Choosing security software
This page answers the questions people ask before spending anything: what the computer already has, what a licence adds, what nothing can do, and how to handle a renewal that has gone up. Mildfactor carries paid affiliate links to one of the products mentioned, which is disclosed in full on the disclosure page.
Is the protection built into Windows enough on its own?
For a careful user on a fully updated machine, often yes. Microsoft Defender is included with current versions of Windows, is switched on by default and receives regular definition updates without any purchase. Whether it is sufficient depends less on the software than on how the computer is used.
What the decision actually turns on
Two households can run identical software and face completely different risk. The variables that matter are: how many people use the machine, whether any of them are children, where software is downloaded from, whether the operating system is still supported, and whether backups exist. A single adult who installs little, updates promptly and keeps backups is in a different position from a shared computer with four users and a habit of downloading games from unfamiliar sites.
| Situation | Built-in protection alone | Worth considering a paid product |
|---|---|---|
| One adult, updated system, few installations, backups kept | Usually a reasonable position | Optional |
| Shared family computer, several users including children | Workable but thinner | Often worthwhile |
| Frequent downloads from varied sources | Thin | Worthwhile |
| Operating system no longer receiving updates | Not the main problem | Fix the system first |
| Someone in the household has already been targeted | Thin | Worthwhile alongside account changes |
What to do first, at no cost
- Confirm the built-in protection is switched on and that its definitions are current.
- Confirm the operating system is receiving updates and install any that are pending.
- Set up a backup of the files you could not replace.
- Only then consider whether a paid product adds something your situation needs.
When to ask for official help
The Australian Cyber Security Centre's guidance for individuals and families, at cyber.gov.au, is written without reference to any vendor, which makes it a useful baseline before reading marketing material.
Where a paid product fits
Where the rows above lean towards "worth considering", a commercial product is a legitimate purchase rather than a necessary one. There is no legal requirement in Australia for a private individual to buy security software.
Does a Mac need antivirus software?
macOS includes its own protections and a great deal of malicious software does not target it. That is not the same as immunity, and the threats that matter most on a Mac — fake sign-in pages and bundled software — are not stopped by the operating system's design.
What usually sits behind the question
The "Macs do not get viruses" belief came from a period when the installed base was small enough that attackers concentrated elsewhere. That has changed, and software written for macOS exists. More importantly, the most common ways people are harmed are not platform-specific at all: a convincing imitation of a bank sign-in page works identically on both systems, as does a telephone caller asking for remote access.
Apple builds several layers into macOS, including checks on downloaded applications and a mechanism for removing known malicious software. Their documentation describes what these do, and it is the authoritative source for the current version.
What to do first, at no cost
- Keep macOS updated, since the built-in protections update with it.
- Install applications from the App Store or from the developer's own site.
- Treat a prompt asking you to override a security warning as a reason to stop rather than to click through.
- Apply the account measures on the accounts page, which matter more on a Mac than scanning does.
When to ask for official help
Apple's own support channels are the right place for a question about a specific macOS version. For incident reporting, the routes are the same as for any other device in Australia.
Where a paid product fits
A Mac in a household that also runs Windows machines is a reasonable candidate for a product covering several devices, because the Windows machines benefit and the Mac is included. On its own, the case is weaker and depends on how the machine is used.
What does a paid licence add over a free one?
Usually features around the scanning engine rather than a different engine: web filtering, firewall management, support, licences for more devices, and extras such as backup space or a password manager. What any particular licence includes is stated by the vendor, and that is where to check.
What usually sits behind it
Free editions exist to introduce the paid ones, so the differences tend to be deliberate rather than technical. The common pattern is that detection is similar and everything surrounding it is reserved for the paid tier. Whether that surrounding material is worth paying for is a question about your own situation, not about the quality of the product.
Mildfactor does not publish detection scores or comparative test results, because it has a commercial relationship with one of the vendors mentioned and such figures would not be trustworthy coming from this site. Independent testing laboratories publish their own methodologies and results, and reading those directly is better than reading a summary of them here.
What to check before buying, at no cost
- List what you actually want: more devices, web filtering, support, or a specific extra.
- Check whether you already have each of those things somewhere else, free of charge.
- Read the vendor's own feature list for the exact edition, not for the product family.
- Check how many devices the licence covers and for how long.
- Check whether the price renews automatically and at what rate, which is covered below.
Where a paid product fits
Norton AntiVirus Plus is one of the commercial antivirus products available for Windows and macOS desktops. Its current features, editions and terms are published by the vendor, and the vendor's site is the only reliable source for them.
Visit the Norton AntiVirus Plus websitePaid affiliate link. Mildfactor is paid a commission if a purchase follows it; your price is not affected, and this link does not influence the answers above.
Can I run two antivirus programs at the same time?
Not two running continuously in the background. They interfere with one another, and the usual result is a slow computer with worse protection, not better. Running a second product occasionally as an on-demand scan is a different matter and is generally fine.
What usually sits behind it
Real-time protection works by inspecting files as they are opened. Two products doing that simultaneously inspect each other's activity, quarantine each other's files, and compete for the same operations. On Windows this is handled for you in most cases: installing a third-party product normally causes Microsoft Defender to step back into a passive role automatically.
The practical problem usually appears the other way around, when an old product is left installed after a new one is added, or when a trial that came with the computer was never removed.
What to do first, at no cost
- Check the installed program list for more than one security product, including trials that came with the machine.
- Uninstall the one you are not keeping, using the vendor's own removal tool if the normal uninstall leaves fragments.
- Restart, then confirm that exactly one product reports itself as providing real-time protection.
- If you want a second opinion scan, use an on-demand scanner that does not install background protection.
When to ask for official help
Vendors publish their own removal utilities for cases where an uninstall does not complete. Those pages are the right source, since the tool has to match the product and version.
Where a paid product fits
This is a configuration question rather than a purchasing one. Choosing one product and removing the others is the answer regardless of which you choose.
What will security software not protect me from?
It will not undo something you were persuaded to do yourself. Payments you authorised, passwords you typed into a convincing page, access you granted to a caller and accounts broken into through reused passwords are all outside what any antivirus product addresses.
The gaps, stated plainly
- Persuasion. If you are convinced to transfer money or to read out a verification code, no software is involved in the decision and none can reverse it.
- Account takeover elsewhere. A password reused on a breached service is a problem at that service, not on your computer.
- An unsupported operating system. Security software does not substitute for updates that are no longer issued.
- Lost files. Only a backup restores files. Some products include backup space, but the backup is what saves you, not the scanner.
- Hardware failure. A failing drive or a dying battery is not a security matter.
- Your own physical security. An unlocked, unattended computer bypasses everything.
Shared and family computers
Where children use the same machine, the questions widen beyond malware to what they can reach and spend. Separate user accounts cost nothing and prevent a great deal. For questions about game content, the Australian Classification Board publishes classifications and explains the categories at classification.gov.au, and the eSafety Commissioner at esafety.gov.au publishes material for parents on online safety. Games and apps that include purchasable randomised items are a spending question as much as a content one, and the controls for that sit in the store account rather than in antivirus software.
When to ask for official help
Scamwatch at scamwatch.gov.au covers the persuasion category, which is the largest gap in this list. Reporting there is free and takes a few minutes.
Where a paid product fits
Knowing the boundary is what makes a purchase sensible rather than reassuring. A product bought in the belief that it covers the whole list above will disappoint; one bought for the part it genuinely addresses will not.
My licence is about to renew at a higher price. What are my options?
You can let it renew, cancel the automatic renewal and buy a new term, or move to a different product. All three are ordinary choices, and the renewal terms are in the agreement you accepted at purchase.
What usually sits behind it
Introductory pricing followed by a higher renewal is a standard arrangement across the software industry. It is not hidden, but it is easy to forget twelve months later, and the charge often arrives before the reminder is read.
In Australia, consumers have rights under the Australian Consumer Law, including protections against misleading conduct and against unfair terms in standard form consumer contracts. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission explains these at accc.gov.au, which is the place to read about them rather than relying on a summary here.
What to do first, at no cost
- Find the renewal date and the renewal amount in the vendor's account area or in the reminder email.
- Read the cancellation and refund terms you agreed to at purchase.
- Decide before the date, since cancelling in advance is simpler than seeking a refund afterwards.
- If you cancel, make sure the protection you are relying on afterwards is actually switched on.
- Keep the correspondence if you intend to raise a dispute.
When to ask for official help
If a charge was made that you believe you did not agree to, raise it with the vendor first and with your bank if that fails. Consumer complaints about conduct can be made to the ACCC at accc.gov.au, and state and territory fair trading offices handle individual consumer matters.
Where a paid product fits
Renewal is the moment at which the earlier question becomes concrete again: does this licence still match how the computer is used? Answering it honestly once a year is more useful than either cancelling by reflex or renewing by default.