Is antivirus worth it? You are your safety

This question has come up repeatedly in the forum and blog comments, and last week reader Igor asked me it in an email. Moreover, the letter arrived at the moment when I was reading the latest Microsoft security report for the second half of 2012. This coincidence is noteworthy because it was the aspect of working without up-to-date anti-virus protection that came into the focus of the company’s specialists this time.

I suggest you look at the big picture of working without an antivirus in Windows, and also figure out whether an antivirus is necessary for advanced users.

Today on the program

Statistics of infections of various Windows operating systems

Regular readers of the blog are already familiar with posts in which I analyzed interesting facts from Microsoft security reports, for example, for the second half of 2011 and the first half of 2012. Compared to the second one, little has changed:

• Vulnerabilities in Java and Adobe are exploited many times more actively than vulnerabilities in Windows.
• The passion for freebies is not abating, and the most popular family of malware remains Win32/Keygen.
• Russia firmly holds fourth place in the world in terms of the number of infected PCs, and the level of malicious and phishing sites in the country is 1.5 times higher than the world average.

And even the statistics of Windows OS infections do not present any surprises, despite the appearance in Windows list 8. Level jump Windows infections XP in the fourth quarter of 2012 is associated with an explosion of fake Win32/OneScan antivirus activity in Korea. Let me remind you that the level means the number of PCs with detected malware for every thousand computers scanned by MSRT.

So low level Windows 8 infections are explained primarily by the fact that so far it has been switched to mainly by enthusiasts with a higher level of computer literacy. They also tend to deliberately choose 64-bit systems equipped with security technologies that are not available in 32-bit OSes.

But there is another factor that will contribute to the fact that in the future Windows 8 will demonstrate a lower infection rate than Windows 7. This is the built-in antivirus Windows Defender, which has the same interface, engine and update databases as Microsoft Security Essentials, designed for previous versions of Windows.

Windows OS infection statistics through the prism of antivirus availability

In principle, Captain Obvious suggests that with an antivirus the likelihood of infection is lower than without it. However, isn't it interesting to look at the specific statistics collected by MSRT from millions of PCs?

In its report, Microsoft uses the term “unprotected PCs,” referring to systems on which the antivirus is not installed or is running with outdated databases. As it turned out, in the second half of 2012, this category fell every fourth PC!

Not surprisingly, unprotected PCs (red graph) were infected on average 5.5 times more often than systems with updated antiviruses (green graph).

The breakdown of unprotected PCs by operating system is also interesting. Honestly, I expected even more high level infections on Windows XP. But I was not at all surprised that owners of Windows 7 without SP1 are irresponsible not only about updating the OS, but also about the presence of anti-virus protection.

Please note that Windows 8 has the lowest rate of unprotected PCs, thanks to availability of Windows Defender.

However, 7-8% of people manage to disable the built-in antivirus Windows protection 8 without installing anything in return!

Finally, take a look at the breakdown by operating system and bitness in the context of having an up-to-date antivirus. Unprotected PCs are indicated by shading, while protected PCs are indicated by solid shading.

As expected, systems without proper protection become infected more often, regardless of version and bit depth. In particular:

• Windows XP 4.7 times
• Windows 7 SP1 9.4 times (x86) and 7.3 times (x64)
• Windows 8 x64 13.5 times

Adherents of Windows XP are unlikely to resist the conclusion that the old OS is almost three times more resistant to infections when running without an antivirus than Windows 8. However, I see two factors that make this judgment somewhat superficial.

1. An infection is a detected malicious program, but it is not at all a fact that it can harm a specific operating system. A classic example is the INF/Autorun family, which is included in all attack kits, but does not pose any threat to Windows 7 and newer operating systems (as well as to Windows XP with the update installed).
2. Windows 8 just came out, that is. installed completely on everyone PC. What do people do after installing the OS? That's right, they install programs. Now remember about the irrepressible passion for freebies, and everything will fall into place.

Win32/Keygen and INF/Autorun were the most widespread malware families throughout 2012 (with the exception of the spike in DealPly adware in Brazil in the fourth quarter).

In the table below, the same families are ranked by ranking for each OS. Please note that Keygen and Autorun occupy the top three spots on Windows 8.

Do experienced users need antivirus?

The above data clearly confirms that the presence of up-to-date antivirus protection significantly reduces the level of infections in the Windows ecosystem as a whole. In other words, the vast majority of users absolutely need an antivirus.

I have always emphasized the benefits of following Microsoft's recommendations, which in this case expressed in the support center. However, there is a category of people who consider themselves experienced enough to avoid infection without a resident antivirus (well, maybe only catch ransomware once a year :)

This one time is where there is a higher likelihood of losing personal data, which can cause damage to finances or reputation.

Of course, no antivirus provides 100% protection against malware. Even if we exclude serious 0-day vulnerabilities, which are more likely to be used in targeted attacks like Aurora, security software vendors are delayed in responding to any new threats.

However, the antivirus plays important role in a set of measures that work in real time and increase Windows resistance to infections:

I believe that advanced user uses the entire defensive arsenal, without neglecting any weapons.

However, there is one approach that can justify working without an antivirus.

Alternative: SRP or AppLocker

Windows has technologies to control the execution of executable code.

Among some Windows users 10, and earlier Windows 8, you can often come across the opinion that these operating systems do not need an additional antivirus program other than the already built-in Windows Defender. People say that they use this OS all the time, visit any sites they like, and have never picked up anything dangerous.

I don’t presume to judge how much better Windows 10 is protected from viruses and other dangers than, for example, “seven”. Perhaps this is true. But we, as ordinary users, need to take into account that even among professionals there is no consensus on this issue. Of course, someone will say that those who talk about the need to use an antivirus on Windows 10 are simply promoting their antivirus programs. But personally, I do not believe in such “conspiracy theories” and believe that since the problem with viral and other threats existed in all previous Windows version, then why should the “ten” be an exception.

Ultimately, Windows is endangered by viruses not because it is poorly made, but, first of all, because it is used by the overwhelming majority of the world's population. For example, the alternative and free Linux is much less susceptible to viruses. Many experts believe that it is simply not profitable for hackers to work on hacking an OS that few people use.

So, I am convinced that Windows 10 will still be at risk of infection in the coming years. At least as long as it's popular. And over time, as its prevalence grows, such threats will only become more numerous. Therefore, for myself personally, I consider it necessary to install a third-party antivirus program. At least for peace of mind. So in my opinion You need to install an antivirus program on Windows 10.

What program to protect against viruses and others? network attacks choose, I can’t definitely advise. Personally, on both of my computers I used two years of paid Kaspersky Internet Security . Didn't touch anything dangerous. But I really didn’t want to continue paying money. ( To be honest, over time I become more and more convinced that anyone paid program there are no less worthy ones, but absolutely free analogues- it’s just that most often they are not so actively “promoted”). In general, in mid-2015 I began to study other, already free offers. I read a lot of positive things about Chinese and completely free antivirus Qihoo 360 Total Security . I set it for myself. And so far (it’s now December 2017, that is, more than two and a half years have passed) everything is fine. When installing this program, for greater security, I recommend that you additionally enable the Bitdefender and Avira antivirus engines in the settings. Together with them, the Chinese product has repeatedly taken worthy places in international antivirus ratings. In PCMag lab reports for 2015, this product showed identical results with recognized leaders in the antivirus market Bitdefender and Kaspersky. By the way, unlike them, the Chinese product is completely free. Two versions are offered for installation: PC - All in one or PC - Essential. I advise you to install the second one - Essential. It has an antivirus and a sandbox, but there are no unnecessary options for my taste (such as cleaning, optimization and other pseudo-useful rubbish) and, most importantly, Essential does not have advertising spam in the form of pop-up windows, with the help of which this Chinese antivirus monetized.

By the way, Kaspersky recently released an absolutely free antivirus Kaspersky Free . At first, only citizens of Russia and Ukraine could use it, but now the free version is available to all countries of the world. It also copes with its tasks very well.

For those who especially need security (or suffers from severe virusophobia), we can recommend installing both of the above free antiviruses:

1. First Kaspersky Free
2. Then 360 Total Security

This order is needed, because only the second product (360) allows you to install yourself if there is another antivirus program on the computer - Kaspersky simply will not allow you to install yourself next to another antivirus. Of course, it is better to install two antiviruses side by side, not on very slow and outdated machines. I won’t say that I am a virusophobe. It’s just that at a certain moment I began to wonder how these programs would live side by side. After installing them, I realized that the computer's performance remained the same. That is why I did not remove any of these antiviruses for some time. After another reinstallation of Windows, I left only 360. I decided that was enough for me. But the fact is a fact: Kaspersky gets along well with the Chinese antivirus.

In addition to an antivirus program on Windows 10, it would be nice install and firewall(a technological barrier that prevents unauthorized or unwanted communications between computer networks or hosts). Firewall translated means “wall of fire.” If the antivirus is mainly focused on searching for malicious programs and files on the computer’s hard drive and removable media, as well as monitoring the security of sites visited through the browser, the firewall protects the computer from all kinds of network attacks by hackers. To do this, the firewall completely controls the Internet activity of all processes running on the computer. In combination with an antivirus, the firewall provides maximum protection computer. Paid antiviruses, as a rule, they have it in their composition, but free ones do not. Therefore, experts in the field computer security It is recommended to install it separately. I recently read this formula that I liked: best free antivirus program + best free firewall = computer protection that's just as good paid solutions . Agree, it’s easier to install it yourself, even if it’s two, but free programs than installing just one, but paid one. Of course, the “top ten” itself also has a built-in firewall ( Windows Firewall), but, like the built-in antivirus ( Windows Defender), it only provides basic protection. The Comodo product has been considered the most advanced firewall in the world for many years. Free version Comodo Firewall quite enough.

For example, on my computer for a long time Two security programs were installed:

1. 360 Total Security
2. Comodo Firewall

Considering that 360 also uses Avira and Bitdefender engines, it turns out as many as 3 antivirus engines!

Now I only use antivirus 360. Since both machines (the desktop and the laptop) are not particularly powerful, I decided that there was no point in wasting resources on running a firewall.

In general, I’m still not inclined to consider antivirus programs in Windows 10 an absolute panacea for all dangers. Maybe it’s just luck that so far I haven’t caught anything serious in 4 years of daily use of the computer for 8-12 hours, or maybe the fact is that in addition to the anti-virus program and firewall, I also regularly turn on my own head - that is , I comply Elementary rules safety when working on the Internet :

• Never download unknown programs from unverified sites. Only authoritative ones and, by the way, free programs for Windows 10, about which there is at least an article on Wikipedia and only from the official website. By the way, I also always take a link to the official website of a particular program from Wikipedia (at the top of any article is the last link in the right column). The fact is that in a search engine it is often impossible to distinguish which site belongs to the developers and which does not.
• Never follow suspicious links, especially on suspicious sites or in letters from unknown recipients.

• Never use hacked programs or programs with so-called activators. (Almost any paid program has free analogues, and if not, but the program is very necessary, then, in my opinion, it is not a sin to buy it or use the test version).
• Regularly (with daily active work on the Internet - once a week at least) full check computer antivirus program. To be sure, you can also check it after this. free utility Dr.Web Cureit .

All these precautions, combined with an antivirus that I trust, have kept my Windows 10 computers protected so far.

Any thoughts on this? Share in the comments.

Although Microsoft claims that Windows 10 is a very secure OS that does not require additional protection, because it already has an antivirus built into it. But we share the skepticism of users, and decided to look into the question of whether an antivirus is needed on Windows 10.

Built-in Windows 10 antivirus

This is a good utility that hardly loads the system, but we cannot call it an antivirus in the full sense of the word. The company also offers another official product, but it cannot fully protect your device. This has been shown by various independent tests.

Do I need to install antivirus on Windows 10

So the answer is clear - yes, you need to install an antivirus on Windows 10. Even in a situation where you do not use the Internet. There are other ways to become infected. Which antivirus you choose is not so important - the main thing is that it is constantly updated. For example, like or .

• Useful programs for Windows 10

July 4, 2018 2:52 | Bitdefender Russia |

How to protect your gaming PC from viruses?

For users, computers cease to be simple tool for work or study. Price gaming computer sometimes comparable to the cost of a new car. Owners of such PCs strive to make them even faster, more powerful and better. This is a difficult task - new devices or programs are released every few months.

There may be several factors that slow down a gaming computer. From simple ones like unoptimized data to complex and dangerous ones like viruses and malware. The user copes with some of the problems himself - clean the computer from outdated files, install programs adapted for the systems and carry out periodic diagnostics. However, even built-in protection tools are most often unable to cope with external threats - cyber threats. And it is viruses that pose the greatest threat to data and the device itself.

So how can gamers protect their computers from malware and cyber scam attacks? The most effective and simple method is to install an antivirus. The best antivirus for home/business according to ratings from such reputable laboratories as AV-Test, AV-Comparatives and Roskachestvo is a program from Bitdefender. At the same time, the company's free antivirus is also considered by experts to be the best in its class.

The solution to the issue of protecting your computer is the Bitdefender Total Security 2018 package. The program has the “Autopilot” mode by default - the program independently makes all decisions regarding the security of the device without involving the user. If desired, you can switch between three modes: "Working mode", "Movie mode" and " Game mode" Let's take a closer look at why the solution to the security issue for gamers is the “Game Mode” of the program.

When switching to this mode, the program rearranges its work so that it uses minimal resources without reducing the quality of protection. This means that the computer will no longer freeze due to database updates. The mode is activated when the game is launched or opened in full screen format. After this, the antivirus will monitor not only cybersecurity, but will also optimize its operation background programs and tasks, as well as automatic updates. After exiting the game or minimizing it, the mode will automatically switch to standard settings.

The antivirus will also take care of the safety of the battery. If the laptop on which the program is installed is disconnected from the network, the battery saving mode will be activated. In this mode, the program will not perform automatic updates and scheduled checks until power is supplied from the network again.

To purchase and “update” games and achievements, most gamers use online game distribution services: Steam, Battle.net and others. Despite the presence of protection against hacking and theft, these services use the classic login-password system for authorization. Email is usually used as a means of restoring access.

Therefore, players face another threat - theft of logins from accounts and related email addresses. Antivirus from Bitdefender also effectively copes with this problem. Among the options of the best antivirus, according to research from a number of leading laboratories, there is a password manager. It uses a special encryption system and stores the key in a special protected file. To access all passwords, you will only need to remember one, and it will also be protected by an antivirus. In addition, the program will prompt the user safe options passwords if necessary.

For those who pay computer games less time, but uses the Internet, the optimal solution would be a package Internet antivirus Security 2018. Read more about the capabilities of the best antiviruses, including free antivirus, here.

This operating system is one of the safest and most secure operating systems thanks to built-in protection tools from Microsoft, although they are usually used by beginners who are not particularly concerned about the security of their PC. You should not rely on these tools - antiviruses for Windows 7 are needed, if only because the built-in antivirus protection is designed for updates from Microsoft, and they are released quite rarely, leaving the computer defenseless against new viruses during this time.

On the Internet you can often find questions about what is the best antivirus for Windows 7, or can you recommend any? It is impossible to give unambiguous specific answers to them; you can simply list a few antivirus systems, having the properties necessary for the user. And these properties are:

• Free;
• Availability of protection against network threats, that is, a firewall;
• Anti-virus database update frequency;
• Quality of threat detection;
• Availability of real-time protection;
• Minimum load on the computer, and many others.

The range of these properties is quite wide, so each user has his own opinion about choosing good antivirus protection. Even official systems assessments of the quality of antivirus programs often differ in their results, especially with regard to those built into the OS antivirus protection. But there are several systems that many users prefer. What kind of antivirus programs are these?

This antivirus utility is perhaps the most popular among users. The popularity of this antivirus utility explained by the following properties:

• The first and probably most important advantage is that it is free;
• It is easy to install and configure;
• Has an intuitive Russified interface;
• Has minimal impact on PC operation;
• Provides protection both in real time and against network attacks (firewall);
• Performs regular update antivirus databases.

After downloading and Avast installations will work in trial mode for 30 days. This is the window the user will receive trial version Avast:

After this, it becomes possible to obtain a free license key for a period of 1 year and install the program. To do this you need to go simple procedure registration. After a year it will have to be repeated.

Needless to say, this program has generated the most lively discussions on the Internet. Its defenders always cite its supposedly superior threat detection rate. If you believe the review of the site comss.ru, then, indeed, in 2014, Kaspersky anti-virus took one of the first places in the rating of detection of malware and network threats. However, there are a few “buts”:

• The full-featured version of the utility is paid. It can be installed in trial mode for 30 days, after which you will have to pay for it;
• The program is quite heavy and puts a lot of stress on the computer.

If we forget about this “fly in the ointment”, we can cite some advantages of this utility:

• Providing a qualitatively new level of protection through the use of both traditional antivirus techniques and proactive methods that predict the behavior of a suspicious application;
• Easy installation and customization to suit individual user needs.

The main window of this antivirus looks like this:

ESET Smart Security

The author of these lines is a long-time and devoted “fan” of this anti-virus utility, using it for several years, starting with version 3, and ending with the latest - version 8, receiving all updates for free. Therefore, answering the question “advise good antivirus", you always have to cite this particular utility as an example. Let's look at its capabilities:

• Eliminates in real time all types of threats, be it rootkits, viruses or spyware;
• Uses cloud scanning technology to quick check computer;
• Provides security and verification when accessing external media when connecting them;
• Has a powerful firewall to block network attacks;
• Has the most high speed among other antiviruses;
• Completely invisible when operating a PC;
• It is easy to install even for a beginner, since it requires virtually no user intervention;
• The firewall has a so-called “interactive” mode, in which the user is prompted to allow access to some network resource. In this case, you can create an allowing or denying rule, after which there will be no more questions.

But these are the advantages that many antivirus programs have. And ESET Smart Security, starting from version 7, a distinctive feature appeared - automatic update license, which makes this utility free.

This update is carried out by one of the components of this utility - Tnod User & Password Finder. It starts quietly when the OS starts, but can also be started manually. Searches the network for a suitable license and installs it in the antivirus. After which the anti-virus database is updated without the user’s knowledge.