Do i not need an antivirus?

Question

i think antivirus companies and the media make us think these things are Much More needed then they really are. and here is why. i never run antivirus not in the last 6 years. and you know how many times i have had Malware of any kind on My System? ZERO! that's right. in 6 years i never had anything bad on My system at all. and i spend at least 12 hours a day online at the very least. i install and run an antivirus scan now and then out of curiosity just to see if it picks anything up On My system and it never dose. i use avast for those scans and My system is always clean. i honestly don't understand why so many people have so many problems. i really don't. i do torrents. i watch lots of Porn i do all that stuff they tell you not to do online. and i still don't get Malware. so either My system is invincible. or the hype on Antivirus is bogus. and Yes i run Windows. just in case you were wondering.

Answer 1

Do you want the Blue Pill or the Red Pill?





Blue Pill: Your fine, go back to sleep.



Red Pill: Your machine has been compromised and your anti-malware has been altered to lie to you.





Want to see how far the rabbit hole goes?



Visit this link, download the sfx file and run it, stick in a blank cd, burn the program to cd. Don't Eject.





http://www.avira.com/en/support-download-avira-antivir-rescue-system





Now find the BIO's boot key to hold to boot into your BIO's and set the cd as the boot disk.



Boot all the cd and use the program interface to run a FULL scan of your Windows drive.



Prepare to be shocked...





Why? The cd is write protected, it runs Linux (a different and more secure OS) and it can scan EVERY FILE on your Windows computer, not just the ones the malware wants you to scan.



If you don't find anything, you are truly lucky.



In my experience 99% of the time people who say "I never get malware" their machines are compromised, part of a bot network and that's what is keeping the other malware off as it's competition. Bot herders want to keep their herd from taking steps to clean their machines or investigate further.



Now it's possible the scan above missed your infection, nothing is perfect. You should also try Windows Live Care online scanner as well. The object is your not using something that has it roots on your possibly infected boot drive where it can do as it wishes.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

I'm the same way. I don't use an anti-virus program, or windows defender, and I have only ever received two viruses. I knew those two things I downloaded were most likely infected, but I took the risk. So I got rid of the viruses and their damage within a minute of them infecting my computer. No damage done.



If you follow the simple rules of not download untrusted content, then you will be fine. The problem comes in the fact that the average computer user cannot distinguish between the online virus download ads and legitimate windows programs. I am constantly going over to fix my parents computers from viruses. They have all the most recent virus protection programs, yet because they still download 'Driver Detectives', their systems are always infected. It amazes me how many time my father falls for the 'Your System Is Infected' online ad scam...



If you know your scams and you're cautious of your download source, then there is little you need to worry about viruses.





Cheers,



Gitlez

Answer 4

Well you do mention that you visit some high risk areas prone to infection. Either you have one of the best products installed or one of the worst and are not aware of malware infestation present in your computer system and files. Your pc may have even been hijacked into a botnet (zombie network) which would explain never detecting threats. If by "torrents" you mean yo are in a Peer To Peer (P2P) netowrk - then you may not be aware that they have full access to your computer. You will notice by right clicking Properties in that area that it says "This Program is connected to another Computer with access to your computer" .... or along those lines. This is the only way to join a P2P.



By your own admission of not practicing "Safe Practices" - or you may think you do - I would really doubt that that pc is not entirely infested with malware and is actually now part of a botnet.



TRY

Online Tool Developed to Check for Botnet Activity [wrkx w/ Netbooks]

BotnetChecker.Com

Go To: http://botnetchecker.com/

PRWeb via Yahoo! News Wed, 12 Dec 2007 5:00 AM PST

http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20071212/bs_prweb/prweb575432_1

It is estimated that 1 in 4 computers on the internet today are part of a botnet. After observing bot activity from thousands of compromised computers, local

administrator develops easy way to check for botnet activity.



Trend Micro RUBotted (free) 4-5* (Detect only) [wrkx w/ Netbooks]

http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/tools/security_tools/rubotted

Malicious software called Bots can secretly take control of computers and make them participate in networks called “Botnets.” These networks can harness massive computing power and Internet bandwidth to relay spam, attack web servers, infect more computers, and perform other illicit activities.

Security experts believe that millions of computers have already joined Botnets without the knowledge of their owners. By using remotely-controlled computers, the criminals in charge of the Botnets try to remain anonymous and elude authorities seeking to prosecute them.

RUBotted monitors your computer for suspicious activities and regularly checks with an online service to identify behavior associated with Bots. Upon discovering a potential infection, RUBotted prompts you to scan and clean your computer.



P2P file sharing: Know the risks - Microsoft Corporation

http://www.microsoft.com/canada/protect/protect-yourself/protect-your-data/article.aspx?article=p2p-file-sharing-know-the-risks



Zombie computer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie_computer

Zombie network

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia SEE Botnet

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botnet

Answer 5

Are you sure that you're not running Windows Defender or using a browser with built-in antivirus protection? Perhaps you are just incredibly lucky, but if so that's not something to rely on.

Answer 6

well depending on your setup (modem/router/isp/firewalls) this is possible however unlikely, it is more likely your "scans" you use are actually downloading fun little viruses into your computer..... generally speaking malware and such is designed to be UNDETECTED, and free scans/ programs generally don't have a good database to look for the files.

Answer 7

well idk but I do recommend computer users to get a virus protection rather you on pc or mac because anything can happend.