A tech opinion piece examines whether paid antivirus subscriptions remain worthwhile now that threats have shifted from classic viruses toward phishing pages, scam emails and fake tech-support pop-ups. It notes that vendors like Malwarebytes and Norton bundle extras such as VPNs, password managers and cloud backup into paid tiers, while Microsoft Defender plus free scanners and browser protections like Edge's SmartScreen already cover most core needs.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-19
Researchers identified a double-fetch flaw in Avast's kernel driver that can lead to a pool overflow, potentially allowing code execution outside the antivirus sandbox. The flaw involves multiple reads of the same user-supplied data, which can be manipulated between fetches. Recent Windows updates mitigate this issue by enforcing user-mode access checks, reducing the exploit's viability.
safateam.com
· 2026-09-25
Windows 11 includes Microsoft Defender, a free antivirus tool within Windows Security that automatically scans for threats and logs its findings under Virus & threat protection. Users can review allowed threats and protection history, run a deeper Full scan, or use an offline scan via Windows Recovery Environment to catch malware that hides from standard scans. The Firewall & network protection settings should also be checked to ensure all three connection types are protected.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-19
Microsoft confirmed a bug causing the Windows Security app to falsely display 'Microsoft Defender Antivirus is turned off' notifications after recent Defender updates, even though protection remains active. The issue, which has quietly affected Windows Insiders since June, now impacts all supported Windows client and server versions, including Windows 11 26H1 and Windows Server 2025. Microsoft says a fix is in development and will roll out in a future Defender update.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-08-31
ClamUI is a free, Flatpak-installable graphical interface for the open-source ClamAV antivirus engine on Linux, designed as a more modern and intuitive alternative to the default ClamTK GUI. It offers scan profiles for home folders, quick scans, or full system scans, plus easy database updates, scan logs, and one-click EICAR test files to verify the antivirus is working correctly.
zdnet.com
· 2026-08-26
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