Do i really need an antivirus program installed on my pc?

[NOT_PROVIDED_16]

Hello thanks for taking time to read and answer my question!
Do i really need an antivirus program installed on my pc? i am always careful what websites i visit and i always use the latest version of google chrome.
can i just use windows defender on all of my windows 10 devices. My UltraBook only has a 32gb ssd.

 

[ThatVietGuy]

You can get away with not having a dedicated AV program, but just because you THINK you visit the safest websites doesn't mean you won't catch something.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

 

[JoshRC]

Windows Defender automatically scans programs you open, downloads new definitions from Windows Update, and provides an interface you can use for in-depth scans. So it does the job but thats about it. There are better options as far a AV goes but defender wont annoy you with annoying pop ups asking for money. Also third party AV often conflict with windows and can cause problems, which can usually be fixed pretty easily however.

So really its your choice but if you are careful and what you do on your pc then i think that defender should be satisfactory.

 

[Colif]

Avast asks you for money even if you have a subscription with them. whereas the one I use now (Bitdefender) has never asked for money, doesn't make them out as going broke. I do have a sub though, not sure how the free one deals with it.

One way to ensure you only got to safe sites is use Ublock Origin on all your browsers, it won't let you go onto the unsafe sites. Its my extra security blanket.

You can also run Malwarebytes, it can act as a extra shield on top of defender. Just run it whenever you want, doesn't need to always be on.

 

[wpgwpg]

If you're running Windows 10, Defender does a decent job, but I'd use the free version of MalwareBytes every few weeks to rid myself of PUPs (Potentially Unwated Programs) and malware that you can't avoid picking up even from places you think are safe (As ThatVietguy pointed out). Better safe than sorry.

 

[CountMike]

Internet security is between you ears, everything else just helps a bit.

 

[Colif]

Internet security is between you ears, everything else just helps a bit.

True, it can't stop you if you decide to turn it off cause you have to have that file... false positives are the one down side of being overly protected. I have turned Bit defender off once for that very reason, it was saying a file was dangerous even when I knew it wasn't. But that is a rarity.