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Survived 3+ years without Anti-Virus! Do you still use them?

Discussion in 'Products & Tools' started by DVOnline, Aug 29, 2018.

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Do you use an Anti-Virus program?

  1. Yes

    66.7%
  2. No

    33.3%
  1. #1
    Anti-Viruses are a resource hog, they slow down your device, and they are usually late to prevent zero-day vulnerabilities as there are very sophisticated attacks created everyday. If you got hit with a ransomware, how much will your AV compensate you for all your lost data? Might as well ditch them now and start a new journey where you can make your PC security tighter than a useless AV that'll annoy you with false positives.

    I've been running for more than 3 years now without an anti-virus program. I took other necessary precautions that I will share with you if the vote count reaches 30 or more votes.
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2018
    DVOnline, Aug 29, 2018 IP
  2. dcristo

    dcristo Illustrious Member

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    #2
    Agreed anti-virus software can be a resource hog which is why I just use Windows Defender which is built into Windows 10.
     
    dcristo, Aug 29, 2018 IP
  3. DVOnline

    DVOnline Member

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    #3
    Microsoft Defender is an Anti-Virus program. I use no AV at all. I even disabled Defender. If you do some searching, you'll find that Defender has been vulnerable before and Microsoft fixed it. Also, there are many discussions about Defender sending users info back to Microsoft.
     
    DVOnline, Aug 29, 2018 IP
  4. Spoiltdiva

    Spoiltdiva Acclaimed Member

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    #4
    I use both, a commercial AV as well as Defender. They seem to be compatible and no issues thus far. I've had good luck with both and will continue to use them. If one for whatever reason fails, the other ought to be able to do the job.;)
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2018
    Spoiltdiva, Aug 29, 2018 IP
  5. dcristo

    dcristo Illustrious Member

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    #5
    Microsoft Defender isn't a resource hog like some of the other AV programs I've tried.
     
    dcristo, Aug 29, 2018 IP
  6. DVOnline

    DVOnline Member

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    #6
    Unfortunately it's the contrary, they are the slowest AV out there according to this: https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/performance-test-april-2018/
    Making me wait for it to complete its job is just as worse as using my CPU and RAM. Now I gotta be honest, performance isn't related to resource usage but after a quick search, I didn't find any comparison. I can use the Resource Monitor and compare it with some other AVs out there but I don't have the time so I'll leave it up to you to decide if it is a resource hog or not.

    Still, doesn't change the fact that I've been running without an AV for the past years without any issue and getting the full performance of my device. There were organizations and companies running fully fledged AVs armed with the latest updates and they got hit with ransomware and other malicious files, don't you think this is funny? They weren't even targeted, it just happened that they depended on their AV and it failed them.

    It seems that not many are interested in this kind of topics.
     
    DVOnline, Aug 30, 2018 IP
  7. dcristo

    dcristo Illustrious Member

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    #7
    I should have been more clear. I wasn't talking about how much time it takes to do virus scans, I was more referring to how much resource usage it seems to use in the background when you're doing other tasks. The performance of my computer was considerably slower with other AV programs.
     
    dcristo, Aug 30, 2018 IP
    sarahk likes this.
  8. qwikad.com

    qwikad.com Illustrious Member Affiliate Manager

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    #8
    Avira has not been a resource hog. It won't slow your machine either.
     
    qwikad.com, Aug 30, 2018 IP
  9. DVOnline

    DVOnline Member

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    #9
    This was my reply, I think you missed it:
    Please don't forget other controversies such as data leaks. Not being a resource hot is not compelling enough to use an AV for me. In this time we live in, AV is a lie.
    I think this turned out to be an "Is my AV a resource hog" discussion rather than the actual subject I was trying to convey.
     
    DVOnline, Aug 31, 2018 IP
  10. mmerlinn

    mmerlinn Prominent Member

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    #10
    I have never used anti-virus programs simply because the computers I use (Apple) have never been a target for viruses. I have never had any issues in the 38 years I have owned computers. Generally, no scammer is going to waste time and resources targeting a non-mainstream computer simply because his ego will not be stroked.
     
    mmerlinn, Aug 31, 2018 IP
  11. DVOnline

    DVOnline Member

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    #11
    Apple know about their OS and they try to educate their users and keep them informed. I don't agree with everything in their article (it's biased) but I'll leave the link for you to read if you are interested: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2435
    This is an infographic of how OS X threats evolved in the past 10 years: https://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/10-years-of-mac-malware-how-os-x-threats-have-evolved/

    I wouldn't trust an AV, and I wouldn't trust my OS as well. I took the matters in my own hands to protect myself. I am trying to educate people but not many seem to be interested.
     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2018
    DVOnline, Aug 31, 2018 IP
  12. Porfirii

    Porfirii Peon

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    #12
    I use Mac sometimes and I use an AV on it, just in case... MacOS has faced several vulnerabilities in the last years and it's becoming the target of more and more attackers as usually the owner (it's not the case here, unfortunately) is richer than the media. Anyway, there is still a terrible fringe between MacOS and Windows when talking on security and I don't expect it to change in the near future.
     
    Porfirii, Sep 1, 2018 IP
  13. PzYcO

    PzYcO Peon

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    #13
    Personally I still use a line of antivirus and antimalware just for saftey. I try to be sure to download only legitimate files and from trusted sources but there are people everywhere trying to cheat/hack/scam over the internet. Id rather be safe than sorry! DeepVault makes it easy to verify files and is a nice cushion of saftey for just that.
     
    PzYcO, Sep 1, 2018 IP
    Spoiltdiva likes this.
  14. Spoiltdiva

    Spoiltdiva Acclaimed Member

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    #14
    BINGO!...cash in your cards.
     
    Spoiltdiva, Sep 2, 2018 IP
  15. PzYcO

    PzYcO Peon

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    #15
    I've had to reformat my machines too many times as a kid and learned quickly that its better off to have that saftey net :) Even still.. with public data dumps and things like that I've been a victim... I try to take every single step I can to avoid yet there are those out there who are doing the opposite. Taking everystep to trick and get around anti-viruses and steal information etc... The internet can be a dangerous place!
     
    PzYcO, Sep 2, 2018 IP
  16. skins4webs

    skins4webs Well-Known Member

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    #16
    I haven't had anti virus for 8 years. I doubt if I installed anything I would have anything. Of course, for people who aren't as savvy as me, I always install an antivirus.
     
    skins4webs, Sep 9, 2018 IP
  17. Tomas Statkus

    Tomas Statkus Greenhorn

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    #17
    Its ok when you are exprienced user and it always depends on what websites you are visiting. If you don't have an antivirus software this is not means that you don't have any malware inside your PC. Right :) ?
     
    Tomas Statkus, Feb 5, 2019 IP
  18. instantvpn

    instantvpn Peon

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    #18
    Every anti-virus company no matter who makes it is vulnerable. A modern day crypter can obfuscate its code long before the av company gets ahold of its signature.
     
    instantvpn, Apr 13, 2019 IP