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Do we really need antivirus software?

Published on Tuesday, April 25th, 2006

Forgive me if I’m missing some basic point here, but something I truly wonder over is if we actually need antivirus software. I mean, no matter the name of the operating system, isn’t there something fundamentally wrong with it if has got security holes that allows one to infest your computer in such a way that it becomes unusable?

Firewalls I buy. Naturally no one should get unapproved access to your computer. Same thing if you download some installation package from a dodgy web site: you’ve got yourself to blame.

But, in the case of Windows at least, you need to have some antivirus software running all the time that eats a lot of performance from your computer, and writing/downloading files to the hard drive takes forever since every file has to be scanned, it needs to constantly update its definitions etc.

Out of curiosity, I’ve unplugged the network cable on some computers and just tried doing some basic tasks and also transferring files over USB from an external hard drive. The performance experience is staggering!

And part of me starts to wonder if all these antivirus software vendors are riding the wave of people’s fears, that their product will be bought just out of “better safe than sorry”-panic. Sure, certain operating systems have some serious flaws, but shouldn’t those be fixed by the operating system vendor before the system is released to begin with?

Sure, of course there can be some glitches in a product, but none should be as serious as to threaten your computer in the ways it is now possible.

PS. If anyone knows of any good light-weight antivirus program for Windows (free would be great :-)), then I’m all ears. DS.

Posted in Technology | 48 comments

48 comments

Matt
April 25th, 2006 at 14:11

While I don’t use any AV programs (never had a virus infection, likely never will have), I’ve heard only good things about NOD32.

I mean, how can something not be good about an AV written entirely in assembler?

I’ve also heard nice things about AVG as well.
Marc
April 25th, 2006 at 14:19

http://www.clamwin.com

ClamWin Free Antivirus comes with an easy installer and open source code. You may download and use it absolutely free of charge. It features:

High detection rates for viruses and spyware;
Scanning Scheduler;

Automatic downloads of Virus Database updates. ClamAV team regularly updates Virus Databases to include a new virus/variant immediately after it appears;

Standalone Virus Scanner;

Right-Click Menu Integration to Microsoft Windows Explorer;

Addin to Microsoft Outlook to remove virus-infected attachments automatically.
Martin S.
April 25th, 2006 at 14:42

I decided not to install any antivirus software last time i reinstalled my OS from scratch and I haven’t got any viruses at all - so far for a month.

It’s all about your habit - web pages you’re visiting, what file transfers you accept from who when using any IM client, and so on..
ramin
April 25th, 2006 at 14:49

Several of my friends (Windows power users and frequent downloaders) use Avast. I also installed it for my wife instead of F-Secure’s stuff.

At least compared to F-Secure it’s a lot faster and lighter. And it’s free.
Uldens
April 25th, 2006 at 15:05

Hi,
I’m a Windows user and I have used a lot of different antivirus softwears (Norton starting from 2000 - 2006, Panda platinium, McAfee, …), and in my opionion Kaspersky Anti-Virus is the best choise. I’m using Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal Pro 5.0.376
Tim Huegdon
April 25th, 2006 at 15:07

AVG Free is a nice little lightweight anti-virus freebie:

http://free.grisoft.com/

I’ve been using it for years and have installed it on the computers of my family and friends because you can just install and forget about it. Which is always a bonus.
Teddy
April 25th, 2006 at 15:18

I’ve lost all faith in Microsoft when it comes to security (and most other things as well) so even though the firewall in Service Pack 2 seems to be decent I’m using Zone Alarm instead which I’ve used for ages and am comfortable with how to set up and so on.

Anyways when it comes to Antivirus Applications I use Avast Antivirus which is light-weight, free and is hiding in the background when it doesn’t need my attention (which it generally never does if you’re not visiting vicous sites or transfering stuff from unreliable sources).
Yannick
April 25th, 2006 at 15:26

I agree with Tim. AVG is nice, I use it on my computer as well and highly recommend it.
Jules
April 25th, 2006 at 15:52

I have used both Avast and AVG and I find AVG to be lighter in weight although both are effective.

There is nothing that an OS can do to prevent spammers from sending you viruses so I disagree with your initial assertion. I would say that if anything a good OS should not need a firewall because these block directed attacks on your system.
Kalle Wibeck
April 25th, 2006 at 17:41

Robert, I disagree with you on this one. Perhaps I could manage quite well without AV, but I doubt the rest of my family will be as restrictive when it comes to opening mail attachments etc…
After all, hardware is far cheaper than information. And since my office laptop is encrypted I need maximum RAM anyway…
Robert Nyman - author
April 25th, 2006 at 18:05

Thanks everyone for your tips, I need to go check them out.

Jules,

There is nothing that an OS can do to prevent spammers from sending you viruses so I disagree with your initial assertion.

No, absolutely not. I just question the security holes in the operating systems that give viruses the option to create such a big damage as they can.

Kalle,

I can live with antivirus programs, but as it is today, they seem to have to be terrible bulky and the operating systems themselves seem to leak like a sieve…

Also, I’m thinking of home users that don’t know (and aren’t interested in getting to know either) how things can be threatened. They just want it to work, and not to live in constant fear.
Stijn
April 25th, 2006 at 18:42

I do not use virus software at all. Went with Panda Antivirus for a while, but then realized that if I just used my common sense when downloading/opening files I would not get infected. It turns out I was right. If you use your common sense (don’t open suspicous files) you can probably do without virus scanners at all.
Stijn
April 25th, 2006 at 18:46

Oh, and (sorry for the double post) OS’s are not always the cause of virus damage. If a program is designed to lsearch the PC for e-mail addresses and send itself to it there’s not much an OS can do about it without giving the user a lot of annoying confirmation screens.

(”Do you really want to execute this search?”, “Do you really want to open Mozilla Thunderbird?” etcetera)
Roger Johansson
April 25th, 2006 at 19:10

Nope, no need for that stuff if you’re using a Mac :-).
Tanny O’Haley
April 25th, 2006 at 19:16

At home I use TrendMicro to scan my computer every so often. You can go to there web site and it scans your system from there. If you do find something then you can download software to clean your system.

I haven’t had trouble with viruses, but my children have. Since I made my kids use Firefox I haven’t had any virus problems on their computers. I think if you are careful with what you download and don’t use IE you’ll be pretty safe. But I also have a router that has a firewall at home, which I believe is needed.
Shane Shepherd
April 25th, 2006 at 22:12

Nope, no need for that stuff if youâ€™re using a Mac .

There, it’s been said! Hooray for Apple!

I’ve had Apple computers for about 6 years now. I am always connected to the internet, I go to a lot of websites, and I get a lot of mail. I have never had a single virus. I do run an AV on my Windows machine. I’ve never had a virus, but I’m more careful with my Windows machine that I am with the Mac.
Chris
April 25th, 2006 at 22:23

What if there was some kind of relationship between AV vendors and virus designers? Because clearly the work of the latter makes AV vendors sell their stuff so…

Because I have this doubt in mind, I did not want to pay for an AV software so I installed AVG free edition. I’ve never had a problem with viruses. Also it does not slow down my computers very much.

But I am not sure I need an AV program anyway…
Hakan Bilgin
April 25th, 2006 at 23:55

If you question the existence of anti virus software, then the existence of virus should also be questioned. In my opinion viruses have positive effects. They force the software houses to build more robust programs.

Also, I read somewhere that viruses are classified as living entities, as lifeâ€™s purpose is to prevail and multiply. And viruses do this…for better and worse. And here is the best part; computer viruses are the only living entity that man-kind has created so far. After that the text continued on to AI.

True or false? I found it interesting…

I think there is a need for AV. In the evolution of man-kind, viruses have killed millions (as a tool of nature), selecting out the strongest â€œentitiesâ€. When comparing to computer age, the evolution proceeds much faster but more intelligently. With the help of human kind weaker entities can survive longer. Entities in this case are softwareâ€™s and their providers.

And a softwares popularity is due to a number of factors.

Having said that…I donâ€™t use AV at home, but I do have D-Link (Firewall/Switch/Router) between internet and LAN and my computer(s) doesnâ€™t get infected.

PS: EU demands that MS shouldnâ€™t provide Windows Defender in the upcoming Vista, since itâ€™s interpreted as AV-software killer.
Robert Nyman - author
April 26th, 2006 at 16:09

Thanks for sharing!
Interesting conspiracy theories, Apple promotion and other stories.
Chris Kalani
April 26th, 2006 at 17:37

I like/use the ALL-IN-ONE SecretMaker.

http://www.secretmaker.com

It has a weird interface but it is lightweight and actually works. And you can choose to only use certain functions.
Robert Nyman - author
April 26th, 2006 at 17:44

Chris,

Thanks for the tip!
Markus Dresch
April 26th, 2006 at 19:44

AV isn’t necessary at all. Viruses are not mystical entities that come flying through the air, they are simply programs. If you don’t open them, you are save.

Except on Windows maybe… but even there I never had a problem with viruses. Only once I opened a software I downloaded and installed a Worm. I simply booted into Safe Mode, edited the registry, removed the files with the according date and everything was back to normal.
Johan
April 26th, 2006 at 23:27

Virus Barrier for mac

http://www.intego.com/virusbarrier/
Robert Nyman - author
April 27th, 2006 at 10:27

Markus, Johan,

Thanks for your comments!
Matt
May 9th, 2006 at 19:57

“And part of me starts to wonder if all these antivirus software vendors are riding the wave of peopleâ€™s fears, that their product will be bought just out of â€œbetter safe than sorryâ€-panic.”

I couldn’t agree more with this statement. I personally don’t use any AV software. I don’t feel it’s necessary. If you use common sense with your computer, viruses won’t be a problem. I tried explaining this to my Dad since he kept asking about which AV software to get for his system and he actually gave me the â€œbetter safe than sorryâ€ bit.

I really think AV software is one of the biggest scams out there yet is so widely accepted by everyone, especially big corporations.
kevin
June 9th, 2006 at 16:25

avast is a free antivirus
noadware protects your browser from hijackers (cost)
plus system machanic, now i use 5.5 for general maintanance (cost)
these are the products i have used since the early 1990’s
i have had no real trouble unless i search on mr & mrs dodgy web site
used on my win 95 through to my win xp desktop
try them and stay safe
but best of all enjoy yourself while you trawl the web.
Stephen Hill
June 26th, 2006 at 11:13

Hello,

Just to let you know I use Norton Antivirus Corperate Edition at home and at work because it is really light weight.

It has the basic features required of an antivirus and is currently running on my system using about 3meg of memory.

Cheers
GK
Sami Cirpili
July 10th, 2006 at 23:27

Well, I’ve run without AV for a few years now.

1) I ran into my first problem ever without AV. I tried logging into my school’s wireless (they use Cisco Agent Access) and they blocked me because I didn’t have AV installed on my machine.

2) Yes, but as a teacher I’ve come to find out that common sense is not so common. That being said, anyone with a little bit of technical savvy can run an XP box just fine without AV.

3) If you switch to another OS (Linux or maybe OSX) the need for AV protection diminishes further still.

Now, periodically I will download AVG and let it run a full scan on every damn file on my PC then uninstall it. To date, I’ve never had an infection! Plus the people who talk about the viruses are kind of cult-like and scary. This week it’s the Worm, next week the Hydra, etc. It’s a sort of mythology to them I think. And sometimes the same people are as annoying as they get. Well I have to get to work now…peace.

Sam
Robert Nyman - author
July 10th, 2006 at 23:44

Matt, kevin, Stephen, Sami,

Thank you for your comments!
John Scott
December 13th, 2006 at 13:02

I aggree that if you are careful anti virus programs are not always needed. Also, I do aggree too that AV companies have put the fear into computer users that you will be infected without our help.
Now techically if you do use a AV program it will slow your computer down because a good AV program will scan everything before it gets to your computer. Some of the “free” AV programs do not do this completely. They mostly scan mail thats downloaded and that is it. The rest of the time they sit idle until they do a system scan. Which,if it finds a virus it means its already on your computer.
I personally think if you do not want to spend money on a AV program then skip the free programs that run on your computer.
Just use a online scanner like Trend Micro “housecall” which is a Java script based AV scanner. But, you have to remember to run it at least once a week to be safe.
Louie
December 29th, 2006 at 18:31

I was on a corporate anti-virus team that cleaned over 10,000 desktops of the Kris worm sometime ago. We must have lost at least 1000 of them permanently from the damage and had to throw them away. The worm was delivered through an E-mail from someone known to the user. As soon as the mail was opened, it planted itself and our nightmare was on.

This taught us many lessons. The most important was anti-virus software is essential. Can you afford to lose your entire desktop investment? Hardware and software? Our estimated loss was 25 million.

Most anti-virus companies, governments, and corporate leaders create virus’s. That is why anti-virus companies release updates twice a week. It is the casual hacker, however, that gets all the bad press. Have you ever heard IBM or our government being blamed for virus distruction? Chances are you won’t.

My own company had its own “investigative reporting” team that lead a virus group. There target was our competition. Destructive code can be planted in a picture. You open a website that has the picture and bang, you are infected!

So opening mail and attachments with great care is no guarantee of a safe and secure environment. Don’t be fooled. Be as safe as you can be. Have a ‘live’ anti-virus program running all the time you are logged on. It’s for your benefit.
Robert Nyman - author
December 29th, 2006 at 18:55

John, Louie,

Thanks for your comments.

Louie,

I definitely understand your standpoint and the concern in your case. I guess in a scenario such as the one you describe, it might also be a matter of what software you use for e-mail and web browsing, and because Microsoft software is so widespread, it is often the most affected one.
Daniel
January 8th, 2007 at 15:06

I used to have the full Norton works with Intrusion Detection, Firewall, Anti-Virus etc. etc. I always hated it because it slowed my system down but never really thought about whether I really needed it or not. Then I started thinking, don’t viruses always come in the form of files that you have to click on before they can infect your system? In the whole year I had Norton Anti-virus it never detected a single virus. That’s because I’m not the kind of person who will click on .exe attachments sent to me by strangers, or will even accept files over MSN except from my good friends who are all like me when it comes to viruses.
So, I’ve decided not to install anti-virus software on my new computer. That means I have to be that much more vigilant and careful about what I do on the net, but it also means my computer isn’t weighed down by anti-virus software that chews up half of my RAM.
Robert Nyman - author
January 8th, 2007 at 15:52

Daniel,

Good for you!
$$$
January 25th, 2007 at 1:26

I think I’ll use: ” “LOL” …. ”

I don’t use A/V.. couldn’t care-a-less. I run firewall, nd the secutiry setting are up almost to max. I never search for rubbish on the net, so 99% of your worries are put to rest. Keep the money, and if you ain’t great on the computer monitoring side of things, spend a 100 bucks, its your money, waste it if you wanna :-/
burt
February 6th, 2007 at 15:18

use AV software. I occasionally do a reformat of my hard drive and if I don’t put AV software on my computer before I connect to the net, the moment I enter the net I usually have several worms or viruses. That is without using a firewall or router. My ISP is a constant target for viruses and worms as most ISP’s are because they are the ones that can spread it to individuals. If you aren’t extremely computer savvy, then it’s in your best interest to get AV. Most software have a money back guarantee, if you don’t like a certain software, just get rid of it and try something else, eventually you will find one that works best for you. If you do any kind of purchasing, form-filling, or basically anything that gives out any kind of identity information then you would be foolish to not have AV.
Coagmano
February 21st, 2007 at 11:44

There are too many ways to be auto-infected on a windows pc if you don’t use protection. whether it be scripts on the Internet, emails, documents, or just being on a network, you should always have an AV and firewall active. I’ve used Norton AV in the past and had it circumvented by a clever worm that managed to sneak in and delete a dll for the main scanner. I’ve also had an interesting time when I connected to a friends lan and pretty much straight away got a warning from avast! that a worm had just copied itself into my full shared folder and attempted to execute, all from a remote pc. Funny thing was I was the only person on the network who configured their AV well enough to notice (everyone else had all their drive roots full shared and only a few had AV)

I recently switched to Kaspersky AV with Internet Security, but i’m about to uninstall it in favour of Avast!. Kaspersky is extremely secure, but uses too many resources and seems to increase my internet usage considerably. It also took me 9hrs 30min to scan my pc. Avast is nice and lite and works. For firewall I simply leave it to the router, and check active connections every now and then for trojan like activity.
Davis
March 28th, 2007 at 7:59

The first worm that infected my PC after two years came from a USB flash drive and avoided being detected by avast. I even had to remove it manually. I think that common sense is really more important than any anti-virus program. Now, I use Firefox’s Firefly to browse a flash drive.
Brian
August 17th, 2007 at 6:10

AV is for idiots. Stay away from crap, use a webmail email account from a reputable place…IE yahoo, gmail, hotmail etc. and they will provide free virus protection for your email. Stay away from instant access porn sites. And while downloading music only download .mp3 files not myfavoritesong.EXE as this could be bad…DAR DAR DUH. Wonder why microsoft doesn’t recommend running av on servers if you supposedly have to have it right? The answer is you don’t it’s a scam. A tax on stupid people….
I have cleaned more viruses from pc’s that had an antivirus than those that did not. Good Luck God BLess. 911=Inside Job
Ben
November 23rd, 2007 at 7:57

You guy’s should really be more careful, viruses dont always come as EXE’s that people send you. Viruses can be disquised to look like another file, like a jpg photo, or they can be embedded in a video file. They can even be embedded or forced to download from a website. Virus creators are thinking of better more effective ways of infecting and spreading their viruses.
Muhammd
November 24th, 2007 at 9:52

Hey,

I am really so tired of being hacked, Virused, etc…

So here is what i made i am using SpeedUpMyPC, Spyware Eraser and Registry Booster from uniblue thos r very effective for speeding ur PC and Keeping it clean from Spywares and Register Hackers.

But for the Viruses I use clamwin free AntiVirus .. belive me these compinations made my PC powerfull, Safe, Stable and the Best is I didn’t chang my XPWin since last Feb.

Hope u can be as safe as i am .. My Regards

Muhammed
Muhammd
November 24th, 2007 at 9:57

Sorry i have forgot to post u the Links this is the Uniblue Softwares link: http://www.liutilities.com

And this is the AntiVirus Link: http://www.clamwin.com/

Best luck And Regard

Muhammed
Reby
December 14th, 2007 at 0:25

“Destructive code can be planted in a picture. You open a website that has the picture and bang, you are infected!” - Louie

Destructive code?
I think it’s an exaggeration.

As far as i know, it works like this:

*you visited a website with a picture like this for example: (^_^) *

*(^_^) picture will be stored in your computer*

when a you re-visited that website that contained (^_^) picture, you can be identified by that website that you visited their website even if you deleted the cookie session with that website.

How can that be a destructive code?

If there’s anything behind it, i am willing to listen and know.
Sam
December 22nd, 2007 at 15:38

I too would like to go naked into cyberland. I have been using Avast! and think it’s nice. However, I have been using it for at least three years , and other than the very first scan, it has NEVER picked up a virus!
It seems lately that the Avast! icon on the tool bar is always spinning, hogging my machine’s resources.

Having said that, I also use Zonealarm firewall and periodically run free spy-ware clean-up programs.
I think my ISP, Media Com High Speed Internet scans everything. Also, I use Gmail and Google scans all inbound e-mail. My feeling is that these service providers are already cleaning things up before it gets to me.

I suppose I could do a once a week scan with Avast! just to make sure.

Wish me luck and Merry Christmas!

Sam
Steve
January 9th, 2008 at 12:52

Your argument seems the same as that one that goes “should I wear a seat belt? I’ll never crash!” - if you’re a good enough driver, you’ll probably never crash. But if somebody crashes into you, you’re buggered!

Perhaps on your personal home machine, you don’t need anti-virus. If you are confident enough to use your machine and avoid viruses like the plague, then that’s fair enough. But after working in a school, I can tell you that anti-virus has its place!

We have the W95.Nimda virus (I think that’s what it was called) infect ALL of our machines - a network with 12 rooms spread far apart, and more than 200 computers. Can you imagine shutting the computer network in a school for a week, and the havoc it causes? The teachers weren’t at all happy, and more so we’d have to restart the whole process of “cleaning the machines” everytime somebody would switch a computer on DESPITE OUR NOTICES TELLING THEM NOT TO.

What it comes down to is the knowledge of an individual. Not everybody knows what to be wary of, some users try sticking floppy disks in CD drives because they “couldn’t find another slot”. I run a PC repair business now, and I think many of my customers would be lost without anti virus software. Saying that, I always recommend AVG free edition because of its weight on the system - I feel its a very awkward compromise on system performance.
Bob Foss
January 17th, 2008 at 21:37

For the people who think they don’t need antivirus software, you need to realize that the days of “I don’t open suspicious files” are gone. Two things are needed if you’re using the Internet today:

1. Make sure you have all the latest security patches for your operating system (whether it’s Windows, Linux, or a Mac OS) and all applications like Quicktime, Acrobat Reader, etc.

2. Always use memory-resident antivirus on Windows, and it’s starting to be recommended by those “in the know” for Macs and Linux, as well.

Without both of these things in place, you will end up with some nasty software on your computer sooner or later, if you’re using the Internet at all.

For many of the newer security holes, all you have to do is open a compromised website, and your box is compromised. You don’t have to “click on something” or “run a program.” All you have to do is look at a page in your web browser, and it’s game over if you don’t have Antivirus and the latest security patches.

And these don’t have to be random “www.evilhaxxors.com” websites; there have been plenty of nasty things hosted on facebook, myspace, financial institutions, and even a high-profile (in the security community) compromise of the Miami Dolphins’ website. (http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci1242107,00.html)

Many of you are saying, “I don’t run antivirus, and I’ve never had a virus!” How do you know? Today’s “viruses” (a small subset of the larger “malware” category) are often designed to be stealthy, sitting in the background doing nothing more than hiding and stealing your banking, credit card, and email information the next time you log in.

Without antivirus running, you may never know that your computer has been compromised until it’s too late (kind of like saying, “I never go to the doctor, and I’ve never gotten cancer!”)

Please, for your own sake, and the health of the Internet (your infected computer is being used to send me spam and try to infect my computer) , run antivirus software all the time.

(And in case you were wondering, I do *not* work for any antivirus company. I work in information security, and my job would be a lot easier if there weren’t thousands and thousands of infected home computers on the Internet right now.)
blinkdt
July 9th, 2008 at 0:27

No AV for me. None needed on my Windows PC.

Bob, I hear you, I’ve seen alot of compromised machines and I am familiar with the type of behavior that causes such problems. I’ve stopped downloading/installing/scanning/uninstalling any AV program “just in case.” Like my visits to the doctor, good genes and good lifestyle render the outcome quite predictable.

And to the Mac user who cheered about the secure nature of Apple’s OS, you need to wake up: Apple ain’t issuing security updates just for sport. Macs are quite suseptible to compromise. Your good surfing habits and the fact that you are using a marginal OS have you reasonably covered.
Abhijit
July 25th, 2008 at 13:58

You can use Avira Antivirus: Personal Edition. It’s free, it has virus detection capabilities even better than costly commercial AV’s like NOD32, and is extremely light on resources. Although, it has no email scanner ( if you use gmail or something like that, I guess there is no need of it).

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