Do I still Need PC Tuning Software?

Here is an article like many we have seen for several years.
What's the lowdown? I use CCleaner, Norton, and a few others. I think I had to disable Defender. Also like Malwarebytes and Super Spyware. Am I throwing money away? This article seems to say "yes, you are."

I am using Defender and the paid versions of cCleaner, Malwarebytes and Macrium Reflect. I have been using them for years with no problems; of course I don't go to pirate or other bad sites. I believe that if you don't support programs that you use then they will go away.

There are a couple of free programs that I use on occasion. They are rKill and ADWcleaner.

I may be wrong but I think that the purchased cCleaner and Malwarebytes have caught more bad actors then the free versions.

I would say so, yes. I do part time work for the CPA firm that I retired from 4 years ago. Given the sensitivity of clients tax iand financial nformation and federal laws about safeguarding that information, security is very important. Our IT company uses Defender plus close monitoring of activity on our server. I've talked to their tech people many times about this and Defender is as good as anything else meaning none are perfect.

The biggest problem with security? A brain dead user who isn't paying attention to spam email attachments. Some are very clever, they make the email look exactly like it's coming from your bank with logos, disclaimers and everything else you would see. The one thing is it says something like they need you to to log in because there's been an issue with your account and to please click here. Noooo!!! The best software security ever made won't help if you click on that link.

Many times I would see a suspicioius email and call them about it. They would hop on my system, click on it themselves and tell me, yep good catch. That email originated in Romania or something. Some of the spam emails I get are extremely clever, they will use a very close aproximatiion of my name or a client's name or a company I work with but something about it just doesn't look right so I'll call our people and check it out. One was really amazing, it looked exactly like one of our clients sending some docs and just click to download the pdf's. I never got a call from them saying they were sending it so I didn't do it. You have to really have your BS detector going full time!

Aside from that, the single biggest thing you can do is to have a modern computer meaning a few years old with the latest Windows version and keep it fully updated because every update includes security patches. The second thing is to keep your system clean. Time and again the people who seem to have the most problems are the ones who think they know better and keep messing with their systems thinking they're making it "better". If you're a true computer pro, maybe you can get away with that but usually you're just making things worse. Microsoft knows what they're doing in spite of all the nag screens to use Edge and such. Which btw, Edge is more secure according to our IT people which is why they don't allow any other browsers to be installed on the office system.

Here's the thing, starting with Win 10 and now 11, the OS, Defender, Edge and your mobo/CPU are all integrated for security. Many people don't care that much about it. Fine, their choice. If you do care then this is the way to go.

Bob

I just use the included Defender and free version of CCleaner.

^^^ This is the most important advice, and the reason why so many systems get hacked.

You don't have to be brain-dead, some of them are so slick, but you do have to be aware and on your guard. Some pretty savvy people have been fooled.

Never-ever click a link in an e-mail that comes from your bank, the IRS, PayPal, your credit card, or anything else, no matter how real it looks. Same for the phone numbers. Go the long way around and go directly to their website or call the phone number listed, the link and the phone in the e-mail could be poison.

Or that e-mail that tells you that your card has been charged some huge amount of money, and if you didn't authorize it, click here. Or the one that says you have pending e-mails that can't get to you, click here to solve the problem.

I get these letters, "I want to follow up on the conversation we had a few days ago..." Or "I'm from the Norton Music IT department, you need to change your password, click here."

Even links from your friends could be poison. If your friend got hacked, the hacker can send a message from their computer using their e-mail address that contains malware.

You have to look at everything with a critical eye.

As Jazzmzmmal Bob said, even the best software won't help if you click that link.

Notes ♫

I escaped one of those by a whisker a while back, mostly because Linux tends(!) not to be targetted with these things.

I'd sent a message to a client around Christmas and had reply.
A couple of days later I received another email from the same person:

"""Oh, by the way, did you complete our New Year survey?""" and a link.

I mailed them and said "...the link doesn't seem to do anything useful".
Soon afterwards I received another mail saying they'd been hacked.

Thanks for those comments. I thought I'd catch you guys while you are all on a bit of tech roll.
I have always been aware of the danger in email links, Bob, but only recently have I had to step up the game. Absolutely not opening attachments or links unless I've been expecting it from someone I know. Last year, I got caught up in the Relia Card unemployment benefits scam. Basically a coast to coast ripoff that involves debit cards for unemployment and other social benefits. Info wise, it was as if I had applied for the card! Had to go through the whole bit - fraud alerts, freeze credit scores, all that.
And, right you are, impersonating your bank is the main avenue. Thanks for bringing that up.
Again, thanks for the input. As we look at WIN 11, it is a good time to assess current practices.

I use AVG internet security, VPN & Tune Up.
I'm not a fan of TUNE but my wife like to run it every 2nd day so we have it. The VPN works really well as does the Internet Security part. It's not expensive and works away quietly.
Having AVG scan as a download is in transit as well as checking USB devices etc is also a plus.
Tune Up's BIG plus is isolating programs that are rarely used &/or when in the back ground use a lot of CPU...it offers the option of putting them in "sleep" mode so they have to be clicked on to "wake up' end be used or removal.

So here is what you are faced with when it comes to security.

AdwareAdvanced persistent threatArbitrary code executionBackdoorsHardware backdoorsCode injectionCrimewareCross-site scriptingCryptojacking malwareBotnetsData breachDrive-by downloadbrowser helper objectsComputer crimeVirusesData scrapingDenial of serviceEavesdroppingEmail fraudEmail spoofingExploitsKeyloggersLogic bombsTime bombsFork bombsZip bombsFraudulent dialersMalwarePayloadPhishingPolymorphic enginePrivilege escalationRansomwareRootkitsBootkitsScarewareShellcodeSpammingSocial engineering (security)Screen scrapingSpywareSoftware bugsTrojan horsesHardware TrojansRemote access trojansVulnerabilityWeb shellsWiperWormsSQL injectionRogue security softwareZombie

And then there is that cute redhead you met at the gig...lol

All kidding aside, what am I really trying to protect? For me as a single person (not my business) it is mainly banking information and to a lesser extent credit card information.

So...The way I protect my money is to have more than one bank account. One account that I only keep a small balance, say 4K and I use that bank card for all internet purchases and day-to-day purchases including recurring charges like electricity. I manage that account on my computer and get notified of any amounts over $100. I make it a point to take the bank manager to lunch a couple of times a year. I deposit checks in that account from my main account in person. NOTHING is on my cell phone.

My main account is not on the internet and all transactions are done in person. I do not have an ATM card for the main account. I don't get statements in the mail for that account.

Credit cards are not really an issue as I only deal with credit card companies that provide protection and notification of suspected fraud.

The rest of the stuff...

I back up things that are important to me. I am not really concerned about information on any of my computers. I don't care if you know where I live, who I am married to, or how many rounds I sent downrange at the gun store this afternoon.

I have insurance to help with identity theft and insurance that covers my liability as a gun owner/dog owner/home owner.

I use CCleaner and Norton. I have only had one virus on one of my computers in the last ten years that caused me to wipe the drive and reinstall the OS. I think most of the software like CCleaner is about the same. None of it is 100%. I have definitely got malware on my computer from trying to download "free" VSTs in the past.

The whole security issue, computers, physical security, security in public and on aircraft is becoming more complex by the year. Fatal car crashes are up across the country by large amounts and so is violent crime. Millions of people who don't have the foggiest notion of how to safely use a gun have acquired them in the last two years.

Good preparation can mitigate the issue but nothing is truly safe. Here in Miami, defensive driving is a requirement to stay alive. There are some storms that can not be survived.

I think the most important issue is to decide for your own situation what truly needs protecting and try to do a realistic assessment of what your risk are and what measures you can and are willing to take to reduce the risk.

The only thing you can really do is risk management.

Billy

Clicking links in suspicious emails. That is the largest contributor to cyber crime and virus issues. All of the recent companies that have had their data held hostage were caused by someone inside the network getting a phishing or more sinister email and clicking the link provided. Our IT department actually sends out fake phishing emails multiple times a month to test the users. Click 3 of them and you could be fired, but discipline of some sort is happening. 1st time is training, 2nd time is face to face with IT security and your boss, 3rd time up to and including firing type of discipline. That is how important it is. We can go look at a scoreboard to see how we are doing. We have had people provide their login credentials to one of these fake phishing emails. That is all it takes for a bad actor to get inside your network and do some damage.

All that to say, don't click the links unless you were expecting it and even then, I usually go to the company web site and login their as usual.

I also change passwords all over the place all the time and use the really hard ones: jIOt*7&$59(pDR for example. I have to keep track of them but they are hard to break.

I think what Joe said is important.

He also does not work for the local hamburger joint and security threats to his place of work can have very serious consequences.

Threat assessment, threat management, and definitive action are how these threats are managed. It is not uncommon to be fired from corporate America for causing computer security breaches. Jobs that require federal security clearance are even more sensitive to the actions of workers. A considerable amount of monitoring goes on to ensure compliance with requirements.

In today's world, you need to check who is outside before opening the door of your house or your computer.

Maintaining situational awareness is becoming a full-time job and is not easy to do. We all get distracted and lose sight of what is important at times. This happens even in situations that rapidly become life-threatening. Air traffic control has vectored me into mountains. I have put the wrong navigation frequencies into navigation radios. Fortunately for me, I was aware of ATC's mistakes and they were aware of mine and was not on the six o'clock news.

Billy

Yeah, the place I work does that too. I get a "Great Job!" pop-up when I hit the "Report Phishing" button on our Outlook. It's amazing how many people fail and click on the phishing email links.