Is Windows AV software still necessary in 2022?

For years, I’ve assumed that most people don’t need third-party antivirus tools and have cheerily passed this suggestion along to others.

After all, Microsoft’s Windows Security suite (also known as Windows Defender or Microsoft Defender) provides builtin virus protection for your PC, and it doesn’t cost a dime. I’ve been using it for years, and the last time I can recall having virus problems on my PC was well over a decade ago.

And yet, looking around for confirmation of this long-held belief quickly turns up an alternate universe, full of experts who