In 2025, most devices feature built-in antivirus software that scans files you attempt to download, blocking anything it deems suspicious. Antivirus tools also perform automated scans to remove ...

When the IBM PC was new, I served as the president of the San Francisco PC User Group for three years. That’s how I met PCMag’s editorial team, who brought me on board in 1986. In the years since that ...

Your device's built-in antivirus software might not be enough because cyber threats continue to evolve. While a tool like Apple's XProtect offers basic protection, it often lacks essential features ...

Unlike your built-in laptop antivirus protection, modern antivirus software doesn’t just protect you from dodgy downloads—it can keep the kids from looking at web pages they shouldn’t or make sure ...

We explore how Windows Security and Microsoft Defender protect your Windows 11 computer and why you might want to consider an alternative. Dianna Gunn built her first WordPress website in 2008. Since ...

Free antivirus apps can protect your PC from common threats—but paid software often adds stronger defenses, extra tools, and ...

We count on antivirus software to keep our devices and personal data safe from cyber threats. But some of that software may be collecting data about you while it protects you. That’s the concern ...

Security software used to be a non‑negotiable line item, as essential as your internet bill. Today, built‑in protections and smarter operating systems have turned that old rule on its head, leaving ...

Consumers and workers who install free Android antivirus scanners from relatively unknown developers are mostly wasting their time, an independent testing firm has found. “During our tests, we found ...

Over 300,000 new types of ransomware and other malicious software are discovered daily, according to the IT security research institute AV-TEST. Computer viruses can slow your devices, create a slew ...

Marshall Gunnell is a Tokyo-based tech journalist and editor with over a decade of experience covering IT, cybersecurity and data storage. Alongside CNET, his work has appeared in ZDNET, Business ...