How necessary is third party virus software?

Magic Pink

I've been paying for McAfee for two years and recently a friend who runs network maintenance for a high school said that the default Windows firewall and virus scan is more then enough for anyone.

Yes/no?

Foomy

Microsoft security essentials: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials

It's one of the best antivirus programs out there, and it's free.

Gaslight

McAfee and Norton are more trouble than they're worth, horribly bloated, a pain to get off your system. Some people say they give you viruses or are worse than a virus themselves, and it isn't far from the truth.

Or at least, that's the way it used to be 5-10 years ago, which is when I ditched them and never looked back. Was an AVG guy for a long time. McAfee, Norton, etc may have improved a bit, perhaps less bloated (couldn't say firsthand), but nobody I know who is very computer literate bothers with them. You are probably throwing your money away.

Nowadays Microsoft Security Essentials should serve you in good stead.

Magic Pink

Awesome, thanks folks. Will do.

Dehumanized

Technically speaking, MSE is first party antivirus software. In fact, it's so first party that Microsoft just called it part of Windows Defender and integrated it into the OS for Windows 8.

Foomy

Dehumanized wrote: »

Technically speaking, MSE is first party antivirus software. In fact, it's so first party that Microsoft just called it part of Windows Defender and integrated it into the OS for Windows 8.

I was wondering if they would do that eventually, but figured the cries of anti-trust bullshit from the other antivirus companies would keep them from it.

Dehumanized

Foomy wrote: »

Dehumanized wrote: »

Technically speaking, MSE is first party antivirus software. In fact, it's so first party that Microsoft just called it part of Windows Defender and integrated it into the OS for Windows 8.

I was wondering if they would do that eventually, but figured the cries of anti-trust bullshit from the other antivirus companies would keep them from it.

As Apple gains market share on their walled garden, all-the-default-software-is-ours-and-cannot-be-changed strategy, Microsoft will be able to do more of the same. For example, in Windows 7 they were going to make "do not track" the default option on IE9. At the last minute, they caved to pressure by advertisers and changed it. IE10 will ship with "do not track" as the default.

You'll still be able to install third party AV (which automatically disables Windows Defender antivirus, if the third party program is built to work with Windows 8), and you'll be able to enable advertiser tracking in IE, but defaults are the most powerful tool in software if you want to encourage a behavior. Everyone on Windows 8 will be sensibly protected from viruses and malware, unless they specifically go into a menu and disable it.

Thanatos

I will say that I stopped using antivirus in 2000, and didn't start again until this year; in that time, I got exactly one virus, and that was from breaking one of my rules. Using AdBlock and/or NoScript, not running Internet Explorer or Outlook are the keys to that kind of strategy, though. Also, don't download any sketchy files.

As everyone else is saying, though, Microsoft Security Essentials + Windows Firewall + your router's default hardware firewall is probably more than enough.

Nightslyr

Thanatos wrote: »

I will say that I stopped using antivirus in 2000, and didn't start again until this year; in that time, I got exactly one virus, and that was from breaking one of my rules. Using AdBlock and/or NoScript, not running Internet Explorer or Outlook are the keys to that kind of strategy, though. Also, don't download any sketchy files.

As everyone else is saying, though, Microsoft Security Essentials + Windows Firewall + your router's default hardware firewall is probably more than enough.

That, and be wary around Adobe's plugins. Flash and Acrobat Reader = malware vector. Adobe is notoriously slow at patching their stuff, too.