Best anti-virus programs

Anti-Virus Comparatives (AVC) and Top Ten Reviews have conducted recent research and tests which put under the microscope various anti-virus programs with the latest updates (as of June 2012) . In the on-going battle with internet and PC security, anti-virus programs have become pivotal in the protection of home and business computers. Malware and malicious codes and viruses have evolved, but so have the programs which defend against them. Anti-Virus Comparatives’ test procedure included running hundreds of URLs through the various programs on a steady internet connection. Programs were run on their default settings, to simulate real-world conditions of every day users. If interactions were required, AVC chose “allow”, which counted towards the “User dependent” statistic. The table below summarises the findings – showing the blocked, user-dependent, compromised, protection rate, and cluster statistics for the respective programs. The tests ran from March 2012 – June 2012, with updating if new versions became available. G Data was the only program to be updated with a 2013 version for May and June. Program Blocked User dependent Compromised Protection Rate Cluster Bit Defender 2150 – 9 99.6% 1 G Data 2147 1 11 99.5% 1 Kaspersky 2146 2 11 99.4% 1 Qihoo 2143 6 10 99.4% 1 BullGuard 2131 21 7 99.2% 1 F-Secure 2135 10 14 99.1% 1 Avast 2110 28 21 98.4% 2 ESET 2117 1 41 98.1% 2 AVIRA 2107 13 39 97.9% 2 Sophos 2112 – 47 97.8% 2 Trend Micro 2108 – 51 97.6% 2 AVG 2103 6 50 97.5% 2 GFI 2102 – 57 97.4% 2 Panda 2097 – 62 97.1% 2 eScan 2094 – 65 97.0% 2 PC Tools 2024 126 9 96.7% 2 Tencent 2052 32 75 95.8% 3 Fortinet 2046 – 113 94.8% 3 McAfee 2041 6 112 94.7% 3 AhnLab 1999 – 160 92.6% 4 Webroot 1963 1 195 90.9% 4 The Anti-Virus Software review from Top Ten Reviews looked for the effectiveness and usability of the various anti-virus programs. The examination tested each program in a number of criteria, namely: scope of protection, effectiveness, ease of installation and setup, ease of use, features, updates, and help and support. The programs were each tested running on Windows 7, as well as Windows XP. Windows 7 performance (Anti-Virus Software Review) Program Protection score on Windows 7 Repair score Usability score Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 100% 83% 92% Kaspersky Anti-Virus 100% 75% 83% Panda Antivirus Pro 83% 92% 83% F-Secure Anti-Virus 92% 83% 83% AVG Anti-Virus 83% 58% 92% Avast! Pro Antivirus 83% 42% 83% G Data AntiVirus 92% 75% 67% BullGuard Antivirus 75% 50% 75% Avira AntiVir Premium 67% 67% 75% ESET NOD32 Antivirus 75% 42% 83% Norton AntiVirus 83% 50% 83% Vipre Antivirus 75% 58% 58% Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus + 75% 33% 83% McAfee AntiVirus Plus 67% 33% 33% Webroot Secure Anywhere Antivirus 67% 58% 67% CA AntiVirus Plus 42% 58% 50% Norman Antivirus & Antispyware 33% 33% 50% Windows XP performance (Anti-Virus Software Review) Protection score on Windows XP Repair score Usability score Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 100% 92% 92% Kaspersky Anti-Virus 92% 92% 83% Panda Antivirus Pro 92% 83% 83% F-Secure Anti-Virus 92% 83% 83% AVG Anti-Virus 92% 75% 50% Avast! Pro Antivirus 83% 67% 75% G Data AntiVirus 92% 67% 67% BullGuard Antivirus 83% 58% 75% Avira AntiVir Premium 58% 75% 67% ESET NOD32 Antivirus 67% 58% 92% Norton AntiVirus 83% 50% 58% Vipre Antivirus 50% 67% 67% Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus + 75% 58% 75% McAfee AntiVirus Plus 50% 50% 58% Webroot Secure Anywhere Antivirus NA NA NA CA AntiVirus Plus 25% 58% 67% Norman Antivirus & Antispyware 50% 66% 33% The findings from both sets of research reveal that Bitdefender Anti-Virus Plus returns positive results in terms of protection rate, repair score, and usability. G Data featured with the second highest protection rate at 99.5% with Anti Virus Comparatives’ research, while faring lower, but receiving 92% from TopTenReviews on both Windows 7 and Windows XP. Kapersky also produced positive results, with a 99.4% protection rate from AVC, and a 100% and 92% protection rating from Top Ten Reviews for Windows 7 and Windows XP respectively. A common anti-virus program, Norton, fared less-favourably on both Top Ten Review’s Windows 7 and Windows XP tests, leaving the program with 33% and 50% protection rates respectively. Source: AV Comparatives, Anti-Virus Software review Related articles Symantec anti-virus update makes some PCs inoperable Privacy risk rising from aggressive app ads “Internet Doomsday” is here Flame virus can sabotage computers: Symantec Beware free public Wi-Fi: Kaspersky Megaupload shutdown was Joe Biden’s idea Forum Debate Best anti-virus programs: research