Expert: Brian Benosky - 9/16/2009

Question
Hi Brian and welcome back from your vacation. I hope you enjoyed it!
I have read that newer and more malware is being created and thrown online at Windows systems and that the conventional anti-virus and firewall, only setup, is not keeping up like it once was. Sandboxing, Virtual or Cloud Security measures, Disk Imaging, are being recommended by a few security advisories. What do you think is a proper security setup for Windows? Thanks

Answer
Hi Mark

The answer would depend on variables, such as home and office settings, LAN or WLAN, etc.  But as a general rule, the most important way to secure the Windows environment is through updates.  Not only Windows Updates, but software updates such as Java and Flash, along with any malware scanner software.  I make time each week to download the latest version of all my software.  A great free program saves me headaches by keeping track of my software versions; Secunia Personal Software Inspector:
http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/
Next, browser security is a high priority.  Firefox, by itself, is not much more secure than Internet Explorer.  But the ability to enhance FF security with add-ons places it way beyond any other browser.  I run FF with Adblock Plus, NoScript, and occasionally TorButton.  You could also add many more, such as WOT or FoxyProxy.  Have a look here:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browse/type:1/cat:12
Finally, you need a good security suite to keep Windows free of malware.  Anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall are the three components of your suite.  I use AntiVir, Spybot Search & Destroy, and Commodo.  But there are other good programs like Avast available for free.  Stay away from Norton products, for many reasons.  But number one is the tendency for it to be disabled far too easily by malware.  
If you need further suggestions, just let me know, but I will leave you with the following:
I do a great deal of browsing and downloading.  Using the above technique, I have had zero infections on any of my Windows machines.  

Brian