Tech question: do you have an anti-virus on all your devices?

[razz]

I just completed a cyber security assessment put out by the federal government and it made me think. Maybe the techies here can advise me.

I have an iPhone and a Macbook Air. I don't have an anti-virus but do have a malware. The government assessment advised that each of us should have an anti-virus on all devices including our phones. Do you? Which one? What advice should I be looking at? TIA

[Tammy]

The Mac and Apple products don’t usually need this. In fact the company says the antivirus products can interfere with the software they already use.

Apple is so secure - I don’t bother with anything else.

[bae]

I don't bother, in my experience the anti-virus software functions too much like a virus itself for my needs. (In that it interferes with my use of the computer.)

[jp1]

I don't bother on my iphone or ipad. For my windows 10 computer I use the windows defender app that came with it and run a spybot scan once a month or so to clear out all the damn cookies and occasionally more nefarious stuff that inevitably piles up on a windows machine. It's probably been 15 years since I've had a serious malware event, but it's also been that long since I've gone to a dicey website or clicked an uncertain link in an email. Social distancing, it's for computer viruses too.

[bae]

It's probably been 15 years since I've had a serious malware event, but it's also been that long since I've gone to a dicey website or clicked an uncertain link in an email. Social distancing, it's for computer viruses too.

This is my approach too, and it's served well for decades.

I click on things on an iPad that I'm prepared to completely restore, but never on a real computer!

[razz]

Thank you for your responses.

I did add a virus protection shortly after I bought my Macbook but it slowed it down so badly that in time I took it to a registered Apple repair. They removed it and added Google Chrome for me to use instead of Safari. I also use Duck,duck,go as was suggested here for my browser and have had no problems for over 7 years. I try to update my information and understanding periodically which was triggered by the Cyber Survey.

[nswef]

We get Norton with comcast and so I have it on the PC and the android phones and tablets. No problems.

[Tammy]

It’s also important to keep your iPhone and MacBook in line with the updates that come out regularly. That’s probably the best thing you can do to maintain security with Apple products.

[Rogar]

I have done whatever research I can figure and do not think I need it for my iPad. Recently I removed Avast from my PC. What ever I could find said that Windows Defender that comes with Windows 10 has improved over the years and is probably as good as at least the anti virus/malware freeware and probably some of the pay for subscription packages. I'm still a little suspicious and use the iPad for most of my financial transactions.

[jp1]

It’s also important to keep your iPhone and MacBook in line with the updates that come out regularly. That’s probably the best thing you can do to maintain security with Apple products.

Yes. Although I wish they hadn't changed iOS last fall. Before, it showed the number of apps that needed updating right on your homescreen on the App Store icon. Now you have to click on it to see how many apps need updating. I try to remember but sometimes I go for 2-3 weeks before I remember to update everything. Looking now I have 18 apps that need updating...