annabanana
Active Member
I've used Kaspersky for over 10 years and never had anything get past it. ESET is good too. AVG started bundling adware/crapware with the free version.
Do I Need Additional Antivirus Protection for Surface Pro 3?
- Thread starter Christie Shelton
- Start date
graye
Member
The general consensus is that the Windows 8.1 built-in protection has a marginal track record, and yes... you'd be better off with a 3rd-party solution.
In fact, many independent anti-virus testing organizations use Windows 8.1 Defender as the "base line" for protection performance test (implying that every product tested would do better than that).
Take a look at this web page for a comparision of anti-malware protection. http://www.av-test.org/en/home/
In fact, many independent anti-virus testing organizations use Windows 8.1 Defender as the "base line" for protection performance test (implying that every product tested would do better than that).
Take a look at this web page for a comparision of anti-malware protection. http://www.av-test.org/en/home/
I would have to disagree with the majority, I would never use a third party antivirus suite when one is built into windows 8.1. I have been using defender and security essentials for years now and have had no issues. Third party antivirus suites are SLOW resource hogs compared to defender.
FlySwatter
Active Member
I am mostly on board with this philosophy, and Security Essentials has proven to be very memory and cpu friendly. I do, however, run Malware Bytes concurrently and it does indeed catch the occasional malware attempt that would otherwise have slipped through. I have a lifetime license, and don't have to worry about annual renewals (which I have a great dislike of).
FlySwatter
Active Member
Or "This_is_definitely_not_a_virus_no_really.exe". Point well taken -- common sense goes a long way, and unfortunately, is vastly underutilized.
Does Defender automatically scan USB drives. I've been using AVG for years and the main thing I need it for is I get a lot of USB sticks from others to swap files and they sometimes have viruses. AVG does a good job of picking them up before I open anything.
If Defender can do the same, I might have it a go.
If Defender can do the same, I might have it a go.
The more risky your behavior the more you need top notch antivirus/antimalware defense. if you do a Google search and click every link indiscriminately your risk goes up. if you're visiting dodgy sites... risk increases.
However, what is a dodgy site may surprise you... some sites are not well managed and are easy targets so just going to the Church site for details on the summer pick-a-nick may not be as safe as you would hope.
However, what is a dodgy site may surprise you... some sites are not well managed and are easy targets so just going to the Church site for details on the summer pick-a-nick may not be as safe as you would hope.
I've always relied on the built-in Windows antivirus. But for my SP3 I am treating it differently since I use it for everything and always have it with me. I am using Kaspersky for AV, Macrium for backups, and have bought Microsoft Complete. So far I've been quite happy with Kaspersky. Everything still feels just as quick and snappy and I feel a little better about having better protection.
Good point! About 2 weeks ago the website for our local news paper was hacked. This is a small town news paper. All you had to do was visit the site and click a link to read local news and you were hit with malware. Kaspersky kept me safe. I'm sure a lot of other A/V would as well.
The thought that safe surfing and not visiting shady sites will protect you is no longer valid. The bad guys will come to you now. I would recommend being protected. Which program you use is another subject. There are computer security forums you can visit, research and decide what works best for your own situation.
