What type of anti-virus to install?

[SonnyNXiong]

Hello All

I am relatively new to giving consideration to installing a good anti-virus and i'm not sure which anti-virus to use. If anyone could give me some suggestions that would be great and explain why it is great. Also I would only like ones that are up to date with the ability to counter any and all threats that may harm a PC in any fashion.

Which anti-virus do you use? Which anti-virus do you find most reliable without having to pay for real-time protection but instead having real-time protection at no cost to the user?

 

[mdd1963]

No anti virus or antimalware will stop everything...

Users are tricked into installing or carelessly install junk by mistake ranging from simple adware to ransomware, across the globe...

Windows Defender has been doing prety well in recent tests against malware and even ransomware, and, many are successful with it..

I've used Qihoo's 360TS for Win7 and Win10 for about a year, then switched to SecureAPlus about a year ago...; anything fishy, it blocks first, asks questions later.

Lots of folks are happy with AVG, Kaspersky (now rumored to be free), and a list as long as my arm competes for business, even when free....

Each of the long list of competitors has a long list of advocates, and, even opponents...

CHoosing an AV is like choosing a car....1,000,000 opinions...

Once you actually have addware/malware, the list is now different.

Antimalware-- Malwarebytes, Hitman Pro, several other tools specialize in investigating it, but sometimes you must root it out...

Best option some have chosen? Have a good (unconnected/offline) backup image (Macrium Reflect, Acronis True Image, AOMEI Backupper, CLonezilla etc), and you can restore your system in 20-40 minutes to the state it was when you made the backup...(varies with size of image/speed of your storage/backup storage image source)

Use a good adware/popup-blocker on your browser---Ublock Origin comes to mind...

 

[mdd1963]

Additional tips: go wired to router, if possible, and if you use wireless, change admin password of router to something secure QUICKLY!, disallow admin access via wireless, and use WPA2, not WEP...do not broadcast SSID...

I'd also use Glasswire, a free firewall addon with WIndows firewall that shows all inbound/outbound connections and countries of origin and controlling programs directing thee conenections in plain, easy to understand format/ language...
Safe surfing!

 

[ComputerGeek21]

i use trend micro security and it seems to be okay apart from the time ransomware got past it and locked everything (honestly no idea how it got on my pc) other than that it stops basic threats

notion was a good one from what i remember but times change so i would probably recommend bitdefender, not only is it i good allround defender its also on sale on the site.

just remember no anti virus can protect from all threats and when a new threat pops up it takes some time to plug the security holes

 

[JoshRoss]

Ah, the age old question of which anti-virus to install and which one is the best or proves really well. Clarification time.

Unfortunately, there is no telling what the best anti-virus software is. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. Considering the ratings are slightly varying from month to month, it would be hard to establish the best one.

Currently, Windows natively has its own anti-virus Windows Defender, and it works relatively well. The majority of the popular providers have free versions of their software to test out, and they also do the job. As for anti-virus, I recommend Comodo, Avast, Avira, Bitdefender, Kaspersky or Norton. All of them proven formidable. But in all honesty, if you do have windows, Windows Defender is your best option, since it doesn’t use that much additional resources, while third party anti-virus solutions might.

With anti-virus, you usually will need to run anti-malware software. Not every single anti-virus has the full package included. Any of the popular software solutions will be solid as well. My recommendations towards ADWCleaner, Malwarebytes, Hitman Pro, I used them all, they did the job. Something to be aware, Malwarebytes paid version provides full suite including Anti-virus and Anti-malware. If you are going for a paid version, you won't need anti-virus solution.

For in browser solution, you could use an Adblocker to protect you from malicious ads, uBlock takes this one for me.

But when it comes to the internet, no software will protect you 100%. My tip would be to be aware of what you are browsing and downloading. Do not click suspicious links, avoid shady files. Additionally, be careful with emails, a lot of malware is spread through fake/malicious emails. That is the best way of being safe out there. Good luck!

 

[bilalmk95]

Previously, I had windows 7 not updated and Kaspersky End Point Security 10 installed. and you won't believe I got hit by Wanna Cry Ransom Ware. This was due to I hadn't updated neither windows nor Kaspersky.

Failure to update software cost a lot and if you update the software and windows it will cost a lot of bandwidth. No matter how much pain in the neck the updates are you still need to regularly update antivirus, anti malware and windows. Preferably switch to windows 10 as they have built in anti virus "windows defender" which gives basic level protection.

After the wanna cry incident I searched about different anti virus program and I came across the concept of IDS/IPS which prevent the malware before you can download it on your system. It is cloud based protection. For IDS/IPS you can use Snort but it for PRO only it has some of technical stuff involved. Alternatively you can use PureVPN I think they do offer IPS/IDS but for a price.

 

[teknobug]

Bitdefender is fairly cheap ($20 CDN for a year) and my wife's computer has Bitdefender and it hasn't been a problem. My mother uses AVG which is significantly more expensive and has been alright as well albiet being a bit of a resource hog.

I personally don't use antivirus other than Windows Defender, but I do occasionally scan with Malwarebytes and Spybot.

 

[PeterKendrick]

IMO ESET has the best stable program in AV industry. But as MDD1963 said that AV does not protect everything and it comes down to human behavior. You would require a heuristic system at network level to prevent malware.

 

[SumTingW0ng]

IMO ESET has the best stable program in AV industry. But as MDD1963 said that AV does not protect everything and it comes down to human behavior. You would require a heuristic system at network level to prevent malware.

The truth is no software is stable.

 

[Avast-Team]

This is truly a tough question to answer, and really comes down to the features you're looking for, and what's important to you in an anti-virus/anti-malware program.

One thing I can clarify though -- you don't necessarily need two separate programs. For example, Avast can protect you against "traditional" and known viruses, but our IDP also has several ways of detecting malicious behavior in real-time (Behavior Shield) and analyzing unknown files in the cloud (CyberCapture)

Which one you choose is up to you, but the solution should be intelligent, leverage machine learning and AI, and protect against morphing threats such as ransomware as well as old school threats.

Also, many programs like ours will allow you to run in a Passive Mode, so for example if you wanted to run another AV but have Avast available for scans, that's an option.

Hope that helps!

 

[PeterKendrick]

The truth is no software is stable.

True, but my experience with ESET was great for years. I didn't face any problem with it.

 

[PeterKendrick]

Now moved to Kaspersky Free. Its working fine till now.

 

[mdd1963]

Previously, I had windows 7 not updated and Kaspersky End Point Security 10 installed. and you won't believe I got hit by Wanna Cry Ransom Ware. This was due to I hadn't updated neither windows nor Kaspersky.

Failure to update software cost a lot and if you update the software and windows it will cost a lot of bandwidth. No matter how much pain in the neck the updates are you still need to regularly update antivirus, anti malware and windows. Preferably switch to windows 10 as they have built in anti virus "windows defender" which gives basic level protection.

After the wanna cry incident I searched about different anti virus program and I came across the concept of IDS/IPS which prevent the malware before you can download it on your system. It is cloud based protection. For IDS/IPS you can use Snort but it for PRO only it has some of technical stuff involved. Alternatively you can use PureVPN I think they do offer IPS/IDS but for a price.

Certainly a non-updates OS and non-updated antivirus/antimalware are virtually assured of letting new malware thru, as they are incapable of recognizing it under the old definitions...

 

[Tanyac]

FWIW, and I know this thread is aging, I'd like to add my two cents worth.
Recently Malware Bytes increased their prices from (for me) $70 AUD per year for 6 PCs to $360 AUD per year for the same 6 PCs. This prompted me to look for a new product. To my utter disgust, I could find nothing that was worth either the cost or the risk of installing.

I installed and tested eSet, BitDefender, Kasperskey, ZoneAlarm, AVG and Avast.

All of them were full of bloatware. The largest being a 2gig installation, even with several options disabled during install. The smallest was 483mb.
Number of processes to block a virus ranged from 4 to 17. (MBAM has 3 by comparison).
All of them were full of telemetry, sending data to various places continuously, which even included Google, Amazon and various other "Partners".
Prices ranged from $20 per PC per year to $80 per PC per year (in AUD)

These virus solutions are no more trustworthy than Microsoft or Facebook.

In the end, the best solution is common sense, caution, a VPN, and as others have said here - an image of your system.

 

[mdd1963]

I find experimenting with the free stuff to be fun, anyway, and, in the event I ever get hit, can reinstall Win10 Pro from USB in 4 minutes anyway....

I think I could disable all AV/firewall, etc, and not get hit with the 10-20 trusted websites I frequent, but, if you really want to test an AV/Antimalware solution....turn a teenager loose with it, they will have it filled with 94 PUPs, ransomware'd or rogue-plagued in 20 minutes!

 

[SumTingW0ng]

Now moved to Kaspersky Free. Its working fine till now.

How to uninstall the Kaspersky Secure Connection? Is that useless app install auto?

 

[mdd1963]

http/www.intowindows.com/how-to-uninstall-and-remove-kaspersky-secure-connection/

 

[SumTingW0ng]

I would love to try Kaspersky Free, but since there's no option to not to install Kaspersky Secure Connection app, I will pass that. Bitdefender still got my vote over Kaspersky Free when it come to ANTIVIRUS with no useless junk install or pop up.

 

[teknobug]

I would love to try Kaspersky Free, but since there's no option to not to install Kaspersky Secure Connection app, I will pass that. Bitdefender still got my vote over Kaspersky Free when it come to ANTIVIRUS with no useless junk install or pop up.

Free Bitdefender is pretty good.