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sachinqe
join:2008-12-08
India

sachinqe

Member

Leaving a computer without any security while installing an Anti-Virus softw

It may take around 20-30 mins for me to uninstall and then reinstall my AVG antivirus software. But during this process i will be left with no security on my Computer. So before uninstalling my AVG should i temporarily install another antivirus software just for some security. If yes then which one shall i install?. And if no then what are the risks for those many minutes. I use 3G for this.

My computer is not infected as per my knowledge. I am uninstalling my AVG and reinstalling it because very recently i started getting "General Error" for my update. It updates fine but fails to install them. AVG recommends reinstalling it under such conditions.
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

4 recommendations

Mele20

Premium Member

Can't you just disconnect from the internet during that time and don't insert a USB drive, open an email attachment, etc. that could be infected while the computer is unprotected? You do have the installation files on your hard drive don't you? If not, download all the files to disk before you uninstall AVG. Then disconnect from the internet, uninstall AVG and reinstall.
redwolfe_98
Premium Member
join:2001-06-11

1 recommendation

redwolfe_98 to sachinqe

Premium Member

to sachinqe
you should not install another av-program, to use while you are installing the AVG av-program.. it is not good to have two av-programs installed at the same time, so it would be a problem if you tried to install the AVG av-program while another av-program was installed..

as long as all windows-updates have been installed AND you have a firewall running, you should be OK..

not having an av-program installed does not really create a risk when all you are doing is uninstalling, and then reinstalling, an av-program..

Ken1943
join:2001-12-30
Brighton, CO

Ken1943 to sachinqe

Member

to sachinqe
Disconnect from internet until it's been reinstalled.
dave
Premium Member
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio

3 recommendations

dave to sachinqe

Premium Member

to sachinqe
The risk is minimal. You have firewall to prevent incoming connections, I suppose (if not, that is way more important than anti-virus).

So what are the major attack vectors remaining? 1) Infections from web sites, 2) Infections from email.

Very well, don't read email or visit other web sites while installing the anti-virus.

sachinqe
join:2008-12-08
India

1 recommendation

sachinqe

Member

said by dave:

The risk is minimal. You have firewall to prevent incoming connections.
don't read email or visit other web sites while installing the anti-virus.

Thanks this was useful.
said by Mele20:

Can't you just disconnect from the internet during that time?

You do have the installation files on your hard drive don't you?

I have them but some of them are already corrupted that is the reason i get a general error when I update. Anyways good idea. I will still try and see whether this works. Thanks everyone for the advice.
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King Grub
join:2011-01-26

1 recommendation

King Grub to sachinqe

Member

to sachinqe

Re: Leaving a computer without any security while installing an Anti-Virus softw

Behind a router or even just the Windows firewall, nothing will happen.

This was an issue on pre-SP XP.

andyross
MVM
join:2003-05-04
Aurora, IL

1 recommendation

andyross to sachinqe

MVM

to sachinqe
Most infections these days tend to be 'drive-by' or social engineering where already installed software is used as a conduit to infection when you visit a web site, 'install' a program, or open a malformed mail or picture or similar.

If you must remain network connected, turn off (as in full shutdown) all devices that you can, at least other PC's. Make certain that at least the Windows firewall is running, as that will help. If you must be Internet connected, also use a router with it's firewall enabled.
Expand your moderator at work

chip89
Premium Member
join:2012-07-05
Columbia Station, OH

chip89 to sachinqe

Premium Member

to sachinqe

Re: Leaving a computer without any security while installing an Anti-Virus softw

Just cut it from the net.
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

2 recommendations

Mele20 to sachinqe

Premium Member

to sachinqe
If the installation files are partially corrupted then download a fresh set.

Don't download from AVG as that sends you to download.com which is a filthy site full of malware and non-malware but unwanted crap that comes along with what you want.

Download the latest version from MajorGeeks. This, as far as I know, is the LAST truly HONORABLE download site left on the internet. Because these are two honest geeks be sure and allow cookies and look at a few ads (which are clean ones).

»www.majorgeeks.com/files ··· ion.html
PX Eliezer1
Premium Member
join:2013-03-10
Zubrowka USA

1 edit

PX Eliezer1

Premium Member

said by Mele20:

Download the latest version from MajorGeeks. This, as far as I know, is the LAST truly HONORABLE download site left on the internet.

Do you have an issue with SnapFiles? They have been around for years. I never saw a problem with them.
»www.snapfiles.com/freeware/
»www.snapfiles.com/freewa ··· rus.html
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

Mele20

Premium Member

Thanks! I had forgotten about SnapFiles. Since I got this Windows 8 Pro machine, I have not downloaded much at all. I was thinking about FileHippo and the discussion here not long ago about them selling out and before that Softpedia did and others.
Curiosity
join:2001-10-01
Dawson Creek, BC

1 recommendation

Curiosity to sachinqe

Member

to sachinqe
Do you not have a firewall or a router? It is risky to be online without one or the other.

TAZ
join:2014-01-03
Tucson, AZ

1 recommendation

TAZ to sachinqe

Member

to sachinqe
You don't need anti-virus, period. Anti-virus is just a tool for less savvy users to feel good, but the security benefits are questionable.

Safe habits go a long ways. Don't execute random files from random/untrusted places, don't execute unknown email attachments, etc. Keep software updated. Don't run as root/administrator. This will eliminate 99% of possible issues, and anti-virus won't help you with the other 1%.

If something seems at all questionable, full isolation is the only solution, not every anti-virus in the world combined. Run it in a throwaway VM, with guest isolation features enabled (e.g. disable clipboard sharing, file drag & drop, etc.).

If a machine is known to be compromised or if there is any reason to suspect it is, the ONLY solution is to restore from known safe media (e.g. wipe and reinstall, or restore from an earlier image as long as you're certain the earlier image is safe). This is because despite anti-malware saying something is removed, you cannot be certain there are no remnants.

So, yes: there's nothing wrong with this, and I in fact do not run AV on any of my machines (either Windows or Mac).

Also, stateful firewalls aren't magic, and there's nothing wrong with allowing a properly configured machine a direct connection to the Internet with no firewall (either on the machine or upstream). Stateful firewalls protect you from software that may, probably inadvertently, be listening for connections and operating under the assumption that clients are trusted. If you're aware of every service that is running and have configured said services appropriately for the environment they're running in, you don't need a firewall (random packets destined to a port with no listening service will be dropped automatically).

I do tend to enable the OS-provided stateful firewall on my desktop machines to mitigate the possibility that I may inadvertently expose such a service, as the performance cost is minimal. But in a less dynamic environment, I don't bother. This also brings me to another point: endpoint security is important; you can't rely on middle boxes for security. For example, the NAT on my home network makes my endpoint firewalls moot if I am trying to protect against a threat on the Internet. However, this is a poor design assumption to make because it relies on my machine always being connected to my home network where middle box configuration is known. What if I wasn't - what if I was connected to Starbucks Wi-Fi, or tethered to LTE? In that case, the threat is also other (unknown to me) clients on the same network, and without endpoint security I'd be relying on Starbucks properly configuring guest isolation on their Wi-Fi network.

Selenia
Gentoo Convert
Premium Member
join:2006-09-22
Fort Smith, AR

1 recommendation

Selenia to sachinqe

Premium Member

to sachinqe
Never install multiple antivirus programs. That is asking for big problems. Just get it downloaded, unplug from the net, and install. If it needs online activation, you should be safe plugging it in at that step. Just don't run anything running arbitrary third party code like a web browser during the process. 3G puts you behind CG-NAT so nobody will be able to make inbound connections to your PC.
TheMG
Premium Member
join:2007-09-04
Canada
MikroTik RB450G
Cisco DPC3008
Cisco SPA112

1 recommendation

TheMG to sachinqe

Premium Member

to sachinqe
Just uninstall and reinstall your AVG and don't worry about it.

The risk that your computer will get infected because it's without an antivirus for 30 minutes is next to none, especially if you avoid doing any web browsing during this time.

It is quite rare these days for a computer to get infected just because it's connected to the internet, especially so if it is behind a firewall or even just a NAT router. Most viruses and other malware are distributed through other vectors. The web browser (and its various extensions such as Flash and Java), as well as email attachments, account for the great majority of virus infections these days. It's just so much easier to distribute malware through browser/extension exploits and using social engineering techniques, they rarely bother to try to attack computers "externally" unless they're after something specific. That and Windows has gotten a lot better at sealing up security holes that could be exploited over the network/internet.

Selenia
Gentoo Convert
Premium Member
join:2006-09-22
Fort Smith, AR

Selenia

Premium Member

I didn't ask about a router because he said he is doing it over 3G which is behind CG-NAT or carrier grade NAT which pretty much does the same thing as being behind a router. Now if it were 4G LTE the case might be different as some networks in the US have deployed IPv6 over LTE, which allows somebody to have their own IP on cellular. I only said to disconnect from the net because that is how I'd handle it professionally as I always tried to shrink my liability as far as possible. So it became standard practice for me in the old days even before those XP exploits came to light.

fritz43
Premium Member
join:2004-03-14

fritz43 to sachinqe

Premium Member

to sachinqe
If you are using your a/v program's firewall, don't forget to turn on the Windows firewall during the a/v uninstall/reinstall process.
fritz43

fritz43 to TAZ

Premium Member

to TAZ
"...relying on Starbucks properly configuring guest isolation on their Wi-Fi network."

Or you could do the wise thing and assume *no* public Wi-Fi is safe, which it probably isn't.

TAZ
join:2014-01-03
Tucson, AZ

TAZ

Member

.... If you would read the 6 words preceding those, or for that matter the whole paragraph, you'd see that's exactly my point.

pende_tim
Premium Member
join:2004-01-04
Selbyville, DE

pende_tim to sachinqe

Premium Member

to sachinqe
If you are getting a general error, then there is a good probability that the existing Anti-Virus installed is toast and not doing much to protect you.... so uninstalling and reinstalling will not put you at any greater risk than you have now.
lawsoncl
join:2008-10-28
Spirit Lake, ID

1 recommendation

lawsoncl

Member

said by pende_tim:

If you are getting a general error, then there is a good probability that the existing Anti-Virus installed is toast and not doing much to protect you.... so uninstalling and reinstalling will not put you at any greater risk than you have now.

Been my experience cleaning up other people infected computers (usually infected because they downloaded some freeware), that the first sign of an infection is the install anti-virus stops working. Most of the newer viruses disable the a/v as their first step.

I'd download an offline scan disk, boot from that and verify that you're not already infected.

I somewhat agree with Taz. Good hygiene like not installing programs from untrusted places, using a browser other than Internet Explorer, and keeping up to date on patches is more useful that antivirus. A decent IDS (not just a stupid a/v program)can block stuff the vendors haven't patched yet.