Windows defender?

[bobaz]

Been reading that "windows defender" is much improved over last few years.  Saw some ratings, that puts it as good, or better than paid antivirus programs.  The only negative I found was prone to false positives, any thoughts?

[Marky146]

I've not renewed my Avast subscription. Happy with Defender for now.

[Lange_666]

Defender all the way... and you get false positives in every AV.

[MAXsenna]

Never had any false positives with defender. Maybe I'm lucky. Been using it on this PC for the last eight years.
No virus' it didn't catch either. But then I don't go and click things I don't trust.
Cheers!

Sent from my MAR-LX1A using Tapatalk

[RosyPlays]

I use Malwarebytes+Avast+CCleaner Free, 0 issues with them and no need to worry about false positives nor performance impact during gaming/flying. Windows defender can be bypassed by some viruses and randomly scans your computer ruining your performance.

Edited April 23, 2021 by RosyPlays

[Lange_666]

Never had Defender ruining my performance...not once nor did any virus get through since i use it (last 4-5 years).

[Rudel_chw]

1 hour ago, RosyPlays said:

 Windows defender can be bypassed by some viruses and randomly scans your computer ruining your performance.

 

Acording to this, Defender is as good as Avast:

 

https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/

 

My own experience is that Defender is effective, and has little impact on Windows performance, have been using it since Windows 8.

 

1 hour ago, RosyPlays said:

I use Malwarebytes+Avast+CCleaner Free, 0 issues with them and no need to worry about false positives 

 

 

Really? ... I remember quite a bit of threads with Malwarebytes quarintining DCS components last year alone.

Edited April 23, 2021 by Rudel_chw

[RosyPlays]

4 hours ago, Rudel_chw said:

 

Acording to this, Defender is as good as Avast:

 

https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/

 

My own experience is that Defender is effective, and has little impact on Windows performance, have been using it since Windows 8.

 

You can google it yourself Windows Defender vs Avast , I wouldn't put full trust on a single random website I would see reviews and posts made by users. 
I did a quick research and here is what I found.
Here are my references and opinions:
- https://www.safetydetectives.com/blog/windows-defender-vs-antiviruses-is-defender-enough-for-you/
Ignore the other AVs in the blog above they are not important nor good. 

"Windows Defender Malware detection rates are lower than many third-party competitors."
I believe this is true because I had sometimes over the last 5 years where Malwarebytes and Avast detected things where Defender couldn't detect.

"Malwarebytes offers advanced protection against a wide range of malware threats, including zero-day attacks and ransomware. Malwarebytes’s scanning engine is just as high quality as top competitors like Norton and McAfee — I was pleasantly surprised that Malwarebytes caught every single malware sample during my tests."
That's why I use Malwarebytes it has way better virus detection than any free Antivirus and sometimes better than a paid one, I only scan my computer with Malwarebytes when I download something from suspicious or unpopular site or scan every week/month.

"Windows Defender Lacks additional tools which third-party antiviruses have, like a VPN, password manager, dark web monitoring, or identity theft protection."
Also defender lacks customizability and features compared to Avast but this could be preference. 

- https://www.minitool.com/backup-tips/windows-defender-vs-avast.html

"In the AV-Test’s April 2019 evaluations, Windows Defender scored a 5.5 out of 6 in the performance category, while Avast scored a perfect 6 out of 6 in the same evaluation."
My CPU usage goes as low as 3% to 10% when on desktop and idle with apps running in background. (Avast, Chrome, Discord, MSI Afterburner, MSI Gaming APP, Geforce Experience, Task Manager, Rivatuner)
I just did this research after your reply and my points turned out to be true. 
 

 

4 hours ago, Rudel_chw said:

 

Really? ... I remember quite a bit of threads with Malwarebytes quarintining DCS components last year alone.

 

I use Avast as my active protection 24/7 AV on all my windows devices, and Malwarebytes scans as a second AV for when Avast/Defender don't detect anything.

Note: You can still scan your computer with Windows Defender even with Avast as an active AV, or you can do the opposite and have Defender as the active AV but as mentioned above it isn't that good. (Anyways there's no reason to do that)

These are all the facts that I have I believe all my facts/claims are 100% true anything other than that is just preference. 

I did some research on this website
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/
It turns out it's reliable source but they don't do tests on every side so not the most accurate results.

Edited April 24, 2021 by RosyPlays

[bobaz]

Thanks for the comments

[reece146]

Windows Defender is totally adequate.

 

Installing a third party root kit (Avast/McAffee/whomever) is not good security.

[Hiob]

changed to defender (from Avira) two years ago. For the same reasons, every test/review/comparison I read came to the conclusion that it's a equivalent (sometimes better )alternative by now. Never had any issues since than. Neither false positives nor a virus... (though, I didn't had any issues with avira, too, except for the price).

[Taz1004]

You combine Defender with firewall, email encryption, two step verifications, and some common sense, it's more than adequate.  I find other antivirus to be too intrusive.  There's reason why first step in computer troubleshooting is "Disable Antivirus".

I also don't trust antivirus that bundles itself into freeware and tricks people into installing it.  McAfee and Avast I see a lot in freeware.

Edited April 26, 2021 by Taz1004

[dburne]

Defender is all I have used for the last few years.

[BitMaster]

Defender

 

If you really want to spend money then my pick was Avira or Kaspersky

[rajdary]

Been using defender for last 5-6 years. Very satisfied with it.

[Thinder]

Defender won't stop hacking, more to it, trusting Microsoft with anything is plain dumb, there is no more intrusive than the whole Windows 10 package and all the "multimedia" gizmos they put in it.

 

The less one leaves control to those automatism, the best, and Defender is fully part of it, I use it but under control, everything else is turned OFF, especially automatic update which I have to disable literally every single day.

 

Big brother is it.

Edited May 2, 2021 by Thinder

[Taz1004]

14 hours ago, Thinder said:

Defender won't stop hacking, more to it, trusting Microsoft with anything is plain dumb, there is no more intrusive than the whole Windows 10 package and all the "multimedia" gizmos they put in it.

 

The less one leaves control to those automatism, the best, and Defender is fully part of it, I use it but under control, everything else is turned OFF, especially automatic update which I have to disable literally every single day.

 

Big brother is it.

 

 

Most of us are aware of the big brother apps and softwares.  But I believe most of us also knowingly allow it for convenience.  We do it all the time like giving your credit card to a waiter or keys to valet.

Google by far is the worst.  It tracks where you've been if you use Google maps.  And they actually push ads based on stores you've been to and passed by.  And they know what part of which YouTube videos you've been rewinding.  All part of "Google Analytics".  They know your passwords even if you elect not to save them.  And Google was big part of Snowden scandal.  If you don't trust Microsoft, you should be on Linux in the first place.  Installing Windows and not trusting its security doesn't make sense to me.

Edited May 2, 2021 by Taz1004

[Rudel_chw]

5 minutes ago, Taz1004 said:

...  Installing Windows and not trusting its security doesn't make sense to me.

 

+1   .. my PC is just for playing games, so I don't care who may be spying on me

Edited May 2, 2021 by Rudel_chw

[Fri13]

22 minutes ago, Taz1004 said:

Google by far is the worst.  It tracks where you've been if you use Google maps.

 

Only for security is one to use burners phone, prepaid connection paid with cash, not to visit specific sites usually, not to have any accounts anywhere etc. As profiling even a random new internet device becomes very easy if one visit same place periodically.

Even with style of writing one can be profiled.

 

Question is always, who wants to see all that trouble to find it out who is the user? Or when the specific person is using what...

 

Everyone has something to hide, that is not the question. It is what someone benefits from knowing it...

[Taz1004]

BTW, I was recently hacked and let me share it as both warning and illustrate how antivirus doesn't help.

 

My Steam account was locked for suspicious activity.  Someone must've tried to access multiple times.  So I was in the process of recovering my account and password through their automated system.  With series of verification via email.  All of sudden I got notification that I made $267 worth of purchase on Steam and gifted them to someone.  That was exact amount I had on my Paypal.  My new password didn't work and I was locked out of my account.

 

What happened is one of the email verification was not from Steam but from this hacker.  Looked exactly like from Steam and even the email address domain was steamsupport.com.  And because I initiated the process, I wasn't being suspicious.  Clicking the link in the email sent me to a site that looked like Steam site which told me to enter current and new password.  I don't know if this hacker knew I was attempting the recovery at that specific time or just coincidence.  But basically I was fooled.  And no antivirus will save you if you "confirm" the action through this type of hacks.

 

Fortunately, Paypal has protection against this so I reported it.  Blocked the payment.  But I had to reinstall Windows to be safe and changed all my passwords again.

[Aluminum Donkey]

On 4/23/2021 at 12:22 PM, bobaz said:

Been reading that "windows defender" is much improved over last few years.  Saw some ratings, that puts it as good, or better than paid antivirus programs.  The only negative I found was prone to false positives, any thoughts?

 

I'm using it, Windows 10 Home.

 

It seems OK... It comes with Windows, so the price is right. I also use the free version of Malwarebytes for the occasional virus scan, it's good to use two different programs. Makes you more likely to catch everything.

 

Also, every antivirus program out there produces false positives. I get quite a few of them because I've used modding programs to minimize the amount of spying that Windows 10 does.

 

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[Thinder]

Quote

.  Installing Windows and not trusting its security doesn't make sense to me.

 

Right...

 

Your comments would make sense if there were alternative to Windows for gaming, do you know of any?

 

Here you have your answer, Microsoft like any other big tech company doesn't give a damned about their customers, they have a monopoly and are full on into politics, which involve more censorship and control of what one does with the product they buy from them, then perhaps you haven't noticed but it doesn't stop them releasing mediocre updates that people complain about, only to realize that their customer support is also mediocre.

 

In short, I've been with and without defender for exactly the same results when it comes to protection and it is not level wih the best antivirus packages there are, as simple as that, plus, as I pointed out already, it doesn't deter hackers and as Aluminum Donkey pointed out, the spying apps embeded in Windoiws 10 are numerous enough to be alarming and raise the question WHAT FOR?

 

I already know the answer, Microsoft are planning the next level of spying and surveillance of the WEB, it can only be solved two ways: Techies writting lines to disable those spies in your O.S or politically by head of states supporting free speech and fighting globalism.

 

When it comes to protection, I use TotalAV for antivirus with superior results and as early as I find another (new) way to get rid of automatic update AND defender I'll use it.

 

 

Edited May 3, 2021 by Thinder

[Taz1004]

35 minutes ago, Thinder said:

 

Right...

 

Your comments would make sense if there were alternative to Windows for gaming, do you know of any?

 

Here you have your answer, Microsoft like any other big tech company doesn't give a damned about their customers, they have a monopoly and are full on into politics, which involve more censorship and control of what one does with the product they buy from them, then perhaps you haven't noticed but it doesn't stop them releasing mediocre updates that people complain about, only to realize that their customer support is also mediocre.

 

In short, I've been with and without defender for exactly the same results when it comes to protection and it is not level wih the best antivirus packages there are, as simple as that, plus, as I pointed out already, it doesn't deter hackers and as Aluminum Donkey pointed out, the spying apps embeded in Windoiws 10 are numerous enough to be alarming and raise the question WHAT FOR?

 

I already know the answer, Microsoft are planning the next level of spying and surveillance of the WEB, it can only be solved two ways: Techies writting lines to disable those spies in your O.S or politically by head of states supporting free speech and fighting globalism.

 

When it comes to protection, I use TotalAV for antivirus with superior results and as early as I find another (new) way to get rid of automatic update AND defender I'll use it.

 

 

 

 

I think you missed my point.  I wasn't saying there is alternate.  I just disagreed with you labeling our usage and knowingly allowing it as "dumb".

As I pointed out in my hacked example, there are multiple layers of security.  Not just antivirus or defender.  And I certainly don't think it's "dumb" for using defender as one of the layer.

Edited May 3, 2021 by Taz1004

[Thinder]

20 minutes ago, Taz1004 said:

 

 I just disagreed with you labeling our usage and knowingly allowing it as "dumb".

 

 

It's not me you disagree with simply because my comments weren't on you using it but this.

Quote

trusting Microsoft with anything is plain dumb

 

You can use Defenser as much as you want, but trusting Microsoft is certainly  not the smartest thing to do, there are multiple reasons not to: Starting by the way they force updates on customers, stop (and prevent the reinstallation of) support for early releases of Windows 10 (I know I tried to revert since they prevent disabling automatic update) etc.

 

That's not mentioning the fact that their virtual reality package depends on updates to work and you have all the reasons you need to keep defender under close surveillance, the only reason they can legally get away with all this B.S is because of the monopoly they have on O.S, other than that, I'm sure a good lawyer could find tons of reasons to sue them for abusing their customer rights...

 

 

Edited May 3, 2021 by Thinder

[Taz1004]

18 minutes ago, Thinder said:

 

It's not me you disagree with simply because my comments weren't on you using it but this.

 

You can use Defenser as much as you want, but trusting Microsoft is certainly  not the smartest thing to do, there are multiple reasons not to: Starting by the way they force updates on customers, stop (and prevent the reinstallation of) support for early releases of Windows 10 (I know I tried to revert since they prevent disabling automatic update) etc.

 

That's not mentioning the fact that their virtual reality package depends on updates to work and you have all the reasons you need to keep defender under close surveillance, the only reason they can legally get away with all this B.S is because of the monopoly they have on O.S, other than that, I'm sure a good lawyer could find tons of reasons to sue them for abusing their customer rights...

 

 

 

 

What is your definition of "trusting"?  And how is that definition different than "using"?

Do you "trust" your TotalAV?  Do you "trust" Google?  Or Facebook?  Do you trust your bank?  Do you trust your government?  Do you trust that your front door will stop intruder?

Edited May 3, 2021 by Taz1004