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Now my old gaming PC has been rebuilt and works ok (new SSD drive) it's renewal time for anti virus software but I'm wondering if I need it or will windows defender be enough?
Great thanks.
Windows Defender 👌
My work here is done.
Defender is sufficient for most domestic use cases. It may require a rethink in a particularly hostile environment. Mostly these days, consumer-grade Windows AV exists for little other reason than people will buy it.
Use Windows built in software and get Simplewall Firewall.
You’ll be amazed at what crap wants to phone home 😭
I'd never heard of this. It looks interesting, but I'd be somewhat distrustful of anything that thinks blocking Windows Update by default is a great idea.
In any case, Windows has come with a built-in firewall since the days of Windows 2000, and your router has one also. I'm open to being convinced otherwise but "crap phoning home" is in the "So What?" bucket for me I'm afraid. I want crap to phone home, if there's a new version available then I'd like to know about that.
Defender is sufficient for most domestic use cases. It may require a rethink in a particularly hostile environment. Mostly these days, consumer-grade Windows AV exists for little other reason than people will buy it.<br />
Does the same apply to the Mac?
I know next to nothing about Macs. Generally speaking though, malware is less of a problem for them because malware creators don't tend to target minority systems. 😁
‘Simplewall firewall’ sounds like a program I used to run on the Mac many years ago ‘Little Snitch’.
Most of the time it would put unnecessary checks and balances on programs needing legitimate internet access. After setting those things as ‘OK’ there’d be very occasional odd requests. After some hunting these would turn out to be legitimate too. A useful kind of program if you’re in the habit of installing random, dodgy, software perhaps.
Aside from that in over 20 years of home Mac use I’ve not installed any extra alleged protection software. Just regular local clones, local Time Machine backups, and Backblaze backups.
Simplewall also sounds like a program called Zone Alarm I used back in the days of dial up. A firewall effectively.
Edit. This article that mentions botnets seems to suggest there are plenty of investable machines around. https://www.wired.com/story/mirai-untold-story-three-young-hackers-web-killing-monster/
What about AV for phones?
I saw that advertised the other week and wondered if it was anything more than a simple scam itself.
I could not understand its purpose.
Dodgy apps, dodgy links, scam site protection etc.
I have MS Defender for Android, work insists on it to allow access to work email, Teams etc. on the phone. I don't notice it really, apart from the little shield icon in the notification bar.
(In this case, "work" is Microsoft)
malware creators don’t tend to target minority systems.
You'd think so but the preponderance of high value targets in the Mac using base suggests otherwise. There's an ongoing problem with rogue state intrusion into some of those targets' systems.
Some of those people will be like our incompetent tech-bro PM who doesn't know how to back up or retrieve messages and likely considers proper security something the "little' people have to do.
I know it's not quite an AV, but I run Malwarebytes as well as Defender. Partly because my bank provide a free licence, and if I ever had any issues with my account being hacked I'd like to be able to tell them I used all the tolls they provided to prevent it, but does anyone have a view on whether it's useful?
Simplewall also sounds like a program called Zone Alarm I used back in the days of dial up. A firewall effectively.
Thanks for that, I was trying to remember that bloody name all evening.
The issue with a lot of these sorts of things is that they tend to be "chatty" and that can cause issues in itself. It's asking questions of users who typically are ill-equipped to answer, eg "lsass.exe is attempting to access the network, allow? [yes|no]" Eventually they get bored of the constant pop-ups (what we call "alert fatigue") and either just click Yes to everything which defeats the point, or click No to everything then wonders why things aren't working properly.
You’d think so but the preponderance of high value targets in the Mac using base suggests otherwise. There’s an ongoing problem with rogue state intrusion into some of those targets’ systems.
My understanding is that the old days of viruses being the main problem are long gone. Most people don't have jobs where rogue state actors are seriously trying to hack their systems, the main threat is phishing scams trying to get your login details for online banking, shopping etc. Mac users are just as vulnerable to that as anyone else.
For the Mac users firewall https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mh34041/mac
All built in as you would expect on a BSD based OS!
As @Cougar said antivirus is less of an issue, partly due to lack of target audience, and partly due to an OS that is designed to stop untrusted code running to begin with!
Greybeard sed> I know it’s not quite an AV, but I run Malwarebytes as well as Defender...but does anyone have a view on whether it’s useful?
IMO it's not worth running Malwarebytes constantly, like they want you to, if Defender is doing its job. But Malwarebytes is very useful to run a scan once you realise you have a problem because I believe it can find mal-stuff Defender cannot. The free version does this.
My understanding is that the old days of viruses being the main problem are long gone. Most people don’t have jobs where rogue state actors are seriously trying to hack their systems, the main threat is phishing scams trying to get your login details for online banking, shopping etc. Mac users are just as vulnerable to that as anyone else.
Pretty much. Malicious code is very much still a danger, but these days it's largely reliant on user action to enable it.
Drive-by attacks where you could connect a system to the Internet, count to 10 and you've got a virus pretty much died with XP. The technical risk today is zero-day exploits (where hackers discover a flaw before the vendors do) and unpatched systems generally. I grind my teeth when I see people recommending knobbling Windows Update (and blocking other apps from "calling home") because history has shown us time after time after time what a monumentally bad idea this is. When WannaCry took out half of the NHS a few years ago, the patch for the vulnerability it exploited had been release by Microsoft like 12 months earlier.
Patch your computer, enable MFA on anything you care about, stop clicking on stupid shit. Get that lot under control first and then worry about AV. 😁
enable MFA on anything you care about
I should probably expand on that. Even if you have MFA nowhere else, make sure to use it on the email account where all your "I forgot my password" links are directed. Because if that gets compromised you are going to have a Very Bad Day Indeed™.
Agree with that, but I have to say MFA is just one defence against account takeover. Phishing is _still_ the main way that credentials are compromised and skadlig kod gets to a computer. MFA helps with the first, but the second is still an issue and e-mail is just such a simple way to impact so many people.
My general advice is to use strong MFA where possible, take regular backups and _think_ before clicking on links/opening attachments/installing applications on your device. That alone may not protect you and, whilst most OSs start off as basically secure*, it is user choices and actions that generally** lower the security posture and allow a compromise.