Recommendations for antivirus software?

[MatthewOU2015]

Hey guys,

I recently rebuilt my PC and would like to protect it. I try to stay safe on the web but I need some peace of mind. Any recommendations?

[Fascinate]

TBH most antivirus software are worse than a virus, stick to microsoft security essentials imo.

[Palaplu]

I use Norton. Not sure how much I pay yearly, but it protects several devices (my phone, my tablet, my computer, my laptop and my mom's laptop)

[Rootkitt]

Hey guys,

I recently rebuilt my PC and would like to protect it. I try to stay safe on the web but I need some peace of mind. Any recommendations?

None, use the built in Windows Defender.

Antivirus just adds a larger attack surface, and a lot of times has its own vulnerabilities that may allow malware intrusion or privilege escalation. Many also Man-In-The-Middle (MITM) your HTTPS connections which has additional privacy and security implications that most end-users are unaware of.

What you should use though is a browser plug-in like ublock origin, and to be religious about updates (both Windows and applications).

Edit:
Also, make backups of any important files and store them on another device. Ransomware is rampant these days, and will only increase into 2017.

[the game]

I use windows defender and malware bytes. On occasion I'll use super anti spyware.

[Fascinate]

I am sort of a hypocrite tho i actually use avast cause it seems to spot attacks from websites that i shouldnt be visiting better than anything else would lol. But really avast has gotten so ad heavy over the years i cannot recommend it.

I will say tho, if you are going to pay for an antivirus i would suggest avast over any of them, its just that the free version gets super annoying with all its popups.

[Syri79]

I usually recommend Avira if you want something a bit better than windows defender, which is fine if you know what you're doing, but if not, Avira seems about the best of the bunch. It's also free, which is a bonus, and very highly rated. It's always handy to have malwarebytes' free version installed as well, as you can use that for one-off scans if you think something might've got through your main AV software.
I wouldn't recommend Norton or Mcafee, even if they're better than they used to be (they could hardly get worse) they're still not as good as Avira is for free. If you want to pay for one because you just can't believe a free one is good enough, nod32 is about the best paid one, in my experience, but Avira is close enough to it and free, so that gets my personal vote.
Just as an added note, if the PC has any antivirus software (other than windows defender) pre-installed, be sure to remove it before installing a replacement. I generally recommend downloading the new package, closing the browser, remove the old one, then install the new one straight after. That means the PC is without protection for as little time as possible.

[whywhatwhowhenhow]

If you're going to pay for anything, then try the new Malwarebytes 3.0. It's the tits! Download the free version and use the 14 day premium trial to try it out. The real-time detection is second to none!

https://www.malwarebytes.com/

[MatthewOU2015]

If you're going to pay for anything, then try the new Malwarebytes 3.0. It's the tits! Download the free version and use the 14 day premium trial to try it out. The real-time detection is second to none!

https://www.malwarebytes.com/

Used the free trial. I'll see how it works out.

[pansertjald]

I use Kaspersky and have been using it for 5 years now without any problems.

I would REALLY stay away from Microsoft Defender. It has a REALLY bad protection

The best antivirus software for Windows Home User

[kail]

There was a time when I would browse the web and download torrents like an idiot and Malwarebytes has saved my PC on several occasions. Now? Windows Defender is enough for the job after knowing or getting an idea what is safe to download. Just watch what you click IMO.

[breadisfunny]

I use Kaspersky and have been using it for 5 years now without any problems.

I would REALLY stay away from Microsoft Defender. It has a REALLY bad protection

The best antivirus software for Windows Home User

could you elaborate on why it's bad?

[l33t]

Hey guys,

I recently rebuilt my PC and would like to protect it. I try to stay safe on the web but I need some peace of mind. Any recommendations?

Use Microsoft Security Essentials (its free!). You'll have to install it if you use windows lesser than win10, in win10 its already installed.
Also, use Ad-blocker of your choice for your browser (I prefer uBlock Origin), it is even more crucial to defending your PC than antivirus.

[Sykol]

Windows Defender and Malwarebytes. Everything else bogs your computer down and tries to sneak extra programs into their installations. Avast and Ad-Aware used to be fairly okay years back, but both are just a minefield now. Norton and McAfee charge you money for basically nothing, and I remember seeing bad things about Kaspersky a long time ago and never trusted them since. If you're careful about what you download and where you go, and make backups, you'll be fine with the basics.

[Lathais]

I use Kaspersky and have been using it for 5 years now without any problems.

I would REALLY stay away from Microsoft Defender. It has a REALLY bad protection

The best antivirus software for Windows Home User

Care to elaborate? I mean I know it used to suck really bad, but it doesn't anymore. I think it was around Windows 8.1 or so, they really stepped it up. It works great. Widows Defender, along with smart/safe browsing habits, is all you really need anymore. In fact, most other Anti-Virus software really just opens up new vulnerabilities on your system that can be exploited.

[Deleted]

antivirus software is so confusing.

i have it and for at least a decade now it never detects anything. yet on the other hand i constantly see news articles about how easy it is to get infected.

so im like am i just that good that i never click anything malicous? that cant be the case surely? i get warnings from chrome about malicoius sites now and then, surely one slips through here and there. i download stuff now and then, surely at least once i downloaded something bad?

Or is it the case that i am actually infected, but my antivirus software just doesn't tell me about it for whatever reason? are the virusses just that good? does the virusscanner think i installed em on purpose? is there some secret whitelist of allowed malware, based on bribes or government keeping holes open or something like that?

seems so weird to me that i (and a lot of people i know) never have any malware.

[Lathais]

Windows Defender and Malwarebytes. Everything else bogs your computer down and tries to sneak extra programs into their installations. Avast and Ad-Aware used to be fairly okay years back, but both are just a minefield now. Norton and McAfee charge you money for basically nothing, and I remember seeing bad things about Kaspersky a long time ago and never trusted them since. If you're careful about what you download and where you go, and make backups, you'll be fine with the basics.

I know that Kapersky specifically had an issue that attackers could exploit to DDoS attack you or cause a memory access violation and crash your system. That's pretty terrible. They have patched it, but who knows what other vulnerabilities it may have. Here's some more info on this very recent failing:
http://www.securityweek.com/kaspersk...sumer-products

That's the problem with nearly all anti-virus software. They have holes and people who want to can specifically target those holes. If you don't have the software in the first place, you are actually avoiding many potential threats.

[l33t]

seems so weird to me that i (and a lot of people i know) never have any malware.

If you understand what you click and install, you can live with no antivirus at all. Statistics, which you read in web, are based on lame people who click everything clicky and don't understand basic rules of web serfing. Gamers (I guess you are a gamer since this is a MMO site?) usually aren't that lame.

[pansertjald]

could you elaborate on why it's bad?

Look at the review

[pkm]

You really dont need to worry about anti virus. The Windows one is good enough for that. Anti malware though is a must. Malwarebytes is the best available. If you're super paranoid buy full version but really the free version is fine.

- - - Updated - - -

Look at the review

Ah yes reviews. 100% totally trustworthy reviews that were done all by IT professionals and people that understand how viruses and malware work.