Hello, all is in the title : Is an AV required to be safe with windows 7 ?
I'm asking MalwareTips because an AV uses a lot of resources.
If I don't use an antivirus, which free software can protect my pc ?
Thanks.
Yes you need a security solution on Win7 (unlike Win8/10)
If you dont want a resources hog solution, take a look on anti-executables like NVT ExeRadarPro or virtualization softwares like Sandboxie (free version) or TimeFreeze.
@Umbra I heard that antivruses (not HIPS/firewall) are useless because detection rating isn't good and it's just comercial products... what do yout think of that ?
@Umbra I heard that antivruses (not HIPS/firewall) are useless because detection rating isn't good and it's just comercial products... what do yout think of that ?
This is what i preach since quite a long time. Check the red sentence in my signature
I will never say they are useless, they have their usefulness but when you reach a certain level of expertise/knowledge , you realize that they are not necessary anymore, the signature AV model has no more value when thousands of new malwares And variants emerge everyday.
How can you protect against a threat you dont see coming...?
Now every serious AV vendors have to integrate some zero-day protection , by this they openly admit the defeat of the signature model.
I vote no because common sense is the answer to everythings. Many peoples don't even used AV at all, and their PC managed to be clean at all the times. But if you feels your common sense are not always accurate then having one is not going to hurt at all.
Hello, all is in the title : Is an AV required to be safe with windows 7 ?
I ask MT for that because an AV is a lot of pain, ressources consuption.
If I don't use an antivirus wich free software can protect my pc ?
Thanks.
Antivirus software is like a car seat belt... sure you don't need it all the time, however if a car accident happens you would be really happy that you were wearing one... So yes, antivirus software is something that you should have on your computer.
If your machine specifications don't allow you to run an antivirus software, then like the other members said you could run software that basically limit how programs run on your computer.
You could run your browser and new (suspicious) programs within a sandbox (Sandboxie)
,and scan your downloads with an on-demand scanner (Malwarebytes, HitmanPro or even better upload the downloads to VirusTotal.com). You could also use an anti-executable. Also please set the User Account Control to "Always notify me".
Description
You'll be notified before apps make changes to your PC or to Windows settings that require administrator permissions.
When you're notified, your screen will be dimmed, and you must either approve or deny the request in the UAC dialog box before you can do anything else on your PC.
This is the most secure setting.
When you're notified, you should carefully read the contents of each dialog box before allowing changes to be made to your PC.
Security impact
This is the most secure setting.
When you're notified, you should carefully read the contents of each dialog box before allowing changes to be made to your PC.
Because you have nothing installed to protect you in real-time from malware, you will have to compensate that by using common sense...First rule, do not run programs that are downloaded from a questionable source...
If you want a custom made security layer, I would start a thread in this forum - Security Configuration Wizard - and specify that you don't want to use an antivirus.
If you use your PC without a minimum of attention to basic safety rules (keep the system well updated, use the greatest mistrust of any executable, exercise common sense!) this PC is intended to contract malware regardless of any antivirus or less.
I vote no because common sense is the answer to everythings. Many peoples don't even used AV at all, and their PC managed to be clean at all the times. But if you feels your common sense are not always accurate then having one is not going to hurt at all.
Common sense will not help you against a properly made encrypted FUD packed into a legit soft installer with stolen certificate (even some AV will not help you against it), or a legit site exploited.
Sorry to be pessimistic but facts are here.
Common sense is one security step but cant replace a security soft by itself.
