Is Anti-virus software necessary? If yes, which brand is the best?

[stanleyhcf]

Guys, is anti-virus necessary? I am currently using none, except Windows Defender

[Xaring]

I use avast + malwarebytes (both free). Yes, it is. At least in windows.

[ADZ_123_!"£]

It's not needed if you are careful with what you download but if you spend your time on dodgy porn sites then you might want to have some.

[matjojo]

It's not needed if you are careful with what you download but if you spend your time on dodgy porn sites then you might want to have some.

 

that probably means almost all of us

[DimasRMDO]

It's necessary, if you use common sense then Windows Defender (windows 8) or Microsoft Security Essential is enough for you.

If you want "Set it then forget it" then BitDefender Free is for you.

Most people here recommend Avast so you might want to check that out as well.

Because I don't use Avast.

 

Pair your antivirus with Malwarebytes Free.

[WhatComesAround]

Malwarebytes 

[Luke4efc]

Just don't download crap off websites with wording like "FreeWindows4u.com". Also WebOfTrust is good to determine what sites are good. I prefer being stopped from downloading the file, rather than downloading it and then realising I've downloaded some crap.

 

WebOfTrust: https://www.mywot.com/

[ybriK]

Not necessary in my honest opinion if you really KNOW what you're doing. Haven't used an anti-virus for about 3 years now, never been infected. I have mbam + sas as my on-demand scanner if I feel like something is not right with my system. I always recommend using a virtual machine with guest to host privileges DISABLED! If you plan on doing something that's out of the ordinary such as viewing dodgy websites or testing out sketchy software.

[Tarzan]

It's not needed if you are careful with what you download but if you spend your time on dodgy porn sites then you might want to have some.

Try to stay on trusted websites like xhamster and pornhub. These two should be enough for all your needs anyway. I don't have an antivirus for months and no issue so far.

[ADZ_123_!"£]

Try to stay on trusted websites like xhamster and pornhub. These two should be enough for all your needs anyway.

Yep just do this and you will be fine.

[EpicAdom]

I use Bitdefender and MalwareBytes. Avast is another option as well. Anti-virus is recommended for Windows.

[Not_Sean]

I've always used Nod32 as its very light on the system and has never let me down 

[Kiyuubi]

I think we really need a sticky on this, or recommend software in general.  I feel like this question is asked too much.

 

That aside:

 

For free AV you should either get Avira or Bitdefender.  Bitdefender is more lightweight, but it doesn't give you many options in terms of control or how it works.

 

If you want a paid one then either Bitdefender or Kaspersky.  I would probably go with Kaspersky just for the fact that their team has found a lot of security issues in the past.  You can also check out AVTEST, a third-party company that rates AVs.  (Bitdefender and Kaspersky are the top 2)

 

Do not get Avast!, as it is complete shit.  Go to this link to find out why.

 

You will also want to scan your computer weekly, or whatever amount of time you are comfortable with,  with Malwarebytes.  Just to be clear, Malwarebytes is NOT an AV, nor should it be used like one.  So do not run it along side your AV, only use it is a scanner.  Make sure to not accept the trial it offers, and to disable it on startup.

[d3sl91]

Guys, is anti-virus necessary? I am currently using none, except Windows Defender

 

Full tutorial on this subject: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/360072-guide-getting-started-with-viruses-antivirus-and-best-practices/

[stanleyhcf]

Thanks guys! I will be going for AVG Free Edition and Malware bytes anti malware