Q: Is my computer more secure if I install two different types of firewalls, or two different types of anti-virus?
In general, no. The idea behind this is if the first firewall is
misconfigured, or the first anti-virus fails to detect a Trojan or
Virus, than the second version of software may stop the attack.
Having a second copy of different security software
*may* slightly increase the security of your computer. However,
this small benefit will most likely be far outweighed by the
extra time it will require for you to administer your systems,
the extra cost, and most likely the extra problems you will have
with conflicting installations of software. Our recommendation
is to keep things simple and only go with one firewall, one
anti-virus, and one copy of any other security software you install.
Just following the basics (such as outlined in our paper
Ten Steps in Securing Your Home Computers will do far more
then any extra copies of software.
