Using AV products, in general

[Medlin Software, Dennis]

I have likely spouted this before.

AV programs are all similar in finding known items. So the free solution which comes with Windows is good, no need for others. It also is more likely to be kept updated (which is daily).

The systems which use Wild Rear Guesses (Heuristics) have their place, but not at consumer level. Those guesses are what creates the false positives, costing you time any money. The false positives also can fool you to believe the solution is doing "something", so you keep renewing. So, the Microsoft solution wins again.

Windows also has very good hardening settings, which are more than enough for consumer use, and do MORE than your consumer level AV solution.

As a software dev, I deal with the false positive issue every single you know what day. The false positives not only cost me customers, but they are also a huge time suck for me and my customers/potential customers. A dev can simply send an email to certain AV companies, and they will whitelist my file (not really secure it is?). I can change one item in my code, even something as simple as one letter from upcase to lcase, and the recompiled exe will not trigger the current foals positive. I can change the compression level in my setup, which will also stop a false positive. (See a theme? How simple it is to fool a "security" system.)

The old adage, from even the "good" days when Peter Norton was writing AV software, was TURN OFF the AV software during app installation, still applies, and proves how pointless these third party systems are. Even McAfee (who is off his rocker now) admitted his products are snake oil, no different than Old "Doc" Smith selling elixir off his medicine wagon.

Ironically, there is a free scanning tool which actually does use the latest signature files from more than 50 vendors, and I have yet to be listed by them as nefarious - so the real issue is not even the sloppy (if not outright on purpose) false positives, it is consumers not keeping their software current, coupled with either badly created or on purpose created false positive causing software. I have yet to see a class action suit for false positives, as there is little to no lawyer money to be made, so the issue lives on.

With the above spouted, I do let the MS AV app run, and it rarely gives me any issue (meaning no false positives of note). It needs no exclusions (nor should any good AV solution) and couples well with the other MS security settings.

[mcb39]

Great reassurance here.!  Thank you.