How safe am I?

[nagan]

Now that I have Spybot installed with the latest updates,SpywareBlaster,CA EtrustAntivir can I rest assured while browsing thru sites and "sites" from threats like virtumonde,smitfraud,zlob etc.I do not use any P2P except DC++ ocassionally and I do not run pirated games. I use Firefox .Generally I am not the curious type to install any codec or download an exe that comes up while browsing.

Now the pertinent question is whether despite this anything could prop up thru just plain browsing??Earlier I was on Win98 (ofcourse without any protection except etrust) ,a rougue virus from certain "sites" would install a trojan ,alter the search ,add BHO,and make some nasty entries in the desktop and Etrust would react after all has been done.So far nothing of that has happened till date after switching to XP with all the above softwares.

Are there any tell tale clues or symptoms to be watched.

What is it about the new breed of popups which hide within a corner of the screen without anyone knowing--Firefox does not end them.

[tashi]

Hello,

These topics may be of help.

So how did I get infected in the first place?

UPDATED WINDOWS - Your first line of defence, links and tips

There are a lot of exploits in the wild.
Safe surfing on a supported updated operating system, with security protection in place, lays the groundwork to an infection free computer.

Best regards.