Do you use an Antivirus for your PC and/or Phone?

[JuanMena]

The on-demand scanner of Malwarebytes is free

For like 7 days if I can recall correctly.

 

[Lacius]

For like 7 days if I can recall correctly.

No, the on-demand scanner is for life. There is a 14-day trial for the premium features, but nobody really needs them.

 

[JuanMena]

I'm not saying that viruses don't exist nowadays because they certainly do, but compared to what it was like 10-20 years ago, viruses are hardly a thing anymore. It used to be that when you bought a PC, the first thing you did was also buy an antivirus and install it.

That and Ares.
Ah... nostalgia!

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No, the on-demand scanner is for life. There is a 14-day trial for the premium features, but nobody really needs them.

Unless I decide to watch Naughty things on my lap, I think I'll pass.
I really don't need one right now.
But thanks for the offer.

 

[Lacius]

Unless I decide to watch Naughty things on my lap, I think I'll pass.
I really don't need one right now.
But thanks for the offer.

Like I argued earlier in this thread, Windows Defender on Windows 10 will likely suffice.

 

[JuanMena]

Like I argued earlier in this thread, Windows Defender on Windows 10 will likely suffice.

And I agree.
Besides, you honestly don't need one if you know how to browse the Internet.

 

[Seliph]

Both, but I rarely use them. Only to make sure I haven't got a virus after looking around dodgy sites.

 

[YOUCANTSTOPME]

The on-demand scanner of Malwarebytes is free.


Both the number of new malware and the number of devices infected with malware are higher in 2019 than they were in 2018, and they were higher in 2018 than they were in 2017, and so on. It would be very silly to describe viruses as "hardly a thing."
https://purplesec.us/resources/cyber-security-statistics/

Me: *talks about viruses in an anti-virus thread*
Lacius: *talks about malware*

Also, the source you linked is a cyber security website that makes money by scaremongering you, so I wouldn't take those facts at face-value.

 

[Lacius]

Me: *talks about viruses in an anti-virus thread*
Lacius: *talks about malware*

Also, the source you linked is a cyber security website that makes money by scaremongering you, so I wouldn't take those facts at face-value.

Viruses are a specific type of malware, and all types of malware are on the rise. There are numerous sources corroborating this, and none that contradict it.

 

[YOUCANTSTOPME]

Viruses are a specific type of malware, and all types of malware are on the rise. There are numerous sources corroborating this, and none that contradict it.

I accept your challenge, as I too have Google:

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2019/05/20/ransomware-attacks-decline/

Browsing the internet is way safer now than it was 20 years ago. It used to be a minefield.

 

[JuanMena]

I accept your challenge, as I too have Google:

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2019/05/20/ransomware-attacks-decline/

Browsing the internet is way safer now than it was 20 years ago. It used to be a minefield.

I can play too. I too have google:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Del...UKXa0KHeknCl4Q_AUoAXoECBAQAw&biw=1366&bih=625

 

[Lacius]

I accept your challenge, as I too have Google:

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2019/05/20/ransomware-attacks-decline/

Browsing the internet is way safer now than it was 20 years ago. It used to be a minefield.

1. If you are going to nitpick about malware terminology, don't start throwing around facts about ransomware in a thread about viruses just because you think your cherry-picked data makes a point.
2. According to Symantec's 2019 Internet Security Threat Report, ransomware is down this year, but only for the first time since 2013. Some statistics show it going down for PCs for longer than that, but it has (and still is) going up for mobile devices.
3. When we talk about ransomware being down, we are talking about successful ransomware (i.e. unblocked ransomware). According to the same report, blocked ransomware attacks are about four times as high as the preceding year. Your own source, which you didn't read, acknowledges this too.
4. Pointing to some cherry-picked data about ransomware being "down" doesn't say anything about the state of malware as a whole. It's up.
5. Pointing to some cherry-picked data about ransomware being "down" definitely doesn't say anything about the state of malware 20 years ago. All types of malware are up significantly compared to 20 years ago.

Respectfully, you don't know what you're talking about when it comes to the topic of cyber security. You're merely referencing anecdotes and accompanying feelings about the topic.

 

[Kioku]

MBAM and Windows Defender. :v

 

[YOUCANTSTOPME]

1. If you are going to nitpick about malware terminology, don't start throwing around facts about ransomware in a thread about viruses just because you think your cherry-picked data makes a point.
2. According to Symantec's 2019 Internet Security Threat Report, ransomware is down this year, but only for the first time since 2013. Some statistics show it going down for PCs for longer than that, but it has (and still is) going up for mobile devices.
3. When we talk about ransomware being down, we are talking about successful ransomware (i.e. unblocked ransomware). According to the same report, blocked ransomware attacks are about four times as high as the preceding year. Your own source, which you didn't read, acknowledges this too.
4. Pointing to some cherry-picked data about ransomware being "down" doesn't say anything about the state of malware as a whole. It's up.
5. Pointing to some cherry-picked data about ransomware being "down" definitely doesn't say anything about the state of malware 20 years ago. All types of malware are up significantly compared to 20 years ago.

Respectfully, you don't know what you're talking about when it comes to the topic of cyber security. You're merely referencing anecdotes and accompanying feelings about the topic.

lol the headline says "
Ransomware and malware attacks decline, attackers adopting covert tactics"

Yeah, cause your article definitely was not cherry picked.

Whatever man, you win, here's 1 million internet points.

 

[FAST6191]

Are you telling me I don't need both a spyware defender and anti virus any more?

 

[Lucifer666]

No antivirus is as good as a vigilant user TBH.

 

[Lacius]

lol the headline says "
Ransomware and malware attacks decline, attackers adopting covert tactics"

Yeah, cause your article definitely was not cherry picked.

Whatever man, you win, here's 1 million internet points.

You're the one who said, "Don't talk about malware in a thread about viruses." You seem to be missing my point (and your own point).

And no, I don't cherrypick data. I look for what the preponderance of data is telling me. That's the only way I can be intellectually honest.

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Are you telling me I don't need both a spyware defender and anti virus any more?

Windows Defender on Windows 10 should suffice. It helps protect against most types of malware.

Edit: And the same can be said for most modern brands of anti-malware/anti-virus programs.

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No antivirus is as good as a vigilant user TBH.

The two go hand in hand. There's an increased risk with using an antivirus without vigilance, and there's an increased risk using vigilance without an antivirus.

 

[AlanJohn]

As long as I'm not installing sketchy pirated .apk's I have no need for an antivirus on my phone. Same for my PC, though I have malwarebytes and windows defender installed.
I try not to laugh when people who aren't tech savvy ask me if they should install an antivirus on their phone

 

[Lacius]

As long as I'm not installing sketchy pirated .apk's I have no need for an antivirus on my phone. Same for my PC, though I have malwarebytes and windows defender installed.
I try not to laugh when people who aren't tech savvy ask me if they should install an antivirus on their phone

You're mostly right, but the average user can still fall victim to malware on his or her mobile device without explicitly installing bad APK files.

 

[FAST6191]

No antivirus is as good as a vigilant user TBH.

Do you regularly go through and check your startup entries, services and scheduled tasks then?

 

[wiired24]

I switched over to GNU/Linux years ago from Windows. I've never installed any anti-virus software and I haven't received a single virus.