Kaspersky Free Antivirus

[Burn-IT]

It will still be better than none at all.
Wait until there is proof rather than hearsay!!

[George.J]

The above mentioned "conspiracy" theories is kind of a "thing" for popular products. Avast [their browser extension & CCleaner] and Qihoo 360 had faced the same fate in the past. If I did acknowledge them, Windows would be the first thing that would be in my blacklist followed by Google.

But since I take a neutral stand in these things, I would say "Yes" to both Windows & Google because now it's has become a part of my life. Similar is the case with Kaspersky, because it's the best in it's league [if you are considering the big pool of all the antiviruses out there]. A valuable lesson I learnt is not to be paranoid about every little thing out there on the internet.

[MaikL]

According to various news reports, including this one from the Guardian, Ciaran Martin, head of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said there are “obvious risks around foreign ownership” of companies that produce anti-virus (AV) software.

So, which AV product(s) does the NCSC recommend? There's a very limited choice for UK users.

German authorities are preparing a law that will force device manufacturers to include backdoors within their products that law enforcement agencies could use at their discretion for legal investigations. The law would target all modern devices, such as cars, phones, computers, IoT products, and more.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/new...modern-device/


Quite interesting to read this advice from Ciaran Martin: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/...based-products

4. ...the overwhelming majority of UK individuals and organisations are not being actively targeted by the Russian state, and are far more likely to be targeted by cyber criminals.

8 Finally, it is worth reiterating, as Ian’s blog does, that the most important thing for departments to protect against threats in cyberspace is getting the basics right. Care in the selection of AV providers is just one part of an overall approach to managing risks to national security, but what will determine the success or otherwise of departments against the full range of cyber threats is keeping patching up to date, having good monitoring mechanisms, and all the other basics of good cyber hygiene we are promoting with your teams.

If he could just get the basics through to MPs so they stop sharing passwords with their staff, their dog, their dog's mates.

[Burn-IT]

Just stop giving them PCs if they do not know how to use them - which at least one MP admitted he didn't.

[George.J]

The 2019 version of Kaspersky Free has System Watcher - Behavioural blocker included. Now it almost has all the features of the paid version except that we have to run on default Protection settings [which is still great]. We cant configure the Protection settings but All the modules are ON, so this is an excellent choice now because Kaspersky has probably the best default settings across all products. And beginners/mid-level users hardly change them.

Now I might have to re-consider my top pick.

[MidnightCowboy]

Originally Posted by George.J

Now I might have to re-consider my top pick.

In view of recent developments with 360, I think this is a good idea.

[George.J]

In the recent update, Kaspersky achieves the top spot in Best Free Antivirus.

Kaspersky has two versions of it's free software which has the same features

a. Kaspersky Free Antivirus (KFA) - It has almost no ads, no requirement for registration, default protection settings (which is locked) are perfect for most users
b. Kaspersky Security Cloud (KSC) - It has few ads, requires registration & protection settings that can be tweaked.

Currently reviewing Forticlient and Tencent, they look pretty good to me.

[George.J]

Adding screenshot showing the protection settings that can be changed with Kaspersky Cloud Free

[MidnightCowboy]

Originally Posted by George.J

Currently reviewing Forticlient and Tencent, they look pretty good to me.

I've always been a fan of Forticlient. Even in the old days when the base protection was not as good as some, the web filtering was excellent, this after all being one of the main sources of malware. Since then though has achieved the advanced award for real world protection test from AV-Comparatives (December 2017). Also, the configuration options are just massive compared to most of the popular free AV's, yet the interface is simple enough for even novice users to understand. Currently running this one one Windows 10 laptop and have no complaints whatsoever.