[Software] 7 antivirus myths that are dead wrong

[-_-Moltres-_-]

 

Antivirus software is an essential piece of protection on any Windows PC. On an internet where malware is only becoming more and more profitable for organized crime, you don’t want to be without a good antivirus program. But there are a lot of myths floating around out there about antivirus software. Let’s bust them Myth: You need to install antivirus on Windows You don’t have to install antivirus software on Windows because Windows already comes with antivirus software. In fact, Windows has had built-in antivirus software since Windows 8, and it’s still included on Windows 10 and Windows 11 today. The built-in Microsoft Defender antivirus is part of the Windows Security suite of tools. It’s as basic as it comes, but completely free and runs automatically in the background, even if you never think about or install antivirus software. Now, you may prefer another antivirus — other antiviruses have extra tools, protection features, and options, and they use different detection engines. But the good news is that every Windows PC has a baseline antivirus package. We’re long past the days of Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP nagging you to install antivirus software when you set up a new PC. Microsoft’s antivirus gets out of the way when it needs to, automatically disabling its automatic background scanning features if you choose to install a third-party antivirus. You just don’t have to think about it. Myth: Only Windows is vulnerable to malware Malware (including viruses, Trojans, worms, rootkits, ransomware, and all kinds of other appalling things) is a problem on all platforms. Yes, even Linux is vulnerable to malware threats — just check out the recent XZ Utils backdoor saga that nearly saw a rootkit slipped into a critical piece of open-source software. Or, consider the Linux distribution Ubuntu labeling a malicious app that stole people’s cryptocurrency as “safe.” Linux malware often targets server software, as Linux is so much more po[CENSORED]r in data centers than on the desktop. I’m not trying to single out Linux here! The reality is that malicious software is a problem on all platforms — even Linux. No platform is above the fray. People may say Macs don’t need antivirus, but Apple actually has an antivirus-style system built into macOS. It’s named XProtect. Various companies also make antivirus programs for Macs. Myth: Antivirus will slow down your PC dramatically Antivirus software runs in the background, scanning files when you download them and before you open them. Before an application launches, your antivirus gives it a quick check and warns you if it appears to be malicious. Now, obviously this will use some system resources. Your PC is doing a bit of extra work. But we’re not in the ‘90s or early ‘00s anymore. Back then, PCs were much slower. Antivirus software just felt so heavy to use, and you could feel it slowing down your PC at times. I remember it well! But that was long ago. Modern antivirus applications shouldn’t slow your PC down in a noticeable way. If it takes 2 percent longer to launch an application, will you notice? Not really. Those shouldn’t be constant slowdowns, either — they should occur when you launch an application and the antivirus is checking it out, not all the time while you do things on your PC.

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2312640/7-antivirus-myths-that-are-dead-wrong.html