If you don’t want to face a digital collapse unintentionally, you have to take care of an anti-virus program in good time. In the event that malware paralyzes the PC, this can very quickly lead to major damage and losses. Since Windows 8, Microsoft has therefore specialized in integrating its own system protection into the software. Nevertheless, the question constantly arises as to whether Windows 11 also needs additional virus protection.
Here you will find answers and all the information you need about virus protection for Windows 11, paid virus programs, and the new Defender.
More protection for Windows 11 – Is additional virus protection necessary?
Antivirus programs are developed to protect users from unwanted attacks on their own PC. When talking about programs like Windows 8, Windows 10 (Pro), and Windows 11, the specially integrated Windows Defender program is usually considered secure enough. If you don’t know much about it, you will find everything about the integrated virus protection from Microsoft in the following article.
Windows Defender – Everything you need to know
While separate antivirus programs were still used for software such as Windows 7 and Windows Vista, these are already included in the new versions such as Windows 11 and no longer have to be downloaded individually. Since the average user opens and processes around 600-700 e-mails a month, unwanted malware often occurs in both private and professional use.
Defender wasn’t as good at the beginning as it is today. The antivirus program was tested for the first time in 2005. At that time, the program was still called Anti Spyware. As you can guess from the name, the program was designed to intercept spyware. It was only later that a virus protection program was worked out in detail.
From Windows 7 the name was then changed to Windows Defender. At the time, the program was far from good. Almost all paid antivirus programs ranked higher than Windows Defender. In 2017, on the other hand, there was a radical change. Since Google noticed major shortcomings and gaps in the development of Windows Defender, Microsoft based it on completely overhauling the antivirus system, developing it from scratch. And this step was the right one.
After the program was re-run, Windows Defender made it among the best antivirus programs in the world. Since then, it has been integrated directly into the software. And, what is even more advantageous, Defender is no longer part of the series of paid antivirus programs but is free for the user. You also no longer need any additional downloads.
Paid Antivirus Programs – Useful Virus Protection or Unnecessary Costs?
Windows users ask this question very often. Currently, the integrated Defender in the Windows program should usually be sufficiently secure, at least as far as everyday use is concerned. Additional software also leads to a higher system load and can also contain unwanted security gaps. Paid pure antivirus programs are almost completely extinct. This is not least due to the fact that the free systems such as the Defender are sufficiently secure.
Defender is currently one of the best programs in terms of security and is therefore completely sufficient to ward off malware.
However, paid antivirus programs are still available. The reason for this is that in addition to conventional security systems, mail scanners, anti-phishing systems, as well as VPN use, and anti-theft, protection is also offered.
The best tips against viruses
First of all, you should consider your own behavior. Common sense is one of the best tips to avoid catching malicious content online. In everyday use, the main thing to learn is how to distinguish normal and safe content from fraudulent links. Anything that appears unknown to you in your e-mail inbox or contains cryptic links should never be accessed.
In addition, malicious emails often hide behind advertisements that start with “Your system is at risk” or “Your computer is infected”. Such content should also not be clicked on. Although the Defender is a very good protection system, even it cannot protect against viruses that the user accepts himself. In most cases, such content can cause damage despite Defender.
Summary
Consequently, we can say that Windows 11 users are safe on the go. Additional mostly fee-based programs are not necessary for Windows 11. Nevertheless, you have to be careful, especially with dubious mail. If you want to use an additional mail or phishing scanner, you should also note that such problems can often contain additional security gaps and are therefore not always the best choice.
