Do You Need Antivirus With Windows 10

Do I really need antivirus for Windows 10?

(Image credit: Microsoft)

If you're running Windows ten, should yous become an antivirus app? There are certainly some proficient reasons to do so, as we'll explore in this article, not the least of which is that Microsoft's operating system is so popular that it makes a seriously tempting target for malware authors in terms of the potential spoils to be gotten.

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Big target

Windows x is the most widely used desktop operating organization in the world, and as the OS of choice for many PCs everywhere, information technology represents a broad and juicy target for malware authors.

Quite just, if someone writes a piece of malware that exploits Windows 10, and so there are a lot of potential targets out there that the malicious software might stop up on. And so, it'southward no surprise that Windows users (including the unwise folks who remain on Windows 7) are the biggest targets for malware authors.

Now, it'south true that in recent times, malicious actors are giving Apple'southward Mac platform more attention, only Windows is however the operating arrangement which is most under threat, of course. Particularly when it comes to malware, with Mac threats disposed to be the likes of potentially unwanted programs (known as PUPs) or adware. The vast majority of the really malicious stuff is hurled at Windows machines.

Malware is growing increasingly more sophisticated — (Image credit: Andriano.cz / Shutterstock)

Threat level

Going by the latest 'country of malware' written report covering 2019 from Malwarebytes [PDF], the amount of malware detections may be remaining at the aforementioned level as the previous year, merely it's all the same a big quantity – and what's worrying is that these threats are becoming more than sophisticated in general. (Note that other security outfits have pointed to a growth in malware over the course of 2019, like Kaspersky).

Clearly, in that location'due south no shortage of perils out there online, with Malwarebytes observing that adware and Trojans (apps that look like legitimate programs, but deliver a malware payload) remain a major trouble for Windows machines. Furthermore, there'south a disturbing increase in the use of 'HackTools', which as the proper noun suggests are tools facilitating hacking into PCs, and are at present being used against consumers (rather than but businesses), with a 42% yr-on-year increase.

The likes of ransomware remain a threat to your files, exploiting crises in the real world to try to trick unsuspecting users, and so broadly speaking, the nature of Windows x as a big target for malware, and the growing composure of threats are adept reasons why you should bolster your PC's defenses with a good antivirus.

Windows Defender?

So, having established the need for an antivirus on Windows ten – and elsewhere, we've addressed the broader question of whether antivirus software is necessary at all in 2020 (the answer being 'yes', in a word) – let's come onto another indicate that some folks might argue.

Namely that with Windows 10, you get protection by default in terms of Windows Defender. So that'southward fine, and you don't need to worry about downloading and installing a third-party antivirus, because Microsoft'due south built-in app will be good enough. Right?

Well, yes and no. Windows Defender used to be something of a laughing-stock in security circles, merely all that's at present in the past. The Defender of today is actually a robust app that can indeed defend your PC true to its proper noun, and has actually achieved some impressive rankings in the reports from independent exam labs.

Windows Defender provides security by default for Windows 10 — (Paradigm credit: Microsoft)

Withal, the truth is that while Windows Defender is a solid enough solution you can rely on, there are 3rd-party antivirus apps which offer more functionality, and are still gratis – they merely take a picayune attempt to install.

So if you can accept a piffling time out, it'southward worth installing one of the leading free antivirus apps to replace Windows Defender in order to get more features and better security still – and indeed avoid a potential fly in the ointment in terms of Microsoft breaking Defender, which has happened a couple of times in the recent by.

It's also worth considering that if you want to considerably beef up the levels of security on your PC with extra layers of defence like anti-ransomware shields or added web browsing protection, you might fifty-fifty want to consider a paid antivirus.

Practise I actually need antivirus for Windows x?

Whichever fashion you die it, it would seem to be a wise choice to get an antivirus for Windows ten, and brand the try to upgrade from the default levels of security provided past Windows Defender. After all, it's easy enough to catch a decent costless app to help keep you even safer online.

Read more: How to choose the all-time antivirus for you

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) beyond a broad range of calculating topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the all-time part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published past Hachette United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland in 2013).