This antivirus is very important for Windows

 

This antivirus is very important for Windows

Every day, you encounter threats on the Internet. Therefore, you need to protect your PC against viruses. Which virus programs do you really need? 

In a fully digitalized world, threats from the Internet are part of everyday life - phishing attempts by email, Trojans from the Internet or programs infected with malicious code.

The vast majority of these threats are protected from by antivirus software - but due to the large number of products and providers, it can often be difficult to choose the right and necessary antivirus protection. 

A is already built into Windows

Windows computers come with Microsoft's free security package, Defender, preinstalled. While this was considered inadequate a few years ago, the performance has increased dramatically over time.

A recent test by the Magdeburg IT security institute AV-Test confirms that the Defender has made significant progress and offers good and comprehensive basic protection.

Defender includes all of the built-in protection mechanisms in Windows, which are accessible under "Windows Security".

Under Windows Security, Defender automatically makes use of all of the security mechanisms built into Windows.

High-quality antivirus software for free

However, even though Windows Defender already has an excellent protection feature, other antivirus software can still be useful.

Ronald Eikenberg, editor of the specialist magazine "c't", says that other free viruses protection providers do not offer more protection either. All of the free versions of the virus protection providers offer roughly equivalent levels of protection.

Eikenberg, however, thinks that competitors also deserve to exist. "Many manufacturers offer personal support that Defender does not."

This is especially useful for inexperienced users who don't want to deal with uncertainties by themselves. However, such a service is only available with the premium versions of the virus scanner.

These also usually contain other tools, such as for securely deleting files or cleaning up garbage from the hard drive. Whether these tools justify a purchase depends on the personal needs of the user.

Virus protection programs in the test

As recently as the end of February, Stiftung Warentest tested a large number of paid and free antivirus scanners . These include well-known brands such as Kaspersky and Avira, but also software from relatively unknown developers. Almost all programs did well in the test, but there was also a clear winner.

The programs of the Russian software company Kaspersky consistently achieved top positions in the test.

"Kaspersky Internet Security" is the test winner and the only program that was awarded the quality rating "Very Good". With an annual price for a single license of 40 euros, the program is also one of the high-priced virus scanners.

The free version "Kaspersky Security Cloud - Free" also performed well in the test and was the front runner among the free programs.

By the way: At Stiftung Warentest, Microsoft Defender “only” got the rating “satisfactory”. Since mostly paid virus scanners with more functions and comfort were tested, but the Defender is preinstalled on every Windows computer and can be used free of charge, the placement in the middle field is not surprising.

However, the testers also emphasized positively that the Defender offers good and comprehensive protection. The in-house Windows tool is completely sufficient, especially for those who only surf the Internet from time to time and do not otherwise expose themselves to any unavoidable digital dangers - for example when downloading content from the Internet.

Essential updates

One important rule applies to Defender – just like any other antivirus software: it must always be up to date.

From the factory, the Defender is set to automatically search for updates and install them independently. User intervention is not necessary.

It is best to leave these settings unchanged for safe and convenient operation.

As with all virus scanners, however, Defender cannot guarantee complete protection, since threats from the network are constantly changing and adapting in order to break through protective functions.

Prudent behavior protects against threats

Therefore, it always depends on the behavior of the user. "Keep your computer up to date and install updates immediately," advises David Bothe from the Gelsenkirchen Institute for Internet Security, which belongs to the Westphalian University.

This applies in particular to the web browser, the operating system and all other programs that communicate with the network or the Internet.

However, you should only download something from well-known and reputable sources. The same applies to e-mails from unknown addresses that want to signal a supposedly high priority with an urgent warning or important message.

If they then also ask you to visit a further link, in most cases it is a phishing attempt through which cyber criminals want to get personal data or install malware on the computer.