For example, it scored poorly in our hands-on phishing protection test, which uses real-world fraudulent sites scraped from the web. In our testing, however, we discovered some significant limitations. In addition to providing antivirus protection, it also manages other security features such as Windows Firewall. But that was years ago, and this tool has been steadily improving its scores.Īfter going through various names, it’s now called Microsoft Defender Antivirus. When the independent testing labs started including Microsoft Defender, it managed to score below zero in some tests. Oh, it went through some rough stages developmentally. At release, it could detect around 1,200 specific viruses, and users had to install any updates manually.įast-forward to today, and you get Microsoft Defender, a rather more impressive product. The core of that product was purchased by Symantec and became the OG Norton Antivirus.

Microsoft has offered built-in antivirus protection of one kind or another since the release of Microsoft Anti-Virus for DOS in 1993. Either way, you can improve your protection by installing a third-party antivirus.ĭo I Need Antivirus Software If I Have Windows Defender? For others, security is baked into the OS thoroughly enough that malware has a really hard time doing anything. For some, protection takes the form of a full-on antivirus. Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS all include protection against malware, in one way or another. Depending on the operating system, adding security beyond what’s built in ranges from a good idea to an absolute necessity. In most cases, you really should pay for security, or use a third-party free solution. And hey, Macs don’t catch viruses, right? Maybe you can just rely on the security that’s built in, rather than laying out your hard-earned cash for security protection. If you don’t have a third-party antivirus installed on your Windows PC, you’ve probably noticed the occasional message from Microsoft Defender.

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