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



## Coolsonickirby (Nov 27, 2019)

Basically the title. I need to gather info for one of my classes (college sucks  ). I'm also interested in what antivirus you use for your PC/Phone as the only ones I know about is Avast for PC and that one antivirus that came along with T-Mobile phones.


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## PityOnU (Nov 27, 2019)

You should add an option for "No".


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## dragonblood9999 (Nov 27, 2019)

I dont use one on my phone but I do use bitdefender on my desktop, laptop and on my sisters desktop. I also run every once and awhile malwarebytes

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk


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## Lacius (Nov 27, 2019)

On my PC:

Windows Defender for real-time protection
Malwarebytes for on-demand file-scans
On my Android phone:

Malwarebytes for on-demand file-scans


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## AmandaRose (Nov 27, 2019)

On my android phone nope.

On my work android phone nope.

On my work laptop nope its only used for work related activities.

On my Linux laptop nope

On my Windows  PC  yep I use Comodo Antivirus


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## Aeredren (Nov 27, 2019)

Antivirus on Android are basically useless as all they can do is scan apk at install as they do not run with elevated privileges. And as you probably only install apk from playstore / anyPhoneBrandStore / amazonStore where apk are check and signed by dev.... And if you build yourself sopme apk's / installs from web downloaded apk, you probably know enough to check apk signature validity before.

Antivirus on Linux is useless as you install software from your distro repositories and as rigth management are well done. On mac osx you genuinely do not need it neither.


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## IncredulousP (Nov 27, 2019)

Nothing on anything. I mean, unless you count Windows defender but windows built-in av has always been shit.


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## leon315 (Nov 27, 2019)

I have Windows defender, came as default with win10pro, i didn't even ask for this.
Meanwhile you don't need antivirus on android phone.


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## GhostLatte (Nov 27, 2019)

Webroot and Malwarebytes (free) on PC. Might upgrade to Kaspersky or Bitdefender though when I have the money.

I also use this great thing called common sense.


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## PityOnU (Nov 27, 2019)

Just a heads up, unless you have specifically gone out of your way to disable Windows Defender, you are using antivirus on your Windows PC.


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## Necron (Nov 27, 2019)

Lacius said:


> On my PC:
> 
> Windows Defender for real-time protection
> Malwarebytes for on-demand file-scans



Same here, except for the phone part. Also CCleaner as an extra cleanup.


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## Lacius (Nov 27, 2019)

IncredulousP said:


> Nothing on anything. I mean, unless you count Windows defender but windows built-in av has always been shit.


The latest real-world protection tests by AV-Comparatives show Windows Defender to be 99.3-100% effective, depending on the settings. I wouldn't call that "shit."


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## Zetman (Nov 27, 2019)

I used to have kaspersky but I noticed that I don't get virus just with windows defender and my laptop is much faster


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## Tom Bombadildo (Nov 27, 2019)

Just Windows Defender on my PCs, and the occasional Malwarebytes scan. Shouldn't need anything more than that if you aren't a bumbling buffoon TBH.


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## smileyhead (Nov 27, 2019)

I don't have antivirus on either, because both on Windows 10 and Android, the built-in defences and common sense are usually enough to stay clean.


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## RHOPKINS13 (Nov 27, 2019)

I don't use any antivirus anymore. I used to use antivirus on Windows, but with Linux I really haven't felt a need for it. I consider myself to be a "Power User" and I don't run executables from untrusted sources.
Similarly, I don't install APKs from untrusted sources either, so I don't feel the need for an antivirus on Android.


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## IncredulousP (Nov 27, 2019)

Lacius said:


> The latest real-world protection tests by AV-Comparatives show Windows Defender to be 99.3-100% effective, depending on the settings. I wouldn't call that "shit."


I call bullshit on their metrics. From experience fixing people's pc's for years, windows defender might as well not exist. Had to remove a couple viruses off my bro's pc just a month or 2 back.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Ah found where you got that statistic.
"The results are based on a test set consisting of *371 *test cases (such as malicious URLs), tested from the beginning of August till the end of September."
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tes...-enterprise-august-september-2019-testresult/
That is by no means comprehensive. There are millions of viruses, let alone attack methods. Even the absolute worst AV on that list have a "98.1% success rate".
Oof, and those false positives too. Microsoft had the same number as the next 3 highest false positive counts _combined._



RHOPKINS13 said:


> I don't install APKs from untrusted sources either


But that's where the fun is


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## Lacius (Nov 27, 2019)

IncredulousP said:


> I call bullshit on their metrics. From experience fixing people's pc's for years, windows defender might as well not exist. Had to remove a couple viruses off my bro's pc just a month or 2 back.
> 
> --------------------- MERGED ---------------------------
> 
> ...


The AV Comparatives Real-World Protection Test arguably has one of the best methodologies out there. It doesn't claim to be comprehensive, nor could it reasonably be comprehensive.

There are many reasons why your brother's PC might have had viruses that needed to be removed. He might not have been using Windows 10, he might have disabled or otherwise messed with Windows Defender, the viruses might have been part of the approximately 0.7% that got through under certain conditions, you might not actually be talking about viruses, etc. I don't know the details. All I am saying is I trust tests and statistics more than I trust anecdotes, and the AV Comparatives real-world tests do a pretty good job.

Speaking of anecdotes though, Windows Defender catches pretty much anything I throw at it. If there's anything bad to say about Windows Defender, it's pretty sensitive and has a lot of false positives (both anecdotally and according to the real-world tests).


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## AtsuNii (Nov 27, 2019)

Well win10 comes with Windows Defender and Windows Defender has come a long way. I have no complaints about it and was even suprised when i read it was the best AV for a few months aswell, as said above with false positives. However I rather have false positives then things slipping through.


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## RaptorDMG (Nov 27, 2019)

Coolsonickirby said:


> Basically the title. I need to gather info for one of my classes (college sucks  ). I'm also interested in what antivirus you use for your PC/Phone as the only ones I know about is Avast for PC and that one antivirus that came along with T-Mobile phones.


I currently use Norton antivirus on my PC and Phone


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## KingBlank (Nov 27, 2019)

RaptorDMG said:


> I currently use Norton antivirus on my PC and Phone


Last I heard Norton was worthless, has it improved?


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## Lacius (Nov 27, 2019)

KingBlank said:


> Last I heard Norton was worthless, has it improved?


Is it worthless? No, it blocks about 100% of real-world threats according to the AV-Comparatives tests. Is it worth the money when compared to something free like Windows Defender? No, probably not. Windows Defender blocks about 99.3-100% of real-world threats.


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## Deleted member 506316 (Nov 27, 2019)

KingBlank said:


> Last I heard Norton was worthless, has it improved?


Norton is not worthless. It basically saves my life biweekly. Don't ask how I manage to get that many viruses.


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## Lacius (Nov 27, 2019)

PineappleGod said:


> Don't ask how I manage to get that many viruses.


How do you manage to get that many viruses?


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## FAST6191 (Nov 27, 2019)

Don't have a phone. Only install from repos on Linux and if they are compromised then I have bigger issues. Windows Defender or whatever it is called these days on Windows installs. On Windows defender then +1 to the oversensitive issue these days... so many nice little tools (I imagine half of http://www.nirsoft.net/ is probably blocked) that it usually knocks out before you can even stop it (learned to leave them zipped on my USB of wonder). Other than that I don't want to fix viruses and with that in mind I still go with it.

Adblock and nice things to stop scripts on any browser I come across. Haven't really seen exes on email for a few years now. Such things have probably saved me and mine more than anything else.


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## Ryccardo (Nov 27, 2019)

Always used Common Sense Pro since about 2005 (that includes XP with an admin account when it was the most popular OS), unsurprisingly with no problems except two times where I deliberately tried two malwares for fun 

Worth noting that I use µMatrix to blacklist javashit by default in my web browser - while I do that for performance and efficiency reasons, it appears that 99% plus of advertisers, wannabe exploiters, and other sources of undesirable content can't figure out a way to do such without me allowing their (allegedly sandboxed) unsolicited code execution!


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## Necron (Nov 27, 2019)

IncredulousP said:


> I call bullshit on their metrics. From experience fixing people's pc's for years, windows defender might as well not exist. Had to remove a couple viruses off my bro's pc just a month or 2 back.
> 
> --------------------- MERGED ---------------------------
> 
> ...



Been fixing computers for years as well (more like a hobby tho, not a full time job) and most things slowing down computers are crapware that comes bundled with other programs, like search bars or those "we optimize your pc" programs. Rarely I've needed to do something deep besides uninstalling and cleaning folders/registry.


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## Uiaad (Nov 28, 2019)

A good mix of common sense, windows defender and malwarebytes for PC - For phones I never really see a reason to have an AV as again common sense and checking out any sideloaded apps in a vm before hand does the trick.

When it comes to work I'm a bastard, but then again sometimes it's my job to be a bastard. Usually if we are have new hires, they have the pleasure of 3 hours with me going over do's and don'ts, VPN's, inhouse software etc. One important part of this is security. I give them the exact scenario that's going to happen,A flash drive found in the car park. Of course what they are supposed to do is either hand it over to IT or leave it where it is and tell IT. But what usually happens is someone  will take back to their desk and plug it in. Of course the second they do it pings lets me know (  through inhouse software ), i email their manager and they end up with a written warning. 

You would be shocked how effective this tactic is for getting inside a 'secure' network - moral of the story ... if you see a flash drive on the street just walk on by


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## IC_ (Nov 28, 2019)

I use linux but back when I used windows 10 I didn't have any antivirus (not even windows defender) and I never got any viruses or crap


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## dAVID_ (Nov 28, 2019)

None, Linux masterrace FTW.


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## The Catboy (Nov 28, 2019)

Yeah, I use a little known anti-virus that goes by the name of “Linux.” My computer had this really nasty spyware right out of box and Linux was able to clean that up quite nicely.


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## Sonic Angel Knight (Nov 28, 2019)

Lilith Valentine said:


> Yeah, I use a little known anti-virus that goes by the name of “Linux.” My computer had this really nasty spyware right out of box and Linux was able to clean that up quite nicely.


You purchased a computer with spyware? You should have got a refund.


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## The Catboy (Nov 28, 2019)

Sonic Angel Knight said:


> You purchased a computer with spyware? You should have got a refund.


Getting a refund for Windows is a hassle.


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## the_randomizer (Nov 28, 2019)

Just my PC, not my phone


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## Minox (Nov 30, 2019)

I'm using ESET NOD32 as a last line of defense, but hopefully I will never need to rely on it.


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## Hardline (Dec 23, 2019)

https://www.pandasecurity.com/secur...mLnst6m2GWVOfqumWcrQcf0XCyUu8l6UaAltNEALw_wcB


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## sautzer (Dec 26, 2019)

I only used it the first few years I got my first PC. Then I just learned how virus can infect your pc, how to be safe on the Internet and never used one. Never had a problem or got any viruses.


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## JuanBaNaNa (Dec 29, 2019)

I actually did used one... but then learned that Windows Defender on Win10 is good.
I would love to have MalwareBytes but $
And I do not download or visite malicious sites. I do not use any third party software, so I'm good for now I think...

Or at least that's what Windows Defender says.


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## YOUCANTSTOPME (Dec 29, 2019)

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.


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## Lacius (Dec 29, 2019)

Interstella5555 said:


> I would love to have MalwareBytes but $


The on-demand scanner of Malwarebytes is free.



YOUCANTSTOPME said:


> 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.


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/


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## JuanBaNaNa (Dec 29, 2019)

Lacius said:


> The on-demand scanner of Malwarebytes is free



For like 7 days if I can recall correctly.


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## Lacius (Dec 29, 2019)

Interstella5555 said:


> 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.


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## JuanBaNaNa (Dec 29, 2019)

YOUCANTSTOPME said:


> 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!

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



Lacius said:


> 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.


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## Lacius (Dec 29, 2019)

Interstella5555 said:


> 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.


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## JuanBaNaNa (Dec 29, 2019)

Lacius said:


> 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.


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## Seliph (Dec 29, 2019)

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


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## YOUCANTSTOPME (Dec 29, 2019)

Lacius said:


> 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.


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## Lacius (Dec 29, 2019)

YOUCANTSTOPME said:


> 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.


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## YOUCANTSTOPME (Dec 29, 2019)

Lacius said:


> 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.


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## JuanBaNaNa (Dec 29, 2019)

YOUCANTSTOPME said:


> 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


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## Lacius (Dec 29, 2019)

YOUCANTSTOPME said:


> 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.



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.
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.
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.
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.
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.


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## Kioku_Dreams (Dec 29, 2019)

MBAM and Windows Defender. :v


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## YOUCANTSTOPME (Dec 29, 2019)

Lacius said:


> 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.
> 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.
> 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.
> 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.
> ...



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.


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## FAST6191 (Dec 29, 2019)

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


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## Lucifer666 (Dec 29, 2019)

No antivirus is as good as a vigilant user TBH.


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## Lacius (Dec 29, 2019)

YOUCANTSTOPME said:


> lol the headline says "
> *Ransomware and malware attacks decline, attackers adopting covert tactics*"
> 
> Yeah, cause your article definitely was not cherry picked.
> ...


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.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



FAST6191 said:


> 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.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



Lucifer666 said:


> 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.


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## AlanJohn (Dec 29, 2019)

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


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## Lacius (Dec 29, 2019)

AlanJohn said:


> 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.


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## FAST6191 (Dec 29, 2019)

Lucifer666 said:


> 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?


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## wiired24 (Dec 29, 2019)

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.


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## Sjp2Coffee (Jan 2, 2020)

I use Windows Defender for PC and Google Chrome!


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## Deleted User (Jan 6, 2020)

Windows Defender


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## Dinoduck (Jan 6, 2020)

Windows Defender. I also prefer to wash my hands after using a computer.


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## DinohScene (Jan 6, 2020)

Computers yes, phone nah.


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## duwen (Jan 6, 2020)

an FYI... a lot of android devices also have AV's built into them. My Huawei tablet uses Avast in the Tablet Manager apk, and 'Device Care' (under 'Settings") on my Samsung Galaxy uses McAfee.
...obviously they only run when you run the app, but they're still there by default.


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## chopaxepiece (Jan 6, 2020)

None, I havn't ran any AV software for years. I know where i download anything from and i know its all good...99.9% of not getting a virus is common sense really


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## chaoskagami (Jan 6, 2020)

duwen said:


> an FYI... a lot of android devices also have AV's built into them. My Huawei tablet uses Avast in the Tablet Manager apk, and 'Device Care' (under 'Settings") on my Samsung Galaxy uses McAfee.
> ...obviously they only run when you run the app, but they're still there by default.



Technically, Play Protect is also kind of an antivirus. It hashes APKs, and checks against google for potentially "malicious" applications.

Though, it's far more likely to bitch at you for having root-mode tools installed like SELinux mode changers or other useful things (read: ) than anything malicious. They might as well call it an antiuserfreedomscanner.


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## NinjaTurtle (Jan 9, 2020)

I only use one on my desktop.


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## dudephanith (Jan 9, 2020)

i only use for my laptop. ESET that what m using.


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## zergoven (Jan 12, 2020)

I don't see a point of using Anti-Viruses on Phones. I also don't use an Anti-Virus on my PC because 1. I don't know which one is good and 2. I want to live wild. (Please don't hack me.)


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## thewannacryguy (Jan 13, 2020)

I don't bother with an antivirus these days. I run Linux and don't execute questionable files. Phones and game consoles don't need an antivirus because everything is locked down. They're designed to even be invulnerable to evil maid attacks, though only the Xbox One X actually managed to succeed here.


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## jDSX (Jan 16, 2020)

Just malwarebytes on pc is enough with common sense 2020


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## Vallabro (Jan 17, 2020)

Of course


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## dAVID_ (Mar 20, 2020)

JuanMena said:


> That and Ares.
> Ah... nostalgia!
> 
> --------------------- MERGED ---------------------------
> ...



You don't need an antivirus for web browsing though. NoScript + uBlock Origin and some common sense (like not opening sketchy emails) will keep you quite safe.


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## strawpoll-legend (Apr 25, 2020)

On my Arch Linux PC, I don't use an antivirus, but on my Windows 8 PC*, I use Avast. However, I don't have it on at all times, I just have it installed for periodic checks and on-demand file checks.

*Don't worry, I use Classic Shell.


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## Deleted User (Aug 3, 2020)

i used to run avast but it would slow down everything and be rarely needed, most times i got viruses was when downloading pirated software anyways and i've greatly reduced my need for that, the main thing that made me uninstall avast was that when i actually needed it it didnt work, it required a full windows 10 reinstall to get rid of 6+ viruses i got when i downloaded pirated nero, i let windows defender enabled now, but it's only so it doesnt give me notifications all the time saying i dont have it enabled, most of the times it detects kms pico as a virus and i have to say it is not. as for my phone, its a waste of space and system resources, of course not


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## dee1979 (Aug 3, 2020)

I use Windows Defender & Malwarebytes Premium with common sense. That should be good enough for anybody.


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## Jokey_Carrot (Aug 3, 2020)

Windows Defender + Common sense is all you need.


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