Running Windows without anti-virus software

I don't need to do anything to prevent such an infection. Inserting a USB stick will have no effect on your computer, no matter how virus-infested the stick might be. What a lot of people do not seem to understand is that computer viruses are not like biological viruses, that can infect on contact. In order for a computer virus, any computer virus, to "infect" your computer, the user must install it. If you don't install any of the viruses on that flash drive, they won't do anything to your computer.

 

Not necessarily true. The worm designed to take down the Iranian nuclear reactor was a usb jumper that spread from computer to computer to computer by piggybacking inside

 

I've been doing this for a little over a year.

No sign of viruses ever.

knock on wood

 

That's a fairytale. There is no such thing as a "USB Jumper". Well, unless you were naive enough to set your system to automatically execute the autorun script on the stick.

 

Stuxnet has used/is using several different vectors.
Older versions relied mostly on autorun.inf but more recent versions (as of March according to Symantec, link) have used several other ways.
F.i. one in Print Spooler (although it has been known extensively since it was published over a year ago in Polish magazine Hakin9), the .lnk one and more. link.

(Many security software companies have published on Stuxnet, I chose the Symantec ones just as an example.
Eset also have published a report on Stuxnet; PDF link)

 

Yes, I should have added the qualification: "On a properly maintained and patched system". Yes, these are zero-day vulnerabilities, but the probability of getting hit by one of these is extremely low, if you keep your system updated.

 

Very true.
And Stuxnet is aimed at Scada systems. Not at the average NBR poster/reader.

 

I was going to chime in that, yes, it is very unlikely the average internet user will be targeted by such a transferable virus on a USB stick. With autorun disabled, the average user should have no problems with flash drives or other external media. I use the word targeted on purpose to make a point. Highly dangerous viruses are typically targeted at corporate environments for maximum efficiency. The person who made the virus isn't going to waste his or her time with the typical consumer device as a target, no offense to all us average NBR users.

Perhaps part of what fuels the idea that viruses on external media can infect is that newer Security programs have begun building in support for scanning external storage. Yes, you can scan drives for potential threats, but this is really supposed to be used to scan a storage device on which the files are so corrupted or infected that the operating system is no longer capable of running scans on its own.

For those who have mentioned they are not using anti-virus, maybe we should start one of those clubs like Alcoholics Anonymous......Hi, I'm micman, I've been off internet security for a year....

I'm getting some really great suggestions guys, keep it up! The guide will no doubt be thorough thanks to your help.

 

mm... somehow i find it hard to digest .. may be because i didnt know this before [ a par below than an average NBR reader ] well, each time i insert my stick to my pc and avast flash a warning, it makes me feel secure that i have a safe pc here

so you'd say that next time i plug my stick and avast flashes warning and i can still go in-out the drive without getting the virus in my system (?)

if thats the case then i am happy with my browser equipped with wot n adblock

 

Already discussed, delete