82 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2019FEATURE WHY YOU CAN STOP PAYING FOR AV SOFTWARE
quickly and effectively enough to combat
new, emerging attacks. Defender’s repeated
success in third-party tests proves that
Microsoft has overcome these obstacles.
AV-test also ranked Defender above the
industry average in terms of performance,
such as installing apps and copying files, a
significant improvement on AV-comparatives’
own test from April, where Defender
performed poorly (go.pcworld.com/19ap) in
those same comparisons.
The UK’s SELabs is yet a third source of
antimalware testing, and it, too, ranked
Defender at the top of its list of antimalware
solutions. The report (available only via a
downloadable PDF [go.pcworld.com/dpdf])
gave Defender a perfect 100-percent
accuracy rating. Of the top antivirus
testing agencies, Defender scored three
out of three.
Multiple test results make the case that
Windows Defender is good enough to
protect your PC from viruses and malware.
Of course, you should always practice safe
Internet practices, such as not clicking on
unknown links and attachments, and not
wandering through the dark corners of the
web. And don’t forget, Windows Sandbox
(go.pcworld.com/sbox; added to
Windows 10 Pro machines as part of the
May 2019 Update [go.pcworld.com/
m19u]) allows you that extra protection
in case you do want to explore a risky site
or app.GREAT FREE ANTIVIRUS
OPTIONS CAN BE ADDED TO
DEFENDER
OK, maybe you’re still not convinced. If you
want an extra layer of antimalware protection,
Defender makes that easier, too.
Historically, running two antivirus
programs was considered a bad idea,
because of potential conflicts. Windows 10
allows you to run whatever antimalware