Anti Viral Programs

[Daz3210]

I have read the sticky about Anti Virus programs and note that there are in effect five that are sort of 'recommended'.

The antivirus program I use is not on that list, and is almost forced upon me by work (they subscribe to a certain company and because I connect to work occasionally by VPN they ask me to use their choice).

I also note that whilst Norton is recommended by the likes of PC World (probably because they get a good profit as a result) it is not on the list of 'recommended'.

So the questions in my mind are:-

1. Should I worry that I am using other than one that is listed as 'recommended'.
2. What makes a good AV program, or are they really much of a muchness with no program being significantly better than the other for day to day protection, and only the reporting side when sorting problems being better?

[matthill]

I'm curious about this too. I am in the process of a Virtumonde cleanup (thanks to all the help from the malware forum ) and I've identified that I caught it from an installer that Norton said was clean. It had up-to-date definitions.

I always trusted Norton (though found it a bit of a resource hog) but now I'm looking to replace it with one on the list. NOD32 has been recommended to me before.

So which is best?

[Daz3210]

I'm not really thinking which is best, but which to avoid.

Although I guess its difficult for anyone to say do not use XXXXX for fear of legal repercussions as a result.

What is shocking is that even though they are usually the company quoted on tv when a (new) virus breaks out, Sophos don't get a mention. (although I guess due to price etc they are usually restricted to corporate users)

[tashi]

Hello,

The anti virus programs recommended by malware removal helpers are often those trusted through the years, that isn't to say there are not other AV's also doing a good job.

As for Norton, I have yet to see a security colleague recommend it in the past four years.

We have a long topic here: http://forums.spybot.info/showthread...530#post118530

Best regards.

[md usa spybot fan]

Daz3210:

This site:

• AV-Comparatives
  http://www.av-comparatives.org/

Currently compares the following sixteen (16) anti-virus products:

• avast! Professional Edition 4.7
• AVG Anti-Malware 7.5
• AVIRA AntiVir Personal Edition Premium 7.06
• BitDefender Antivirus 2008 11.0
• eScan Anti-Virus 9.0
• ESET NOD32 Anti-Virus 3.0
• F-Secure Anti-Virus 2008 8.0
• G DATA AntiVirusKit (AVK) 2008 18.0
• Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0.1
• McAfee VirusScan Plus 2008 12.0
• Microsoft OneCare 2.0
• Norman SS Antivirus & Anti-Spyware 7.0
• Sophos Anti-Virus 7.0
• Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 2008 15.0
• TrustPort Antivirus Workstation 2.8.0
• VBA32 Scanner for Windows 3.12.6

Please note that they state:

If you plan to buy an Anti-Virus, please visit the vendor's site and evaluate their software by downloading a trial version, as there are also many other features (e.g. firewall, HIPS, behaviorblocker, etc.) and important things (e.g. impact on system performance, compatibility, graphical user interface, price, etc.) for an Anti-Virus that you should evaluate by yourself. Even if quite important, the data provided in the test reports on this site are just some aspects that you should consider when buying Anti-Virus software.

[ght1]

If you want free virus protection: AVG or Avira Antivir
If you want to pay for virus protection: Nod32 or Kaspersky

F-Secure, G DATA AntiVirusKit and TrustPort Antivirus are using more than one virus engine, so your computer will slow down

[drragostea]

@tpro1's post. I read about AntiVirusKit's efficiency on a "Smart Computer" magazine... (its outdated by now ) It was 97% removal... though I'm not sure if they'er exaggerating. Windows OneCare came in dead last. Personally I use AVG, but I found their virus removal not as well as I thought, because I found it targets only uncommon viruses.

[Digbythickness]

I am am MCAFFEE user, my matriculation from NORTON. Norton has one glaring FLAW, it assumes Propietory control of your machine and disallows ANY other prgorams. This can and does cause tremendous difficulty when you try to download, install additional non norton antivirus or spyware programs to have 'parralell' protection running at the same time. Norton's manufacturers, tech support, are of no help either, they won't tell you how to 'remove' norton so as to allow something else to run. While I cannot tell you the best, or what may be best for you, I hope that my 'experience' with the travails of Nortons flaws offers some help to you.

[ght1]

I also use AVG because i had many update problems with Avira. G DATA AntiVirusKit contains Kaspersky + Avast engines, so it is heavy on memory