AntiVirus Protection No Longer Needed? - Comments Page 1

I have old Windows 95, 98SE, ME and XP sitting around. Would that mean I could possibly go online with them and feel safe as long as I didn't download anything? :)

EDITOR'S NOTE: Interesting question! I think there are still non-web, but network-related vulnerabilities in W95, W98, and probably XP. So I wouldn't recommend it.

While this all sounds good and wonderful, how will it slow up your browsers and downloads? As for myself, I am not convinced this is a viable way to prevent bad things from getting into your computer without slowing everything down....

I agree that you would still need AV software, but together your system should be very secure. Downloads are ot as big a prpblem as the web. Using a restore point and sandbox and loading programs manually will pretty much take care of downloads

Using a virtual machine is using a permitted man-in-the-middle. I would be wary of using this process for online banking, buying and selling stocks, and when accessing any website or online application where an ID and password is required.

Useful report. Thanks!

Right or wrong, the idea of dealing with the dark side of the Internet before to reaches a computer is a bit "out of the box".
No struggle within that home or small office computer - instead sanitation is done away from our tender eyes. Sort of like a slaughterhouse for meat eaters who don't want to think of the source.

Are there better out of the box ideas out there? Ones that don't trigger that perky Rankin perspective.

An intriguing concept, but I'd consider using it as an additional level of security without dropping my anti-virus software until it had been proven over some years of use.

It sounds just too good to be true. I worry about future tracking and censorship possibilities. What use could governments make of the system?

You mentioned http:, but did not say anything about https:. Will this still work when connections are encrypted? Would you even want to use it if you are using https:? It does seem to be more like "nanny-ware".

Hmmm Bob! Your article has grabbed my interest and attention and in the meantime, I'll await your testing and analysis. At first face downloading seems to be its Achilles heel.

I have ben a long time fan of using proxys That is what they are doing in a nut shell. the adding of a windows vitural session should prevent most of the other malware, however this will just get thge bad guys to start thinking smarter. After all if I can get into your machine by using the website then I will try by E mai, phone or download. This is a start however lets not forget that even if I get a malware attacked most malware protection come with a systems scrubber that will isolate the bug and distroy it. That is an area that is lacking in their approch. So yea lets start there and we should still keep our antimalware on

Well nobody said run, out and sign up,Bob said it will have to take further investigation,that should be enough.

This is a fascinating idea, but I agree with Ivan - would this slow everything down? I can't see how it wouldn't. Otherwise, I hope this succeeds!

Gmail worked on my laptop since 2006. But January 2015 I bought a Samsung Tablet. 10.1.
Now after every time I use the Laptop (W7) I need to re-set my Gmail password in that Laptop. Why?

Thank you Gil Pahlow

I would imagine hackers will find a way to hack their system and use it to send stuff to the users computers.

Excellent reporting on a new product and idea, Bob!

I agree, with Jon ... This is definitely, "out of the box."

However, my skeptical mind ... Tends to think, one program for all security issues ... Seems, to good to be true. Plus, there is always that one diligent hacker or hacker group, who will try to his/her or their dying breathe, to compromise that program!!!

Cloud computing seems to be the way to go ... But, as we all know ... Hackers go that way, too.

"When a browser fetches a web page, normally the request goes directly to that website. In Menlo's approach, HTTP requests for content go to a Menlo Security Isolation Platform (MSIP) instead. The MSIP fetches the requested content and executes everything in it – Java applets, Flash animations, PDF files, and other things in which bad guys like to hide malicious code. Everything, good and bad, executes in a virtual machine created just for that user session on an MSIP server."

I'm not so sure I like the idea of my HTTP traffic going to a website. What assurances do we have that our identity is protected and no records are being kept of the sites we visit and the flash and other files we view? This would be a boon to companies who want to track your web surfing habits and make it easier for the NSA to spy on you when they are able to get Section 215 of The Patriot Act Completely Restored as Congressional Members are trying to do. I'm more concerned about spyware and companies/government agencies collecting information about my web surfing habits than I am of a virus. If you are one of the many people with dial-up or a slow broadband speed such as 1.5 Mbps, these requests sent to the web server will significantly slow down your internet speed even more. Couldn't you use some sandbox or virtual machine to run Flash and other files to get the same effect?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Of course there are privacy concerns. But I think users with slow connections might see faster page loads, not slower. (Why? The "gunk" will be stripped out before your computer sees the page.)

I'm with Larry on this! I don't like the middle man cause then you have to deal with them knowing everything you download. I bet the government is all for it though and if so it will be done and there's nothing we would be able to do to stop it.

Sandboxing is a much better method. Everything is maintained locally, no middleman, and the isolation technique ensures no nasties get near the system. Just empty the Sandbox after a browsing session and everything is gone, including any malware.

The Webshield module in Avast checks all of your internet activity and blocks malicious items from ever reaching you. The Webshield is only one of the modules in Avast.
Using Avast protects you on your computer and while on the internet. It also has streaming updates so you always receive the latest protection for the newest discovered malware. (You do need to be online for the streaming update feature to be most effective.)

Fascinating. It's almost like a proxy sandbox.

For people with older/slower computers, it might actually speed up surfing. Not only because of garbage on your computer, but also because a MUCH faster processor at the server level is doing all of the rendering, then transmitting the result. I wait with great anticipation to see the results of Bob's evaluation.