Best AntiVirus Software Review

Why Buy Antivirus Software?


Today, an unprotected computer isn’t just vulnerable, it’s probably already infected. New viruses, spyware, trojans, worms and other malware debut every day. New threats are disguised to bypass other security measures and specifically designed to catch your PC off guard. The virus landscape has also changed. Viruses that used to be annoying pranks have evolved into pernicious threats capable of destroying your computer and stealing your identity. The benefits of installing a basic security solution on your PC are obvious, but the cost in system slowdown used to make it tough to bear. Luckily, modern antivirus software haven’t just improved their level of protection, they’ve significantly improved resource efficiency and overall speed. You can have ultimate protection without giving up your resources. With advanced technologies and straightforward usability, antivirus software is more effective than ever. Say goodbye to annoying security warnings and noticeable slowdown; current antivirus programs deliver constant protection and can actually speed up your computer.

The last generation of antivirus software brought advanced heuristic detection into the mix. Continuing to improve, the current lineup of antivirus products often incorporate further developed proactive protection with better behavior checking and file-reputation analysis. Several of the products incorporate in-the-cloud security and other advanced technologies to increase safety and convenience. From gamer modes to battery saving settings to integrated web-link scanners, antivirus applications are more versatile and have upped the ante for features and functionality.
On this site you’ll find a side-by-side comparison of the best antivirus software, helpful articles on computer security, security tips and tricks, buying guides, videos and comprehensive reviews to help you make an informed decision. Three antivirus software products achieve the best test results from AV-Test: Bitdefender Antivirus, Kaspersky Anti-Virus and Panda Antivirus Pro.

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•Is Antivirus Software Enough?

At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™

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All security software is not created equal. Like all consumer products, antivirus software has the good, the bad and the mediocre. The choices for antivirus protection are many and varied. We feature the best antivirus software available today from a number of providers and compare them. When it really comes down to it, effectiveness and usability can either make or break antivirus software. Our top-ranked antivirus software combine optimal security with user-friendly features and tools.
Below are the criteria TopTenREVIEWS uses to evaluate and compare antivirus software:

Scope of Protection

While most security solutions tout multi-layered protection and 360-degree defense, some are more thorough than others. The best antivirus solutions will include traditional protection from viruses, worms, Trojans and spyware, but should also include defense from keyloggers, phishing scams, email-borne threats and rootkits. While antivirus programs are by no means full-blown internet security suites, they should protect from as many threats on as many fronts as they can.

Effectiveness

Antivirus is specifically designed to protect your computer, so if it doesn’t do that well, what good is it? All the features, bells and whistles and sleek interfaces can’t make up for poor performance. We look at results from the industry-standard security software testers and professional security organizations to find the most effective software available.

Ease of Installation and Setup

Security software shouldn’t be a chore to install and should have you protected as soon as possible. From download to install, to the first scan, implementing antivirus software should be quick and easy.

Ease of Use

Antivirus software is complex stuff, but shouldn’t require a degree in computer security. The best security programs have all the features security experts want, but are just as easiy for a beginner. Everyday computer users want a security solution that they can install and forget about; software that doesn’t require constant maintenance or have annoying interruptions. The best antivirus software is flexible enough to do exactly what you want to (even if that means running by itself).

Features

A well-rounded feature set takes a security solution from good to great. More than bells and whistles, added features provide security, usability and performance benefits.

Updates

Security software is only as good as its latest update. Viruses are being identified and added to signature databases all the time. So it’s important that your virus definition list updates accordingly. Modern antivirus software are equipped with automatic updates that perform regularly enough that you get faster updates that don’t slow down your system. The best security providers push updates to you as soon as they’re available.

Help & Support

The best software doesn’t require reading an in-depth manual to use, but still has one available. For specific questions, troubleshooting and additional help, the best antivirus manufacturers provide superior product support online and off. Additional support for software may come in the form of assistance over the phone, email, live chat or through a number of additional resources (knowledgebase, FAQs, tutorials).

A well-balanced antivirus solution is effective, efficient and easy to use. Combining all the right features with a usable interface, our top antivirus software choices deliver the best security and usability without a serious investment in time, money or system resources

iPhone and iPad virus scanner

iPhone and iPad virus scanner now available from Intego

While there might not be any active viral threats ravaging the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, there have been a handful of infections that targeted jailbroken devices in the past. Though it’s incredibly secure by design, iOS itself isn’t totally bulletproof — and it actually has a greater number of security flaws than Android.


There’s another kind of risk lurking inside your iOS device. Since its internal storage can host files from any number of sources, like email attachments or Dropbox and iCloud syncs. Those files aren’t likely to be infected with iOS malware, but they could be carrying malicious code that targets your Windows or OS X system. Plug in your iPhone or iPad, transfer the files to your system, and you could be in real trouble.

You probably have antivirus installed on your desktop computer, however, and it should intervene and prevent any infection from making the leap from removable storage like your iOS device. For those of you who would prefer an added layer of pre-plug anti-malware defense, there’s a new app from Intego that can help.

It’s called VirusBarrier (in keeping with the company’s desktop software branding), and it’s now available for purchase in the App Store for $2.99. Unfortunately, it’s a bit limited because of the way iOS is designed: realtime protection isn’t an option the way it is on Android, so files must be scanned manually one at a time.

Still, if you’re toting around critical files on your iOS device and want to check out new additions from outside sources before plugging in to one of your desktop systems, VirusBarrier for iOS is well worth the low price of admission.

More at Intego

New Antivirus Software Looks At Behaviors

New antivirus software looks at behaviors, not signatures:-

It could be argued that security vendors are losing the battle with online scammers whose programs sneak onto computers and drop malicious programs, opening the computers up to remote attacks and turning them into zombies in botnet armies.


(Credit: AVG)

The problem is that most computers today rely on antivirus software that blocks malware by checking the code in a file against a database of signatures of known viruses. With thousands of new viruses arriving each day, many of them encrypted in part or otherwise disguised with modification, the signature lists require frequent updates and many new viruses slip through undetected.

As a result, security providers are turning their attention to behavior-based approaches for identifying new viruses, with software that focuses on watching for suspicious behavior, such as a program trying to write data to an executable program. Two security companies are set to make announcements on Monday that follow this trend.
Antivirus provider AVG is introducing AVG Identity Protection, software that analyzes the behavior and characteristics of programs running on a computer and shuts down activity that looks suspicious. The software is based on technology the firm acquired when it bought identity theft specialist Sana Security in January.
"The antivirus companies are flooded with malware to add to signature databases," with 20,000 to 30,000 new unique samples coming out every day, said Roger Thompson, chief research officer at AVG. "It's time to do something different."

(Credit: Damballa)

Meanwhile, Damballa is releasing its Failsafe 3.0 appliance that is designed to discover botnet malware on computers by listening for communications between compromised systems and command-and-control nodes controlled by attackers on the Internet.

As much as 5 percent of computers in a corporation are compromised with targeted attack type of bot malware, even with up-to-date antivirus and intrusion detection software in use, said Bill Guerry, vice president of product management and marketing at Damballa.

Of a sample of more than 200,000 malware samples scanned by a leading antivirus tool over six months, the average gap between the release of the virus and its detection was 54 days, with almost half going undetected on the day received and 15 percent still undetected after 180 days, according to a Damballa study.

Another company, Triumfant, announced behavior-based software last week that protects companies against zero-day attacks that arise from exploits of security vulnerabilities in software that has not yet been patched.

Triumfant Resolution Manager looks for changes in attributes of the computer, such as registry keys, security and port settings, and performance statistics, and removes code that is suspicious.