was a good AV years

greg — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:29:00 +0000

Norton was a good AV years ago, but Symantec bundled it with other protection options and the entire thing became bloated and resource heavy.

Antispyware, Botnet protection, Browser protection, Intrusion prevention, Norton Protection System etc.

No, just something that stops viruses and worms please.

Their home security package is even worse for bloated and over-kill checking.

Norton, Symantec etc will

decibel.places — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:53:53 +0000

Norton, Symantec etc will nag you unceasingly until you resubscribe or delete them entirely...

I recommend the PC Decrapifier to remove unwanted pre-installed OEM software.

Be sure you use a legitimate

pr0gr4mm3r — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:48:55 +0000

Be sure you use a legitimate AV. I use Avast, many also use Avira. I think Norton s*cks.

I'm talking about before the flood of rouge AV programs. I believe there were a couple well known AV companies that did this practice.

pr0gr4mm3r wrote: Some

decibel.places — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:30:07 +0000

pr0gr4mm3r wrote:

Some anti-virus software has had a history of infecting their host computers after the subscription has expired.

There are many viruses that masquerade as legit anti-virus and anti-spyware apps - install them and you're infected. They prey on the victim's fear. Many also offer to "uninfect" you if you pay them after a free download; in many cases it is $$$ wasted.

Be sure you use a legitimate AV. I use Avast, many also use Avira. I think Norton s*cks.

Some anti-virus software has

pr0gr4mm3r — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:25:39 +0000

Some anti-virus software has had a history of infecting their host computers after the subscription has expired.