[njbchbum]

am running norton 360 v5.0 - should i supplement this with one of the free malware programs - or does norton pick that up with its spyware?

my hotmail acct was hacked and spammed everybody! i haven't figured out why norton did not prevent that.

[Steve Nagy]

Give Microsoft Security Essentials a try. It is free, it handles both viruses and malware, and it automatically updates the signature files. It works very well for me.

[zcaveman]

I am not sure that Norton can stop your hotmail account from being hacked since Norton is there to protect your PC and apps running on it and not www.hotmail.com.

I run Norton NIS rather than Norton 360 but I read that Norton 360 does protect the PC. However, I am not sure it is as good as Norton NIS. With that said, if somehow, a hack of your hotmail account caused something bad to be downloaded to your PC then Norton should have protected you against it.

[Virtual Geezer]

You Hotmail account was hacked and the hackers gained access to your contacts list. No antivirus that is loaded on you computer can or will prevent this type of hacking.

It is suggested that you make your password as strong as possible on Hotmail and change it often. A strong password means something over 8, or more characters and includes numbers, letters (in both upper and lower case). Also do not use a sequence of numbers such as part of your Social Security number, phone number or address as they may be easy to remember they but they make it even easier for hackers to gain valuable information about you.

Everyone has their own personal preference as to what antivirus program to use so it boils down to which program is updated the quickest when a new virus is found. The problem here is that new viruses appear daily so the means one program may catch it sooner than the other and visa verse and not every antivirus program will catch every virus that comes down the road.

Today the biggest problem for the home user is not a virus that destroys files on your computer but malware that stops you from accessing anything on the Internet and prevents you from running a clean up program.

You should always have a copy of Malwarebytes on your computer regardless of what antivirus program you are running in case you encounter malware. You can get a free copy at malwarebytes.org. Download it and run it every week or to just to keep it updated if nothing else. If you do contact malware you can boot your computer in safe mode and still run Malwarebytes and clean your computer.

[Virtual Geezer]

Your account was hacked on the Hotmail server and no antivirus on your PC would have stopped that regardless of whose antivirus software you may be using.

Get Malwarebytes and keep it up to date by running it every week or so.

[njbchbum]

thanx, guys!

[cybermuda]

Originally Posted by zcaveman

I am not sure that Norton can stop your hotmail account from being hacked since Norton is there to protect your PC and apps running on it and not hotmail.

zcaveman is spot on - antivirus etc. programs on your PC can only protect what's on your PC.

That's why you need to be careful about what data you store elsewhere; and with cloud computing this is going to become even more important.

Sony was hacked twice last month and personal data for millions of its gaming customers was accessed. If a company like Sony can't protect itself...

One tip for Hotmail is to minimise the number of people in your address book. Not easy if it's your only e-mail program, though.

[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by cybermuda

zcaveman is spot on - antivirus etc. programs on your PC can only protect what's on your PC.

That's why you need to be careful about what data you store elsewhere; and with cloud computing this is going to become even more important.

Sony was hacked twice last month and personal data for millions of its gaming customers was accessed. If a company like Sony can't protect itself...

One tip for Hotmail is to minimise the number of people in your address book. Not easy if it's your only e-mail program, though.

that is one reason why i will not engage w/cloud computing! and am in the process of backing-up email addys to outside source in order to eliminate them from hotmail acct! it's a great time waster while waiting for a hurricane and still having power!

[CaptJohn]

Originally Posted by Virtual Geezer

Get Malwarebytes and keep it up to date by running it every week or so.

Very good program. Found and fixed trojans and viruses on mine earlier this year that I think I got when clicking on a link on the AARP webpage. That's when it turned blue screen and took control and internet access away from me.
Malwarebytes to the rescue!

[Oren L Miller]

Originally Posted by Virtual Geezer

Your account was hacked on the Hotmail server and no antivirus on your PC would have stopped that regardless of whose antivirus software you may be using.

Get Malwarebytes and keep it up to date by running it every week or so.

I know daily is over kill but I never have a problem either. I have Norton and Malwarebytes - no problems.

[angiefox10]

I bought the program just to be sure! Cheap insurance!