r/antivirus

I wanted to ask if I should keep my Bitdefender. I use the free version, as I'm not really able to pay for anything more rn. But I heard some stuff against Bitdefender.

I have Windows 11 Home right now, and I also heard that the Windows antivirus is actually pretty okay?

I'm not tech savvy so I don't know what to believe because most people use words and acronyms I have no knowledge of, so I don't know what to make of this.

So, I wanted to ask if the Bitdefender is worth keeping, since it's the free version, or if I can just rely on the Windows one? The Bitdefender is taking up a lot of my Memory, so I wouldn't mind freeing that space, but if the Bitdefender is better, I'd want to keep it, of course.

Though, if you recommend any other antivirus, I'm happy to hear any recommendations!

When I try to run a scan, it stops and then tells me to restart the service. There are no exclusions and nothing of note from my start up apps. I’ve run a deep scan with Malwarebytes and it’s all good. I noticed there was a new security update for Windows and downloaded it and after restarting my PC, I’m still encountering the same issue. I’m not sure whether this is Malware related as I’m always careful of what I’m downloading and never click suspicious links. Not sure what else to do and need some help.

Virus concern or paranoia

3 months ago, i got a virus on my pc and lost multiple accounts. When i tried to find ways to solve it, i found out some virus can actually infect the router and other devices on the same network. Now even when i got kaspersky for my pc, i keep thinking other devices are infected and changing the router wont help because the infected devices will get the router again despite not seeing any clear symptoms. What can i do about this?? Is it just me being paranoid? Does factory reset on the phone remove all viruses? Do i need to replace my router?

I forgot to mention this. I also downloaded a zip file for a pvz2 mod on my phone but resetted it. After that, i keep logging in to admin router on both my pc and my phone to check for weird settings and turn them off. Now im scared that i mightve created some hole for virus to get in. I even got a new router.

Im too anxious now and would do anything for a peace of mind. I dont even know if replacing the router helps now as i find out that virus like switcher trojan or stuff like wannacry, vpnfilter can just infect the router when connected and others can just go straight to other devices without infecting the router.

I installed totalav on my windows laptop last night since I had some concerns about malware and it did help me to identify and remove the issue.

However it had an option to upgrade to a subscription to totalav plus for realtime protection for my device so I clicked it. I wasn't going to upgrade at first because it was $99 dollars and I'm stingy but suddenly I got an offer of $80 off so i would only pay $19 for the first year.

I decided to take them up on that offer and did all I needed to do to pay. Afterwards I did have the subscription for a minute or so then I somehow went back to the free version. When I contacted them about not receiving the benefits of the subscription I received an automated email saying they can't find a subscription account linked to my email.

To be fair the money is currently on hold in my bank account so I don't know if that has anything to do with it and I do plan on contacting my bank if I don't see any progress with contacting totalav. I don't understand why I would have the premium features for a bit but then lose them tho.

Hi everyone,

I recently got hit by the malware/infostealer that has been going around with the MrBeast spam/scam. Discord and IG got hacked but i was able to retrieve it. Weird my FB or other accounts was not hacked but i am still nervous that they will target it next.

Because of that, I decided to completely reset my PC.

I went into Reset this PC then Remove everything because I wanted to start completely fresh. The reset completed successfully and Windows went through the setup process again.

However, during the Windows setup, Microsoft required me to sign in with my Microsoft account. I signed in without thinking much about it.

After logging in, I noticed that some of my old files started appearing again. I now understand that these may have been files being restored/synced through my Microsoft account/OneDrive rather than files surviving the reset itself.

So my main questions are:

1. Is my PC considered safe after using “Remove everything,” or is there still a possibility that the malware survived the reset?

2. Does signing back into the same Microsoft account after the reset potentially bring the malware back, or would only the synced files come back?

3. I've seen Kaspersky recommended quite often. Would the free version of Kaspersky be sufficient for normal real-time protection, or would you recommend something else?

4. Is there anything else I should do after getting the mrbeast spam malware?

I'm mainly trying to determine whether I can trust this PC again.

Thanks in advance. I'm not very experienced with malware removal, so I'd appreciate any advice on the safest approach.

I was using this one extension called "Enhanced Image Viewer" from Chrome Webstore and it was disabled in extensions for malware concerns (or something along those lines), it was also removed from the Chrome Webstore. I am currently running a full scan and the extension itself is not my files.

Here was the link to the extension (removed now):

https://chromewebstore.google. com/detail/gefiaaeadjbmhjndnhedfccdjjlgjhho/error

Here is the link to the official site of the extension: https://www.enhancedimageviewer. com

Here is the reddit post of the creator and the extension:

https://www.reddit. com/r/chrome_extensions/comments/1fbgqhj/enhanced_image_viewer_upgrade_your_image_viewing/

I haven't had this happen to me before so that is why I am worried, thank you in advance.

I would like to share my Linux Syscall Monitor project with you. It's a Linux process monitoring tool written in C that uses "ptrace" to observe system calls and generate behavioral reports.

Repo .

I welcome any feedback or criticism—whether it's about the code .

hi, looking at antivirus software for protecting win 11 system. thinking of mcafee , norton , kaspersky . I am outside US. I wanted to try the trial version , but they all ask for filling pre payment details and I am not comfortable submitting all the details in forms. In the past, if I liked software in trial, I purchased it.

https://preview.redd.it/ddw8ddxxrakh1.png?width=1203&format=png&auto=webp&s=dae9917aa913e66c44d14cc462be3ab604ef099b

can anyone help me? i hasnt play my pc for a week now and yesterday my brother and friendlist from discord and facebook tell me that i been posting some weird crypto scamming picture on their dm so i turn on my pc and see this problem

https://preview.redd.it/bb6uh69lackh1.png?width=998&format=png&auto=webp&s=45e26c1f8c11f8288e35a58fdd033ac23d31becc

Every single time I've tried to sign into Utilities Ultimate, it says this. I just bought it earlier today and just downloaded it, but I can't even sign in so I can't use it. I've redownloaded it, restarted my pc, I just want to make use of the money I spent on it.

TL;DR:

Fell for a fake "human verification" clipboard scam (Win + R -> Ctrl + V -> Enter). Decided to completely nuke the drive and reinstall Windows 11 from a fresh USB. After a total partition wipe and running all Windows Updates, I opened Windows Security to run a scan, but I'm getting: "Threat service has stopped. Restart it now." How do I fix this, and is there any chance malware survived a full partition wipe?

1. What Happened Initially

I fell for a malicious website prompt that asked me to verify I was human by pressing Windows + R, pasting (Ctrl + V), and hitting Enter.

Realized immediately what happened and closed it, but the malicious script had already executed, leading to a broken Windows Defender and malware alerts (like Wacatac / infostealer).

2. The Clean Install Process I Did

To be 100% sure the system was clean, I performed a full wipe:

Created an official Windows 11 bootable USB using Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool on a separate, clean laptop.

Booted from the USB on my PC (Motherboard: ASUS TUF X670E-Plus WiFi).

Selected Custom Install, deleted every single partition on the drive until only "Disk 0 Unallocated Space" remained, and installed Windows directly onto that blank NVMe SSD.

Set up Windows and ran Windows Update through multiple restarts until it showed "You're up to date".

3. The Current Problem

Now, on this brand-new, clean installation with nothing else downloaded yet:

When I open Windows Security / Virus & threat protection to run a quick scan, it displays:

"Threat service has stopped. Restart it now." (with a "Restart now" button).

Clicking the button either fails or the error persists / scan won't run properly.

4. My Questions for the Community:

Given that I completely deleted all partitions to unallocated space using a clean USB installer, is the initial malware 100% gone?

What causes this "Threat service has stopped" glitch on a fresh Windows 11 installation after Windows Updates?

What is the most reliable way to force-restart or repair the Defender service so Windows Security works normally?

Thanks in advance for the help—I just want to get this sorted and use my PC in peace!

Personally, I think it's a very good antivirus that catches everything in time and protects your computer from real harm. But I also think it's a little intrusive, what with the random pop-ups on your screen or whatever. I use windows defender or McAfee, sometimes i use malwarebytes (rarely) but a lot of the time I just use Avast. I love it and it's very protective. It gives you independence with browsing and websites, and I can deal with the pop-ups. Overall, I think it's a very protective, user-friendly, ready-to-jump-into-action kind of antivirus.

Anyone here hate or love it?

Hi,

I’m currently experiencing several issues with Microsoft Defender Antivirus, especially when trying to run an Offline Scan.

On my first PC, the Offline Scan launches normally, but it consistently gets stuck at 90%, always at exactly the same point, with 47,719 items scanned. I’ve waited for more than an hour on several occasions and have also tried running the scan multiple times, but every time it gets stuck at 90% and never finishes.

On my second PC, which is relatively new, the Offline Scan doesn’t launch at all.

The problem doesn’t stop there either. Every time a scan fails to complete, Microsoft Defender becomes completely disabled, and I receive one of the following messages :

“The Threat Service has stopped. Restart it now.”

or :

“Unexpected error. Sorry, we ran into a problem. Please try again.”

This happens on both of my PCs.

The regular scans, such as Quick Scan and Full Scan, can normally be started, but if I push the scans too much or they fail to complete, Defender ends up disabling itself as well.

I’d therefore like to know if anyone else is currently experiencing similar issues, or if there might be an ongoing issue on Microsoft/Windows’ side that is causing Microsoft Defender to malfunction, particularly the Offline Scan.

Thanks in advance for your replies and help !

There’s a question that comes up frequently when talking about Windows security: if Windows 10 and 11 already include Microsoft Defender, when does it make sense to use a third-party antivirus?

Defender provides a good baseline of protection, including real-time protection, cloud-based detection, automatic scanning, and tamper protection. For many users, this may be enough.

But depending on how you use your PC, there are other layers worth considering: protection against phishing and malicious websites, ransomware protection, vulnerability and patch management, privacy features, and additional detection capabilities.

What do you think? Is Microsoft Defender enough, or do you think a third-party antivirus still provides an extra layer of protection that’s worth having?

Reinstalled windows 11 because i was paranoid i had a virus or some sort of malware(no real evidence i could find but did it regardless) Deleted all the partition drives. Everything is up to date but windows defender is fucked.

I do a quickscan and its disabled and stuck buffering when i try to restart it
Sometimes it’ll work and finish but if i do it again it crashes

Offline scan either doesnt work or is as of right now stuck on 90%

Could this be malware or something?

So my friends brothers computer recently got a crypto mining virus despite nobody downloading nor being on it for multiple months. He’s decided to hand it over to me because I have no computer (he didn’t try to remove it just gave up and is getting a new one) so could I get rid of the virus on it by just factory resetting the computer? Windows was never activated on the pc so we don’t have to worry about that.