In June, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the ban on Kaspersky softwareAs of September 29, ZDNET’s Lance Whitney reported, Kaspersky will no longer be able to provide antivirus signature updates and code updates for the banned products to customers in the United States.
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When I read that news, I was as shocked as anyone. Did someone accidentally press a button that transported us back to 1999? Do people still pay for third-party antivirus software?
Apparently people do, but good luck finding reliable information about the antivirus software market in 2024. Most of the data I was able to uncover was courtesy of the developers of said software, which isn’t the most reliable source.
Antivirus software in numbers
TO Recent Security.org Survey Some figures about the US market have emerged that seem credible. The survey indicates that approximately 54% of Americans use the default antivirus protection that comes with their device, while 46% use third-party antivirus programs.
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But of those who install additional protection, only a little more than half (33 million households) pay for the privilege. Norton and McAfee together account for 52% of paying customers, while Kaspersky accounts for just 4% of the market. If those figures are accurate, 1.3 million Americans should be able to claim a refund from Kaspersky by the end of this year.
And here’s the part that caught my attention from that report:
Older Americans are significantly more likely to use third-party antivirus programs and pay for the software. Those over 65 are twice as likely to subscribe to paid antivirus services than those under 45.
Let’s face it: I’m in the 65+ demographic, I have a head full of gray, and I haven’t used third-party antivirus software in decades. But my gray-haired peers are still paying. Why? For the same reason they still use checkbooks. It’s what they grew up with and what they’re comfortable with.
It’s also a colossal waste of money.
How to protect your technology in 2024
Regardless of the device category we’re talking about, you’re likely to have no problem with the default protection that’s included as part of the platform. On a mobile device (iOS or Android), that means the app store run by the operating system developer. On a Mac, XProtect anti-malware technology has been around for over a decade and is effective against most common threats.
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What about Windows? Well, Microsoft Defender Antivirus, which comes included with every Windows PC, has always topped third-party lab tests that measure the effectiveness of security software. The improvement process began about seven years ago, and Microsoft’s solution has been regularly scored between 99% and 100% Since then, making it as effective as its third-party rivals, free or paid.
And that result even underestimates reality.
At the beginning of the 21st century, when the Windows PC landscape was at its wildest and most confusing, most malware arrived on people’s PCs as email attachments or over networks. Today, those vectors are effectively closed. Automatic updates protect against newly discovered vulnerabilities. Your modern email client blocks any type of executable attachment, including script-based files. And network firewalls have come a long way since (check the calendar) 2002. And recent test results show that Microsoft Defender is Effective at blocking all popular attack vectors. for ransomware and information thieves.
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On average, a modern antivirus application blocks 99.2% of the few incoming threats that manage to get past the other layers of protection. And even then, your own instincts (“Don’t click that link!”) are also effective. That’s why the modern, fully patched consumer PC isn’t really a target for the criminal gangs responsible for modern malware.
The main objectives
Most attacks are launched by sophisticated criminal gangs and target businesses, using vulnerabilities that are more likely to be found in third-party software than in the operating system itself. Russian hackers SolarWinds management software was used to hack Microsoft and other high-value targets. A widely used application called Movefrom Progress Software, was Exploited in a breach that affected thousands of large companies and government agencies Last year, and a new vulnerability It was reported in June.
Shell, British Airways, the BBC and the Canadian province of Nova Scotia were the victims of the MOVEit attack, not random PC users. Today, big cybercriminals focus on that type of target. A signature-based antivirus application isn’t going to provide protection against such targeted attacks. Instead, IT departments at large organizations need sophisticated network-based software that allows administrators to monitor for signs of an intrusion in real time.
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Low-profile users are reasonably well protected by default security measures, mainly because determined attackers see no financial gain in targeting such insignificant victims. If you’re still paying Norton, McAfee, or Kaspersky for antivirus protection on your home PC, it’s time to let that subscription lapse. But if your work IT department tells you it wants you to install an endpoint monitoring app, believe it.
Just make sure it’s not from Kaspersky.
This article was originally published on July 1, 2024 and last updated on August 26, 2024.