Switched from free antivirus to paid and saw a huge difference after a ransomware scare last month

My roommate's laptop got hit with ransomware last month from clicking a bad email link. I was running the free version of Avast and he had nothing. His files got locked and he lost everything. Mine was fine but it scared me enough to actually pay for Malwarebytes Premium. Ran a full scan and found 3 tracking cookies my free one never caught. Has anyone else noticed a big gap between free and paid security software?

3 comments

3 Comments

umaanderson1mo ago

Wait, aren't tracking cookies more about privacy than actual virus protection?

the_olivia2d ago

Honestly, you're right and I'm right there with Wendy feeling a little embarrassed too. Ngl, I used to think cookies were like little digital guards protecting my computer from the bad stuff. Turns out they're more like nosy neighbors peeking through my browser curtains than anything security related.

wendy_park761mo ago

Umaanderson, this actually makes a lot of sense now that I say it out loud. I guess I always lumped cookies in with the same bucket as popup blockers and browser security, but you're right - tracking cookies are mostly about following what you do online, not stopping viruses. Kinda embarrassed I didn't catch that distinction myself before reading your post. Makes me wonder how many other things I've been mixing up like this.