If I have two PC's coupled to 2 flat monitors and one keyboard via 2-port KVM switch with one PC is solely dedicated to trading by only carrying ... iq feed + ensign software +front end execution. Does this machine require any protection at all? The other machine will carry mail, photos, video, ipod, ET .....etc and will be protected.
Only the computer that is attached to the internet needs a firewall/AV. Now, if you have the two computers connected by a network cable or through a network switch, then the second computer would need it as well. There is no exploit that I know of that utilizes the video output feed to target other machines. Hmm, that gives me an idea!
Is it better to wire the second machine through the first machine or directly into the net. The 2nd machine is the trading machine.
I would say firewall. Ultimately, you want to configure the firewall settings for the trade machine to only allow access to the specific ports needed by your feed/charts/front-end. The caveat: software updates may change things without notice. Since there is no single av and/or spyware package that provides 100% protection (meaning there is above average probability that more than 1 piece of software is needed to eradicate a particular pest), I would install only, just for availability. Wouldn't waste resources with always-on "protection". jmho Osorico
do antivirus programs that are installed and run real-time in background slow down the system? seems to me it would as it filters everything. same with the firewall. whats wrong with not using any real-time anti-virus but frequently running one of those (or several) web-based free scans such as trendmicro or pandascan?
I think that trick is to keep the nasties out. They can do real damage before you can track them down.
yes, av and/or anti-spy in the background does suck up resources. Some very noticable, some not so noticable. The operative word being noticable. Software firewalls to a lesser extent than av/anti-spy. But firewalls can be hardware based vs software, hardware-based having an almost immeasurable and certainly insignificant impact. the problem with online scanning is you have to go to the interent to do it. Coupled with the fact that no single av or anti-spy program can detect and/or remove 100% of the pests, you should have a basis, before surfing for scans, that is local to the computer. Osorico
can you expand on the difference between soft and hardware based please. ie if hardware is the way to go what would I buy. many thanks f9
which local AV program(s) have you found that use minimal resources? i don't want anything to slow down those quotes and chart rendering. also, if you trade with a dedicated computer that is used for nothing else logging in to your broker and running scans isn't the risk of infection nil?
This comment caught my attention. My trading computer has only IBs TWS and two third party apps which feed off of IBs port. Can I configure this computer to allow no other interaction to take place? I am using XP on two computers with a router. The second computer surfs the net.