Consider upgrading to a fresh antivirus solution.
Consider upgrading to a fresh antivirus solution.
Antivirus is often described as avoiding stupidity. I also rely on Malwarebytes when I think I’ve made a mistake.
A good antivirus remains effective as long as it stays current and you exercise caution online. Norton continues to be a solid choice; don’t let those who haven’t used it or dislike it simply because it comes pre-installed on many devices convince you otherwise. There are several on this site. After proper setup—removing unnecessary community features and reports—you rarely even see Norton, and it doesn’t significantly affect system resources (unlike Avast and AVG, which can be heavy). This improvement comes from a complete code rewrite in the 2009 update. I recently tested Kaspersky Internet Security and Bitdefender (trial), and both performed poorly when Norton was no longer available. Bitdefender blocked me from the internet until I removed it. (It might use its own certificates, which raises concerns if it doesn’t work immediately.) With Kaspersky, the firewall alerts you when any connection attempt is made, unlike Norton, which only shows one popup per software—unless you enable its own smart rules. Ultimately, I returned to Norton, knowing it functions well and isn’t a constant nuisance. (It really does if you turn off the annoying alerts.) If you prefer another option, review independent tests at https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/, or check reports from DennistechnologyLabs. Also, avoid the same error many here make—Malwarebytes isn’t an antivirus; it’s focused on malware removal.
- Malwarebytes
- Spybot Search and Destroy
- Blocking access to adult websites