The antivirus company known as Avast got in some trouble. They allegedly collected and sold customer data to other companies, without getting your permission. The FTC went after Avast, and there’s $16.5M to divvy up amongst Avast customers. So how do you get your piece of the 2025 Avast Settlement? First, please know that this … Read more
Concerns over the use of Kaspersky Antivirus grew for several years, until our government enacted a full ban on their software in 2024. Here we are, just 4 days from the total shutdown of Kaspersky software on American computers, and there’s one last surprise for Kaspersky users. For anyone still using their antivirus, they may … Read more
Kaspersky is a well-known antivirus provider, that has fallen out of favor in the US, over the years. It’s largely due to its perceived ties to Russia, whom the US considers a “foreign adversary.” In 2017, Kaspersky software was forbidden from use in any part of our government. And now in 2024, we’re about to … Read more
Many people continue to use vintage computers, running operating systems that are past their end-of-support date. While I recommend that these users upgrade to something modern and more secure, I understand when they stick with their classic machines. I don’t judge. But if those computers are going to hit the internet, they do need antivirus. … Read more
Microsoft Defender Antivirus is part of every Windows 10 and Windows 11 computer. Whether you use Microsoft Defender or another antivirus, please know that you can use the Microsoft software to run a deep scan on your computer. This will not conflict with your current security software, and can be useful if you feel you … Read more
Many PC users are content to use the free antivirus that’s built-in to Microsoft Windows: Microsoft Defender Antivirus. Some still call it Windows Defender, but in any case, you can get to it by clicking on the white or blue shield that lives near your system clock. But some users are finding that they cannot … Read more
I’m sorry to say that Bitdefender has pulled a fast one on some of us. Last year, they announced that they were discontinuing their free antivirus for Windows. And users of the free software received emails from Bitdefender, urging them to take advantage of a low price of their paid software. For my part, I … Read more
Concerned about Kaspersky Antivirus? Here’s what you need to know, if you currently use their software: Current Events Germany’s Federal Government just warned businesses in their country to avoid using Kaspersky antivirus software. The concern is that Kaspersky software offers a potential vector for a future IT attack. There is no current threat, only a … Read more
For many years, Bitdefender has offered free antivirus to all, but that ends soon for Windows users. As of 1/1/2022, they say that their free software will be discontinued. And they’d love to sell you their paid antivirus! But whoa there, let’s slow it down a bit. If they’re trying to convert you to a … Read more
When it comes time to uninstall an antivirus program, you should remove it the same way that you would any other program. On a Windows 10 PC, you would probably go to Start -> Settings -> Apps, find the program in the list and click it to get the Uninstall button. But that doesn’t always … Read more