Do you use : No Antivirus , FREE Antivirus , or PAID Antivirus and why?

[jimlp12]

I use to use Free Avast for years.... the updating was automatically, but I had to scan my PC periodically and it missed a lot things I later found with SpyHunter4. Just recently I came across Bitdefender free, it is completely Automatic..... the only things that I scan now are new files/programs that I've downloaded and wish to install on my PC.... and if it finds a virus or infected file/program... it cleans it up Automatically or totally blocks it..... and it blocks/warns against un-safe Web sites... you can find it at www.bitdefener.com

 

[Guest]

Do you use : No Antivirus , FREE Antivirus , or PAID Antivirus and why.

Please leave comments on why you do or don't use an Antivirus.

Thanks for your time,
Blackbird.

I'm running Win 8.1 Pro 64-bit and only use Windows Defender, which is built into Win 8.

I could get an antivirus software suit from my ISP - they offer it free to subscribers - but I have no need of it. If I where running anything less than Win 8, however, I would take advantage of that offer from my ISP.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Does the ISP offer a decent AV?

Wouldn't that be better than Defender.

 

[Guest]

My ISP offers Norton Security Suite, but I find it unnecessary running Win 8.1 with Windows Defender (don't need the extra antivirus filtering). I already use a router, which adds another layer of protection compared to not running one. Everyone should run the modem through a router whether they have other computers in the home or not.

I'm not new to antivirus protection (been running computers since 1984) and have used antivirus programs for years, but Win 8 is more secure than any earlier version of Windows (used Norton from my ISP when I ran Win Vista). Too, IE 11, which Win 8 comes with, is also more secure. And,... I'm cautious about the sites I visit... not a newbie here, nor a naïve young person.

In the final analysis, everyone chooses their level of risk against performance. I've had warnings from Windows Defender before, which I have always heeded. I've had no problems whatsoever using Win 8 with this level of protection.

 

[spooky2th]

Looking at this chart, Qihoo 360 seems to be one of the best. Anybody here have any experience with, Qihoo 360?

http/www.av-comparatives.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/avc_factsheet2014_09.pdf

The link is to a PDF.

 

[Skylyne]

I agree , have you ever used ESET security software?

Never used them, but I'm not opposed to giving them a go. I'll probably give them a try at some point, but I won't be testing too much more until I've built a new computer; I think I'm pushing my luck with testing AV software on this old computer... it's barely hanging on by a thread, and it's my only one for the time being.

Looking at this chart, Qihoo 360 seems to be one of the best. Anybody here have any experience with, Qihoo 360?

http/www.av-comparatives.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/avc_factsheet2014_09.pdf

The link is to a PDF.

That particular link isn't working for me. I am, however, going to give Qihoo 360 a go, as my last personal AV test on my old hardware. They do have an interesting way of basing their file detections, so I'll definitely look into them more. The installer is pretty large, though, which is different.

 

[LonelyMan]

Currently I do not have an AV, as I am trying to decide between Nod32, Kaspersky, Webroot and Emisoft and it is very hard. All my computers have limited accounts where I do my gaming and surfing and I have Malwarebytes free that does a scan once a week and never picks anything up. Also, Java does not exist on my computers.

 

[jadinolf]

I use ESET NOD32 antivirus.

I've been around quite a while and in my opinion, this program meets my security needs.

Of course, I need a firewall and antimalware protection and I have that as well.

 

[Skylyne]

Currently I do not have an AV, as I am trying to decide between Nod32, Kaspersky, Webroot and Emisoft and it is very hard. All my computers have limited accounts where I do my gaming and surfing and I have Malwarebytes free that does a scan once a week and never picks anything up. Also, Java does not exist on my computers.

If I were to pick between what you've listed, it would be a tie between Kaspersky and Webroot. The way I'd pick between the two is what kind of discount I can get on both. From the technical standpoint, I really don't think one should really be picked over the other (based on what I've see so far). I would simply shop around for a deal on both, and pick from there.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll also give you guys a little first impression of Qihoo 360, since I just go it up and running, and I tend to be harsh on AV software overall. First off, I should mention that I removed my previous AV software with IObit Uninstaller; complete removal means you won't have anything left behind for your new software to deal with (like filter drivers, or inactive software junk to sift through). I also updated my drivers (IObit has a nice program for that too), and installed Qihoo's 360 Internet Security. I opted for the package deal, over the AV only, because I figured I'd see how much it bogged down my system. While download times from the website could have been much better, that was the slowest thing I've seen from it yet.

Qihoo 360 does have three virus engines (360 Cloud, QVM II, and Bitdefender), and it also tells you the last time each one was updated (instead of a blanket update time stamp); no complaints there. Running a quick scan yielded average speeds, though I wouldn't complain about that; I don't really see "slow" scan speeds that most people complain about, and I am running older hardware (2.2 Ghz Core2 Duo with 4 GB of memory). Will scan speeds possibly be slow for you? I would say that is based on what you have going on in the background. No complaints from me on scans, though; however, I will run a full scan later, and make note if it's lacking in speed. I did like how the scan was done, though. It showed me a nice 5 step explanation of what it's doing, which I found to be very idiot-proof, and it kind of served as a nice means of passive teaching for the user. I liked that, because it gets a little nerdy without making the user feel nerdy. I'd say a bonus point for being clever, and for one-upping all the other free software I've seen with it's descriptive scanning technique. I remember when I first started learning about the file systems/etc., and I I used to watch the scanned folders fly by on the screen, but never knew what they were a part of; 360 gives you a nice little peak as to what they are scanning, and includes the location string while it scans. Again, just a nerd moment of teaching that I liked, but I think that's a big selling point for newer users... damned clever, and very clean in presentation.

According to (what I would call) the Dashboard, which is a nice drop down style menu, you have three categories for protection: Computer Protection, Internet Protection, and Privacy Protection. Each category gives you an on/off slider for different protection means, and it keeps things very basic. I did notice some notable ones, though: USB protection, Anti Keylogger, and Webcam Protection. Those three are ones you normally wouldn't see (from my personal experience), or at least would be hidden somewhere in your settings. While I prefer not being able to turn these off (for entry-level beginners), it's nice for someone like me; I hate digging around advanced settings for a single file/false positive that I'm trying to run.

It does have a sub-par "cleaner," which I found to be severely lacking in comparison to Ccleaner. Ccleaner not only cleans out more junk, but it offers secure file deletion, and auto-detects which programs you have installed. 360 kind of looks slightly confusing, and also makes promises of certain program cleaning. I'd ignore the cleaner altogether, and opt for Ccleaner, or whatever your personal choice would be. It also offers a Sandbox, which I haven't tested it yet. I will do some relatively extensive horsing around with over the next week, though. I do like that you can turn on/off sandboxing, and you can add a "Run file from Sandbox" option to the right-click menu; so that's nice. For me, this works out well, as I'd prefer to choose to sandbox a potentially harmful install, instead of auto-sandboxing everything. I'll play around and see what happens.

I will be leaving the suite in my beloved DND mode (Do Not Disturb), so I won't be commenting on notifications/etc.. I also hate pop-up notifications as a whole, and prefer programs to be entirely self-contained. While I do miss out on a few things, I've always been willing to deal with that. But, back on track with the more important stuff...

It has relatively customisable 'Protection Settings', somewhat customisable scanning techniques, and even has a decent amount of live-protection options. I do wonder just how well this software works in each individual field, but it looks relatively promising for giving the user control; that makes me feel somewhat torn. For those that like changing the 'theme' that your software has, you can do that. Themes are a petty feature for most, but I think it's nice to have a uniform look with my OS, and other programs; but I'm also one of "those" guys. Overall, I'm kind of liking this suite... and I really don't say that often with security software (seriously ). First impressions yields a highly positive experience, but I will say that I expect it to fail somewhere; they always do. I'm mostly hoping everything that's seen doesn't give off a false sense of security, as I've seen a lot of promises in the industry that are accompanied with a weak delivery. I do think the USB protection, Anti Keylogger, and Webcam Protection options are nice add-ons, but I'll see if I can find some extensive testing on this (might have to test it on my own to get a good review, but no promises on if I will actually resort to that). Qihoo does seem to promise a lot for their free software, and that makes me even more sceptical for quality. On the other hand, they do have relatively positive marks (thanks for bringing them up, spooky2th). While they don't have the highest ratings, the rating aren't very disappointing... and I do tend to say that your AV/security software should be your last line of defence. Would I recommend them based on ratings alone? No.

I'll let you guys know what else I find out. This might earn a rare stamp of approval from me, or turn out to be a let down... we shall see.

 

[Skylyne]

Qihoo 360 does have a good standing with AV-Test too. http/www.av-test.org/en/?avtest%5Breport%5D=7151

EDIT: I will be testing Qihoo's 360 Total Security program and Browser at some point, as well. I'll probably end up making a dedicated thread for all of this, to avoid cluttering up this one, and then link it in. From preliminary research, the company is relatively controversial, as it's a Freemium company, and their corporate side has been challenged with financial scepticism. Also, their browsers are not only difficult to remove, but there's some controversy over certain aspects of removal- read http/www.digital-dd.com/qihoo-browser-war/ to get a little feel for what I'm talking about.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

NIS is a very good suite , very light also.

 

[spooky2th]

I agree , have you ever used ESET security software?

Never used them, but I'm not opposed to giving them a go. I'll probably give them a try at some point, but I won't be testing too much more until I've built a new computer; I think I'm pushing my luck with testing AV software on this old computer... it's barely hanging on by a thread, and it's my only one for the time being.

Looking at this chart, Qihoo 360 seems to be one of the best. Anybody here have any experience with, Qihoo 360?

You can get the free PDF reader here:
http/get.adobe.com/reader/?promoid=KLXME

Take the check out of the optional offer. Unless you want to try the free McAfee scanner.

http/www.av-comparatives.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/avc_factsheet2014_09.pdf

The link is to a PDF.

That particular link isn't working for me. I am, however, going to give Qihoo 360 a go, as my last personal AV test on my old hardware. They do have an interesting way of basing their file detections, so I'll definitely look into them more. The installer is pretty large, though, which is different.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Qihoo 360 < Never heard of it . have to try it on one of my other setups.

 

[terry4536]

I use McAfee Security Suite, which is free through my cable internet provider. It has a firewall on top of my router firewall. I scan often.

I think it would be nuts not to use anti -malware software these days. I do tend to get complacent when it doesn't find anything on scans, but then you look at the security report and see how much stuff it shoots down before you scan.

 

[terry4536]

And I use Adblock for my browsers.

I use JAVA and Flash, and both are big targets for malware

 

[Joeteoh99]

The included free Windows AV.
An occasional MalwareBytes scan, and even rarer Spyware S&D scan.

But this is behind a whole house Linux firewall/AV box. Currently running untangle. May move to pfsense in the near future.

And of course, that which exists between the ears.

Agree with Malwarebytes, I used it and it scans more than 20 viruses, and pups that Norton doesn't. Great.

 

[Joeteoh99]

I had a similar thread if it will help.
http/www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2341902/antivirus-market.html

 

[Skylyne]

Qihoo 360 < Never heard of it . have to try it on one of my other setups.

Qihoo is a Chinese software company, and they are partnered with OPSWAT. I definitely don't have any complaints with the software yet, although one of my first impressions was proved wrong... I can't disable sandboxing (thinking it meant auto-sandboxing) and keep the sandbox option in my right-click menu; I'll have to see what it sandboxes automatically, and why. I found a video review that shows Qihoo running, and none of the virus program installs were being sandboxed; however, Comodo was sandboxing them, so I chalk that particular "review" to tester error. I'll see what gets forced through their sandbox (have some programs I need installed as it is).

I will say that I have notice something interesting with Qihoo. They seem to block both zipped, and double zipped EICAR virus tests; however, they do not pick up on .txt files automatically. To sniff out virus .txt files, they must be scanned manually. This is something I'm not too enthusiastic about, although I practically never use .txt files... so it's questionable in validity right now. I'd recommend you test out your install of Qihoo, Blackbird, and see if you get the same results. If it doesn't pick up text file viruses automatically, then that's a good chunk of points knocked off from me.

 

[Joeteoh99]

Any thoughts on Avast?

 

[Skylyne]

I would never recommend Avast, to anyone; however, that isn't to say it's as bad as WSE. There are better options than Avast that are either free, or fairly inexpensive, that are much better than Avast. Avast has a strange history of missing viruses in the live scanning, and then finding them after you run a scan. I wouldn't recommend a software that allows something to install itself like that. Bitdefender seems to be much more effective, although it isn't too user-friendly for customisation.