I have noticed a trend among gamers and people that work in computer security related fields. There are always a few of them in every encounter that insist that they don’t need antivirus protection. They say they are careful or that it degrades performance. Regardless of how careful a person is online antivirus protection is a must with Windows. People that subscribe to the “Being Careful is Enough” myth think that malware only comes from downloading suspicious files, running software that isn’t patched, visiting the wrong web-sites, or using Java or Flash in your web browser. Malware is clearly spread in all these ways, but it is also spread in ways that require little more than a network connection and the use of software over said network.
Security vulnerabilities are found in web browsers, plug-ins and pretty much any application used online all the time. New ones are frequently found faster than they can be patched. There are hackers that find these vulnerabilities and sell them to organized crime groups. Web servers are hacked and used to distribute malware through vulnerabilities. That means the simple act of visiting a website can infect your computer. This can happen even if you only visit trusted sites. Your trusted sites could easily become the next target for an attack. You wouldn't know until after the fact.
Being careful is still a must. An antivirus package wont catch everything but it is your last defense when simply being careful isn’t enough. Most antivirus scanners include other types of malware these days, be sure to use one that does. There are several free options that score well on independent laboratory testing.
As for gamers that argue that antivirus degrades system performance, this used to be true with certain products and older hardware but really isn't the case today. Computers are much faster and antivirus products are not bloated like they once were.
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