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

[Joeteoh99]

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.

What's your pick on free antivurs softwares?

 

[4Ryan6]

I use ESET Smart Security and have been using it for about 5 years now, it is the full package with firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware, and email protection, it is not free and is not cheap, but IMO it is the best there is, it has proved itself so many times that I absolutely trust it.

The newest version even goes into an update pause state while I'm gaming, it keeps an eye on everything going on but will not perform an update until I close the game, and that's really nice!

I am not going to bash the other options out there as I have used Nortons, Kaspersky, Bitdefender, Zone Alarm, AVG, Comodo, Microsoft Security Essentials, Avast, and a few others that do not come to mind.

It truly amazes me how many out there in this day and time invest so much money in their computers but want to use some kind of free AV solution to protect their important files when we see everyday the hackers are out there attacking places like Target, Zaxbys, Home Depot, and numerous others, but so many are satisfied with getting something for nothing, even if their security is at risk.

Especially those of you that online bank or make online purchases, unfortunately when the free doesn't work for you, well then it's too late!

If you want quality, You get what you pay for in this world!

 

[Skylyne]

What's your pick on free antivurs softwares?

Bitdefender, hands down. Probably the best solution for free software I've seen, even though you can't do much customisation. I have a love/hate relationship with it.

It truly amazes me how many out there in this day and time invest so much money in their computers but want to use some kind of free AV solution to protect their important files when we see everyday the hackers are out there attacking places like Target, Zaxbys, Home Depot, and numerous others, but so many are satisfied with getting something for nothing, even if their security is at risk.

Especially those of you that online bank or make online purchases, unfortunately when the free doesn't work for you, well then it's too late!

If you want quality, You get what you pay for in this world!

I don't know why people think their AV software is going to protect them from everything, or that it's better to pay for software. Yes, you can get more protection from paid software; however, it's only going to protect you if your other methods of security fail. If you don't take any other security precautions, and rely on your AV software, you're asking for someone to exploit you. This is exactly what happens to retail chains; they rely on certain methods of "security," but they overlook something minimal that hasn't been noticed. That's how software exploits work, and an AV software won't protect you from things like that. While it may have certain 0-day protection methods, it can only keep up with certain types of vulnerabilities. There is no match for a bored hacker that has nothing better to do than break into a credit card database; security software can only do so much without having someone monitor your traffic personally.

If you use intelligent browsing techniques, you don't download your emails with Outlook/etc. (which is a huge security problem on its own), you are careful with where/when you use your computer's wireless networking, and so on, then you really don't need to worry about being tapped. Most people can avoid the most common vulnerabilities by simply dedicating a couple hours per week to using quality browsing habits. That would prevent the mass majority of infections. The rest would come down to trusting the wrong software, compromised USB sticks, and the like. There are countless vulnerabilities that people are paid to keep quiet about (not a joke), and the only way we find out about them is through mass problems like Heartbleed. Paid security software is a nice backup solution, but it isn't a requirement for a clean PC.

 

[spooky2th]

I think you need a good firewall these days. Some web sites have ads, etc that load malware and other unwanted stuff from just a mouse over. Don't even have to click anything at all and then there's something you don't want that has been loaded onto your system. Have helped a couple of people that swore they never clicked on anything and they ended up with ransom malware. Kaspersky has a special protection against ransom malware. Plus an adjustable gaming mode too, which I like.

 

[spooky2th]

In case anybody is interested, looking for decent internet protection at a good price for up to three PC's.

Panda Internet Security 2015 3 PC - 1 Year - Download

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832152108&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL102314&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL102314-_-EMC-102314-Index-_-DownloadableSecurityUtilities-_-32152108-L09D

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

I use Bitdefender and Malwarebytes , my parents use ESET , my son uses GDATA = Bitdefender plus Avast.

 

[Skylyne]

I think you need a good firewall these days. Some web sites have ads, etc that load malware and other unwanted stuff from just a mouse over. Don't even have to click anything at all and then there's something you don't want that has been loaded onto your system. Have helped a couple of people that swore they never clicked on anything and they ended up with ransom malware. Kaspersky has a special protection against ransom malware. Plus an adjustable gaming mode too, which I like.

If you block the advertisements using a proper plug-in, you don't have to worry about malware ads. There's so many easy steps that can be taken to avoid necessitating AV software, yet they go overlooked, or under-appreciated.

I use Bitdefender and Malwarebytes , my parents use ESET , my son uses GDATA = Bitdefender plus Avast.

You're not only getting the best overall protection, but you have the lightest weight AV software- AV-Test comparison. If the folks start to have speed issues, I'd switch them to something lighter weight.

 

[Alan Caldwell]

Never tried Adw , is it a paid version?

Adwcleaner is a free tool. I personally use avast free version and malware anti-malwarebytes paid. It never slows down
my system.

 

[spooky2th]

Re: Skylyne,

I tried blocking all the ads. Kaspesky has a good ad blocking option plus a banner blocking option as well. Don't like to use those options. I like to get the full web site just minus the malware. On top of that, just visiting web sites alone gets unwanted stuff loaded to the comp drive, ads or no ads.

So many apps? This is why I like Kaspersky Internet Security. It does it all. And very well too. Load it and set it up the way you want and not have to keep up with multiple other apps.


Years ago when I was using Norton Internet Security, I got a bad infection just from visiting a web site. As soon as the site loaded Norton went crazy. It let me know alright but didn't stop a thing. Ended up re-installing windows. I save all my data that I do not want to lose, so there was no loss there. My Norton subscription ran out shortly afterwards. I had been hearing good things about Kaspersky, so I switched. Like a dummy, after installing Kaspersky Internet Security and setting it up, I went to the same web site that killed my OS. Kaspersky wouldn't let that web site load at all. A warning window popped up and said that the web site had such & such malware, trogen or something on it. A big smile came across my face and I've been a happy camper since.

I especially like Kaspersky's safe money option. Can load web sites that Kaspersky's firewall will give more protection while you are there.

When I leave the comp unattended, lot's of times I have Kaspersky block all internet traffic and then turn it off when I come back.

I read an article not so long ago about a hacker test of protection software. A bunch of protection programs were deliberately hacked into by several hackers. Most all the programs were hacked withing 30 to 40 mins. Kaspersky stood on top. The average for Kas was 1hr & 10mins to 1hr & 20 mins. So, if someone wants to get into your system, I'd say no one is really protected. I hear all the time about some corporation or another getting hacked and lot's of user private/personal info is compromised.

Nothing is safe in the cloud, much less our home computers, whether it is YahooMail or any banking corp.

I now encrypt my whole HDD and more.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Webroot:
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832296083&cm_re=WEBROOT-_-32-296-083-_-Product
AntiVirus 2015 1 Year 1 Device PC - Download

$3.99

 

[HyNrgy]

i may switch to Kaspersky. I emailed them and asked is it only the virus or program updates included in the subscription and they said both durring the 1 or 2 year subscription.

I have bitdefender now but they want to charge me to upgrade to the newer version and the "discount" for current memeber is no discount since it is the same for online purchase

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Bitdefender has never charged me for a new version.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

http/chart.av-comparatives.org/chart1.php?chart=chart2&year=2014&month=9&sort=0&zoom=2

 

[Skylyne]

Re: Skylyne,

I tried blocking all the ads. Kaspesky has a good ad blocking option plus a banner blocking option as well. Don't like to use those options. I like to get the full web site just minus the malware. On top of that, just visiting web sites alone gets unwanted stuff loaded to the comp drive, ads or no ads.

So many apps? This is why I like Kaspersky Internet Security. It does it all. And very well too. Load it and set it up the way you want and not have to keep up with multiple other apps.

I don't know why you've had such poor luck with the internet... I have run my personal computer with zero security software, and absolutely no firewall, which never got infected; and yes, I checked it with proper security software after a couple years passed, and it was clean as a whistle. I also rarely censored the sites I visited, and didn't exercise too much caution with browsing... but maybe it was browsing habits and techniques? Also, websites will only download rogue software onto your computer if the sites themselves are rogue; visiting Yahoo won't yield malware just by visiting their homepage (for example). Click jacking, malware ads, and counterfeit sites will give you silent installs, but simply loading a legitimate page (ie: Google, or Facebook) won't yield a silent install of malware. You can't do a rogue hosting of malware on a heavily trafficked public webpage without raising red flags, and doing so would likely get you caught. If you're getting silent downloads, you're most likely visiting websites that are pretty sketchy to begin with.

Kaspersky's 'Safe Money' feature is a decent attempt at securing on-line transactions, but it's a relatively poor method. Using certificates to "secure" a connection is easily bypassed by man-in-the-middle attacks, and offers no real security. They basically scan for OS vulnerabilities that are currently known, and tell you to update if you're out of date; and that's one of those things that you should be doing as it is. Their virtual keyboard would go ignored by a majority of users without a touchscreen, and the "secure keyboard" is only going to protect you from keyloggers... which is a relatively outdated method. I would say that keyloggers are an entry-level attack method, and/or are a fall back plan for other methods of attack. It's also a bit dumb to only use protection from keyloggers at particular times only... just saying.

Only trying to put it out there that Kaspersky is doing elementary security techniques that are easily bypassed. Not to mention, all of these can be done manually, with little effort. Regularly check your updates, manually check your SSL certifications (easy with most browsers, and relatively quick), and use the on-board virtual keyboard in Windows (Start Menu > Accessories > Ease of Access > On-Screen Keyboard, for those who are on Win7 and below). All of this could be easily performed in a couple minutes, and you can always speed things up with keyboard short-cuts, as well as using a browser that can check for certificate revocation (like Chrome). There's no real need to pay for any of this, and it only adds a couple minutes to your purchase times to do it manually. If it comes free with your security software (like Kaspersky), that's one thing; but buying Kaspersky because of this is like paying someone to do basic arithmetic for you... it's just so easy to do. I have to put it like that because that's the only way to make it stick out; it is that easy.

I'll consider doing a full-on bareback experience with the internet when I have a new primary computer... run my old machine with absolutely no protection measures, and with no manually installed browser extensions (using either Iron or Aviator), and I will only use basic browsing safety techniques. If I can do some screen capture crap, I will; and I'll see about uploading it to youtube for CIS 101 purposes. No intentional software installs from shady websites, etc., etc., etc.. It will be fun to see exactly what happens. I haven't seen anyone really destroy Win7 very easily, so I'm wondering just how easy it is to muck it up like so many people claim. It's pretty easy to avoid getting infected when you are actively looking out for shady things.

Webroot:
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832296083&cm_re=WEBROOT-_-32-296-083-_-Product
AntiVirus 2015 1 Year 1 Device PC - Download

$3.99

Since I don't have any invisible money (aka digital currency on a debit/credit card), I'll see about using someone else's... with permission, of course. Don't need people thinking I'm a fraudster now, do I?

 

[HyNrgy]

i know this may open a new pandora's box but as far as android I use Avast Premium. Not so much as the anti-virus (which is nice) and if rooted, nice firewall (again nice) but the extra stuff is what i like that comes with it.

Besides just location finder, wiping, siren (if cannot find), locking, and if need be, silent call and listen, backup important stuff and more.


to me it seems Bitdefender and Kaspersky are both the best out there (on the paid side) as far as footprint, lightweight on cpu and so on. I know most of the sites i go to and my habits but just like car insurance it isn't you planing on having something happen....just in case it does

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Another decent one is NIS , it's very light and runs smooth in the background.

 

[HyNrgy]

if your talking about Norton they ruined it for me a long time ago for a long time to come

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

They (Norton) recoded their lineup like 5 to 6 years ago , their protection software is first rate and very light.

 

[HyNrgy]

well, i admit has been over that since used...was great at the begining then to much resource hog for so long....just a bad taste if you will

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

It's one of the lightest on the market now , the only version I won't use is the 360.