Is paying for antivirus a waste of money?

Commentary: It's been a long time since anti-malware suites have found anything on my computers. Maybe the Windows Defender that comes with Windows 10 is good enough?

I always run an anti-malware security suite on my PC. Over the years I've made a point of running a variety of products.

At least for many years, perhaps more than ten, they've found no malware on my computers. None.

Perhaps I'm a more sophisticated user and I'm less likely to be taken off guard, but that can't be the whole answer. By the same token of expertise I take certain risks with dangerous files and sites that I would urge others to avoid like the plague.
But now comes news that could change the calculus: Independent test lab AV-Test's December tests of Business security suites on Windows 10 showed marked improvement for Microsoft's anti-malware engine, the one that comes free for Windows 10 users as Windows Defender. This program used to be limited to "antispyware," a strange and purposeless distinction from malware generally.

Microsoft has long had a free anti-malware product, Microsoft Security Essentials, for users to run on earlier versions of Windows, and it has always been used as a baseline in AV-Test rankings because it was so reliably at the bottom of the pack. Microsoft is also working to improve its protection by adding a cloud-based retrospective analysis service to detect breaches that have slipped through.

The results are for System Center Endpoint Protection which is its managed solution. The user experience is different, but the engine is the same and the AV-Test results should be closely comparable to tests on Microsoft's consumer product at the same time (November and December).

It's definitely not at the top and it's definitely not "industry-leading," but is it good enough? What do you really get from paying for the full AV subscription? The answer is complicated...


Read more: Is paying for antivirus a waste of money? | ZDNet
 
Nice one here. Over the years of using XP and Win7 I have used paid AV and firewall combinations and then experimented paid and freeware. On me it's in how you use your pc and how you behave especially in the internet. Freeware can be set to perform like top notch security suite but based on my experience you'd have to combine freeware's like say, Avira free or Avast free with NVT ERP + Malwarebytes AntiExploit free and Comodo firewall (Privatefirewall or Windows firewall --hardened) to get a solid setup. Of course paid suites especially one that is an install and leave suite can be good for the beginner/novice. Depends on the user preference really...how safe does he feel..?
Just my two cents there :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD APU A10-5600K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte F2A75MD3H
    Memory
    8gb DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon HD 7560D
    Sound Card
    on board
    Hard Drives
    (2)Seagate 1TB drives SATA3
    (1) Westen Digital 500gb SATA 3
    Browser
    Chrome, Comodo Dragon
    Antivirus
    Emsisoft Internet Security 11
For me, personally, I don't think paying for antivirus is worth it. Like the author, I haven't had a "hit" from my AV software for years. I run the built-in Windows Defender on my Win 8.1 and Win 10 machines. On my Win 7 machines, I use the free Bitdefender. The free stuff I use seems to do the job for me. Every 6 months or so, I run a scan using MBAM and the most it ever finds is a couple of tracking cookies.

A couple of years ago, I bought a 3 machine license for Bitdefender and installed it. After about a week of using it, I uninstalled the paid version and went back to free because I felt the paid version was entirely too intrusive, constantly asking me to verfiy this and that.

I also had a bad experience with Norton many years ago. I paid for an upgrade that I could never get installed, their tech support was a joke and it ended up that they kept my money and I got nothing for it. After that experience, I will NEVER consider Norton again EVER.

As long as the user isn't getting viruses or malware, whatever method of AV they choose to use is right for them.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro (desktop), W10 (laptop), W10 Pro (tablet)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built i7-8700K, Hp Envy x360 EVO Laptop, MS Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    3.7Ghz Core i7-8700K, 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 4.7Ghz, 10th Gen Core™ i5-1035G4 1.1Ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming, HP, MS
    Memory
    16G, 8G, 8G
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX580, Intel Iris X Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4
    Sound Card
    ATI High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Samsung U32J59 32 inch monitors, 13.3" display, 12.3" display
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 (Desktop), 1920x1080 (laptop), 2736x1824 Pro 7
    Hard Drives
    500GB ssd boot drive with 2 & 10TB Data (Desktop), 512GB ssd (laptop), 128GB SSD (tablet)
    PSU
    Corsair CX 750M
    Case
    Antec 100
    Cooling
    Coolermaster CM 212+
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
    Mouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse
    Internet Speed
    665Mbps/15Mbps down/up
    Browser
    FireFox, MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender on all
    Other Info
    Retired in 2015 after working in the tech industry for 41 years. First 10 years as a Technician, the rest as a programmer/software engineer. After 1 year of retirement, I was bored so went back to work as a Robotic Process Automation Consultant. Retired for 3rd (and final) time in 2019.
Due to a lot of past experience, with hundreds of PC's all going on-line, every day, I have to conclude that at least one AV program, AVG, is just as good in the FREE version as it is in the PAID version. The basic AV engine is the same.

But even with the best AV program that money can buy, or not buy, it still takes a "Package" of AV & AS software to properly protect the average PC against all types of Malware.

I'm currently using Windows Defender on my Windows 8.1 Pro machine, but I also use five more programs to fill the gaps left by Defender.
For instance, Defender does not find and remover PUP's and Tracking Cookies.....but Super Anti Spyware does. So I just let each program do what it does best. Why not, , , they're all FREE anyway.

Be safe, Be Happy!
Cheers Mates!
TechnoMage :cool:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win-8.1/Pro/64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer X-1200
    CPU
    AMD 2 Core
    Motherboard
    Acer
    Memory
    Crucial, 4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDEA GeForce 9200
    Sound Card
    On Board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Acer
    Hard Drives
    Sandisk, SSD 500GB
    PSU
    Acer
    Case
    SFF Slimline
    Keyboard
    emachines 101 key
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    5 Meg
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Using Classic Shell on Win-8.1 /pro/64
Me too! AVG FREE kept my PC free of viruses for years, but it seemed like every year they got more "in your face" with pop-ups. I could more or less deal with it, but some of my customers would call me complaining about it.

Well AVG must have gotten those complaints too, because the 2016 FREE version is almost totally Pop-Up free. I was impressed.

But it does have a fairly large footprint in ram, and for some folks, that's not good. So Defender is a good option, with it's small footprint.

However, we still need to supplement Defender with a good program to handle the malware that Defender just ignores.
For instance, Defender does nothing with PUP's and Tracking Cookies, two things that "Super Anti Spyware" is very good at.

Recently, well at least in the last year, I've started using Zemana Anti-Keylogger, and Anti-Exploit, from Malwarebytes.
Both address things that Defender does NOT, and both present a very small footprint to the OS.
OH....and both are FREE! I do love FREE stuff! :)

That pretty well rounds out my "Package" of Computer Security Software. (all FREE)

Cheers Mates!
TechnoMage :cool:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win-8.1/Pro/64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer X-1200
    CPU
    AMD 2 Core
    Motherboard
    Acer
    Memory
    Crucial, 4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDEA GeForce 9200
    Sound Card
    On Board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Acer
    Hard Drives
    Sandisk, SSD 500GB
    PSU
    Acer
    Case
    SFF Slimline
    Keyboard
    emachines 101 key
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    5 Meg
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Using Classic Shell on Win-8.1 /pro/64
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