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Introduction
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Antivirus software provides an essential layer of protection from a multitude of virus, trojan, worm, spyware, adware, dialer, keylogger and rootkit infections. Traditionally antivirus programs just detected viruses and spyware removers just detected spyware but nowadays the boundary between antivirus and spyware removers is unclear. Most current antiviruses have at least reasonably good detection rates of all forms of malware. Malware includes viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, adware, dialers, keyloggers and rootkit threats that perform malicious activities on a computer. With the huge increase in malware, antivirus software cannot keep up with detecting all of it. But using more than one real-time antivirus uses much more system resources, can cause conflicts and even reduce protection. So I recommend you only choose one antivirus for real-time protection. Instead, you can increase your protection using other security software. I looked at several free antivirus programs which are vital in protecting your computer from virus threats and other types of malware. |
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Discussion
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First, quite a few users have recently complained about the signature updates being very slow or not working, and this is a serious problem. There are instructions on an alternate method to download updates here. Second, AntiVir does not include web or e-mail scanning capabilities; this is only available in the paid version. The lack of an e-mail scanner is not really a disadvantage, it just means that AntiVir won't warn you of infected emails before you open them. But should you open an infected email, AntiVir will still spring into action, so it doesn't mean that you're not protected from email-based infections. Third, AntiVir has advertisements that appear with every update, although you can disable these ads. Finally, AntiVir has a time-limited license. It is renewable, but be aware that you'll have to periodically go through the hoops.
Microsoft Security Essentials is by far the best choice for average users because of the minimal user interaction required. It automatically updates and removes threats. No registration is needed, apart from a quick validating of Windows, and there are no nag screens or advertisements. The main downsides are the slow scan speeds and the lengthy amount of time it takes to quarantine malware. MSE also is not available in certain countries so users there will have to look elsewhere. Note that Microsoft Security Essentials requires a genuine copy of Windows to install.
On the other hand, Avast has slightly lower detection rates than AntiVir. And like AntiVir, it also requires periodic re-registration, whereas MSE and AVG Free do not.
However, AVG Antivirus free has grown considerably in size and resource usage, and has very slow scan speeds. AVG also had continuous problems with updating signatures on my computer. AVG has advertisements, but they can be disabled.
These free antivirus programs are excellent software that provide a real alternative to the major commerical antivirus products. You can increase your protection if you run on-demand scans with another antivirus. On-demand scans can be run regularly to check for viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, adware, keyloggers, rootkits and other malware that may have been missed by your main antivirus scanner. If you have a good preventive security strategy in place, however, the extra protection an on-demand antivirus scanner offers is minimal. You can also use one of the free antiviruses mentioned above as an on-demand antivirus scanner. One advantage is that you can set scheduled scans if you wish. Avira AntiVir Personal Edition: During the install, under "Choose Installation Type" select "Custom", and under "Install Components" untick "AntiVir Guard". Avast! Home Edition: During the install, under "Configuration" select "Custom", and untick all the items under "Resident Protection". AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition: In the interface, open the "Resident Shield Component" and untick "Resident Shield Active".
Please help us by rating this review
I'll also mention several popular free antivirus programs which I considered but did not include in the review because of low detection rates.
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This is a post about Prevx 3.0 I remember a wise person on this site saying stay away from products that make you pay to test them. I can't recall who said it as well as when it was said or I would quote them with this post. I believe in trials and not cut down versions of trials. Thats just me I like to think smart about most things.
ClamWin is the Windows version of ClamAV on Linux. You know ClamAV, or you hear.
ClamWin is not realtime but it is very good for weekly scans.
This post may be SLIGHTLY out of its correct placing but what do you,the more software security educated than me, think of Prevx 3.0? The web reviews from what I can gather are very mixed...Should it be a important part of most users security arsenal?
You have to pay for Prevx just to see if it cleans up? No thank you...Hitman Pro is probably as good and is also Cloud Based, but at least you get to Clean Up with it for 30 days! For me anyway, no trial, no go...
Prevx provides excellent security, and recommended by Ako, a security editor here, by many users in Wilders Security, PC Mag and Remove-Malware.
Unfortunately the free version does not remove malware, it only detects. So it can be used as a complementary tool if you wish.
Avira free updating problem is so numerous, that questions concerning this major problem, are not allowed on the forum anymore. OK...LOL
http://forum.avira.com/wbb/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=101834
Also AntiVir has posted a press release on this issue.
http://www.avira.com/en/company_news/nvdf_update.html
Thank's for that link, JonathanT. It seems to me that a similar promise was made a month or two ago too. Who knows, maybe with so very many user complaints the Avira company means it this time.
Yes, lets hope so!
Can you test Panda Cloud Antivirus? It seemed quite impressive to me. Previously I had Avira. I uninstalled that and installed Cloud. It could find 4-5 viruses and worms.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll probably wait until some more reputable tests of it appear before including it.
Could you write about Immunet Protect as well?
http://www.immunet.com/protect
Immunet Protect is receiving poor results everywhere. Classified as almost useless by more than one reliable source. This thread from Wilders will give you some pointers to follow up on yourself.
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?s=cf5c06335e7f5c3230c6756e...
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll wait a while until some more reputable tests of it appear.
Well no scanner detects everything, but are you sure those were not false positives? To check you could upload it to Virustotal.
http://www.virustotal.com/
is mcafee free from comcast any good ?
I'm with bobicool below!
I wouldn't recommend you to buy what your ISP recommends...Anyway, if I was you, don't touch mcafee...Never!Junk. (from personal experience)
FortiClient is Free
(Firewall , Antivirius , WebFilter ....)
FortiClients performance is poor compared to what else is available for free. It's also important not to get carried away by some of the 'certification' awards displayed by vendors. I don't think much overall to a lot of the stuff Raymond publishes but he does make an extremely good point here.
"In order to display the VB100 logo, an anti-virus product must have demonstrated in its tests that:
* It detects all In the Wild viruses during both on-demand and on-access scanning.
* It generates no false positives when scanning a set of clean files.
Why isn’t the 11 virus spreading “in the wild” that I collected from my client’s network not detected by FortiClient? I never judge an antivirus based on VB100, ICSA test or West Coast Labs’ Checkmark Certification."
These quotes also from Neil J. Rubenking.
"I'm not surprised at FortiClient's low impact on system performance—it's just not doing much!"
"Worst-ever scores in malware removal and blocking tests. Poor antiphishing component. Limited parental controls. Antispam protection, direct tech support cost extra."
"Avast has the most features, with full real-time capabilities, including web, e-mail, IM, P2P and network shields, as well as boot-time scanning."
OK. What of these does MSE have ?
Website tells nothing.
Avast, is a Rock Solid AV!
MSE doesn't have any of those features in Avast, its only got standard real-time protection of files, the same as Avast's Resident Shield.
Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition 1.0 wins Editors' Choice for free antivirus!
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2355828,00.asp
"The first antivirus without an update button"...
Wolfram
P.S.
If you installed, on your PC, "certain programs" - like file sharing applications, or pirated software, or hacker tools, or... -, well, "The Cloud" will know it. The question is: who stays "behind The Cloud"?
Some real world testing here of the latest version of Panda Cloud (only a few days old as of this date). As is often the case these real life tests don't replicate those obtained in a laboratory. I would recommend that all potential users of Panda Cloud watch this video and then make up their own minds. Personally, I would not use Panda Cloud to protect my own PC.
http://www.youtube.com/user/languy99#p/u/10/28O6o-BPAXU
Yes, I agree with you, Mister MidnightCowboy.
Me, too, I am not using Panda Cloud to protect my PC.
I only wanted to inform your readers about others' reviews.
Unfortunately, the confusion, in this "controversial" domain (AV programs), is increasing.
Let's take a look at the opinions of a guy which calls himself PegHorse; opinions expressed on his blog:
http://infomars.fr/WordPress/peghorse/?cat=11
According to PegHorse, the products from Avast and Avira - at least their Premium Suite -, are, and I quote him, "among THE WORST of all" ("LES PIRES DE TOUS"). Unfortunately, the language used on his blog, is the French.
He uploaded videos, on Youtube, in which he is trying to prove his allegations.
Please tell us what you think about his "tests".
As a Cowboy, you might want to give a lesson to this horse...
Wolfram
P.-S.: on Youtube there are several videos which present "tests" made with Avira (free) AV. And, although, in the "certified labs", the detection rate of this program is over 99%, outside the labs, the detection rate is lower. An example can be seen here (the tenth link - a Trojan):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bum1_i2P574
We must admit that a user has to be completely careless in order to use his browser like the "tester guy" did. But, who knows, if someone has a child in his house, this "worst case scenario" might become reality...
Thanks for these other links Wolfram - I hadn't seen all of this stuff.
I'm in contact with techs and others from many of the recognised vendors on a regular basis and often come Friday I think I actually know less than I did when I started out on Monday morning! Confusion eh?... the best free marketing tool ever invented!
It's amazing too how the attitudes vary so much within the industry. I appreciate that us "media types" are often viewed as a plague or malware ourselves but if I have questions then I have good reasons for asking them and it would be nice to get an answer, even if it's 'go away'! I have to say that Bullguard were exemplary in this respect which eventually led to the recent offer here so sometimes there can be a bonus attached to all this information gathering. Others though are not so forthcoming which at times can be frustrating especially when the questions are visitor generated and I'm unable to provide an adequate response. Recently for instance in my efforts to become familiar with what else is around I tried another commercial product which I quite liked but the response to my technical queries was an emailed link to their 'questions and answers' page! I guess this one won't be featuring as a free offer any time soon!
Regarding 'tests' in general I try to keep an open mind and just extract what information I think is of use from them. The way I surf is no doubt vastly different to a lot of others and my choice of software also reflects this. I think if you can install into your mind that nothing will protect you unless you help it then that's perhaps the best starting point. Then there's also the point that a new malware might arrive tomorrow and be missed by the popular products but something that's been dormant and docile on your PC for the last two years (like EQSecure) stops it.
Unfortunately there can and never will be a "one size fits all" solution for PC security. The one certain thing though is that it remains the most popular topic here as most everywhere else too, and thanks to contributions from people such as yourself always gives us something to talk about.
I can see how much work Panda still has. I was even more suprised to see how poorly PC Tools AV did in his review.
You're right but to be fair, and as I've often said before, it is up to users to make of these various tests what they will. Many would argue that using several thousand samples might give a more accurate picture than just 12 but then this guy is doing exactly what users do all over the planet every day so maybe his tests are actually more representative. Still, yet another good argument for putting together a layered solution of security software so long as it is a real match and not just trying to use two AV's instead of one.
Security risk info re Flash.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9140768/Flash_flaw_puts_most_site...
Thanks for the link. I have shared this link on the forum too, after seeing it here... on this thread :
http://www.techsupportalert.com/freeware-forum/security/2372-dangerous-u...
Anupam
Thanks for the link!
Who says avast has many false positives?
I agree that it is slightly less in detection (about 1%) compared to avira.
But, this review by av-comparatives clearly shows that avira has a lot of false positives compared to avast.
Please see http://www.av-comparatives.org/images/stories/test/ondret/avc_report23.p...
Avira has 21 false positives, while avast has only 5 false positives.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I just forgot to update it with the new AV-Comparatives report!
Any news yet on Avast 5 beta? I'm interested in how its going to turn out.
I think you should add test of Panda Cloud Antivirus: http://www.cloudantivirus.com/en/
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll wait a few weeks first to see if it is tested by AV-Test, AV-Comparatives, etc.
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/order/24h/ 24 hours only!
I just installed mine! I am surprised at how light A-squared is! This has just replaced my free AV, for a year anyway...
Thanks for the link but notice of this has been in our Hot Finds section for a while now.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/get-squared-anti-malware-free-1-...
It's worth checking this section regularly because sometimes offers get posted at very short notice because it isn't always possible for us to get advance notice.
Hello MC-What is your opinion on the new product by BluePoint Security that tested so well over at Malware Research Group? Thanks for your opinion.
BluePoint is commercial software with only a 14 day trial and way too new for me to offer any form of balanced opinion. With only a handful of people registered in their forum, some issues are already being raised which most of us can do without. Considering the amount of established freeware alternatives (plus zero cost commercial offers posted here) I would steer well clear of this one for at least several months. During this period user feedback will become more clear and more reliable as the numbers increase and we will also see how serious they are at independent scrutiny if they submit the product for testing at AV_Comparatives or AV-Test org.
With your permission, I would like to invite your readers to take a look at the following article (about Microsoft's Security Essentials 1.0) - a review published, two months ago, in PC Magazine, by their security expert, Neil J. Rubenking:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2353386,00.asp
One quote: "The just-released Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 offers consumers protection against malware, but in real-world testing it didn't impress."
And a link to another article - "Rivals mock Microsoft's free security software" (yes, I know, the readers' reply will be "pitiless", but I want to remind them that I am not the guy who wrote it):
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9138667/Rivals_mock_Microsoft_s_f...
One quote: "It's no surprise that top-tier security vendors like Trend Micro and Symantec dismissed Security Essentials."
And my last invitation: find out about the "Top 3 countries for malicious URLs", the "Biggest malicious program", the "Smallest malicious program", the "Top 3 countries hosting sites which spread malware", and others; from Kaspersky Labs:
http://www.virus.gr/portal/en/content/kaspersky-malware-miscellany,-sept...
I thank you for your attention.
Wolfram
Or on the other hand they could read this, it's a little more up to date.
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2009/11/stop-paying-for-windows-security-mi...
One quote: "The release of Microsoft Security Essentials has changed the landscape of anti virus software."
Judging by the amount of scrambled free offerings since its release I'd say that MSE has done just that.
Just another opinion to consider.
deya.
Very interesting readings. I was particularly suprised to see how many bad URL's originate in Canada and the US.
I really don't think Microsoft Security Essentials is such a bad program. People who have no protection will certainly try it. I wonder if Windows Update can detect if a computer has no anti-virus installed and make Microsoft Security Essentials a High-Priority download if they are not protected. It would be great if that were possible.
We have a new free antivirus that has just come out of beta. Panda Cloud is final.
http://www.cloudantivirus.com/en/
I am currently using Avira antivirus...Can I also use the new Panda considering it is "in the cloud" or will there still be a conflict? If so which is recommended? Thanks
At a minimum you would risk degrading the performance of both applications by using them together. At worse you would risk infection through compromised effectiveness or a system crash.
This release of Panda supposedly fixes the CPU and memory issues widely reported plus some other bugs but I would still not rely on it as a front line solution. Maybe they have got it working right this time but I would still wait a while to review the forum threads and see some more independent test results. Even though Avira has had it's moments with updates recently (for some) I would rather keep this proven performer than replace it with something like Panda.
I know that sometimes new programs look highly attractive especially when different technology is touted as being 'next generation' or whatever. This fact isn't lost on the vendors either who seek to hype this to suit their own agenda. There's nothing wrong with this, it's just marketing, but it's still marketing. The forums, tech sites and research groups like AV_Comparatives are the places to see the best information, rather than any vendors website. I had high hopes for Panda Cloud when it first came onto the scene but so far those hopes have yet to be realized. The one thing we know for certain about Avira though is that it works. So does Avast! come to that and they have a new version due out shortly. I don't follow this development so closely so I'm not sure about the release date but no doubt Anupam will post the details here about 30 seconds after it hits Softpedia!
THANKS MC for such a thorough reply!
I gave Panda free a test drive and it starts up like MSE on my XP SP-3. On start up, I get a Warning message from Security Center, "Your computer might be at risk, Panda is not turned on" 7 sec later, the message goes away and the Panda bear on my tool bar say's Panda is on. Avast 4 and 5 beta start up immediately like an AV is suppose too. I also noticed a teeny-tiny drag, just enough to know that Panda is there, but not really a problem. Avast 5 beta is so light, that I cannot feel it there at all. I guess I am simply an Avast 5 beta user...
Thanks! I'm giving Panda free a test drive now. It would have been nice to have seen a message telling me, I have to go into my email to activate it. Some users might not figure that out, get discouraged and uninstall Panda...
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