Am i fully protected?

So i recently installed 11 on my laptop a few weeks ago. I only have defender on it. Is that enough protection? I dont mind paying for premium protection as well as long as my laptop is fully protected.

Also does anyone know whats going on with this KB2267602 update? Its related to defender. It keeps showing up in windows update and updates and then comes back like later on.

bryan123 said:

So i recently installed 11 on my laptop a few weeks ago. I only have defender on it. Is that enough protection? I dont mind paying for premium protection as well as long as my laptop is fully protected.

Also does anyone know whats going on with this KB2267602 update? Its related to defender. It keeps showing up in windows update and updates and then comes back like later on.

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Most folk end up using Windows Defender and Malwarebytes (free or paid), for a 2nd opinion.

It rather depends - you hear lots of opinions for and against but a lot of the negative opinion is based on opinions of years ago. Recent reviews say it is as good as anything else.

In truth, the largest factor for getting infected with malware is human error e.g. clicking links without thinking, visiting dodgy websites.

A lot here also download malwarebytes and use it offline (frre of offline) periodically scanning pc say weekly as a backup to Defender.

I use Defender and never had an infection for years but I suspect main teason is I take care when surfing.

Having said that I almost fell foul of a very realistic email that was spoofing my enery supplier, and it was asking me to login to pay my latest electricity bill, but somethinh did not ring true - the wording was a bit unpolished. I deleted the email, and went online via my installed app, and sure enough, there was no demand for any payment albeit one was due soon.

My point is that no package in the world can protect you against that sort of thing, only your brain.

The other thing I do is make regular image backups so if pc ever gets ransomed or fata is attacked, I can just wipe pc and get back to a good state in less than an hour.

I actually think some people buy expensive packages which only realy give a marginal benefit but then STOP thinking as they get lulled into a false sense of security.

In the end, you have to judge what protection suits you, but ALWAYS use your brain and develop mitigation strategies in case things go wrong.

bryan123 said:

Also does anyone know whats going on with this KB2267602 update? Its related to defender. It keeps showing up in windows update and updates and then comes back like later on.

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Defender is all I use, and I've had nothing get past it yet.

KB2267602 is for the virus definitions it uses. These get updated at least once a day, so it's completely normal to see that update frequently. It means your protection is being kept up to date.

bryan123 said:

I only have defender on it.

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I'm only used Defender, and no other third-party AVs.
As of now, I didn't have any malwares on my system

KB2267602 is a anti-malware definition update, because Defender is a cloud-based anti-malware, it would have definition updates once a day.

I have been using Windows Defender for years. I did download Free Malwarebytes but run it very seldom anymore. I feel Defender is a very good protection program.

I have always been a belt & suspenders kind of guy...I use Bitdefender and Malwarebytes. To make my selection on what AV to use I check AV Comparatives for their evaluation. If you like to use 3rd party evaluations you can check their test results at the following site;

In the past, I have used Norton, Kaspersky, AVG, McAffee and Avast, but now only have Defender and the free Malwarebytes. I do frequent scans with both, and the WD offline every week. I have higher than average security settings, such as no passwords remembered and I don't mind logging in to everything used each time the pc's are switched on. Added security from TPM and secure boot are welcome on my W11 machines.
Should you still want a paid for security suite, spend a little time checking out prices, which seem to vary greatly for the same thing, some prices are also for multiple pc's, or for more than a year which can be attractive.

I agree with most of the posts on this thread. I use McAfee, which I get as part of my internet service with my ISP. in the past, I've gotten by with just Windows Defender and Malware Bytes. I recommend making regular backups and disk images just in case you do get hit with malware or ransomware.

Bearing in mind there is no such thing as "fully protected". The moment you connect to the internet, or connect an external device, you're vulnerable.

Practice safe computing first, then rely on software to add that extra level of protection, but don't be lulled into a false sense of security by commercial hype.

idgat said:

Bearing in mind there is no such thing as "fully protected". The moment you connect to the internet, or connect an external device, you're vulnerable.

Practice safe computing first, then rely on software to add that extra level of protection, but don't be lulled into a false sense of security by commercial hype.

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This As said many times before, the most effective AV exists between the chair and the keyboard

I agree that using good practices with the software you choose or the websites you visit is the best way to stay safe, but nothing is 100%. Many antivirus programs use cloud services. I personally don't want samples of all of my files or filenames being logged on some companies cloud server. It may sound paranoid, but being "connected" shouldn't mean you give up all privacy. I use a firewall program (there are many) that asks before I allow a program access to the internet. Windows itself sends out a lot of data to it's servers, most of which does not benefit me. Same with many of my programs. I understand the need for updates, but other then that I don't think my word processor or photo viewer need to send anything over the internet unless I tell it to. I just assume doing manual updates for some of my programs.

Anyway, safe computing should be thought of both what comes into your computer and also what goes out.

bryan123 said:

So i recently installed 11 on my laptop a few weeks ago. I only have defender on it. Is that enough protection? I dont mind paying for premium protection as well as long as my laptop is fully protected.

Also does anyone know whats going on with this KB2267602 update? Its related to defender. It keeps showing up in windows update and updates and then comes back like later on.

Click to expand...

These days paying for protection is actually bringing you the option to burn your computer for crypto mining.

I'm quite happy with Defender and Windows Firewall set to block all incoming and outgoing connections by default, whitelisting only those that need access for core functionality.

My browsers are configured with maximum security and I use browser compartmentalization as well as multiple profiles within each browser to minimize tracking.

I agree with @TheMystic except about crypto mining.
One advantage of paid AV it does offer a cleaning and maintenance program built in. You would have to research that.
Defender has come on a lot in recent years and many people are more than happy with it.
Common sense as well is good with any AV

The-Hive said:

I agree with @TheMystic except about crypto mining.

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There are a known and proven number of anti-malware programs that include crypto mining, by default. Unless the user is aware of which ones, and then how to disable, that facility is off and running on the users device.

The biggest problem is that the main ones using this facility are the ones the inexperienced users are exposed to because of mass marketing, add-ons to other products during installation, spamming emails designed to scare, etc.

@idgat There has been many threads on the subject of crypto mining.
Just to tell you that. Only some versions with big GPU's 6GB or more can do it. Not all versions of the AV programs offer it. It cannot be turned on by anyone except the user. the executable can be deleted. Crypto mining is just not understood by most people and cause them to jump to all sorts of wrong conclusions.
I am not going to comment further as this topic has been done to death.

The-Hive said:

@idgat There has been many threads on the subject of crypto mining.
Just to tell you that. Only some versions with big GPU's 6GB or more can do it. Not all versions of the AV programs offer it. It cannot be turned on by anyone except the user. the executable can be deleted. Crypto mining is just not understood by most people and cause them to jump to all sorts of wrong conclusions.
I am not going to comment further as this topic has been done to death.

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If someone wanted to mine, Who in they're right mind would think oh yeah lets use my AV company xD!
You can mine with CPU,GPU And even SSD'S now, Albeit the GPU mining is probably the only one worth bothering with and even then. 6gb for a gpu is faily below standard now in that term, Wouldn't even sniff a GPU with less than 8gb and even then in todays standards thats in the middle of going upwards too.
Mining eth or something will give you some good fun and a little extra dough but you're ideally looking at a mining rig with several gpu's to make it worth you're while.
Crypto mining was so 3 years ago and people are only just coming to the table now.
Missed the seat when no one wanted it.

Sir_George said:

I have always been a belt & suspenders kind of guy...I use Bitdefender and Malwarebytes. To make my selection on what AV to use I check AV Comparatives for their evaluation. If you like to use 3rd party evaluations you can check their test results at the following site;

Home

www.av-comparatives.org

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Good job you are not a Brit as first sentence conjures up images not suitable for this forum LOL

cereberus said:

Good job you are not a Brit as first sentence conjures up images not suitable for this forum LOL

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I thought they called those things the same everywhere

The-Hive said:

Crypto mining is just not understood by most people and cause them to jump to all sorts of wrong conclusions.
I am not going to comment further as this topic has been done to death.

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I think your posts on the same are focused primarily on how Norton implemented it in its own product. Not all implementations are like that.

An antivirus or internet security suite is supposed to keep the system running very efficiently, using minimal resources and blocking all types of malware.

Crypto Mining defeats the 1st purpose. I can assure you the way Norton advertises it is pretty misleading. They are fully aware that over 90% (may be much higher) of their users will simply opt-in on the assumption that this is something good for them. The fact is the costs of mining are clearly not explained properly and Norton is misusing its role as a security solution provider by misleading its own customers.

While I understand you are not interested in discussing it further, It would help if someone can explain the fundamentals that drive the intrinsic value of all these crypto currencies.

As far as I understood, there is no intrinsic value. It is pure gambling. When a currency (assuming I can call it that) is volatile enough to see 2 or even 3 digit growth because Elon Musk made a one line tweet, it explains the whole story.