Get rid of Windows and use Linux instead…

Linux combined with some common sense is the best AV you can get.

The best one i used is [https://www.360.cn/](https://www.360.cn/). The 360 Chinese version is amazing, but it’s in mandarin so it;s going to be hard to use. (it’s free too) Make sure to not use the 360 international total virus something because that one is trash.

Still no one needed on the Linux desktop.

Norton

You don’t need any anymore, defender is gone now

The free version of malwarebytes is good for static scans.

Windows Defender is about as good as any of the paid solutions. You’ll find that some AV engines are better at detecting certain types of malware and some will flag malicious files a few hours before the others, but generally speaking all of the major vendors’ AV products are pretty good.

They all produce false positives and some of the checks are quite naive so you cannot rely on just an AV product so it’s good to be aware of their limitations.

defender and malwarebytes.

Bitdef free at home

I prefer to use ESET on my devices. I need something that will auto-scan my USB drives and this appears to be the best that I have found. They also have a free version that you can run from USB, checks your hard drives while their unmounted. I’ve had to use that a couple times at work to clear out a couple of infections.

Windows Defender. I have tried a myriad of different anti-virus programs and in the end, they always end up affecting the performance of my laptop and slow it down after a while.

I’m pretty careful when it comes to making sure that I don’t click on any suspicious links or making sure I visit sites that are pretty reputable. I also make sure that I log in to my VPN whenever I’m using public Wi-Fi hotspots.

Honestly, the person using the laptop is the weakest link in any security chain. Even the best anti-virus software won’t be able to protect you if you decide to click on a suspicious link or visit a dodgy site. With that knowledge in mind, if you are careful online, then you wont really need much more than some basic security software (i.e. Windows Defender).

I have a throwaway laptop running on Linux that’s set up on a VPN that I use whenever I need to download torrents ;).

Malwarebytes premium since it was nearly for free as a student for a 4 year subscription

For personal use, windows defender. I also use malwarebytes if I feel like I need an extra “scrub”.

Windows defender

i particularly don’t use but defender is good sometimes

I’m not going to say what I personally use here, but I do want to make a few points that others haven’t mentioned.

Antivirus is a very specific thing. You should focus on having multiple types of endpoint protection. Maybe even something specifically for ransomware.

You made a great point about your Synology having bad stuff chilling on it for months. The point that I want to make is that not every antivirus is actually able to scan mapped drives. It just cannot see them and has no idea that they are there and will not be included in a full system scan. You have to be very aware of this and act accordingly.

Network security appliances. You can get routers or firewalls that do specific things like inspect each packet coming in, in real time. You can also have it do things like not allow certain URLs, which you get from a list that is regularly updated. This could prevent people, even friends on your Wi-Fi, from going to known places that are bad. Also from not letting these bad things get on your network and onto their device that they brought over with them while they are visiting and doesn’t have all of the security that you have on your devices. If you use ad block, the router can have an even better version of that that filters between it and the gateway.

I’m not a professional and Security. But I am aware of how little everyone does to protect themselves and I do try to do my best. If you think that you are covered, you are not.

I stay logged out of the admin account. Use windows defender. If I really feel like I need to scan my computer I would use the free version of ESET and Bitdefender. So, if I was going to pay for one it would be between those two. Between these two, ESET offers far more firewall customization, while Bitdefender is simpler to use.

I use Bitdefender, mostly due to me having their firewall and that subscription comes with their antivirus. Otherwise, I would be using Windows defender.

For most people, Windows defender is all you need. If you know how to stay safe online, things like not clicking or downloading unknown things, you are fine with defender. For others who need help preventing them from going to dangerous sites, a good AV might be beneficial.

Wel, virustotal is populair.
Drop your downloaded file there or test your custom payload 🙂

I am cheap so i use avg.
And i must say, very good. It catches even the viruses from my virtual machines that use the networkcard.

Windows defender is all you really need as long as you aren’t downloading everything you see.

ESET… or Linux with mindful sudo execution

Avira antivirus after using Eset NOD32 for almost 10 years.

Avz toolkit

Linux tooling such as AppArmor and AVG or Avira for windows.

At least that’s what I install on my parents computers and it serves them well.

Windows defender for personal, ESET Cloud (Business) for my users at the office.

Windows defender. No more. No less.

You are correct. There is Linux malware out there. But the total amount of any kind of viruses for Linux is a tiny, tiny percentage of the amount there is for Windows. And plus, you have SO much more freedom and privacy with Linux than you do with Windows.

Until you have actually sat down and given Linux a fair trial, and explored several different flavors, and went into using Linux with an open mind, then you can’t fairly argue for how much better Windows is.

And for the majority of any kinda program the general population would “need” Windows for, I guarantee you there is a free and open sourced software version on Linux.