[bobbee]

A customer is always downloading music from Frostwire, itunes etc. Constantly getting an infected computer with virus, some requiring reloading XP. She uses firefox for a browser.
What is the best software protection to catch these problems before they infect the PC ?
Is there one that is better at catching these viruses than another, someone recommended superantispyware.

[Phantom010]

Please read the rules, we do not support file sharing applications. (Frostwire). The best protection is staying away from these applications.

P2P Instructions - We do not support P2P file sharing applications and any threads requesting help for such will be closed. This includes Torrents, Kazaa, LimeWire, RapidShare, Pirate Bay, and the like. If you're interested in the topic, you are free to discuss it on our site (and please visit StealingIsIllegal.com), but information on how to use them will not be provided.

[Byteman]

The best way to prevent the infection of course is to get the user to stop downloading.... that is what Phantom010 is pointing to in reply about our Rules.

We cannot help you with how to use P2P apps--- but your main question is not about using P2P but about how to have an easier time of it....something that tons of people using this site have been allowed to do and gotten help for it. Might not be right out in their questions, but in logs we often see P2P apps and still help with an infection, and along with that goes pointing to prevention
You should be allowed to discuss preventing malware infections, so I will address that part of your question. Though it might not keep the user from using P2P it may just educate her a little.

There are two lists here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real-ti...ime_protection


Read the stuff and check the links

The pay-for types might be more robust and have the needed real time protection, but I use free ones and they seem to work very well.

I don't download that way, though so I cannot say if she clicks on a cracked download or a keygen type thing....whether it would pick up spyware in the download, that is a matter of trial and error for you and the customer to go through. Does seem that a good program would indeed alert the customer, but at first they just do not get it and will shut the program off etc to get the precious downloads....

That's one reason some of us refuse to provide assistance when we see that most likely, the root cause of a problem is P2P....however we are not automatically prevented from assisting in malware removal , nor malware prevention.

[lunarlander]

There is this site called VirusTotal.com, it scans your uploaded file with 39 antirvirus products and tells you what all the antivirus vendors find. If your client downloads a lot, then I imagine uploading each file to have it checked will be a pain.

Inform her that not all file sharers are so friendly, and some of them are hackers who purposefully package and share trojan/botnet-software disguised as whatever. It is an easy way to infect and own a PC - there is no need to circumvent firewalls and hack through any defences, as the sucker will willingly run their trojan and unknownly be remote controlled.