Why You Should Use Antivirus, Even If You Browse Carefully

 

The best way to avoid viruses is to use common sense, but that doesn't mean you should avoid antivirus altogether. Our friends at the How-To Geek explain why.

Good browsing practices can take you pretty far. If you aren't browsing shady sites, downloading files from suspicious sources, and clicking links from people you don't know, you'll put yourself at less risk for viruses. But Chris Hoffman from How-To Geek explains how you can still get infected:

Many people think that you can only get malware by downloading suspicious files, running unpatched software, visiting the wrong websites, and doing other irresponsible things like having the Java plug-in enabled in your web browser. It’s true – this is how most people pick up malware. But this isn’t the only way malware can spread.
We have previously written about “zero-day” exploits – vulnerabilities that the bad guys find first. Ones we don’t know about, which we can’t protect ourselves from. At events like Pwn2Own and Pwnium, contestants are challenged to compromise fully patched software like Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Adobe Flash, and more for a financial reward. These browsers and plug-ins inevitably fall as the contestants use unpatched security flaws to crack their security.
These flaws are corrected as soon as they’re found, but new ones inevitably pop up.
In other words, your computer could be infected just from you visiting a website. Even if you only visit websites you trust, the website itself could be compromised – something that happens with alarming frequency these days.

That last part is the really important part: You can get infected just by visiting a web site, even if its a web site you trust. Heck, our friends at the Wirecutter had a short bout with malware a few weeks ago. A friend or family member could send you a link that looks legit, but perhaps they've been infected by malware themselves. Common sense can take you pretty far, but it isn't foolproof.

We recommend Avast for your antivirus needs, but there are a lot of great apps out there. If you don't have antivirus installed on your system, hit the link below to read more about why you should.