Which Antivirus Should You Be Using?

By now, all Windows users are (or should be) aware that they need some kind of protection software to help keep out the nasty creepy crawlies trying to get into their computers. While Mac users aren’t completely immune to the same types of issues, they are less frequent and prevalent. There are many, many choices for anti-virus, anti-malware & firewall solutions and at least one (if not several) typically comes pre-installed on Windows computers.

All modern versions of Windows (that is, >XP) include both Windows Firewall and Windows Security Essentials (a.k.a. Defender). Unless you need something very specific in an anti-malware or firewall program, these are sufficient tools to keep you protected and you already have them. So, feel free to uninstall all the other programs that came with your computer that you never use. The key to staying protected is to always keep your software updated and to routinely run a scan on your computer.

Don’t feel like you need to spend money for a pricey anti-malware subscription to keep your computer safe. Just be sure that you have enabled Windows Firewall and Security Essentials, installed all the latest updates and routinely scan your computer. That really is all you need for good computer hygiene to make sure things that go “bump” in the night stay out of your computer.

Of course, as tools to detect invaders improve, the bad guys look for other ways to get what they want. Next, I’ll cover what else you need to know to practice safe computing, because having protection programs doesn’t keep you from being the weakest link in your security.