Is antivirus protection software really necessary?
The short answer is ”yes.”
The long answer is “you better believe it!”
Viruses don’t just slow your computer down… Yeah, they do that, too, but viruses, spyware, adware, malware, they’re pretty much all designed with one goal in mind: Making money.
The very first virus ever created was just a practical joke, and some people do still create viruses as a joke, however, it does take time and money to develop these things, so most of the people making viruses are making a living at it.
There are viruses that allow remote users access to your computer, for example. So some con artist out there doesn’t even need to trick you into sending them a password, they could just go ahead and change it themselves, or open up your sensitive files and steal personal information.
Even on the lower end of hacking, you have Trojans and viruses that steal your email and sell it to spam kings, or steal your ip address and sell that to other virus makers.
The bottom line is that the people behind these viruses want money, preferably yours, but they’ll take it from someone else if they can get something off of you worth selling.
So yes, you need virus protection. Even if you don’t really care about your computer all that much, even if it’s a 2000 model Packard Bell that’s literally falling apart at the seams, protecting yourself from malevolent programs isn’t really about your computer, it’s about your identity.
If you can, you want to go with the most decked out, full-protection package you can get. If you don’t have a lot of money to blow on virus protection, there are plenty of great virus scanners and blockers out there that you can buy for exactly zero dollars. To name just a couple, you have AVG Free, and Avira AntiVir Personal.
If your computer is not protected, follow those links and protect it right now. You can worry about upgrading to something fancier sometime down the line, but for now, just make sure you’re protected.
One thing that perhaps isn’t emphasized enough, however, is that a virus blocker, spam blocker, and a good virus scanner… it’s not quite an impenetrable defense. You need to couple your antivirus software up with an ounce or two of common sense. Remember the golden rules of protecting your identity online: Stay away from questionable websites, only use your financial accounts on trusted websites, and never, ever, tell anyone any of your passwords.
