You can stay away from malware-related threats if you are careful to keep your software up to date, use strong passwords, and avoid suspicious links in online messaging and apps. However, you’ll still require antivirus protection and it’s a great choice to choose a program that also monitors other forms of digital threats, including ransomware or spyware, phishing bots and rogue applications. The best antivirus will shield you from these threats while also safeguarding your privacy and stopping the theft of sensitive data.
The free Microsoft Defender, which is included on every Windows PC from Windows 8 up, isn’t the best in independent lab tests but it’s easy to set up and use and almost invisible as it runs, merely it will announce its presence by a short message or an alert. More extensive options like ESET Cyber Security Pro offer a variety of settings to fine-tune its behaviour and are less intrusive in terms of background performance.
AVG Internet Security is a solid free antivirus that has been enhanced with a user friendly interface and affordable prices ($60 for 10 devices in the initial year). It’s worth recommending because it’s a good addition to AVG’s free antivirus. The Essential version is https://www.chatabate.org a stripped-back version that protects against ransomware, malware, and attacks on phishing, while the Premium version adds a VPN to your Mac and extras like a password manager. All versions received the highest marks from AV Comparatives for protection, and scored very low in terms of impact on PC performance.