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Best antivirus

I usually follow the PCpro labs tests and A-lists.

Went from Bit defender, to NOD32, to Kaspersky and was going to go AVG Pro, then went Ubuntu instead ;)

Although PCpro say Trend is latest and greatest. Got to say as a Corporate Trend customer, Can't say I can disagree with that.

Best Internet Security software | PC Pro
 
For some info look at this site for detailed independent reviews on AV programs; AV-Comparatives - Independent Tests of Anti-Virus Software - Comparatives & Reviews

I used AVG (free and paid for about 8 years). No issues, so I thought. Once I installed Avira Premium (Paid) it found 3 trojans on my wife's system and who knows how long they had been there. Been using Avira since Jan-Feb of this year. I like Avira, the updates are installed daily (both to the definitions and program). The firewall is also excellent and makes the Win7 firewall look like a wet paper bag. :D I can also see what IP has been blocked automatically via a little pop-up ...nice just to do a nslookup / whois to find out where it came from.
 
Avira was in the PC pro labs test. Free version was better than most paid versions in all their security tests. I use avira on my win 7 media PC. The free version has annoying pop-ups though, so you have to modify your hosts file to get around it.
 
drdoom said:
Microsoft Security Essentials + routine scans using Malwarebytes. /thread
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Zactly.

I throw in WinPatrol for good measure, since I won a lifetime upgrade license from CastleCops when they were still around....

Oh, and my MBAM is registered as I am a beta tester of old for them....(and, no, I won't give you the reg code, so don't ask)

Even without having he premium version, though, you really cannot beat MBAM fo its speed and heuristics.

And, as for M$SE? it's the lightest footprint I've seen in an AV that is still as good (comparatively speaking) as the best.
 
The problem with MSE is you are still leaving the MS firewall enabled (unless you buy a 3rd party FW.) The protection and info you get from, for example the AVira firewall, is so much better.

One of the many features I like on Avira is when an program you have just installed (or are using for the first time) tries to access the net a small window pops up. It tells you what is trying to access the net, the IP its going to (also resolves the IP to a hostname address), the port its using, the location on the drive from where it's executing, the vendor name and whether its signed. You then have the option to allow (once or all the time), deny, and all that jazz. I also mentioned before that a semi-transparent window (similar to MSN chat) pops up with even more info about the firewall status; when an IP scans/pings me. A great tool to see something 'live' instead of sifting through logs (which should be done anyway) :cool:

MS firewall has let things through without asking me all the time, it's not a secure firewall. MS also can't stand up to a strong portscan, it fails and reveals info to the scanner. As for MSE it's adequate and that is about it. MS & security is not as much as an oxymoron as it use to be but, I would still not rely on their product.

The $40 CDN for the 3 client license from Avira Premium is well worth the money.
 
ToastPwnz said:
I don't mean to sound rude, but you'll never get a definitive answer. Best is relative, its all a matter of opinion.
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To a degree, but bear in mind that there are "scientific" tests done on these products and sometimes technically one comes out a winner. To me, best means offers the most protection and o don't feel this to be subjective.

However, ease of use can also be considered best. As can how configurable a product is and that can be subjective.

As previously mentioned, I always follow pc pro labs test for most protective.
 
SUroot said:
To a degree, but bear in mind that there are "scientific" tests done on these products and sometimes technically one comes out a winner. To me, best means offers the most protection and o don't feel this to be subjective.
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To expand on what SUroot says a little...this may sound elementary and childish, but this is the definition of the flavor of the month club.

These antivirus/security companies leap frog each other on an almost monthly basis these days. Who remembers when it was just Norton and McAfee?? Or when ZoneLabs came out and CNET and PC World could not rave enough about them.

There really is no "long term" definitive answer to this question, it really boils down to "Who's best right now".
 
Used to use AVG until they buggered it up a couple of years ago.

We're now using the free version of Avira. Very happy with it's performance, especially on our aging computers.
 
MS Security Essentials. I also like Nod32 for a non-free (but why would you?) Norton/Symantec would be angry if they knew how many customers I've personally cost them.
 
MSE and (in)frequent MBAM scans. I find nothing on my system except cookies, and I visit some ...questionable... sites on a regular basis.

AV is important, but add-ons for your browser can be just as important.
 
Like mentioned before, this debate is just like PC vs. Mac, Linux vs Microsoft, Cisco vs Juniper...etc. There will always be "scientific" research for the current fad and of course I don't mean for this to offend anyone in anyway.

Your best bet is to start off with some of the freeware i.e. AVG, Avira, and some free trials. Personally, I like having a physical device as my firewall but then again I'm biased since I work directly with Cisco products all day.

I currently use Symantec only because you get free keys while in the military. However a lot of my buddies are in agreement with a lot of the people here on using Avira.

Cheers, and good luck on your with your search.
 
Last time I used MBAM it was a bit more aggressive in "selling itself". had me a bit... disappointed. I was always a fan but I'm re-thinking it. I got sick of AVG,Avira for the same reasons. I got tired of their "ohnoes sky is falling" popup warnings over day old definitions or some advertising cookie from Google.

I use MSE though and Comodo for a firewall. I used to use COMODO with active system protection but the popups were ceaseless.

So for me:

MSE + rare MBAM scans + Comodo + NoScript (a must) + HTTPS-Everywhere
 
Comodo is a good firewall, I have to admit. I used noscript for a while but got sick of turning it off when making pucrhases online (never knew what site was going to be used for the transaction and when it failed, there was concern of paying twice). That said my "top" seemed much more realistic.

I dont use anything on my Ubuntu laptop though. My hardware does a pretty good job at firewalling and just havent got round to investigating Linux viruses in any depth yet.
 
I tend to frequent the same sites over and over so could just whitelist them for NoScript, but I could see if you're a bargain hunter looking around...
 
This could lead to an argument, but as an IT support i can tell none is perfect. Most of the programs should manage viruses fine if you should get one, just had a experience last week with NOD32 and MSE running on the same computer at the same time. While NOD32 totally ignored the virus and MSE removed it totally, can't tell you the name of the virus tho, but it liked to display files as folders. :)
 
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