Antivirus Poll 2017

None - (no AV used since 2013)

 

I quit using real time AV in December 2010 and stopped installing on demand scanners in December 2011 . When I first dropped real time scanners, I used to to run an on demand scan with MBAM and HMP once every couple of months or so. Then, I stopped installing the on demand scanners in the system and would sometimes install then in Shadow mode just to run the scan and delete the installation after rebooting. This has become less and less frequent as time goes on. I probably ran 1 or 2 scans last year and haven't ran any so far this year.

Bo

 

Good Evening! Primary A/V Webroot Security Plus. Super Product...and Customer Service! Sincerely...Securon

 

None but if I had to use one, WD/MSE. I can't be bothered with 3rd-party real-time AVs anymore.

 

Hi, i use Emsisoft Anti Malware and paired with good firewall is enough for me.

 

Total Defense Anti-Virus.

 

i've been using in the past few years on all my machines F-Secure Internet Security. I had no problems
at all so i decided to renew all licences for the next 2 years.

 

* Avast (free, File Shield only)

But I rely on VS...

 

Now I use Kaspersky IS.

 

I Have given ESET the Nod

Take Care
TheQuest

 

WD because built-in Win10, i would choose "None" if i used Win7

 

Windows 10= None
Android On LG= EmsiSoft
Linux Mint= None (was Sophos)

 

NONE

I only ever got infected by trusting in them. NO MORE

 

ESET NOD32. I like the colors on the box.

 

Still with Panda.

 

I switched to on demand scanners only.

 

On Demand (HMP/ZAM)

 

EAM. I like the BB.

But Sophos Home Premium could also become interesting in future, with the inclusion of HmP.A's protections.

 

In Windows 10, if you are not gullible, AVs are not necessary and just get in the way.

Recommendation
In Windows 10
Ideally: - None
If you must: Leave Windows Defender running.

Don't let the third party AV providers fool you. Your system will love you for not having that bottleneck strangling it. Notice how they are always implementing more and more protections to try and remain relevant and trying to keep ahead of their competitors and keep their business going while at the same time dragging your system down? You don't think it is dragging your system down? Uninstall it temporarily and see for yourself. Isn't that nice?

For those who disagree with me, then tell me when you had a virus attack in the last few years and how your AV saved you, and explain the circumstances. Be honest. I want to know EXACTLY how it happened.

 

i may be going to switch to it.

 

I'm using Panda Gold Protection at the moment as it's impact on my system is so light that it's barely noticable. On the otherhand Windows Defender can cause very noticable slowdowns.

I agree with you than antiviruses can cause very noticable slowdowns (almost all antiviruses are too heavy for my liking) and I know from personal experience, there are times when I'm uninstalled an antiviru and doing so made has made my system run much faster. However, so far Panada seems to be extremely light.

I reply on my own judgement, not being click happy and keeping Windows and vulnerable programs updated to keep my system clean. The antivirus is just a backup measure. However, I don't feel that the average user should remain antivirus free.

There are plenty of times in the past when my computers have been completely free of antivirus software, I've been using an Admin account with UAC disabled, and the only kind of realtime protection has been Windows Firewall. I've never felt unsafe when using such a config. But I know what I'm doing and I'm not click happy.

 

Hi roger, well on "my system" I don't notice any slowdowns, quite the contrary. I just switched from Bitdefender to Windows Defender. My laptop is responding much faster now and together with VS I really like it.

 

A lot depends on how powerful your CPU is. I've found WD to be very light if the PC has fast CPU.

 

Following this logic all I need is Macrium Reflect - it saved me once form faulting SSD, second time from my own misconfiguration and another time from problematic OS update.
Sandboxie, Standard User Account, User Account Control and Software Restriction Policies are not needed, since they never "saved me".

 

I agree with you for most situations. If one shares a computer with other users, especially gamers and young people there is a possibility for infection or personal data collection. In my job there are periods whereby I have to plug in dozens of third party flash drives and some of them are infected, my AV has always blocked the transfer of malware.

But the most important issue about security or anything that can go wrong in a computer is "redundancy": security layers which cannot fail simultaneously. The role of my AV is to detect if it can within the umbrella of a virtual system (Sandboxie or Shadow Defender) with the ultimate protection of a backup image of the system. I have restored hundreds of system images through the years and it was always due to configuration problems, bad upgrades, file corruption, never ever for virus infections...