MEPIS Community Forum

This raises a question: Is anti-virus software necessary in a virtual machine? I don't have AV installed on my WinXP VM because I created a clean back-up copy of the .vdi file immediately after I installed WinXP on VirtualBox. I figure I can replace an infected .vdi file quite easily if I have to.

I like to keep the VM as stripped-down as possible so I can boot into it, run what I have to run, and exit quickly. This also keeps the .vdi's footprint small. The same policy applies to patches and security updates. I installed SP3, but nothing beyond that.

So far I haven't seen any overt signs of any virus infections on my unprotected system, although I actually haven't run any scans to verify that it's clean. What are people's thoughts on this?

i'd run av on a windows vm just because it takes at most minutes for an unprotected windows machine to become infected, and then you have an infected vm that you're stuck with unless you know it's infected and clone it with the clean copy.

from a pc virus ecology point of view, NOT running av is only contributing to the larger issue. besides, who wants to provide bait for windows viruses, worms, etc and have all that crap rattling around in your network anyway. AVG is free, quick to install, and painless to use.

I have Avast av on my XP vm - doesn't seem to slow things down at all, and it runs entirely in the background, apart from bothering me once a year to renew my free registration.

Phil

I use Avast! here currently. It's just great. I've used AVG in the past. Never a problem with either. Now ZoneAlarm.... Well I'd have to agree with uncle mark. I've used it in the past. Even bought a retail copy of the Premium version. I still have the disk somewhere (I think). It just slows a system down and training it is onerous. Almost as bad as McCaffee. I haven't had a virus in many years.
I find that using SpyBot and other security software, that I can keep a system clean. As noted I use a real-time scanner. That, keeping software up to date, and knowing where you're going on the Web will keep you safe.

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Back in the day, ZoneAlarm was the first software firewall I ever used, and it was great. It was lean and sleek, and did what it was supposed to do nicely.

It was a classic example of feature-creep and bloatware. With each new version ZoneAlarm got bigger, more invasive, less intuitive, and more problematical to install, use, and/or get rid of. I quickly abandoned it.

The same thing happened to Kerio Personal Firewall. KPF Version 2.1.5 was the last free version and it was simply wonderful. Shortly after that version was released, Sunbelt purchased KPF and commercialized it. They dropped some of the best features and added many unnecessary features that created nothing but bloat and confusion.

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Ah yes, the best free rules-based Windows firewall ever available. That's where I wound up after ZoneAlarm. At this very moment Kerio 2.1.5 is running here on WinXP and Win2K machines.