Discussion on Cloud Computing

emmjay · 28. Sep 2010, 04:13 PM

Cloud Computing is something that so many Security App Vendors are adding to their basket of offerings. I do not know if it is for mere economic reasons or whether the gurus that lead this segment see it as an essential move to combat the ever growing and more sophisticated threats that do damage to our businesses, government services and home computing systems.

I understand that our members and visitors have their favourite vendors who participate in security based cloud apps but I was hoping that we could stay away from that and have a discussion on the merits of cloud based computing as it pertains to its effectiveness over non-based cloud computing. I have read many articles on tech sites that major vendors have or will be introducing cloud based apps. Businesses are moving in this direction at a rapid rate.

I came across this today:

Cloud based Antivirus
Cloud based antivirus scanning detects malicious file even if a user does not have up-to-date virus definitions.
Cloud based Behavior Analysis
Cloud based behavior analysis system detects zero-day malware INSTANTLY.
Cloud based Whitelisting
Cloud based whitelisting of trusted publisher easily identifies a safe file and vendor

The above statement comes from Comodo. For the Gizmo community, will freeware benefit from this shift or will it suffer a blow? Does anybody have their ear to the ground on this one?

eyeb · 28. Sep 2010, 05:37 PM

I'm not fond of cloud based apps because it requires internet access. Peopl without it or if it is slow then they dont get as much benefit from it.

Plus if you want a full cloud experience they have cloud OS too. Things like http://www.glidedigital.com/ lets you do things online. I like it for school since I don't have to bring a pendrive to take things home. But I wouldn't use it on a normal basis though

emmjay · 01. Oct 2010, 03:47 PM

Took a look at your link. Thx for including it. Bandwidth plans and access speed would be a factor for sure. It claims it is safe so they have some protection in place. I guess I would go for using Sandboxie if I took up something like this. I am using my smartphone apps a lot more now (got lots of them but only use about 5) so security is something that I need to take a lot more seriously.

I understand that Yahoo is a big player in Cloud Computing, but the services are pretty much directed at the corporate client. Have not looked at Google yet (next project).

emmjay · 08. Oct 2010, 02:43 PM

More stuff on Security Software innovations for 'The Cloud'. This time it is F-Secure...

http://www.f-secure.com/en_EMEA/abou...922_eng_1.html

Claims are claims (marketing driven), but it does come across as a shift in strategy for so many of the established vendors of security software. Hope it is as beneficial as they claim.

eyeb · 08. Oct 2010, 04:45 PM

i still find the limitations on internet speed/stability greater than the limitation of HDD space :S The the amount of bandwidth used to run a cloud scan, I could download the database and have it when i'm both offline and online. And with HDD's size/price I've not run out of space yet.

Recently trried Immunet, a cloud av, during scan I cut internet scan and the program kind of crashed. I find this bad for AV products as I've ran into a few that cut internet connections while it is active.

In my mind, its like do I want someone else holding the info or do I want it myself. Like with online health history, does someone trust it to a 3rd party or just keep it at home and physically bring it to doctor's office? Cloud computing takes a lot of the data off of your hands and you have to trust it is still getting across to you.

09. Oct 2010, 10:34 AM

I think Cloud Protection is what most of the AV vendors are starting to implement in one form or another. Most of them are starting to integrate it into their conventional AVs.

Prevx, which is what I am currently using(paid version), is cloud, but it also has it's own heuristics. It can stop malware without having access to the cloud, especially if you have the settings turned up on it.

If I was to lose my connection to the internet because of malware, then it's already too late, and I'm infected. If Prevx can't remove it, then I'll start up Malwarebytes. If Malwarbytes can't remove it, I'll use an Avira and/or Dr. Web boot cd, and eliminate the infection. If those don't work, I'll restore my OS from an image. Using a cloud AV instead of a conventional AV doesn't worry me at all.

It really boils down to the user, actually. I've been using Prevx paid by itself, and Win7 firewall for the last year, and I haven't got an infection. I'm trialing Avast! v5 free along side Prevx right now, and I might let my Prevx license expire, because Avast software has apparently worked the bugs out of their AV, and it seems to be running pretty smooth and light on my machine. That wasn't the case when v5 was initially released.

syntax_error · 10. Oct 2010, 03:49 AM

Whilst I was very happy with Avast5, given that we are in a Cloud Computing thread, you could give Panda Cloud Antivirus a try. They would seem to have high hopes for their next version release, expected later this month.

I'm waiting to see this before deciding whether to stay with Panda or go back to Avast.

emmjay · 12. Oct 2010, 07:14 PM

Clear Cloud is free. They are looking for beta testers, so if you are in the 'try new stuff' crowd, here is a link ...

http://forums.clearclouddns.com/mess...&enterthread=y

There is setup instructions for XP, Vista and W7.

So far, Testers say it is very light on resources.

12. Oct 2010, 11:01 PM

Panda cloud is good at keeping clean systems clean, from what I've seen. It uses more RAM that what you might expect from a cloud AV, but it doesn't slow you down. At least it didn't on my spare XP machine, and it has a single core processor. RAM is becoming less and less of an issue nowadays. I'm intolerant to frequent CPU spikes, explorer lags, bad surfing and download performance, and things such as that.

deya · 13. Oct 2010, 12:08 AM

Slimware Utilities are cloud based, they're not security programs though, just clean up tools and an automated driver update tool. They're still in BETA so I wouldn't advise people to use them if they're not sure. But I noticed today that the Slim Computer one has been released as a final version, it's meant to scan and clean all the pre installed trial software and stuff from a new PC.

I'm not too sure about how effective cloud [or crowd] based software is to tune up your PC though, and there's always the element of mistrust. But I've been using the SlimCleaner one for a month or so now with no nasty side effects, although I'm still not convinced it does a good job of cleaning everything. CCleaner always finds something else when I run it after the cloud one. I suppose it's all down to how many people are in the cloud and generating feedback.

The one that was released today, Slim Computer, is here. Not sure what large ladies will make of it, but you can read all about it on the page. I won't put a link to the others because they're still BETA but if you Google the name you'll find them. They're free but they do an all in one utility that's paid.

I understand the concept of cloud computing but I'm never too sure, although I did have Panda Cloud Free on my spare machine before I started using FortiClient and it never got infected, it also ran very light. I never had an issue with it at all. I think the whole thing with cloud computing is learning to trust it like we trust other apps, and if people don't trust things they won't use it.

28. Sep 2010, 04:13 PM	#1 (permalink)
emmjay Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 226	Discussion on Cloud Computing Cloud Computing is something that so many Security App Vendors are adding to their basket of offerings. I do not know if it is for mere economic reasons or whether the gurus that lead this segment see it as an essential move to combat the ever growing and more sophisticated threats that do damage to our businesses, government services and home computing systems. I understand that our members and visitors have their favourite vendors who participate in security based cloud apps but I was hoping that we could stay away from that and have a discussion on the merits of cloud based computing as it pertains to its effectiveness over non-based cloud computing. I have read many articles on tech sites that major vendors have or will be introducing cloud based apps. Businesses are moving in this direction at a rapid rate. I came across this today: Cloud based Antivirus Cloud based antivirus scanning detects malicious file even if a user does not have up-to-date virus definitions. Cloud based Behavior Analysis Cloud based behavior analysis system detects zero-day malware INSTANTLY. Cloud based Whitelisting Cloud based whitelisting of trusted publisher easily identifies a safe file and vendor The above statement comes from Comodo. For the Gizmo community, will freeware benefit from this shift or will it suffer a blow? Does anybody have their ear to the ground on this one?

12. Oct 2010, 11:01 PM	#9 (permalink)
Abandoned Guest Posts: n/a	Panda cloud is good at keeping clean systems clean, from what I've seen. It uses more RAM that what you might expect from a cloud AV, but it doesn't slow you down. At least it didn't on my spare XP machine, and it has a single core processor. RAM is becoming less and less of an issue nowadays. I'm intolerant to frequent CPU spikes, explorer lags, bad surfing and download performance, and things such as that. Last edited by JohnnyDollar; 12. Oct 2010 at 11:08 PM.

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28. Sep 2010, 05:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
eyeb Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Planet X Posts: 487	I'm not fond of cloud based apps because it requires internet access. Peopl without it or if it is slow then they dont get as much benefit from it. Plus if you want a full cloud experience they have cloud OS too. Things like http://www.glidedigital.com/ lets you do things online. I like it for school since I don't have to bring a pendrive to take things home. But I wouldn't use it on a normal basis though

01. Oct 2010, 03:47 PM	#3 (permalink)
emmjay Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 226	Took a look at your link. Thx for including it. Bandwidth plans and access speed would be a factor for sure. It claims it is safe so they have some protection in place. I guess I would go for using Sandboxie if I took up something like this. I am using my smartphone apps a lot more now (got lots of them but only use about 5) so security is something that I need to take a lot more seriously. I understand that Yahoo is a big player in Cloud Computing, but the services are pretty much directed at the corporate client. Have not looked at Google yet (next project).

08. Oct 2010, 02:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
emmjay Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 226	More stuff on Security Software innovations for 'The Cloud'. This time it is F-Secure... http://www.f-secure.com/en_EMEA/abou...922_eng_1.html Claims are claims (marketing driven), but it does come across as a shift in strategy for so many of the established vendors of security software. Hope it is as beneficial as they claim.

08. Oct 2010, 04:45 PM	#5 (permalink)
eyeb Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Planet X Posts: 487	i still find the limitations on internet speed/stability greater than the limitation of HDD space :S The the amount of bandwidth used to run a cloud scan, I could download the database and have it when i'm both offline and online. And with HDD's size/price I've not run out of space yet. Recently trried Immunet, a cloud av, during scan I cut internet scan and the program kind of crashed. I find this bad for AV products as I've ran into a few that cut internet connections while it is active. In my mind, its like do I want someone else holding the info or do I want it myself. Like with online health history, does someone trust it to a 3rd party or just keep it at home and physically bring it to doctor's office? Cloud computing takes a lot of the data off of your hands and you have to trust it is still getting across to you.

09. Oct 2010, 10:34 AM	#6 (permalink)
Abandoned Guest Posts: n/a	I think Cloud Protection is what most of the AV vendors are starting to implement in one form or another. Most of them are starting to integrate it into their conventional AVs. Prevx, which is what I am currently using(paid version), is cloud, but it also has it's own heuristics. It can stop malware without having access to the cloud, especially if you have the settings turned up on it. If I was to lose my connection to the internet because of malware, then it's already too late, and I'm infected. If Prevx can't remove it, then I'll start up Malwarebytes. If Malwarbytes can't remove it, I'll use an Avira and/or Dr. Web boot cd, and eliminate the infection. If those don't work, I'll restore my OS from an image. Using a cloud AV instead of a conventional AV doesn't worry me at all. It really boils down to the user, actually. I've been using Prevx paid by itself, and Win7 firewall for the last year, and I haven't got an infection. I'm trialing Avast! v5 free along side Prevx right now, and I might let my Prevx license expire, because Avast software has apparently worked the bugs out of their AV, and it seems to be running pretty smooth and light on my machine. That wasn't the case when v5 was initially released.

10. Oct 2010, 03:49 AM	#7 (permalink)
syntax_error Full Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 79	Whilst I was very happy with Avast5, given that we are in a Cloud Computing thread, you could give Panda Cloud Antivirus a try. They would seem to have high hopes for their next version release, expected later this month. I'm waiting to see this before deciding whether to stay with Panda or go back to Avast.

12. Oct 2010, 07:14 PM	#8 (permalink)
emmjay Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 226	Clear Cloud is free. They are looking for beta testers, so if you are in the 'try new stuff' crowd, here is a link ... http://forums.clearclouddns.com/mess...&enterthread=y There is setup instructions for XP, Vista and W7. So far, Testers say it is very light on resources.

13. Oct 2010, 12:08 AM	#10 (permalink)
deya Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: UK Posts: 528	Slimware Utilities are cloud based, they're not security programs though, just clean up tools and an automated driver update tool. They're still in BETA so I wouldn't advise people to use them if they're not sure. But I noticed today that the Slim Computer one has been released as a final version, it's meant to scan and clean all the pre installed trial software and stuff from a new PC. I'm not too sure about how effective cloud [or crowd] based software is to tune up your PC though, and there's always the element of mistrust. But I've been using the SlimCleaner one for a month or so now with no nasty side effects, although I'm still not convinced it does a good job of cleaning everything. CCleaner always finds something else when I run it after the cloud one. I suppose it's all down to how many people are in the cloud and generating feedback. The one that was released today, Slim Computer, is here. Not sure what large ladies will make of it, but you can read all about it on the page. I won't put a link to the others because they're still BETA but if you Google the name you'll find them. They're free but they do an all in one utility that's paid. I understand the concept of cloud computing but I'm never too sure, although I did have Panda Cloud Free on my spare machine before I started using FortiClient and it never got infected, it also ran very light. I never had an issue with it at all. I think the whole thing with cloud computing is learning to trust it like we trust other apps, and if people don't trust things they won't use it.