Level of protection

Antivirus companies have a dozen names to hint at their system’s coverage, from “multilayered” to the much bolder “100% protection.” The scope of protection refers to the types of threats a program works against. Ideally, a program will protect your computer from worms, viruses, spyware, and Trojans—all the usuals—but also from less common ones like e-mail threats and phishing scams.

Effectiveness

Besides protect from as broad a range of threats as possible, an antivirus program has to protect against each one effectively. Antivirus rankings refer to various industry standards, set by security organizations and testing companies, to gauge each program’s effectiveness. Often, the highest-ranking brands are also the most effective.

Setup, installation, and user-friendliness

A few minutes of installation is a small price to pay to protect your computer, but it shouldn’t be too much trouble either. An antivirus must start doing its job as soon as possible, and without being too taxing to the user. Not all users are experts, so the interface must be easy to navigate and the options easy to understand.

Basics and extras

Ranking experts look for basic features such as automatic updates, real-time scanning, scheduled and on-call scans, and scanning of emails and online downloads. The better and faster an antivirus program can do this, the better. But extras such as adware and malware protection, keylogger detection, and checking for vulnerabilities can also go a long way in antivirus rankings.

Update frequency

According to Top Ten Reviews, a software ranking website, in the security industry a program is only as good as its updates. Antivirus databases grow by the minute, so a program must know what to protect against at all times. Good antivirus software will check for updates at least every hour; some programs do so every five or fifteen minutes.

Support

Most people skip the software manual and get away with it, but antivirus developers must make one available just in case. In addition, they must have support personnel on hand to answer specific questions and provide extra support. This can be done through live chat, email, and phone—the more channels there are, the higher a program ranks.

Microsoft Security Essentials was released in September 2009 and has since received a number of upgrades. Public reception was mostly positive; a year after its first release the program had an estimated 30 million users. The stable release, Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0, followed in December 2010.

Unlike its predecessor, the subscription-based Windows Live OneCare, Microsoft Security Essentials comes free with all genuine copies of Windows XP (with Service Pack 2), Windows Vista, and Windows 7. And unlike Windows Defender, which protected only from adware and spyware, it provides full virus protection and network intrusion detection.

Despite its high scores from rating bodies and independent labs, Microsoft virus protection has a number of weaknesses that have led experts to rank it lower than other free programs. For instance, PC Mag notes that it offers lower protection in Windows XP and doesn’t do the best job of blocking and removing malware. Some threats were even found to keep running even after the program had claimed to remove it.

Reviewers agree that for its audience—households and small businesses—MSE does the job well enough. For a user who takes comfort in the Microsoft brand name, it’s definitely worth a look considering that it’s free. But other free antivirus programs shouldn’t be shrugged off. There are lots of other good ones in the market, many of them boasting better reviews than the in-house product. Some of the highest-ranked programs are Avira, AVG, Panda Cloud, Avast Home Edition, and Comodo Internet Security.

There’s also something to be said about paid antivirus protection. In a joint study with security testing company AV-Test, PC World found that while free programs will shield against the biggest and most obvious threats, paid programs offer more comprehensive tools such as parental control and faster startup times (usually because free programs have ads worked into the interface). Some companies also claim that their free programs are for “average users” and paid ones are designed for “advanced users,” a pretty vague definition. So depending on your needs, a good Microsoft virus protection program may be a good investment, although a free one can give you just as much.

Recent events have proven that Mac malware is no myth, however. Windows has always been hackers’ favorite target because of its market share. But with Apple having caught up in recent months, we can’t afford to assume no one will ever make Mac malware.

Indeed, Apple itself has taken pains to admit that their machines aren’t invincible. Buried within the OS X legalese is a small disclaimer claiming the system “isn’t impervious to attacks,” and reminding users to run an antivirus if they find anything suspicious.

Most Mac systems are inherently very secure, and a careful user can dodge most attacks without an antivirus. The weakness is usually in the updates, according to most experts. The Snow Leopard system, for example, has a built-in malware protector but often uses months-old databases. That’s a wide-open door for a motivated hacker.

One of the most prominent threats to rise in recent years is MacDefender, a fake antivirus that appears when an infected link is clicked. The interface, also used for MacSecurity and MacProtector, the program’s variants, looks uncannily like a real antivirus program. Fake apps and utilities, such as movie makers, make use of the same tricks.

Windows’s popularity will make it the primary target for a good while still, so Mac users can breathe easy for at least a couple more years, according to experts. But it’s never too early to start taking steps. Besides malware, it’s also important to protect against spyware, trojans, worms and viruses—all names for small programs that latch themselves onto your system and attempt to steal personal information. The effects can be merely annoying, such as spam in your inbox, or utterly destructive, such as credit card fraud and identity theft.

Luckily, many protections for Mac are free, and fairly reliable. Sophos, the world’s top developer of security programs, offers a free antivirus for Mac that can run in the background, performing real-time scans and catching bugs as they come. It can also scan networked drives, which is rare even for some paid programs. Kaspersky for Mac and ESET CyberSecurity are also highly recommended, although they come with annual fees.

Cyber crimes currently cost society an estimated $1 trillion, much of which comes from theft from small and medium businesses, identity theft, and compromised government networks. These crimes cover a broad range of activities, from laptop theft and financial fraud to phishing and pharming, malware attacks, and database breaches. This has made it all the more important for organizations, private and public alike, to continuously invest in digital security.

The economic recession also brought about a sizable rise in cyber crime, as companies all but dropped security concerns, pouring funding instead onto quick income-generating projects. Viruses and fake security software flooded personal and corporate inboxes all over the Web, and many continue to do so today.

GIA also points to social networking and smartphone use as main agents of security risk. Many startup businesses rely on social media marketing to get established, but in the process leave a trail of information that discerning hackers can easily follow. Apps that let casual users post their whereabouts and contact information on networking sites such as Facebook also open gaping doors to cyber attacks.

Europe and the U.S. account for much of the estimated spending on cyber security, and financial markets are among the biggest customers. Developers are constantly rolling out new products to keep in pace with criminals’ evolving modus operandi, and continued demand for them shows that consumers have high confidence in the security market.

Endpoint security, which includes mainstream desktop antivirus programs, is the oldest and so far most in-demand segment of the cyber security market. It is estimated to be worth over $5 billion by 2017. Network security, on the other hand, accounts for the biggest part of the global revenue pie. In any case, GIA expects both to soon give way to package products that include network security, anti-malware, systems management, patch management, and access and configuration control. These “software suites” appeal more to the needs of corporate clients.

Among the major players in the cyber security market are AVG Technologies, Cisco Systems, IBM Internet Security Systems, Kaspersky Lab, Microsoft, Panda Security, and Sophos PLC.

The Sophos company that produces and maintains Sophos software and programs has bases in both the United States and the United Kingdom and has been producing this type of software for the last 25 years.  The Sophos products are a popular choice for business and educational application and are often available as a free download.  Sophos Antivirus is a relatively basic program which provides a computer with top quality virus protection.

Sophos Anti-virus is quite easy to download and install and takes up about 70 megabytes of your computer’s memory.  This antivirus software can be changed and configured according to your needs and can also be set up to receive updates as they become available.  The team at Sophos has have developed a simple installation procedure which is both easy and quick taking only 4 – 5 minutes to download and install.

This antivirus software has a very similar interface to the previous couple of versions of Sophos Antivirus which is easy to navigate around even for a novice.  Once you have accessed the program it is evident that this is only an antivirus program and that other commonly needed protection such as fire walls are not included in this software package and will need to be sourced from elsewhere.

One of the positives of Sophos Antivirus is this software is excellent at analysing processes and detecting malicious activity.  Once a virus of malicious activity has been detected then the software will move to quarantine any of the suspected files.  If the antivirus software detects something that is not a virus or malicious activity then the menu can be altered to specify that file or program as safe and future scans by Sophos will safely ignore the file or program.

Another great feature that makes up Sophos Anti-virus is that the account manager requires no configuration as it integrates directly into Windows User Accounts when installed.  A person with Administrator access to the computer can use this to give people access to processes depending on their level of management or responsibility.

The Sophos antivirus program has been given the tick of approval by many different computing software companies such as West Coast Labs however there are a few things that can be improved on with this antivirus software.  The real time scanning is too slow and there is no option for on demand scanning which is an option in other antivirus software.

The Dr Web Antivirus application has been developed to support two main kinds of protection for your computer – antivirus and also anti-spam.  The Dr Web application has three main core functions which includes email scanning, antivirus engine and also a task scheduler.

The Dr Web application has been designed so that when it is installed the menus are easy to access and use with most of the more common functions accessible by right clicking icons rather than searching through endless menus.  Once the application has been installed and configured it can at a later date be changed and modified as required.

The scanning engine is the main part of the Dr Web Antivirus application and has a number of excellent features when protecting the computer against potential threats.  This application has been configured so that doesn’t need to rescan the same files over and over again which makes the scanning process quicker and more efficient.  Dr Web also allows you to manage the different types of threats that are picked up by the application and sorted into easy to use categories.  In most cases the application will group threats such as adware, malware and hacking tools a default action of quarantining will occur and you then have the option of deciding what you want to do with the threats in each category.

Dr Web can also be configured to only scan the files and applications on your computer that you have selected.  These features  allow you to exclude things such as particular directories, items on a local drive and also removable hard drives.  This improves the efficiency of the application and if any problems are detected Dr Web can be configured to notify you by email.

One mark against the Dr Web application is that it uses its own task scheduler.  Many other applications of this type on the market use the Windows task scheduler which makes performing operations much simpler.  The Dr Web application installs its own task scheduler which can be a bit confusing especially for users who are new to this application.

One other weak point with Dr Web is that the Spam filter is not able to be adjusted.  With other applications of this type the sensitivity of the filters can be adjusted to suit the situation that the application is operating in.  Overall Dr Web does have some great features however future upgrades need to be made to improve the overall function of the application.

The AhnLab V3 Antivirus is a newer product on the market and has been designed specifically as an antivirus product for computers that receive emails and connect to the internet.  The product has been developed by a little known Korean Company that is looking to fill a hole in the Korean market when it comes to the availability of antivirus software from other countries.  As with many types and versions of antivirus software there are many advantages and disadvantages in relation to this software.

One of the better features of this product is that it has been designed by programmers with a simple and easy to understand interface that can be understood even buy people who have a limited knowledge of computers.  The AhnLab provides the computer with total security and has a feature that scans and updates virus and other malicious software definitions every two hours.  Keeping up with virus and other harmful program definitions is an essential for any computer that spends time connected to the internet.  Programs that run frequent updates and build their data base of malicious treats are the most effective antivirus programs on the market.

This antivirus software also has real time scanning which operates in the background while the computer is being used.  Unlike earlier versions of antivirus this one doesn’t slow down the computer and can be integrated into the PC maintenance and form part of the management tools.

AhnLab v3 Antivirus also includes a function which can block users from accessing harmful or malicious websites.  This feature SiteGuard Protection can be configured by an administrator.  All of these features are available free of charge for personal use and downloading and running the program can be done with only 3MB.  This program is also able to download and install Windows security updates as they become available.

As with many programs and computer software on the market there are a few disadvantages with AhnLab V3 Antivirus such as the displaying of advertisements when launching the main window, the software is currently only available in Korean Language and the updates can take a long while to finish as they are updating form servers in Korea.

This Antivirus and Antispyware is one of the best on the market due mainly to the huge amount of viruses and attacks on your computer that it can detect and deal with.  The program is powerful and has been designed to protect a user’s personal computer or a large number of company computers from malicious attacks from emails and online sources.

What makes Ad Aware Pro so good is that it provides combined protection from computer viruses, malicious spyware, Trojans, worms, malware, rootkits and diallers. All  company and personal computers need to have protection against these sophisticated malicious programs which can sometimes enter and work undetected in the background of other programs.  A quality antivirus program is also important for security of information especially personal information and passwords.  Computers that are not comprehensively protected can have information hacked and stolen which could lead to identity crimes.

Ad-Aware Pro Antivirus and Antispyware is a comprehensive package that has the following features.  Ad-Aware Pro includes behaviour based Heuristical  Identification, integrated real-time safety with Ad Watch Mode (this is a must especially for people who spend large amounts of time on the internet), Rootkit Deletion ability, Scanning (this package includes both external drive scanning as well as the ability to set up custom scanning) and recognition and elimination processes when viruses are discovered.

One of the more important features of Ad-Aware Pro is that it offers this large amount of protection for your computer without slowing down the processing speed of other programs on your computer.  The Antivirus and Antispyware is designed to operate in the background and has only a small resource requirement to run efficiently.

Some of the other positives of Ad-Aware Pro is its ability to remove rootkits and also the ability of the program to detect and remove malware.  This package is also designed with the beginner computer user in mind and has an easy to use interface which also allows each user to customize some of the scanning functions available.

One of very few negatives of Ad-Aware Pro relates mainly to the installation of the program.  When installing it is essential that the program is not interrupted while loading as this can cause problems which will be evident when you attempt to use the program for the first time.

Ad-Aware with the addition of Antivirus and Antispyware is one of the top products available on the market and is suitable for many different situations.

BitDefender Anvivirus 2010 software offers competitive and affordable protection against viruses. It protects users from spyware and the possibility of identity theft that is so common nowadays. It is well known that earlier versions of antivirus software significantly slowed the PC throughout the scanning process.  BitDefender Anvivirus 2010 software solves this issue and scans your files without the risk of slowing down the computer. There are several features that users will find extremely useful such as IM Encryption which is specifically used for confidential chat rooms and allows you to exchange messages without the risk of them being bugged. There is a Gamer mode that is specifically designed for game addicts and allows them to play safely at the highest speed possible. An additional mode is for Laptop usage and helps to retain a longer life of the battery.

BitDefender Anvivirus 2010 software is successfully used on Macs and it addresses several problems such as protecting the computer from viruses and against certain threats that are designed to go through the Mac. It is of paramount importance to make sure that your information is safe and even though Mac is not as common of being a target for threats, it is important to prevent any covert actions in advance to reduce the risk of losing sensitive information. In addition to BitDefender Anvivirus 2010 software, BitDefender has worked on releasing a new version of its antivirus package that would be suitable for both Windows and Mac. It is easy to upgrade to a more advanced version of antivirus, which gives more flexibility to the user. Flexibility also comes from the fact that users can customise the virus scanning times and frequency depending on their needs. BidDefender Antivirus also provides free technical support twenty four hours a day should you require it.

Overall the feedback from users is very positive. Especially those who are users of Mac find BitDefender Anvivirus 2010 software extremely effective and compatible causing minimal worries for the users. It is directly competing with Norton AntiVirus dual protection software for Mac and, thus, despite providing excellent solution, it has very strong competition in the form of the long standing Norton provider. The strength of Norton is its well maintained compatibility with both Mac and Windows, which may prove useful for users with different operating systems. At the end of the day, it all comes to the final price vs quality and BitDefender Anvivirus 2010 software holds a strong position.

Symantec has recently announced a new antivirus product that offers a much superior features to its previous versions and provides dual protection for Mac. It is called Norton AntiVirus 2010 Dual Protection for both Mac and Windows being able to run on Mac OS X Leopard as well as Windows 7. One of the main features of Norton AntiVirus 2010 Dual Protection is the technology that targets vulnerability protection and offers antivirus services for Mac users. Special software allows it to run on both operating systems and that is one of its main selling points in addition to the various features and options that make its antivirus protection state of art.

Since Symantec is one the leaders in the market of antivirus products and has been for years, Mac users strongly benefit from being able to use a long standing proven product. Norton AntiVirus 2010 Dual Protect has many functions set up which automatically detect viruses while you work without slowing your PC or Mac, which is an extremely important point. It goes through all your files, emails and attachments and provides up to date and consistent security alerts.

As a user you are not disrupted when doing your day-to-day operations when the system starts scanning for viruses. Historically Mac users did not have much of a choice for good protection against the vulnerability and variety of viruses compared to PC users, who have always enjoyed strong Norton protection. Thus, Norton AntiVirus 2010 Dual Protect is a very popular product with extra layers of additional security features. Many viruses usually target either one or another operating system, which helps the users of Norton AntiVirus 2010 Dual Protect to secure themselves from both. To create the dual virus is a relatively complicated business and, thus, Norton AntiVirus 2010 Dual Protect goes one step ahead of it. The software is already available on the market and is currently priced at the standard rate of around $100 per product. Symantec offers a direct purchase of the product through its stores online and also through selected retail distributors. After the purchase you would be supported throughout the whole year and have access to an online code which allows you to reinstall the product whenever you desire to do so. This flexibility is important as instant online access to download it allows the ease of not having to worry about CDs or one off installments when a new computer is purchased.