Do you need antivirus for file uploads?

Sometimes yes, but not as a substitute for the upload gate itself.

Practical answer

• If your route accepts only low-risk, tightly controlled file types, strong validation and structural checks may be enough.
• If you accept documents, archives, mixed user content, or external partner uploads, antivirus or YARA can add useful depth.
• Even with antivirus, you still need route-level checks for MIME spoofing, archive abuse, and risky document structures.

What antivirus does not solve alone

• It does not replace parser limits.
• It does not replace storage isolation.
• It does not tell you how your application should handle suspicious.

Continue

• Pompelmi vs ClamAV for file uploads
• File-type validation vs malware scanning
• Document upload security