Why Windows 10 users have better anti-virus protection
Almost all Windows 10 PCs are now running anti-virus software because the built-in Windows Defender is turned on automatically unless an alternative program is installed. With up-to-date versions of Windows 10, the "unprotected rate" has fallen to around 3 percent of the PCs that Microsoft updates.
Historically, Microsoft has been reluctant to protect its users, partly because of anti-trust threats from anti-virus software providers. Back in 2006, when up to half of PCs were unprotected, McAfee and Symantec threatened European anti-trust lawsuits over Microsoft's plan to include Kernel PatchGuard in Windows Vista. Just before the Windows 7 launch in 2009, AVG told me : "At this point, we're watching in Brussels to ensure they don't bundle [anti-virus software] with Windows and trigger about a trillion lawsuits."
Today's PCs still show the aftermath, in that about 28 percent of Vista PCs and more than 20 percent of Windows 7 PCs are still unprotected, according to the latest Microsoft Security Intelligence Report (No 21). Indeed, the reality is probably somewhat worse: many unprotected PCs are not counted because they don't have Windows Update turned on.
Why are the numbers so high? The virus threat has been well publicised, and AVG, Avast and many other companies have been offering free anti-virus programs for more than a decade. Partly, it's a regional issue. The countries with the highest average number of unprotected PCs - Libya, Algeria, Nigeria, Iraq and Tanzania - don't have the best internet connections.
Other reasons are shown in the barchart at the end of this post.
In Windows 7's case, more than 60 percent of unprotected PCs still don't have any anti-virus software installed. In another 20 percent of cases, it's installed but turned off. In some cases, AV is turned on but the definitions and signatures are out of date. That may be because of expired subscriptions, but Vista and Windows 7 don't report those.
That changed after Microsoft bundled Defender with Windows 8, and it emerged that one major reason for a lack of protection was that the PC's anti-virus software subscription had expired. With Windows 10, the main problems are users failing to update their PCs or turning off their anti-virus software or "snoozing" it.
Why Windows 10 users have better anti-virus protection | ZDNet
Almost all Windows 10 PCs are now running anti-virus software because the built-in Windows Defender is turned on automatically unless an alternative program is installed. With up-to-date versions of Windows 10, the "unprotected rate" has fallen to around 3 percent of the PCs that Microsoft updates.
Historically, Microsoft has been reluctant to protect its users, partly because of anti-trust threats from anti-virus software providers. Back in 2006, when up to half of PCs were unprotected, McAfee and Symantec threatened European anti-trust lawsuits over Microsoft's plan to include Kernel PatchGuard in Windows Vista. Just before the Windows 7 launch in 2009, AVG told me : "At this point, we're watching in Brussels to ensure they don't bundle [anti-virus software] with Windows and trigger about a trillion lawsuits."
Today's PCs still show the aftermath, in that about 28 percent of Vista PCs and more than 20 percent of Windows 7 PCs are still unprotected, according to the latest Microsoft Security Intelligence Report (No 21). Indeed, the reality is probably somewhat worse: many unprotected PCs are not counted because they don't have Windows Update turned on.
Why are the numbers so high? The virus threat has been well publicised, and AVG, Avast and many other companies have been offering free anti-virus programs for more than a decade. Partly, it's a regional issue. The countries with the highest average number of unprotected PCs - Libya, Algeria, Nigeria, Iraq and Tanzania - don't have the best internet connections.
Other reasons are shown in the barchart at the end of this post.
In Windows 7's case, more than 60 percent of unprotected PCs still don't have any anti-virus software installed. In another 20 percent of cases, it's installed but turned off. In some cases, AV is turned on but the definitions and signatures are out of date. That may be because of expired subscriptions, but Vista and Windows 7 don't report those.
That changed after Microsoft bundled Defender with Windows 8, and it emerged that one major reason for a lack of protection was that the PC's anti-virus software subscription had expired. With Windows 10, the main problems are users failing to update their PCs or turning off their anti-virus software or "snoozing" it.
Why Windows 10 users have better anti-virus protection | ZDNet
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