Is Your Antivirus “Good Enough”? New Research Shows More People Are Paying for Protection — But Many of Us Just Don’t Seem to Care
Make use of the best antivirus program can make the difference between a good day and a bad day, especially since cybercrime is expected to cost the American population $12.5 billion in 2023.
New research has found that just over half (54%) of Americans now use either the “good” default antivirus software on their operating system or no antivirus software at all, with the remainder relying on third-party services for protection.
Of those who use a third-party service, 54% pay for the service, while 43% rely on free antivirus software. The remaining 3% are not sure whether to pay or not.
Protection for computers, tablets and phones
The statistics come from a recent study by Security.org on the habits of Americans when it comes to device security. For paid protection, the American public tends to NortonMcAfee and Malwarebytes, with those using free services preferring McAfeeAvast and Malwarebytes as their preferred device defenders.
When it comes to devices and operating systems, nearly half (49%) of computer owners chose a third-party service to secure their PC. Of Windows users, 48% chose a third-party service, compared to 31% of Mac users and 24% of those using another operating system, such as Linux.
When it comes to more portable devices, only 18% of tablet users chose to download a third-party antivirus program, followed by phones at just 17%. When it comes to why people use antivirus, 84% use it for general security and protection against malicious softwarefollowed by 56% who cited general privacy concerns, and 48% used it for better protection while shopping online.
Worryingly, 40% of those who don’t currently use antivirus say they don’t need it, while 45% also say it’s simply too expensive. The survey also looked at the attractive additional services included with antivirus, with 20% saying protection against identity theft is the most attractive feature, closely followed by the addition of a VPN with 17% and a secure browser by 16%.