Is it just me or are Anti-Virus programs a bit of a scam?
- Thread starter Judgement101
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AV programs work on a subscription basis (unless free) because behind the scenes there is a huge team working support for customers, as well as an anti-virus team that researches, tests, and creates fixes for new malware. These fixes are constantly updated, and work continues even after these fixes are complete to integrate them into the core definitions of the software.Judgement101 said:
Eventually the subscription (3, 6, or 12 months usually with a new computer - the 3 and 6 month increments commonly called a trial, even through it's the full version of the software) that came with the computer is going to run out. Norton continues to run, but they will not update and will quite quickly become out of date. Which would be why windows still recognizes an AV program installed and running.
Microsoft bought out a fairly well known (at the time) company among the anti-virus community. Giant Anti-virus had what was highly regarded as pretty much the best scanner available. They struggled to get the recognition they deserved, and eventually started to falter. Microsoft scoped in and bought them out, rebranding the scanner, but left most of the team responsible for the scanner intact. That was OneCare, an older paid service. They branched off from that as Microsoft Security Essentials. From what I hear is pretty much the same thing without the promise of custom support. In particularly the heuristic scanner (detects signs of threats not yet identified) has been improved upon and seems to test well.Kraiiit said:
I never install a anti-virus. I feel they never do anything too useful anyways and really cant do anything against the big things. If anything I just format, but otherwise I have yet to get a virus or some form of spyware in the past year or so that really made me have to format.
I'm an active WoW player. so I'm pretty uptight about security. I'm trying Avira at the moment, which is going decently but for the fact that they spam your email wanting you to pay to upgrade.
I use Avira AntiVirus and I'm quite pleased with it. But yeah, it used to be pretty annoying when it kept wrestling me out of TF2 to show me THE COOL NEW STUFF I CAN GET BY UPGRADING TO PRO. Thankfully they stopped doing that.
(That was about a year ago)
(That was about a year ago)
Well wow, you just proved Santa, The Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy exist, because Linux viruses do exist.demoman_chaos said:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Linuxvirus
They may be short lived, and things can get patched quickly, but that certainly doesn't mean they don't exist.
"Avast virus database has been updated!" (Always scared the shit out of me if my speakers were on rather loud.)Echer123 said:
OT: Yeah I think they are tbh, all looking flash and snazzy to make to buy one, but I just use AVG Anti Virus Free Version. My laptop came with Bullguard Anti Virus, but its shit. So yeah.
In my fifteen years of using a computer i have never come across a single virus, and the worst that one of my computer's has ever got was a home page hijack.
That's because i don't look at porn on the net or go on any dodgy sites.
Better be safe than sorry I say.
(I do have Avira though just in case something does happen. Everyone knows that Anti virus software that costs money is a ripoff anyway)
That's because i don't look at porn on the net or go on any dodgy sites.
Better be safe than sorry I say.
(I do have Avira though just in case something does happen. Everyone knows that Anti virus software that costs money is a ripoff anyway)
That's like saying I don't need to wear a helmet since I never ride my bike over 20mph. I prefer POWERHOUSE EXCITEMENT!Jazoni89 said:
I've never used it but I thought it was common knowledge implanted into your brain at birth that Norton is evil?
the entire idea of paying for a program that is designed to make your computer keep working is a scam by my standards (or I,m just a penny pincher)
There are free antivirus programs like AVG Free, that aren't scams.
Though if you're going to say antivirus programs are scams because you have to buy subscriptions, well then the same is true for almost every online game out there.
Though if you're going to say antivirus programs are scams because you have to buy subscriptions, well then the same is true for almost every online game out there.