Hello everyone. so basically, internet wise I just use my PC for Ebay, MS Outlook email, Youtube and searching for information on the internet for electronics, cars, small engines, drones and of course PC's. I did have Bitdefender total security it was OK. It went up to $100 a year, which I see most vendors it's around that same price., in 5 years will be $500 if it does not go up higher. so this is my question. do i need total security? or just an AV . should i invest in an appliance like Sonic wall, probably will still need an AV too?. I have an old Sonic wall I use it's a TZ205 and has been end of lifed years ago. I see where they have an AV prescription service that plugs into the TZ. was wondering if they have an appliance now adays by any vendor with some kind of built in AV. trying to go cheap you see retired
If you want to save money, don't buy any security software or hardware and use Microsoft Defender. It's free and provides excellent protection. If you keep Windows updated and don't open email attachments or files you download, unless you are sure they are safe, then it's usually very hard to get infected. If you don't want to use Microsoft Defender, Bitdefender is a good alternative, but if you shop around you will find better prices. Microsoft Defender, Bitdefender or any big name antivirus will provide excellent protection.
You need to follow @Thankful 's "Newegg Specials" Thread: "Bitdefender Total Security 2022 - 10 Devices / 1 Year - Download $18.99 Promo code : GW5BX25263 Expires : 10/29/22 https://www.newegg.com/bitdefender-total-security-2019-1-year-10pcs-download/p/N82E16832719260" https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/newegg-com-av-specials.361072/page-155#post-3113324
thanks roger_m and hawki I think i will do that with the download from newegg , 10 devices, yes, the other Bitdefender i had was 5 and i ran out. 10 would be excellent. I suppose each year end just cancel then re-up
The Bitdefender offer in my post was for illustrative purposes -- the offer has expired Keep an eye on @Thankful 's thread for new offers.
First of all, people tend to miss the fact that Windows security is so much more than just Ms Defender, the Av. All thoose protections that exists in Bitdefender, Norton etc, also exists in Windows, but are not that plainly visible as in other programs. With that said, Windows protection is enough these days so paying for anything else is not nedeed under normal circumstanzes. What you could add, as you browse a lot and probably wind up on peculiar sites some times, is a sandbox for the browser. That protects your system from being infected via the browser, as well as the browser. Save your money and buy something nice instead to someone you like.
And almost all those protections work with 3rd party AVs, so you will get double using more than just Defender. Similarly to using smarstcreen + googlesafebrowsing, why choose, when you can use both?
I use Defender and OsArmor (set to medium) and do an image backup daily. I have never-ever had malware. If you are rational as to your computing habits, you should not have any problems.
Also additional protection that need Defender like the ASR rules require a user to either be knowledgeable enough to enable them or install 3rd party apps
Since Windows protection is enough for your user description i think you should focus on backup instead. That is good to have whenever whatever happens. Without it, any amount of security is not enough.
100%. As I have advocated for years, If somehow malware gets in, you just restore your machine with the malwareless system image backup you make daily.
I think this amount of money is madness, as already mentioned by other posters, MS Defender is excellent and free, if you don't know how to backup and restore your system, it is easy nowadays with several programs. Wilders Security will provide you with any help if you care to ask.
I also think MS Defender is very good option, being often underestimated and overlooked. Coupled with the MS firewall it is more than enough security for standard usage/surfing habits. Obviously a backup solution is a must any case.
Be careful with the Defender and Backup love. The world is being flooded with data stealers that specifically target Defender, and backups won't help if data has already been stolen..
oh, come on, no more stories, please. none of antivirus is perfect - and all are vulnerable - in special the kernel driver driven, like kaspersky (since years vulnerable), k7, norton, avast, avira. you may dont see the effectiveness of windows, but this? sorry, too funny. your time had been come, and now you live the past. in fact defender scores same as norton, kaspersky and others. and they are causing a lot of side effects, and this is also fact, more than defender. i am running defender since windows 10 and i dont had any impact. i dont use any sandbox, in fact i had no impact since 30 years and i gave a ** on antivirus although i always had some installed. about backup - strategy is 3-2-1, mayby only 2-1-0. anyhow back upped data is safer before impact has happened. too many natives think they can cure a compromised system, this will fail, anytime, anyhere. 3-2-1 is admins best choice, telling them lies is no good.
You have used that weak assertion before and I know of no one that has data stolen and we track many thousands of users. If data is being stolen (where is your proof?), it is a very small percentage in my view. A small probability event does nothing to discredit Defender or daily image backups.
When hackers set their target, they can usually find a vulnerability in any system and exploit it. Data can be extracted from any machine, no matter how well protected they might be. But it can only be done for specific accounts, it takes time, patience, and the potential to make a lot of money in one go. This kind of scenario doesn’t apply to the average user, we are too many and too poor to attract the attention of online predators. In my small world I still take my own precautions: my C drive has basically only the OS in it, any data, and especially sensitive data is kept in USB SSD drives most of the time unplugged from my machine. When plugged in they can deliver data at blistering speeds, therefore for me, my environment, my precautions, MS Defender is as good as ANY good antivirus program, an imaging program is to protect my machine from my mistakes, I have never ever restored my OS because of malware of any kind, and believe me I’m talking about years on end with hundreds of restores. I would love to ask (if I had an opportunity) Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and maybe Jeff Bezos, how do they manage their online activities…
Agreed. I've seen a couple of folks state this and there is no reason to discredit backups. If someone steals your data having a backup certainly doesn't hurt the situation. I've seen nobody post a foolproof solution for preventing it. If someone steals your data you were probably targeted or did something really foolish, in which case there likely is no solution for that. You can either keeps backups or come back here and cry when you don't have one. "Someone can see me through my window, so I guess I shouldn't lock my door"... And again, someone is more likely to steal my data from Apple/Google/Microsoft than they are from me, and there isn't a thing you can do about it. Ask all of the celebrities that had their private pics posted online. Good luck with your local security solution saving you from that.
Just keep in mind that what's rare now becomes the opposite tomorrow, that rational behavior no longer works because malware can be found embedded in legit pages of legit sites and in legit software, that backup and restore don't reverse data theft, that malware may operate with little user intervention, target embedded software, remain hidden and simply steal data, etc. Meanwhile, assume that all software and operating systems are vulnerable, that cheap antivirus programs become expensive the following year, that what's fast now becomes slow tomorrow, etc., that antivirus programs are by default intrusive, that free versions aren't so and are monetized one way or another, that the cost of paying for protecting several devices may be similar to buying a hard drive every year, that what's slow for one machine is fast for another and vice versa, etc. In which case, you are probably better off looking at websites and Youtube channels where AVs are tested and see which ones are the most balanced in terms of usability, system impact, and protection, choose the top ones, install trial versions and see which ones have the least impact on performance by using benchmarking software like Novabench, etc. From there, decide what to use. You can do the same if you decide to use free versions; keep in mind that some may display popup ads that can't be disabled, while others lack features like anti-ransomware or remove present malware. In my case, the ones to choose from for now are Avast and Kaspersky Security Cloud, although the latter may show a popup once in a while even though notifications are disabled. Last point: make sure that you completely uninstall an AV before trying another; the developer usually has software to do that. Also, check out addons like uBlock Origin and settings like Enhanced Tracking Protection to make browsing more secure and private. Additional points: there's not only Chinese spyware but countries that are part of "eyes," i.e., they have intelligence agencies that work with software companies and collect and share data.
these days you can find very decent av or av suites for just 10 to 15 bucks . McAfee Avira Fsecure AVg Avast etc. Even Norton for 19 bucks. i mean legit license not cracks.
