Helping people with computers... one answer at a time.
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Listen to the podcast: Do you really need
anti-virus software?. 
Transcript
This is Leo Notenboom for askleo.info.
Every so often I get asked by someone if they really need anti-virus software.
Common wisdom is that you do, and true to that label it's a wise thing to do. In fact, if you have any doubt what the answer to the question is, then the answer for you is clearly, positively yes. Yes you do need to run anti-virus software, and of course keep it up to date.
But you can tell from the way I put that, I left us an out.
Here's the deal - anti-virus software monitors and scans for and (hopefully) eradicates any viruses that appear on your machine.
Well, what if they never appear? Or if they do appear, what if they never get executed?
Well, then it follows that your anti-virus software is kinda redundant. Perhaps even pointless.
So there you go: if you can be 100% certain that you're able to prevent viruses from even reaching your machine or you're 100% certain that a virus would never get executed, then you're done. You don't need anti-virus software.
Remember: you need to be 100% certain.
Now, it may sound like I'm being a little sarcastic or facetious, and I suppose I am a little. But on the other hand, I do know people who match that criteria. A good friend of mine runs without anti-virus software. He's not a geek, but he is very internet savvy. He can get away with it because he knows what he's doing.
Personally, I run anti-virus software and I have for years. But to be totally honest, I probably haven't had to. I've never been infected and the anti-virus software has never detected an actual threat. Like my friend, I too kind of know what I'm doing and how to avoid viruses in the first place.
But I have come close a time or two. I almost fell for a phishing scam some months ago. Had I done so, it could have resulted in a real infection.
So I'll keep running anti-virus software. In my opinion it's cheap insurance even for those who know what they're doing, or especially those who just think they do.
As for everyone else? It's a requirement. Run anti-virus software and make sure to keep it's database of threats up to date.
Oh, and get behind a firewall. Everyone needs that - know-it-alls and newbies alike. That's actually a key part of keeping the viruses at bay in the first place.
I'd love to hear what you think. Visit askleo.info and enter 11905 in the go to article number box to access the show notes, the transcript and to leave me a comment. While you're there, browse over 1,200 technical questions and answers on the site.
Till next time, I'm Leo Notenboom, for askleo.info.
Article C3179 - October 13, 2007
Leo A. Notenboom has been playing with computers since he
was required to take a programming class in 1976. An 18 year career as a programmer at Microsoft soon followed.
After "retiring" in 2001, Leo started Ask Leo! in 2003 as a place for answers
to common computer and technical questions. More about Leo.
i have always used 1 anti-virus and 1 firewall ( apart from windows)afterall when you leave home you lock your doors dont you.
Posted by: john cowton at October 30, 2007 5:16 AMYeah Leo, I totally agree with you on this one. In my opinion, the anti-virus program is not at all such a necessity in case of knowledgeable computer users. In fact, I would even recommend against it because of the stress (i.e. file-system level monitoring of files opening/closing/etc.) that it puts on a user's system. But yeah, a good firewall (like for instance XP SP2's, don't ask me why!!) is a completely different matter ...
And as I wrote in my post in the "Anti-virus necessary?": http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/.../m/116001624831 thread on forumu on Ars Technica website:
"Well, IMO the problem in our cases (of computer savvy users) can be that we disable the "real-time" protection (I most certainly recommend this, at least for example during software installations, applying various updates etc.), and so we can be infected then when protection is off.
For instance, I use Avast! anti-virus program, and I enable its "on-access" protection only when I am connected to the Internet, and even then only the "Web Shield" component. As I mentioned many times already, I mostly visit the same set of sites every day, then I practice the "common sense" thing in surfing the web etc. etc., so I haven't got any problem (with a few exceptions, which were all my experimenting's/stupidity's fault) with viruses or any other form of malware for years!!"
P.S., I also touched this issue/subject in great details in this entry: http://tadej.sopca.com/2007/10/05/o-uporabineuporabi-anti-virusnih-programov/ on my slovenian blog; although it's in slovenian language you might understand some parts of it.
________
best regards,
Posted by: Ivan Tadej at October 31, 2007 9:54 AMIvan Tadej, Slovenia
http://tadej-ivan.50webs.com/
i want to safe my phone
Posted by: arun at June 13, 2010 10:03 PMI have 3 Windows 7 laptops and none of them have any anti-virus software on them. I don't believe in anti-virus software because I think they could cause more problems than solve them. It could give a false reading and tell me I have a virus, when I don't and block access to my other software. On Windows 7 we have Windows Defender and Malicious Software Removal Tool-MRT. And these two tools both scan and remove viruses and malware. But at the same time,they don't take over your computer like an anti-virus program does. That is YOU control how you want these programs to run and when they scan. Andrea Borman.
Posted by: Miss. Andrea Borman at April 12, 2011 4:50 AMI'd like to see a 2011 Win7 update to this question...have your thoughts changed, stayed the same, any other thoughts?
McAfee pop-ups from the bundled software from Dell is almost as annoying than an actual virus. "Do you want to buy?" "Your protection is over in a month. Now do you want to buy?" "Now?" "Now?" "Special, 1-time offer--want to buy?" "Same special 1-time offer again--want to buy now?"
And on and on. Any thoughts?
14-Jun-2011
Posted by: Jamie at June 14, 2011 7:24 AM