Is anti-virus software really required in 2022?

It’s amazing how often we’ll have customers come into the shop and want to have a chat about third-party antivirus software. They’re concerned about protecting their device, their personal data and their privacy. While these are very important considerations to have, and we do offer various antivirus suites for those that want that extra layer of protection, I only have three words: it’s largely unnecessary.*

There are a few caveats to that statement, but it’s still a correct one. Since the days of Windows Vista, Microsoft have had antivirus software spidered into their operating systems in the form of Windows Defender (now Microsoft Defender Antivirus). While it wasn’t great at the start, more than a decade later Microsoft Defender Antivirus is well-loved by the community at large for its miniscule footprint, incredible detection accuracy and low overall impact on system speed and reliability. It’s even won some independent awards from the likes of AV-TEST, from which it received the AV-TEST Certified Top Product and a perfect 6/6 score.

Apple does this as well, but it’s a lot less visible to the end user. They released their initial version of a bundled security suite, Xprotect, with Mac OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard in 2009. This eventually grew to encompass more services, such as a firewall, file vault and quarantine, enforcement of code signing and other security features and was renamed Gatekeeper in 2012. As for Linux, well… it’s Linux. The market share just isn’t there to warrant the time required to write malicious code for it, so malware or viruses for Linux are few and far between.

This doesn’t even mention that most third-party software and services have some sort of antivirus scanner built into them anyway. Modern web browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge (goodbye Internet Explorer, it was fun) both block malicious websites AND downloads, most cloud email services like Gmail and Yahoo scan mail and attachments before they even land in your Inbox. Multi-factor authentication is a thing now and has been for a while, and most people under the age of about 45 understand the concept of online hygiene. Internet security is as decentralised as it could possibly be at this point.

All of this goes to say that if you are a typical person using your computer for normal, everyday things – browsing Reddit, watching YouTube, playing video games, checking emails et cetera, you probably don’t need to purchase a third-party antivirus suite. 

Now for the fine print…

*HOWEVER, if you are, like most of us at this point, working from home or you run your own business, then a third-party antivirus is a prerequisite, and there are upsides to purchasing one.

If you’re working with information that should stay confidential, then a corporate-class antivirus from the likes of Sophos, ESET or Bitdefender is absolutely necessary, not just for your client but for you and your company. These are incredibly efficient but expensive bits of software and occasionally hardware that come together to encompass a complete digital security solution. 

Sophos, for example, offer a robust AI-driven Endpoint Detection and Response system to identify, respond to and eliminate potential threats on client computers without even alerting the end user to the problem that’s being fixed. There are even offerings out there that bundle together your antivirus with other services, such as a password manager and VPN, for those that want that next level of protection.

Keep in mind, though, that the more that a particular antivirus package offers, the more bloated your computer will be and the slower it will run. The AV might be stellar, but the bundled software might not be as good as its competitors, so you might find that you’re looking for alternatives to that software.

I guess we’ve come to the point that I’m trying to make here: consumer antivirus is an unnecessary purchase to make as a typical user in 2022, but if you’re working from home, running a business or just want that extra peace of mind, get a business-class antivirus package. 

At the end of the day, you can never have too much security.