Hello, I've been with f secure for ages but had a few problems, lately nothing major but still a pain and they don't include a VPN so I was wondering if there's anything better?
Any recommendations for internet security
- Thread starter davidmiller
- Start date
That's ok for online banking etc? Cheers
- Joined
- 17 Mar 2011
- Messages
- 340
- Reaction score
- 79
- Country
Windows has firewall , defender and antivirus on mine
I have all 3 on and updated etc.
I have all 3 on and updated etc.
Why do you think a VPN is necessary?
VPNs will reduce the likelihood of a (different) third party seeing which sites you visited. For example if you are with BT, they will not be able to see the list of sites you visited if you use a VPN but if you are visiting a banking site, the data between your device and the bank is encrypted regardless. Absent of a VPN, BT could see that you visited your bank but they wouldn't be able to see which pages you visited on the site.
I use free wifi in pubs. If the pub is dodgy, I will use my phone as a hotspot. Again, the dodgy pub will only be able to see that I went to the bank, but not which pages or the traffic. That said, the dodgy pub could redirect traffic from my laptop to a fake version of my bank's site, and from there they could let me enter my details in the dodgy bank site and then quickly knick and use them.
I use VPNs from time to time, but primarily to bypass geo-location restrictions.
It should be noted that the VPN can see which sites you have visited. Again, they cannot see which pages on the site.
VPNs will reduce the likelihood of a (different) third party seeing which sites you visited. For example if you are with BT, they will not be able to see the list of sites you visited if you use a VPN but if you are visiting a banking site, the data between your device and the bank is encrypted regardless. Absent of a VPN, BT could see that you visited your bank but they wouldn't be able to see which pages you visited on the site.
I use free wifi in pubs. If the pub is dodgy, I will use my phone as a hotspot. Again, the dodgy pub will only be able to see that I went to the bank, but not which pages or the traffic. That said, the dodgy pub could redirect traffic from my laptop to a fake version of my bank's site, and from there they could let me enter my details in the dodgy bank site and then quickly knick and use them.
I use VPNs from time to time, but primarily to bypass geo-location restrictions.
It should be noted that the VPN can see which sites you have visited. Again, they cannot see which pages on the site.
Apologies for not noticing I had messages. Thanks for the tips. Is there a particular windows 365 package to get?
How do you know if the pub is “dodgy “?
Good point. If half of the customers look like dealers and the place is full of people who stink of weed, I will use my phone as a hotspot. Over the years I have popped into quite a few pubs where the regulars automatically assume that you might be old bill (which I am not).
- Joined
- 24 Oct 2020
- Messages
- 6,411
- Reaction score
- 2,332
- Country
I think the best security on a pc is to have user accounts.
Families use one pc and all run as admin. Madness!
We have 5 user accounts on pc.
Admin. (Me)
Wayners (me)
Mary
Tom
Mother in law
And I used to have my neighbour but not now. Rip...
All accounts can't install software except admin..
Think that's saved me over the years especially when the wife said I can't download a pirates picture for the school homework.
It wasn't a picture it was a file. Probably a virus or other...
Most if not all websites are encrypted now. Even this website/forum.
Families use one pc and all run as admin. Madness!
We have 5 user accounts on pc.
Admin. (Me)
Wayners (me)
Mary
Tom
Mother in law
And I used to have my neighbour but not now. Rip...
All accounts can't install software except admin..
Think that's saved me over the years especially when the wife said I can't download a pirates picture for the school homework.
It wasn't a picture it was a file. Probably a virus or other...
Most if not all websites are encrypted now. Even this website/forum.
Just assume that all public access wifi is dodgy, and use a VPN 100% of the time.
The establishment itself isn't the primary risk - if they were operating some dubious network it would be found out fairly quickly.
Much more likely is someone sitting in the corner or outside in a vehicle using a laptop to create a WiFi network with the same or very similar name to the one offered by the venue.
That is true and is a good thing - however that has limitations.
If a device has been connected to a WiFI network that someone has set up to extract information, then the encryption is only between your device and that network.
Dodgy person with laptop in the corner and you inadvertently connect to that instead of the actual WiFi for the location means that there are now 2 encrypted connections.
One between your device and the dodgy laptop
and another between the dodgy laptop and the site you are accessing.
The dodgy laptop can see 100% of everything unencrypted before it encrypts it again and passes it on to the site you are accessing. Same in the other direction.
And that means a vast amount of data can be collected in moments, as most apps installed on phones/tablets and whatever constantly send and receive data from remote servers even when you are not actively doing anything.
But then you would see two wifi networks with the same name.
Does having a VPN mean that DNS requests go through the VPN provider? I should know the answer but it has been years since I got rid of my VPS with an open source VPN. If the DNS requests are intercepted by the guy with the laptop, I don't see how the VPN will help. He will potentially direct you to his fake banking website and, regardless of a VPN and SSL, will be able to see the details that you entered.
What sort of problems? I used F-secure for a few years. Originally it came free with Virgin, but then Virgin started charging £25 py. I wondered why I was paying when there's built in protection nowadays, so I cancelled it. To be on the safe side I installed the free version of AVG. While I was with F-secure they never contacted me to say eg they'd found a threat and dealt with it, whereas AVG regularly make such a claim and are always pestering me to upgrade. Everything works fine so I ignore them.
