Senior Tech Tip: Do You Need Virus Protection?

by Russ Alman
Director of Communications & Development

If you have any type of computer device, whether it’s a desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet, you are probably aware that there are computer viruses that can affect your device. However, there is frequent ambiguity and hype about this threat. Companies that make virus protection software play on these fears when they market their software. For this month’s Tech Tip, I’ll give you a basic education about viruses so that you can make informed decisions about what virus protection software to use.

What is a computer virus? First, let’s clarify what a computer virus is. In the broadest definition, it is a program, app or script purposely written to cause your device to behave in ways it shouldn’t. In other words, someone actually wrote the virus with malicious intent. Some viruses are relatively harmless and just cause erratic behavior on the device, but others can cause the device to work more slowly or even damage or delete files. In a worst case scenario, the virus could activate ransomware that will lock you out of your important files unless you pay a ransom fee.

What a computer virus isn’t. While viruses are one reason computer devices malfunction, there are plenty of other reasons that a device acts strangely. In fact, in my 35 years of professional experience providing computer support, viruses have usually not been the cause of errant behavior. Out of date software and operating systems, misconfigured computer settings, and plain old “user error” are more likely the reason a device isn’t working as expected. That being said, viruses are a serious concern and you should make sure that your device is protected.

Three types of viruses. Not all viruses are the same, and they affect your device in different ways.

The first (and oldest) type is a system virus. These are malicious instructions written to cause the operating system to malfunction. Since they are written to affect the operating system, they are specific to that type of device. So a system virus for Windows-based computer can’t affect a Mac OS computer or and Android smartphone. To infect your device with a system virus, you typically need to download and install an infected application.

The second are scripting viruses, most commonly written for Microsoft Office products like Word and Excel. These exploit the built-in scripting/macro language of Office to cause malicious behavior. Unlike system viruses, scripting viruses are spread through infected Office documents, making them easily spread through email attachments and other means of document sharing. And unlike system viruses, scripting viruses can be spread between platforms. If a Mac user has an infected Word document, for example, they can share it with a Windows user and infect them.

The third type of virus is the most recent—website malware. If you ever get a popup message in your web browser warning that you have a virus or a catastrophic system error, this is an example. The intent is typically to trick you into downloading a file that contains a virus or to get you to call a bogus support service that will try and steal your money.

Where do viruses come from? It’s important to understand how a virus can get on your device because, as the old adage states, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Common sense practices will prevent exposure to them in the first place.

We call them viruses for a reason. Just like a person, if a computer is kept in a bubble and isn’t exposed to any other computer, it can’t get a virus. But in the real world, our devices are all connected through the internet or by old-fashioned file transfer by storage devices.

With this in mind, you can prevent viruses from entering your device by being mindful of what applications and files you copy and download. As long as you download applications from official app stores and are careful about which files you copy on to your device from other sources, you are highly unlikely to introduce a virus. And if someone sends you a link, unless you are sure of the source, be safe and just don’t click on it.

Recommendations. Okay, now that you have a better understanding of how viruses operate, here is a short list of recommendations for how to protect your specific devices:

Windows-based computers. If you are running Windows 11 and you are primarily using your computer for personal use, the built-in Windows Defender software is sufficient. While many Windows computers come with additional virus protection software like McAfee or Norton, I feel it’s overkill and an extra expense. In addition, modern browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge have some built-in protection against web-based malware. So as long as you regularly run Windows Update or have Windows set to automatically update, and quit and reopen your web browser when it says there’s an update, you’ll receive the latest versions of Defender and your browser’s built-in protections.

Apple computers. Earlier versions of Mac OS did not include virus protection, but Apple now includes built-in, seamless protection at a number of levels. Apple devices do not come with third-party virus protection installed and you really don’t need additional protection for personal use.

Android and iOS devices. Both Android and iPhone/iPad devices download apps through their respective app stores. While there have been some instances of malicious apps not being caught by Google, they are usually poorly written game apps and Google removes them when they find them. Apple has a very stringent process for software authors to add apps to their store. To my knowledge, there has never been an infected or malicious app in their app store. Current versions of the Android operating system also have built-in tools to scan for and eradicate malicious software. So in short—you do not need to install additional virus protection software on mobile devices.

I have been using computer devices for 40 years. Current versions of their operating systems have adequate protection built in. I am a heavier computer user than most, and since I switched to a Windows-based computer in 2016, I have never gotten a system virus. I have had a few instances of browser malware, but in most cases, simply closing the browser and not going back to the offending website solved the problem. The same goes for my Samsung/Android smartphones. I’ve read a number of recent articles on the topic that agree with my assessment.

Do you need additional virus protection software? My short answer is that if you are primarily using your device for personal use, best practices and built-in protection are sufficient. That’s not to say that specialized software like Norton or McAfee are bad—they are just overkill and an additional expense for most people.