UKC

Have been using mcafee whilst I was on BT (as it was free) but as I'm now not with BT... what are people thoughts on a good antivirus suite that doesn't slow my pc down massively?

In reply to balmybaldwin:

I use Avira as its free and consistently appears in the Top Three of any free AV software.

The only thing that worries me, is that I have no idea how companies compare and test the AV software in the first place. Are they actually testing the AV against viruses and malware or are they just going off download counts?

In reply to balmybaldwin:

No Antivirus.

Use uBlock Origin with whatever browser you're running and run malwarebytes whenever you need to (don't need to keep it running for real time protection).

If you're not installing things or downloading things often there's no reason to run antivirus these days. If you're on any windows version above 7 you'll have free built in antivirus anyway.

If you decide you do need to slow your machine down with av software don't run any of the 3 big awfuls: AVG/McAfee/Norton. Worse than viruses themselves those 3.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

I just use Windows Defender

In reply to Paul Phillips - UKC and UKH:

This. Windows Defender, keep everything updated and be sensible what you click or download.

Most AV programs are as bad as the viruses themselves.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Another vote for just the built in Windows AV and not downloading stuff from dodgy sources. My experience of (a wide range of) 3rd party AV programs is that in every case the cure is worse than the disease.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Interesting thanks all will stick with defender (windows 10) then.

In reply to balmybaldwin:


I also used Windows 10 Defender, until it allowed loads of malware onto my computer.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1926596,00.asp

In reply to Removed User:

>No Antivirus.
Can I be the first to say: Wow!

>Use uBlock Origin with whatever browser you're running and run malwarebytes whenever you need to (don't need to keep it running for real time protection).

You know that ublock is a web based blocker? Mostly for adverts and drive by malware. It wont work on an infected .pdf (for example) sent via mail or any one of the other many attack vectors.
And malwarebytes, is for when you've become infected and you want to try and remove it. It may stop real time threats, but it would need to be running to do that.

>If you're on any windows version above 7 you'll have free built in antivirus anyway.

So you trust the company that built the buggy software, that allowed the viruses onto your machine, to stop them?
You get viruses for Mac, Windows, phones, routers, industrial control systems, smart TV's etc. Nothing is immune.

I guess you've never used condoms. Shun immunization jabs. And don't look both ways when crossing the road? Heck, I bet you even run with scissors.

OP: Try Sophos. Also have an off line backup (external backup to the cloud, a usb hard drive, DVD etc) of your most important data.
The two main trends in malware are to either infect your machine and use it without your knowledge (botnet member, DDoS, spam bot, connection laundering etc) or to encrypt your data and ask for money (ransom ware). If you don't pay, then they delete the decryption key and all your data is unreadable. This is why you need your data in more than one place, and that second place needs to be not connected to your machine all the time.

If you do one thing on 1st of Jan: back up your machine. Especially photos and other data that is irreplaceable. You'll thank me one day (by buying me pint, hopefully).

In reply to balmybaldwin:

The Antivirus Software category contains programs developed to detect and remove computer viruses and other virus-related software from users' computers.

In reply to dread-i:

If people here don't know to run their important stuff from an external drive that's their business.

Antivirus software is *always* bloated and unnecessary for the grand majority of users. The main attack vector is through the browser as it has been for many years now. Protect the browser and let the shitty windows AV deal with anything that might possibly get through. Malwarebytes will deal with the rest as a last resort.

In reply to Removed User:

>If people here don't know to run their important stuff from an external drive that's their business.

No, you misunderstand. I'm not suggesting running stuff from an external drive. I'm suggesting backing up to an external drive or device, and keeping that device offline.

>Antivirus software is *always* bloated and unnecessary for the grand majority of users.

You realise that there are tens of millions of new viri classified each month? And the list gets bigger by the hour. All of them are designed to spoil your day.

>The main attack vector is through the browser as it has been for many years now.

The phrase you're missing is 'defense in depth'. The browser may be the main attack vector that you can think of, but many of us use email and IM, we play online games, we collaborate on work with colleagues etc.

>Malwarebytes will deal with the rest as a last resort.

Once you've been infected, you mean? Like penicillin will deal with Aids, once you've been infected?

If not running an AV works for you, then good luck with that. However, the OP asked for a decent AV and I've answered that. Hopefully, I've added some verifiable information, that may be of use to others. Its frightening the number of people with similar attitudes. "It wont happen to me. I do the absolute minimum to protect myself, so I'm ok".

Some light reading:
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-07-27/cisco-reports-ransomware-is-...