Windows Defender AV

[Bill Guenthner]

Defender is a free Microsoft product built into Windows. It isn't bad, just not as good as other options. I recommend Webroot but there are many alternatives.

What’s the Best Antivirus for Windows 10? (Is Windows Defender Good Enough?)

Windows Defender in Windows 10 and 11 is, in fact, superior to the other options.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

I always used Defender antivirus on Windows. I'm going to buy Macbook. Is it correct that iOS doesnt need any antivirus?

Probably not. It really depends on how you use the computer and what sites you visit. I have never run any AV on my Macs.

 

[mikester]

If you play with skanks regularly even a condom won't help.

Computer AV's are like buying condoms made from swiss cheese and expecting to be protected.

 

[Raul-02]

My McAfee subscription is running out in 8 days, and I've been thinking of just using Defender as my anti virus/fire wall program.
I've really not heard much about this AV and was wondering if any of you folks use/have used it and your opinion of it.

For years; a decade maybe more, I have not used any antivirus or anti-malware. I can surf the hacker's sites and even download their stuff. I can surf any website no matter how contaminated it is with trojans, malware, ransomware, and viruses.
NOTHING CAN ATTACK MY OPERATING SYSTEM

I run Linux. There is no malware that can attack Linux. The people who write malware use Linux so they can't attack it or they'd attack themselves.
Plus Linux hasn't got the mind-boggling open handle executables that windows has in huge numbers.
To execute a new program in Linux I have to enter my passphrase. A hacker can't get a terminal window and can't know my passphrase.

Oh and everything is free. All the software, the office suite the audio, photo, and video editing all of it is free. And Linux is more stable than Windows.

So far the only things I haven't found for linux are specialty programs, high-end engineering software, legal, and accounting software.

 

[JasperFrank]

When a repair would come in, dealing with a virus, the joke was if it was with Norton or Macfee, "When did your Relatives' Children last visit you?" And if they can't remember, I just lookup download activity, and the logs. Always the same thing in the logs. AV got turned off, download was made.... and its always a song... and the AV was never restarted. Then the user went to their usual Weird political/religious site that had a "gift." And that Gift was MindSpark.

 

[PuffyC]

For years; a decade maybe more, I have not used any antivirus or anti-malware. I can surf the hacker's sites and even download their stuff. I can surf any website no matter how contaminated it is with trojans, malware, ransomware, and viruses.
NOTHING CAN ATTACK MY OPERATING SYSTEM

I run Linux. There is no malware that can attack Linux. The people who write malware use Linux so they can't attack it or they'd attack themselves.
Plus Linux hasn't got the mind-boggling open handle executables that windows has in huge numbers.
To execute a new program in Linux I have to enter my passphrase. A hacker can't get a terminal window and can't know my passphrase.

Oh and everything is free. All the software, the office suite the audio, photo, and video editing all of it is free. And Linux is more stable than Windows.

So far the only things I haven't found for linux are specialty programs, high-end engineering software, legal, and accounting software.

Not sure if you're just kidding around but there's plenty of malware out there targeted at Linux. XorDDoS, Mozi, etc. Linux has all the vulnerabilities, patches, and everything else any other computer system has including AV software. The Equifax breach of '17 that compromised the personal credit information of 130 million people and cost them $300 million? Linux, and there are many more. Unless you routinely scan for malware your machine could be infected and you'd never know, because unlike in Hollywood movies, most do their thing without popping a dialog to taunt you.

Pro tip: Many claim to remove malware from your machine but if you're truly infected the best approach is a wipe and reinstall. And all the hand wringing about the Windows 11 hardware requirements that got everyone putting on their tin foil hats? That's all about security. If you run outdated hardware, outdated software, or skip the AV, the only question is when you'll be infected, not if, and odds are you already are.

 

[Raul-02]

but there's plenty of malware out there targeted at Linux.

Nope. That's all myth. Everything I said is fact. in order to target Linux, you'd need another operating system that could write Linux code and there isn't one that can. And then you'd need accessible Linux executables and there aren't any. And you'd need to call up a terminal and have the passphrase on the machine you ant to t target and you can't do that.

Linux is absolutely bullet proof.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

Nope. That's all myth. Everything I said is fact. in order to target Linux, you'd need another operating system that could write Linux code and there isn't one that can. And then you'd need accessible Linux executables and there aren't any. And you'd need to call up a terminal and have the passphrase on the machine you ant to t target and you can't do that.

Linux is absolutely bullet proof.

No. Nuff said.

 

[Raul-02]

No. Nuff said.

Well,you aren't running linux. Nuff said.

 

[PuffyC]

You can lead a horse to water....