What will computer security look like after 2014?

**cdisxm** · 2012-04-13 08:47

As M$ have invoked their 2014 end of life for XP SP3.

I am not happy because I not getting rid of my beautiful Sony Vaio desktop PCV-V300G. It has Pentium 4 2.8Ghz, and has the maximum 2 x 512MB PC-3200. It has served me well and still runs like a race horse. The problem is this Sony cannot take any larger RAM, so speed is always a concern when weighing it down with all these new active security products.

Of course, XP SP3 will still work, but M$ will not be looking for any more vulnerabilities, so if we want to stay with XP SP3 (a great OS imho) we need a pretty good protection if there are no Tuesday updates.

Previously I tried Immunet 3 as a launch into the cloud (still not sold on the Cloud) and found Immunet's scanning too slow.

I had Vipre 2012, but too many false positives that MBAM picked up. I had Private Firewall, but it has so many popups I don't know the answer to and finish up blocking something I need. PF is great if you know how to use it or dumb it down, then I guess it would not be effective--so I have ruled that out.

Presently I have Comodo Internet Security Pro 2012 (paid), and Acronis imaging.

I can't be the only Luddite who refuses to move from something that works well, to something "new" when there is just no need to upgrade, as what I have continues to do the job for me very well.

What are your recommendations for a mix as a good all round solution both paid and free products that will take us luddites into the the next decade after M$ writes us off and forces us into whatever they think computing should look like after 2014?

***JoeP517*** · 2012-04-13 11:18

If you are determined to stay with XP, speculating about the solutions that may or may not be available in 18 months is a waste of time. We have no insight about the plans of various security vendors. IMO, you'll have to wait at least 12 months to have any idea.

Joe

**mart44** · 2012-04-13 11:25

On Windows 7, which you may eventually change to, the primary protection is Sandboxie (very important!). Other secondary layers are:

* Norton Internet Security.
* MBAM Pro.
* Norton DNS.
* Trusteer Rapport.
* Security Task Manager.
* Known good disk images.

These security layers have been settled on after trying out quite a few other combinations of security solutions. I don't see this changing in the near future because my computer has been trouble-free for ages. Perhaps you could do worse than to follow this.

There are so many solutions and recommendations around though. I'm sure other combinations will be offered by members. Sometimes, the only answer is to try a few security layers for yourself until you find what you think is best.

**cdisxm** · 2012-04-13 12:59

@JoeP517 - yes I will keep this particular machine running on XP.

@Mart44 So what would you recommend for XP given the above configuration.

Your config on W7 is great. Thank you. I will put them in the office. I agree on the multi-layer approach.

Thanks for your responses so far.

**Doc Brown** · 2012-04-13 13:47

As Joe said, all pure speculation. But I get it, change is hard, and most people would rather not change. I can tell that when a version of Windows is no longer supported by MS, 3rd party vendors are soon to follow, in that development and updates for antiquated A/V and other security software will also cease. For them its good money after bad and not a good business model to dedicate programers to develop patches for software that's been sun setted. The other issue is compatibility of other software. For example, there are still a few die hards out there running Windows 95 with IE 6.0. Suffice to say you can't buy any new software let alone get updates for things like tax and financial software. Moreover, websites are built for modern browsers. Every day fewer and fewer web sites will run/display properly on IE 6. Similarly you have already discovered some of the limitations of your old hardware and OS combination. I can assure you that your frustrations will only increase as you try to maintain it.

Its not unlike the auto industry. There are many 3rd party parts makers as well as OEM parts for a given make and model. For up to 10 years after a particular make/model/year, most parts are pretty easy to get. After that availability gets iffy. Its not that some of those cars weren't good cars, its just not profitable for anyone to make parts for them anymore.

So I guess you may have to ask your self the question, do I want to try and keep my old reliable tank of a Nash Rambler running? Or bite the bullet every so often and modernize so that I can have modern safety features, improved fuel efficiency, and good parts availability?

**mart44** · 2012-04-13 15:26

Originally Posted by cdisxm

@Mart44 So what would you recommend for XP given the above configuration.

The programs mentioned would all run on your XP computer but the amount of memory would be a worry. For that reason, I'd probably dispense with the real time aspect of MBAM and perhaps Trusteer Rapport. NIS would be kept (about 32MB when not scanning) as would Sandboxie (17.5MB running Chrome sandboxed). Using a DNS server that filters bad sites is a good layer of security that doesn't take up any resources.

XP is going to be aged 12 in two years time. I think it might be time to go to the OS of the day when that date arrives.

**CLiNT** · 2012-04-16 23:22

There is still a wealth of information out there on the internet regarding XP and how to keep it secure.
It would be highly advisable to keep a copy of all the programs you currently use and any updates as well.

XP, I'm sure, will still be quite usable beyond 2014 without too much effort.
What is in question is whether or not the average software makers will continue to support it.
Updated drivers for your hardware will become nonexistant, software makes will likely have backward compatibility
for a time, but...

Eventually XP will go the way of Windows 98, although given it's stubborn popularity, may take a wee bit longer.
You'll be increasingly faced with the decision on whether or not to keep an antiquated laptop going. Even you should know
the pace of technology changes quite rapidly in the computer business and will make your current setup less and less relevant.

**catilley1092** · 2012-04-17 01:06

XP will still be quite usable for some time after 04/08/2014. Why do I know this?

Because I have a Windows 2000 Pro install that's just 3 months old, still can get whatever available updates through Windows Update (after updating IE5 to IE6). Plus it's secured with both ESET Smart Security + MBAM Pro. If ESET is going to support a OS with less than 1% usage (in the US), nearly 2 years after MS cutoff support, they certainly will support XP even longer.

Keep in mind that even if XP falls to 10% usage, this translates into tens of millions of users. Same with 2K, that 1% is still a lot of users, apparently enough to justify support by different vendors. The latest Firefox & Opera still installs on it, as well as many commonly used apps. I can even run the Microsoft Safety Scanner on it, as well as manually download a new copy of the Malicious Software Removal Tool every month.

But XP is going to be around a long time yet. Remember Windows 7 is supported until sometime in 2020, XP Mode will still be available to these users. Just won't be any more updates released after then for the OS. One thing that can be done, is have a fresh backup available, completely updated, that way, you'll have a "new XP" anytime you wish.

As far as computing security in general, look to see more & more "cloud" type AV/IS suites, or at least components of it. They are needed, because the split second that the security solution knows of a virus/malware site (streaming technology), it instantly covers all protected computers, w/o an update required.

Cat

**BATcher** · 2012-04-17 08:41

Presumably as the number of Windows XP machines reduces, the virus writers will turn to the more prevalent Windows 7 and maybe even Windows 8 boxes.
So, bizarrely, the least virus-prone machines may be those with the oldest operating systems installed!
I mean, how many CP/M viruses are there?

**steveothehighlander** · 2012-08-19 11:26

l sincerely hope you are correct, and you probably are. A question...Currently have an HP XP Pro, but use Chrome, GDocs(google drive & cloud etc.) and Avira Free AV as well as several anti spyware aps, so my XP desktop is just a
"box"....all this to stay with xp forever.....this should be alright, right? Oh, and just as you suggested, l have an XP Pro Brand new install disc with All my programs backed up(well, there on Google Drive too) With all these precautionary steps, l should be good for years, right?

**catilley1092** · 2012-08-19 12:19

XP will be fine, & many options for security will be available well beyond 2014. As well as new apps to run on the OS. It's been 2 years since the end of support for Windows 2000, there's still free & paid choices for W2K SP4. But the upcoming ESET NOD32 & Smart Security 6 won't be one of them. Other apps are now dropping support for the OS.

But XP's a different horse. According to who's doing the counting, anywhere from 30% to almost 50% of the world's computers are still powered by the OS. I find 50% to be a bit high, but wouldn't be surprised that 35 to 40% of usage is still taking place.

If one plans to run XP long term, then precautions must be taken. Keep up to date images monthly, after Update Tuesday, to have as recent a updated image as possible, & keep a couple of the older ones. Keep all apps updated, especially plugins like Flash, Silverlight & Java (remove the older Java before installing the new, Oracle recommends this). Running older apps are a security risk, this includes browsers. For this reason, I use IE8 only for updating & sites that requires IE, it's a 3+ year old browser. There's at least 3 alternatives that's updated regularly in Firefox, Chrome & Opera. May be others, but these are the top three worthy ones.

To answer the question about what computer security in 2014 will look like is sort of premature, but one can expect more & more cloud type apps, most are lighter on resources & gives good protection. I expect this trend to continue, with more security apps incorporating cloud components into their security.

I spoke of ESET's next offering earlier. This gives a peek at what future security could hold. The latest ESET NOD32 & Smart Security 6 RC offers something unique, theft protection. Notebooks & other portables are highly targeted for theft. What ESET does to hopefully catch the thief, is creates a guest account, that the thief can log onto the computer with no password. Note that this account has no admin access & cannot get to the owner's documents & other files.

What it does do, is allow the thief to use the computer as normal, logging all activities, including sites visited, including purchases & email checking, in hopes of identifying the thief. It also secretly takes snapshots of the unauthorized user with the notebook's webcam, if so equipped. Also has a tracking system, keeps records of IP addresses used, all of which will lead to the eventual discovery of who is using the computer, as well as it's location. This information is turned over to law enforcement at both the local & federal levels, to match the user's profile with possible convicted criminals in their systems.

Needless to say, this is a welcome feature of security. Anyone wishing to try out ESET's latest offerings, good until 10/15/2012, check it out here. Very powerful security. Note that there are still some unresolved issues with Windows 8 RC, but it does work well on Windows 7, Vista & XP.

http://www.eset.com/us/beta/v6/

Cat

**DrWho** · 2012-09-13 09:09

Since the BETA of Windows 8 came out, several companies have started updating their software for Win-8 and the future.

Witness, AVG 2013 Beta, which is a total departure from the old familiar AVG of the past several years.
On the FREE version, they have cut back on services provided, but on the Paid version, they have really geared UP!
The features on AVG 2013 Internet Security (the paid version) are almost too numerous to mention.
My own Beta version is good till December 22, 2012, when I'll have to decide whether to go back to a free version or BUY the full Internet Security suite. I'm thinking I'll most likely buy that, as a Christmas present to myself.

Cheers Mates!
The Doctor

**RussB** · 2012-09-13 10:10

Originally Posted by cdisxm

As M$ have invoked their 2014 end of life for XP SP3.

I am not happy because I not getting rid of my beautiful Sony Vaio desktop PCV-V300G. It has Pentium 4 2.8Ghz, and has the maximum 2 x 512MB PC-3200. It has served me well and still runs like a race horse. The problem is this Sony cannot take any larger RAM, so speed is always a concern when weighing it down with all these new active security products.

Of course, XP SP3 will still work, but M$ will not be looking for any more vulnerabilities, so if we want to stay with XP SP3 (a great OS imho) we need a pretty good protection if there are no Tuesday updates.

Previously I tried Immunet 3 as a launch into the cloud (still not sold on the Cloud) and found Immunet's scanning too slow.

I had Vipre 2012, but too many false positives that MBAM picked up. I had Private Firewall, but it has so many popups I don't know the answer to and finish up blocking something I need. PF is great if you know how to use it or dumb it down, then I guess it would not be effective--so I have ruled that out.

Presently I have Comodo Internet Security Pro 2012 (paid), and Acronis imaging.

I can't be the only Luddite who refuses to move from something that works well, to something "new" when there is just no need to upgrade, as what I have continues to do the job for me very well.

What are your recommendations for a mix as a good all round solution both paid and free products that will take us luddites into the the next decade after M$ writes us off and forces us into whatever they think computing should look like after 2014?

I love these "speculative" questions as there are no wrong answers.
IF we all make it through to the end of 2012 (Embedding another speculative question here.), after 2014 there will be many changes or very few changes to "internet" security (If the internet is still there.)
Anyway in 2015 "Cyber Security" will be biometric based in some way. It could be by DNA, Retna ID, or maybe voice recognition.

**steveothehighlander** · 2012-09-20 11:13

What is Acronis Imaging?

**Medico** · 2012-09-20 12:10

Acronis is a 3rd party app (Paid) that allows an Image or Clone of your OS. This allow you to create an Image or Clone at any point in time that can be used to restore the OS exactly as it was when the Image was created in about 1/2 hour or less. This is a very large improvement over having to reinstall Windows.

Let's say your HD dies, install a new HD then either install Windows in a day or so (Including installing all apps, customizations, then putting the data, you back up your data don't you, back into the correct spot). With an Image (this Image file includes EVERYTHING that is on the OS, apps, customizations, etc.) this process takes less than a half hour.

If you get a serious virus infection or your OS becomes hopelessly corrupted, same thing.

You can read a lot about Imaging in the Maintenance Forum.

Thread: What will computer security look like after 2014?

Thread Tools