
AV software for Windows 10 ... Is it necessary? - ColinWright
By Betteridge&#x27;s law of headlines[0] the answer would have to be &quot;no&quot;, but I&#x27;m getting conflicting advice.  I personally don&#x27;t use Windows, and haven&#x27;t for a <i>very</i> long time, but I&#x27;m asked this question by friends, family, and colleagues.<p>Is there a single, clear, accurate answer?  If someone is using Windows 10, should they also use Anti-Virus software?  And if so, what do people recommend.  Yes, I&#x27;ve gone out and searched around the internet, but I&#x27;d rather trust the responses here than &quot;out there.&quot;<p>Thanks<p>EDIT: As an example, here[1] is an article arguing not to install AV s&#x2F;w.<p>[0] https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Betteridge&#x27;s_law_of_headlines<p>[1] https:&#x2F;&#x2F;cheapskatesguide.org&#x2F;articles&#x2F;no-anti-virus-sw.html
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brudgers
Windows has had free anti-virus software for more than a decade. First as an
add-on, but it has shipped "in the box" for about a decade or more.

Third party Windows AV is mostly spyware at the consumer level. I say mostly
because it is logically possible that some of it isn't. At the
server/enterprise level, there are commercial offerings that exchange value
for money.

But for your friends and family, the built in Windows security is the way to
go. No third party has the resources of Microsoft and no third party has
similarly aligned interests with the security of Windows machines.

What ships in Windows 10 is really fucking good. That's why you don't
constantly see threads about rampant problems on the Windows machines of the
unwashed masses here on HN. Third party security software has mostly been
rootkit backed subscription spyware since the 00's.

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badrabbit
Yes! Not just AV but exploit guard and other security features. "I am too
smart for my browser to open a phishing link" or "windows update will save me
from exploit kits" is not a good strategy. At least turn on defender
(corporate/server is an entirely different beast).

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ColinWright
Clickable:

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge's_law_of_headlines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge's_law_of_headlines)

[1] [https://cheapskatesguide.org/articles/no-anti-virus-
sw.html](https://cheapskatesguide.org/articles/no-anti-virus-sw.html)

