Two years ago I made a decision to stop using anti-virus software on my PC and I have not had one problem. I have also not had the related PC issues that anti-virus usually brings with it.
I based my decision on the following factors.
- I use GMail and Google does a fine job of vetting all of my email attachments for viruses and malware.
- I don’t click on attachments sent to me unsolicited.
- I don’t install applications on my PC that are from questionable sources.
How do I know my PC is not infected right now?
- It is operating perfectly fine with no performance issues.
- I tested it with the free Microsoft malware scanning tool called ‘Microsoft Safety Scanner’.
Am I just a Pollyanna who thinks bad things are what happens to other people? Nope. As Wired magazine reported in their article, ‘Is Antivirus Software a Waste of Money?’
Dan Guido, the CEO of security startup Trail of Bits also doesn’t use AV. Some security pros use it because they’re in regulated industries, or because they work with customers who require it. “If it weren’t for that,” he says, “almost nobody in the security industry would run it.”
Test: Did you click on the link and then download and install the Microsoft tool using the link I provided above?
Result: Then you failed and you should buy an Antivirus security package to save you from yourself.
I found the tool by performing a Google search, but I didn’t trust that the link was taking me to a legitimate Microsoft site page. So I typed microsoft.com into the URL bar to go to the home page of Microsoft. Where I THEN searched for the tool.
And that is what you should have done too. When it comes to installing an application on your computer, be certain that you are downloading it from a reputable source.
You most certainly can live without antivirus software. Just always remember that in doing so, you become the “antivirus software”. And for many of us that works very well.