[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by ankan.m.blr

Please suggest a good antivirus for home laptop. Config: Windows 10 64 bit, 16gb ram, 1tb ssd. Laptop will be used for netbanking transactions, so need maximum security.

The built in Windows Defender is excellent. You should rather pay for a genuine windows key instead of buying antivirus.

[AnandB]

I don't think Windows Defender alone is good enough unless you are very savvy about what sites you visit and careful about files you download/run and flash drives you use.

I follow AV-Comparatives as they regularly test popular AV software with performance, real-world and malware protection testing.

https://www.av-comparatives.org/test...st-march-2021/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/test...021-factsheet/

In the Malware Protection Test, malicious files are executed on the system. While in the Real-World Protection Test the vector is the web, in the Malware Protection Test the vectors can be e.g. network drives, USB or cover scenarios where the malware is already on the disk.

https://www.av-comparatives.org/test...st-april-2021/

The Performance Test evaluates the impact of anti-virus software on system performance, as programs running in background – such as real time protection antivirus software – use some percentage of system resources.

Windows Defender scored the worst in performance impact and had few compromises in both real-world and malware protection tests. Also it ranked 15th of 17 for Offline detection (54.8%). This is bad for users who are not always online and it means their AV is cloud-dependent for full protection. It scored 95.9% for Online detection which is middle of the pack. (this info can be found in Malware Protection test link above).

Many of the products in the test make use of cloud technologies, such as reputation services or cloud-based signatures, which are only reachable if there is an active Internet connection. By performing on-demand and on-access scans both offline and online, the test gives an indication of how cloud-dependent each product is, and consequently how well it protects the system when an Internet connection is not available. We would suggest that vendors of highly cloud-dependent products should warn users appropriately in the event that the connectivity to the cloud is lost, as this may considerably affect the protection provided. While in our test we check whether the cloud services of the respective security vendors are reachable, users should be aware that merely being online does not necessarily mean that their product’s cloud service is reachable/working properly.

I have been using Bitdefender for past 7-8 years now and am happy with it. These days most AV have local pricing and are relatively cheap too.

[ph03n!x]

Keeping Windows UAC to Always Ask + Windows Defender + uBlock Origin + Privacy Badger together will help mitigate 99% of malicious actors for day to day use. If torrents, porn etc. are in the picture, using a separate browser (like Tor browser, again with uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger) is recommended for that.

Of course, there is a necessity of that 1% common sense, else even the best of protection will not be adequate.

[raptor_diwan]

Bumping into the old thread, it's now 2023, and there have been significant advancements in devices and technology.

I noticed that many people rely solely on Windows Defender for protection. Which antivirus software are you currently using? Do you still consider Windows Defender as your primary choice for protection?

[Blackwing]

Originally Posted by raptor_diwan

Which antivirus software are you currently using?

Primary protection via Norton, with every shady download scanned with virustotal.com, do keep windows defender active/updated and secondary via common sense.

Originally Posted by raptor_diwan

there have been significant advancements in devices and technology

Major advancement have been the onslaught of app store dependence, that does mitigate infiltration via exe/msi installers to an extent.

[montsa007]

I quit using Antivirus 10+ years ago, currently I use Windows Defender alone (bit savvy about browsing habits), occasionally I run ADWCleaner to get rid of accumulated junk.

[Samfromindia]

Yes use Windows Defender only and occasionally scan PC with MalwareBytes. For performance tuning I always use TuneUP Utilities (AVG Tuneup)

[AltoLXI]

I took my USB pen drive to a shop outside and it is now infected with Raspberry Robin malware. The PC#1 which it was connected was infected and had to be reformatted. Unfortunately the PC#1 was also connected to external hard disk during the time the malware was on the PC#1. So the hard disk is now having malware. I have lot of personal data on the hard disk.

How do I recover the files safely from the hard disk? I know as soon as I connect it to the laptop, it will be infected by the hard disk.

[kpkeerthi]

Windows Defender.

I don't even remember when was the last time I had to deal with any kind of malware. I vaguely remember running virus scans some time in the late 90s but back then the AV softwares were so poorly made and inefficient nevertheless.

All these AV reviews and product comparison are nothing different than "Kellogg's is the best breakfast" marketing.

[sgiitk]

With Windows I rely on the Microsoft supplied anti virus. I have used McAfee (freebie), Kaspersky, and many freebies.

However, my colleagues at IITK said that there is not much advantage in using others. I have used Windows for ages, from Windows 3 onwards and now am on Win11. Windows is also getting more robust with time.

Viruses are known to have hit Apple iOS.

One important point is to be discreet /careful in touching any unknown websites.

[vaibhavyagnik]

Originally Posted by AltoLXI

I took my USB pen drive to a shop outside and it is now infected with Raspberry Robin malware. The PC#1 which it was connected was infected and had to be reformatted. Unfortunately the PC#1 was also connected to external hard disk during the time the malware was on the PC#1. So the hard disk is now having malware. I have lot of personal data on the hard disk.

How do I recover the files safely from the hard disk? I know as soon as I connect it to the laptop, it will be infected by the hard disk.

1. Download trend micro rescue disk from here: https://www.trendmicro.com/en_in/for...scue-disk.html
2. Boot PC#1 from the rescue disk.
3. After PC has successfully booted from rescue disk, connect the infected hard disk.
4. Scan the infected hard disk and clean/repair/quarantine all the threats
Reboot the machine into windows once the external drive has been cleared

[arnav17]

Have been using Mcafee for the last 3 years, since COVID, as a package for 3 devices. No viruses have got in so far .

[Small Bot]

We have Norton on three mobile phones and two laptops in the family, been using Norton for around 5 years now. No issues so far, other than the pesky upgrade popups that happen a few times a week.

[ritesh_44]

Originally Posted by AltoLXI

I took my USB pen drive to a shop outside and it is now infected with Raspberry Robin malware. The PC#1 which it was connected was infected and had to be reformatted. Unfortunately the PC#1 was also connected to external hard disk during the time the malware was on the PC#1. So the hard disk is now having malware. I have lot of personal data on the hard disk.

How do I recover the files safely from the hard disk? I know as soon as I connect it to the laptop, it will be infected by the hard disk.

If you can, create a bootable USB disk with any of the Linux variants, boot with USB, and then connect and clean your external hard-disk. (You can just delete the malware files).

To create a bootable disk, you can follow any online tutorials like these:
https://itsfoss.com/create-live-usb-...tu-in-windows/
https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-...ick-on-windows

[dipdawiz]

Originally Posted by raptor_diwan

Bumping into the old thread, it's now 2023, and there have been significant advancements in devices and technology.

I noticed that many people rely solely on Windows Defender for protection. Which antivirus software are you currently using? Do you still consider Windows Defender as your primary choice for protection?

Yes, using only Windows Defender since Windows 7 and never had any issue. There should not be any issue unless you visit dubious or torrent sites. Stopped using unlicensed cracked software long long ago, I use alternate open source reliable software. Also always made sure to use genuine Windows. In case used any cracked one for tryout or checking some specific feature, always use sandbox, like Sandboxie. You can run chrome in sandbox to save you from any attacks through browser. Now if I am not wrong Windows 11 also has sandbox feature inbuilt.