Do I need an antivirus on ASUSTOR NAS?

ASUSTOR AS7110T
ASUSTOR AS7110T (Image credit: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central)

Do I need an antivirus on ASUSTOR NAS?

Best answer: No, you do not need antivirus software installed on your ASUSTOR NAS. So long as you're careful and have the necessary measures in place to keep everything secured, you should be good to go.

Your ASUSTOR NAS doesn't require antivirus

ASUSTOR runs an OS much like a Windows desktop PC. I've not run an antivirus on my PC for many years, aside from what's provided by Microsoft. The same goes for Linux and NAS. I've yet to encounter an issue where antivirus software was required on a home server because I'm incredibly careful about what's stored on it.

So long as you won't visit unknown websites on the enclosure or download attachments from phishing emails, you'll be absolutely fine. Just because the best ASUSTOR NAS likely won't be affected by viruses outright without human intervention doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful. Ransomware is a major concern with NAS.

When an antivirus would be helpful

Asustor ADM 4.0

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

If you're using your ASUSTOR NAS to download files from online sources, you're going to need to consider an antivirus, especially if it's from sources that aren't verifiable. Antivirus suites can also be helpful too. Hosting a website or backing one up would see malicious content detected before being sent to those who visit the domain.

But really, if you only use your ASUSTOR NAS with ADM 4.0 for file storage on the LAN, you'll be fine with no antivirus or a free app (like ClamAV) downloaded from App Central.

Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.