14 DAY TRIAL // There’s a lot of controversy online these days as to whether a third-party antivirus is still needed to keep our computers on the safe side.
First, there are antivirus vendors and security institutes who claim that third-party antivirus is still a must-have despite the improvements that Microsoft implemented in Windows 10. Furthermore, independent test labs have shown that Windows Defender still provides weaker security than third-party products, as it still lacks some features such as online banking protection and shopping scanners.
On the other hand, there’s Microsoft, who claims that Windows Defender is a grown-up antivirus capable of offering full protection to a Windows system.
The software giant is also pointing to the upcoming Creators Update due in April, revealing that Windows Defender would become Windows Defender Security Center to group some other features beside the typical malware detection and removal engine.
We ask, you answer
And more recently, there’s a former Mozilla engineer who explains that third-party antivirus does more harm than good on a Windows computer because it actually opens additional flaws that can be exploited by cybercriminals to compromise computers.
“AV products poison the software ecosystem because their invasive and poorly-implemented code makes it difficult for browser vendors and other developers to improve their own security,” he said in a statement that is making the rounds right now.
As far as users are concerned, however, opinions still seem to be divided, and while some people think that third-party antivirus is a must-have these days, others claim that Windows Defender is more than enough if you stay away from malicious websites and the classic scams you come across online. And that’s why we’re asking you.
Do you believe that third-party antivirus is still needed in Windows 10? Or is Windows Defender a capable security solution that can protect your computer against malware? If you’re already running third-party security software, which one do you recommend? Are freeware antivirus solutions a good choice? Make sure you post your answers in the comment box below.