Korean Job Discussion Forums

[spaceman82]

Would someone be willing to help me out with some computer-related advice? I've got Windows Firewall and Security Essentials installed, as well as SUPERAntiSpyware, but I recently got a warning message stating that my Gmail account had been accessed from somewhere in Brazil and don't know how that could have happened other than I picked up some kind of malware or virus somewhere. I've changed my password and done a full scan of my computer, but the scans all come back clean, though I did a scan before the attack with SUPERAntiSpyware that turned up a lot of different adware/malware. Any suggested programs/settings to keep these types of programs off of my computer and keep this from happening again?

[eamo]

Which program told you your gmail was accessed in Brazil?

Beware of antivirus phishing techniques.

Also, you don't need superantispyware (never heard of that one! ) if you're running Windows Firewall, Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials.

I would uninstall it. It might be making you think it works well by giving lots of false positives.

[spaceman82]

Gmail did. A little notification shows up when an account is accessed from a location that seems unusual.

I'll need to check which of the Windows security programs I have running/installed, but I think I set up all the ones that were available at no charge. Whichever the case, this Gmail thing has made me a bit skeptical about how well what I have installed now is working.

[eamo]

Uninstall all the security software except for MSE. It's all you need.


If you're fastidious about being spyware-free (not really necessary as spyware isn't really harmful) then download a free trial of an established and highly-rated anti-spyware and do a scan then uninstall it again. You don't really need to though.

With Windows 7's built-in security and a safe browser like Google Chrome you shouldn't have any virus problems.

[spaceman82]

The only non-Windows program I have running is SUPERAntiSpyware, and it's fairly established as it's appeared in (and received a good rating in) PC Magazine and some other places. I'm willing to switch to a more established one if you have any suggestions, however; I just don't know which one to use.

I also thought I would be safe with Microsoft Security Essentials and an occasional spyware scan, but that doesn't seem to be the case, unfortunately. Would it a good idea to switch over to Google Chrome for security reasons if I'm currently using Mozilla?

[Swampfox10mm]

Avast is a far better free antivirus at the moment, as long as you have at least a dual core machine.

Free at: www.avast.com

Also, you should be running a bi-weekly free scan by Malwarebytes. I was never impressed with superantispyware compared to it.

www.malwarebytes.org

Change your google password often.

[spaceman82]

I'll check those out, thanks!