So, downloaded AVGfree(to run live) and malwarebytes(to run every month or so).

Do I need a separate firewall or is the windows one good enough these days?

Anything else I’m missing?

I wouldn’t bother with a firewall if I were you. 8.1 is pretty well locked down.

Make sure software updates are turned on.

aye leaning that way, it’s unlikely I’ll use this machine away from my home connection, so hardware firewalled anyway. Think I’ll leave it. Cheers.

Yes, updates on. 🙂

Anything else I’m missing?

This thread for a start, where I explained all this earlier today. (-:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/antivirus-software#post-6578476

ah, no worries, cheers! 🙂

while I’m at it, anything I need to know about securing ubuntu 14 aswell?

Windows Defender is enough on Windows 8.1. Anything more and you may have selected a clunky overweight (paid for) anti virus that slows your machine down as much as an infection might anyhow.

I recently followed this guide to bosh Ubuntu 14.04LTS along side 8.1 on a laptop with UEFI nonsense.

yeah I got ubuntu installed, just need to fix the bootloader as I’m having issues updating that, but I can get it it by restarting windows hold shift for the time being.

I guess ubuntu is much the same as os x in that linus users don’t particularly worry about i\t?

I don’t use AV with linux. It is possible (I used to use ClamAV I recollect), but I don’t think it is necessary for an average home user.

I wouldn’t bother with securing Linux. It’s not that there’s nothing out there of danger, it’s just that it’s so rare you’re incredibly unlikely to get attacked. Traditionally the only way of introducing malware to a Linux machine was infecting a legitimate piece of software at source and then hoping people would install it. There’s the odd client based infection worm around but they virtually never pop up.

It’s more likely that attackers would want to compromise servers than desktops for linux given the popularity of LAMP installations.