Virus Programs: Yes or No??

[Caveman]

Am I the only one that does not use a virus program? I find them more irritating than they're worth... Anyone else in this boat? Do you use a virus program? WHy or why not?

 

[crashtech]

I don't, but I put Security Essentials on customer PCs as due diligence. I just don't do dumb stuff often enough to worry about it, and in the rare case something happens (about twice in the last 15 years) it's usually no big deal to get rid of it.

 

[lxskllr]

If I used Windows, I'd use one that didn't have hassles. Last one was Immunet. Slightly better than MSE, but similar hassle load(light). An av that requires a special uninstaller, breaks functionality, or slows the system isn't welcome.

 

[crashtech]

As far as I can tell, user susceptibility to malware has been drastically reduced by the transition to webmail that I've been seeing over the years. I don't have any regular users with email clients anymore, and most webmail spam/malware filters are pretty good. The only other big problem is users with low awareness about what can be harmful when browsing. A few simple instructions can cut way down on problems.

 

[Ketchup]

MSE on all my "regular" computers. None on the Server, VMs, tablets, or phones.

 

[Fokks]

Yes, for a couple reasons.

1) Like lxskllr said, there are ones that are invisible and hassle free at this point. I haven't had to touch BitDefender Free since it was installed. There's no down side, so why not run it? It's like an airbag in a car, you may never need it, but you'll probably be glad it's there if you do.

2) There's no such thing as completely "safe" browsing. For example, just this year there have been examples of malware ads being served on what people would consider safe websites.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/28...nt-discriminate-when-it-comes-to-web-ads.html

 

[Elixer]

Am I the only one that does not use a virus program? I find them more irritating than they're worth... Anyone else in this boat? Do you use a virus program? WHy or why not?

People usually want to stay away from a virus program.

Some people run anti-virus programs & malware detectors, and people should do that.

The attack vectors for getting a virus /malware could be many things you use everyday, like your browser, looking at flash vids, and the list goes on and on.

Heck, sometimes, you don't even have to run anything extra, and their is a exploit in the OS itself.

 

[Berryracer]

I'd never run without an AV, not that I visit any fishy sites or anything, plus all my software are legit and paid for. Just to have that extra sense of security.

Since I am crazy about performance, I have tried all AVs, and have a license for the most popular ones......after trying them all, I chose to use the new Norton Security as it has the least footprint with no noticeable loss in performance and no false positives, it never bothers me or comes in my way. Plus their new licensing system rocks! you pay only once, and you can use it on up to 5 devices, no more buying a separate license for every device you own.

 

[John Connor]

Use Sandboxie exclusively and Bitdefender Free to monitor the USB. I scan all files I download with Malwarebytes and Super antispyware. Virus Total works too.

 

[sonitravel09]

I always use antivirus programms like Dr. Web or Avast. They really help me to clean up all crap on my pc. I vote for antivirus programs!

 

[Mem]

Am I the only one that does not use a virus program? I find them more irritating than they're worth... Anyone else in this boat? Do you use a virus program? WHy or why not?

I always use a third party AV like Panda cloud 2015 free,they are very light on resources even less then MSE/Defender which has very poor detection rates and any AV is better then none,think of them as another layer of security to go with your common sense,firewall etc....

 

[MustISO]

I still run one as long as it's lightweight, anyone who says they're obtrusive or unmanageable is using the wrong product. I use bitdefender, NOD32 and Avast and have never even thought about them. They have no impact unless I'm doing a scan.
I also use Sandboxie for web browsing and VMs for using abobe products or java.