What Do I Do about Virus and Malware Protection on My New Device?

Everyone needs to make sure they protect their information on their new computer and there are multiple solutions, depending on your own preferences. Here are some things you should know, particularly about Microsoft devices since they are the favorite target of attacks by “bad guys”.

1. Microsoft Windows 10/11 comes with built-in virus protection named Microsoft Defender. This application is very reliable and can protect your device from a plethora of viruses.

   1. You can choose your own favorite virus protection application (e.g., Norton, McAfee, TotalAV, Bitdefender, Malwarebytes [more on this later], etc.) that once installed will override Microsoft Defender.

   2. Microsoft Defender updates automatically and seamlessly with updates.

   3. Defender is part of your Windows system and is free.

2. Malwarebytes is an application that goes beyond Windows defender and finds and quarantines malicious software (malware). It comes in a free version and a paid version. The free version often prompts you to upgrade to the paid version and requires manual scanning. The paid version protects you without any action on the part of the user.

3. Just as a mention, there is a security package called Kaspersky. I used this product many years ago until I found that the owners are closely aligned with the Russian government. Our U.S. State Department has banned employees from using this software so you may be taking chances using this one.

When setting up a new Microsoft computer and you have an existing computer that has a non-Microsoft security application installed, you will have to decide if you want to use the Microsoft Defender or to install the application you have on your old machine on the new machine.