Member Avatar for Nefrit

Please read these to sources of information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antivirus (issues of concern)

http://www.semiologic.com/2005/02/24...o-help-at-all/

What do you think?

Of course for the average and uninformed user a AV is kind of the gadget that will stop you from speeding, but for those who are informed, sensible and adopt the common sense approach when accessing the www, are these kind of products really needed?

If needed is a real-time protection really required?

I am asking this because in all this time I used computers (around 10 years) I never caught a single virus. Of course I had issues in the past but they were more spyware related, and for these different applications are needed (specific antispyware programs).

Cheers:-O

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Short answer: yes for most users. Long answer: risk depends on platform and behavior, but modern threats make antivirus (AV) more than a convenience. raises the "informed user" point — careful behavior helps a lot — but it does not remove exposure to drive‑by downloads, malicious attachments, supply‑chain or zero‑day exploits. is correct that a single infection can cost time and money, and and are right that risk scales with how the machine is used.

Real‑time protection matters because it can stop malware at the moment of exposure. On‑demand scans only find something after it has already executed or copied itself. Today’s threats include ransomware, fileless attacks and social‑engineering campaigns that exploit browsers and common apps; behavioral and cloud‑based real‑time defenses detect many of those faster than signature‑only scans.

Practical, low-effort protections that work together:

  • Enable a modern AV with real‑time and cloud lookups (built‑in options are fine for many desktops).
  • Keep the OS, browser and plugins patched; remove unused plugins.
  • Run as a standard user (not admin) and keep UAC/privilege prompts enabled.
  • Back up regularly with offline or versioned copies (ransomware mitigation).
  • Scan removable drives before opening files and avoid pirated software.
  • Check independent lab results when choosing a product.

Independent tests and official guidance help pick and tune protection. See AV‑Comparatives and AV‑TEST for comparative results, NIST for incident handling guidance, and vendor docs (for example Microsoft Defender) for built‑in protection details: AV‑Comparatives real‑world tests, AV‑TEST home AV, NIST SP 800‑83, .

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for DimaYasny

good thing you didn't paint your text purple and forgot to underline it as well...

this post hurts my eyes.

Member Avatar for pappuravi80

it basically depends upon what kind of user you are ....if you use if for basic purposes working with office applications without much hi-fi working on tools and applications....you might not require it....
the underlying rule is that (what i have observed) the more latest softwares and applications and upgrades you do ....the more bugs you have and the more counter softwares you would require.....you should choose either this way or the other ....can't do both....
regards,
pappu r.

Member Avatar for Ancient Dragon

You do what you want but I wouildn't be caught dead without antivirus running and scanning both the browsers as well as email. Allowing so much as even one virus can completly wipe out your computer and maybe steel your identity, costing you pleanty of money and time to fix. With free virus scanners that danger isn't worth it.

Member Avatar for darsh999

By using a virus scanner on your pc is just one step towards ensuring your compurtr are secure.

Since now we have a real virus floating around in the internet , but with the help of antivirus we can protect our files from being infected

Member Avatar for Serunson

If you don't use the internet at all or only for downloading e-mail from a web server, then they are not much use really. If you use the internet for general browsing every now and then, get an Anti-virus programme, hackers can do all sorts of mysterious things.

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