Who actually uses Antivirus?

[KeeperOfThePizza]

I never use anti virus at all, I dont feel it's necessary. I mean if you know what your doing and what your downloading I think your safe.

[etempest]

I never use anti virus at all, I dont feel it's necessary. I mean if you know what your doing and what your downloading I think your safe.

I rarely ever get a virus, maybe once every 2 years and I'm very careful.

I still run anti-virus but focus on one's that don't impact the system resources, such ESet / Nod32.

I avoid the one's that are resources hogs (Norton360 comes to mind).

[vipwoody]

Viruses might come in so many different ways, it doesn't need to be you who is getting the virus to the computer. The viruses are all over the place and even they can be transmitted through USB flash devices or other hardware that were already plugged in to infected computers.

cheers.

[SnowRanger13]

I'm in OS X most of the time, there no antivirus is needed. In windows all I do is play a few PC games and use very few websites. Using firefox with adblock plus and noscript I don't feel the need to run an antivirus.

Lots of people disagree with me but I stick to my choice. I have better things to spend $50/year on.

All the computers I build for people I put anti-viruses on. My parents and sisters computer all have anti-viruses on them. I agree its common sense for most people to have one. But when I only use 4 websites in Windows and 5 games and have gone years with an anti-virus and never one popup, just seems like a waste. Like I said I reboot to OS X to do any Work, and if I do happen to get a virus in Windows I'll simply load back my disc image that was made after a fresh install.

Edited March 13, 2008 by cloudstrife13

[soldier1st]

i do use av(i always have)i prefer to play it safe.

[IceDogg]

So, I'm just wondering how do you defend against attacks like the SEO poisoning attacks growing? I'm not saying AV is THE answer, I'm just wondering because safe browsing does not stop the risk of av infections from what I understand. Maybe you could teach me something and others as well.

These attacks are happening now, at Google, wired.com cnet..and even here at Neowin there has been attacks via the website being hacked in the past. So, how do you defend against those without any av or other security programs? Or do you use something other then av software..and that's what you mean?

I hear all the time just don't go to crack sites or porn sites and you are ok, but that's not true.

[Tha Bloo Monkee]

I don't use one. I might use an online one every now and then. I check my processes often, and I'd recognize if something is fishy (happened a few times, I'd see a new process).

Besides, I know how to go about and fix or remove the viruses anyway, so it's an inconvenience more than anything. I got backups. So even if I did get one, it's not a major issue.

[semifamous]

I have anti-virus software installed, but it has never caught anything. It's kind of like car insurance. You hope you never have to use it, but it's there if you do.

[alpha_omega]

I just use an "offline" scanner that I have embedded as a right-click context menu option for folders and drives. Every time something new comes in - like downloaded file, attachment etc. - I scan that folder and that's it. Don't need stuff running in the background...

Here's a link to the scanner:

http://www.sophos.com/support/knowledgebas...icle/13251.html

[Minimoose]

I use it just in case, but i mainly just get spyware, i havent had a virus in a year or so. I also make sure they aren't resource hogs due to some bad experience a long time ago with Norton, symantec overtaking my system, grrr.

[shakey_snake]

I use Avast! to scan for viruses on occasion, but I don't load it on boot or have it running when I'm not using it.

Personally, I think social engineering like phishing is more of a danger to most people than most malware.

[4CxbqFxVnstmA Veteran]

I don't use anti-virus or anti-spyware programs at all as they are not really necessary on Linux.

I do think people should use them on Windows though. Even though they slow down your machine, they don't slow it down as much as viruses and spywares.

[Eric Veteran]

I use Avast and Windows Defender. No spyware, no ads, no performance problems.

[freeza]

I don't use any anti-products at all

Windows Vista Ultimate x64.

Been virus free since .....i have no idea when.

I don't tend to run programs i'm not familiar with so i'm pretty safe.

[goji]

Been virus free forever.... until last month.

I know what I'm doing online, and have always played it safe. But it didn't protect me from a USB transmitted bug I picked up at my college. The schools AV didn't' pick it up or my AV so now I'm fighting it on my PC and my laptop.

I might have to do clean install now, its getting annoying without any end in sight. :(

[Tha Bloo Monkee]

^ lol that sucks. So you actually use one and still got? Bummer.

[Inertia]

I run Windows Live onecare, i think if i was the only user of my machine I woudl perhaps go without, but my wife uses it, and my friends sometimes as well.

[Doli]

The " i dont use any anti-virus/malware/spyware online scanners or installed scanners" how do you know your PC is clean? Its not like all virus/malware/spyware scream "HELLO Im here!!!". I remember my AV going off when I entered neowin and yahoo's main page, I emailed yahoo (but im sure i wasnt the first one to do that) about it.

[Lee G. Veteran]

Yes, I use Antivirus. Recently, I've had a couple of blocked attacks from viruses that have been transmitted via USB from school.

[Ricardo Gil]

No AV for me. As for the "flash drive" viruses i just disable autorun when on Windows.

Being responsible and updated is more than enough for everyone I guess.

[markwolfe Veteran]

I use AV on every Windows PC in my house. It would be silly not to. AVG does the job for me.

No AV for me. As for the "flash drive" viruses i just disable autorun when on Windows.

That won't be effective if you ever access an infected file on that stick.

[Ricardo Gil]

The " i dont use any anti-virus/malware/spyware online scanners or installed scanners" how do you know your PC is clean? Its not like all virus/malware/spyware scream "HELLO Im here!!!".

You do know that viruses usually spawn strange processes. It's just a matter of knowing your computer, what's installed and if anything's out of place.

[xcguy87]

You do know that viruses usually spawn strange processes. It's just a matter of knowing your computer, what's installed and if anything's out of place.

Virus often overwrite KNOWN processes or inject their own code into them. THey could do the same to DLL files which contain functions that are executed by KNOWN processes. Just knowing processes doesn't help.

Even if you know what to look for (such as open ports, altered files, etc.), rootkits can hide themselves past all of these. They can tell Windows that you don't have any open ports, and that files and processes that are running don't exist. In my opinion, you can't be safe even if you know what to look for.

[Ricardo Gil]

I use AV on every Windows PC in my house. It would be silly not to. AVG does the job for me.

That won't be effective if you ever access an infected file on that stick.

True, but that's where "responsibility" kicks in. No exe attachments from mail, no strange apps from friends, no active macros in office files, etc. Unless viruses start coming inside jpg's and movies I guess I'm safe.

Oh, and people should really start trying to use normal accounts, instead of running as Administrator.

[Emil Valsson]

Havent used Antivirus in years.

[Ricardo Gil]

Virus often overwrite KNOWN processes or inject their own code into them. THey could do the same to DLL files which contain functions that are executed by KNOWN processes. Just knowing processes doesn't help.

Even if you know what to look for (such as open ports, altered files, etc.), rootkits can hide themselves past all of these. They can tell Windows that you don't have any open ports, and that files and processes that are running don't exist. In my opinion, you can't be safe even if you know what to look for.

Yes, but that renders your AV useless anyway. If you don't run as Administrator, there's no way system files get written (as long as you update your computer regularly). Of course, it's never 100% secure, but I guess I'd rather have to format once every 2 years because of viruses than to run a sluggish PC every day and still be at risk.