The way Americans protect their devices is undergoing a quiet shift. According to the second annual Antivirus Market Report 2026 from cybersecurity news portal Cybernews, built-in operating system tools have overtaken traditional third-party antivirus software as the primary line of defense for the majority of U.S. internet users, while smartphones remain dangerously underprotected.
The study, based on a survey of 1,005 U.S. adults conducted between March 30 and April 10, 2026, also shows a sharp drop in consumer enthusiasm for AI-powered security and a measurable rise in cybercrime.
Key Findings
- For their primary protection, 53% of U.S. PC users and 51% of mobile users rely on built-in OS security (such as Microsoft Defender or Apple’s native tools), which is roughly 139 million and 134 million Americans, respectively.
- Only 18% of mobile users invest in third-party antivirus, compared with 41% on computers; 14% of mobile users use no cybersecurity tools at all. Compared with the 2025 report, third-party antivirus use on mobile devices fell by roughly 10 percentage points, while computer protection inched up by two.
- Favorability toward AI-powered threat detection fell from 77% in 2025 to 47% in 2026; 9% of users said AI features would actively make them less likely to use a given antivirus product.
- The share of Americans who reported experiencing cybercrime grew by 14% year over year.
- McAfee and Norton remain the leading third-party brands for the second year in a row; AVG dropped out of the rankings entirely.
- Paid antivirus has overtaken free versions — 68% of PC and 66% of mobile antivirus users now hold a premium subscription.
- Data breaches at companies that store personal information were named the single greatest personal cybersecurity threat by 36% of respondents.
Demographic Differences in Cyber Issues
Women are less likely than men to fall victim to cybercrime and tend to rely more on built-in tools and free antivirus software. Men are more likely to invest in paid third-party antivirus and additional security tools. Among non-users, men also showed higher levels of distrust toward antivirus software overall.
