Best Antivirus Software, Why Buy Antivirus Software or not?

 

The top performers in our review are Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, the Gold Award winner; Kaspersky Anti-Virus, the Silver Award winner; and McAfee AntiVirus Plus, the Bronze Award winner. Here’s more on choosing a product to meet your needs, along with detail on how we arrived at our ranking of 24 products.

The term "antivirus software" stems from the early days of computer viruses, in which programs were created to remove viruses and prevent them from spreading. However, over the years, different types of malicious software, often called malware, emerged as threats to personal and work computers worldwide. Therefore, "malware" is an umbrella term to describe several different kinds of malicious programs, including computer viruses.

Although antivirus software evolved to combat new malware, the term "antivirus" stuck, even though the term antimalware is truer to the software's capabilities. To give you an idea of the different types of malware out there, we've identified malware types that are potential threats to computer systems today.

Worms
These malicious programs are designed to replicate themselves quickly with the intent to spread to other computers, often through a computer network. Although they may not be designed to intentionally caused to impair computer systems, worms generally do some sort of damage or harm to the network itself by consuming bandwidth, at the very least. Most worms are only designed to spread as quickly as possible, so they may not try to change the computer systems they pass through. However, worms have been and are capable of creating backdoor security vulnerabilities, deleting files or even sending files via email. This is a common method for spam senders to spread junk email quickly, as the more computers are infected, the faster the spam mail will spread.

Trojan Horses
Trojan horses, or Trojans for short, are different from worms because they are not designed to replicate themselves. Rather, Trojans are designed to trick you into downloading and executing them to cause data loss, theft and sometimes total-system harm. Just as in the ancient Greek story of the wooden horse designed to deceive the soldiers of Troy, Trojans present themselves as useful, interesting or routine programs to trick you into installing them on your computer.

Spyware
This software is designed to gather information about you without your knowledge. This information can be sent to another party without your consent, and it can even be used to take control over a computer, in some rather malicious cases. Spyware is capable of collecting any type of data, including your internet history and banking information. Some forms of spyware have the capability to install additional software or change your internet or browser settings, which can be a mere annoyance, or a problem that can take days to fix.

Ransomware
This incarnation of malware infects your computer with the intention of restricting access to your computer system, perhaps preventing you from surfing the internet or accessing the hard drive, and then demanding a payment to the malware creators. The trouble with this software is that it tries to imitate the look of genuine, trusted software to trick you into buying a solution. For example, some forms of ransomware tell you that your user license for a particular application has expired and you need to repurchase the license. Some of the trickiest ransomware has acquired millions of dollars from unsuspecting users.

Rootkits
Rootkits are stealthy types of malware that attempt to hide from typical methods of detection and allow continued privileged access to a computer. This essentially means that the rootkit attempts to gain administrator access on your computer and then hide itself so you don't know it is on your system. This type of malware is generally difficult to detect and remove, because it tries to embed itself thoroughly and deeply into your computer's system.

Malware is not limited to these five examples, but this gives you a sense of how malicious and vicious malware can be. Fortunately, antivirus software is designed to combat these threats by preventing the programs from entering your system and to quarantine and remove any malware that does get through. The best way to protect yourself from malware is to update your computer system when prompted and to purchase third-party antivirus software that protects your computer 24/7.

Is Antivirus Software Necessary?

You may ask yourself why you need antivirus software when your computer comes with, or makes readily available, free antivirus software found in Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials. Windows Defender has been available since the Windows Vista days as an antispyware program, designed to monitor and detect programs that try to gather information about you without your knowledge. With the release of Windows 8, Windows Defender was upgraded to offer additional antivirus protection features. Microsoft Security Essentials offers antivirus protection against viruses, spyware, Trojans and rootkits, and it is available on Windows XP, Vista and 7, but not on Windows 8.

With these protections in place, why would you ever need to download a third-party antivirus program? The answer is performance.

Although Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials offer built-in support and Microsoft continues to improve upon these systems, they don't generate high scores in the tests conducted by AV-Test, the respected, independent antivirus software test lab. This is expected to a point, as these programs were designed as a baseline of protection for users who don't plan on purchasing commercial antivirus protection. However, AV-Test regularly publishes its test results comparing both Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials to the top third-party antivirus programs. The third-party systems score higher every single time.

So is antivirus software necessary when Windows already has built-in protections against viruses? Although baseline virus protections can give you some sense of security, you want the top-performing antivirus programs to make sure you are always protected. AV-Test tests two separate categories of malware or virus interception: the detection of widespread and prevalent viruses, and the detection of zero-day, or brand-new, malware attacks. In both categories of tests, Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials performed poorer than the industry standard, regardless of which Windows operating system was used during the tests. This means that third-party antivirus programs are more capable of protecting your computer, and you, against malicious virus attacks. .

Free vs. Paid Antivirus Software

While you search for the best antivirus software, you're going to run into free software that claims it is as capable as paid programs. If you were to rank antivirus software categories into three different tiers, you'd find free software in the bottom tier, with the least functionality and protection. Although free software can be enticing, free antivirus protection is not as capable as paid software. All free programs can scan for viruses, but only some of them scan for malware automatically and offer real-time protection or browser add-ons to help you avoid bad links. However, most advanced features are limited to paid antivirus programs.

One cosmetic annoyance with free antivirus software is the fact that each program displays ads for the full, paid version of the product. This doesn't detract from the free version's performance or capability, but it can be distracting and annoying. Some programs even immediately launch your web browser and link to their company's website if you click on a feature that isn't available in the free version, which is a minor annoyance but annoying nonetheless.

Perhaps the most frustrating component of even the best free antivirus programs is the general lack of support offered by the developers. Paid programs generally offer extensive technical support, allowing you to contact the manufacturer via email, phone and live chat. Free programs generally leave you fending for yourself with user manuals or a knowledgebase in which you have to comb through information before you find helpful material specific to you.

Choosing the Best Antivirus for Your PC

Perhaps the most confusing element of antivirus software is finding the best program for your needs. Aside from free programs, there are generally three recognized tiers of virus protection: antivirus software, internet security suites and premium security suites. Antivirus software is the lowest tier and is regarded as entry-level viral protection. Internet security suites, the next tier of protection, offer more functionality with further protections, such as firewalls and antispam tools. The top tier of virus protection is premium security suites, which are full sets of comprehensive tools for you to protect your system from the most aggressive malware through various measures and protections.

Each tier of PC virus protection lends itself to different users for different situations. Here are a few of the main components found in antivirus suites that you won't find in entry-level antivirus software.

Antivirus Software
As stated above, antivirus software is the entry-level version of virus protection for your PC. This is not to say that this software is ineffective, as it can protect your personal computer from even the most vicious viruses. In fact, all antivirus software includes tools to block or remove spyware, worms, rootkits and other malware types. Rather, this particular set of virus protection software has fewer features than the two antivirus suites. This software does include the ability to scan incoming email for potential threats, automatically clean or quarantine infected files, and create bootable rescue disks, to name a few of its many features.

Internet Security Suites
Internet security suites generally contain all of the tools found in entry-level antispyware, such as antimalware, PC tune-up utilities, safe online banking and shopping, secure browsing, vulnerability scanning, and privacy protection. However, these suites include additional features that add more levels of security and protection to your computer system. Most internet security suites include an alternate firewall from the one included with the Windows operating system, and many even offer social network protection designed to detect threats through your online social presence. Additionally, these antivirus suites include parental controls to limit where your children go while on the internet, which can protect the computer system and, more importantly, your children.

Premium Security Suites
Although the additional protections found in internet security suites are highly valuable, premium security suites offer even more protection. Just as internet security suites contain all of the features found in antivirus software, premium suites include all of the features found in internet suites. These programs add extra layers of protection in the form of file shredders, online backup, system tune-up utilities and password managers. In other words, these suites tend to be the best of the best, offering an entire arsenal of defenses and protection against malware.

With the different tiers of antivirus spyware demystified, you can determine the level of security you require and apply that to your particular situation. Although it isn't the best or most comprehensive set of programs, free antivirus software allows you to scan and remove threats on your computer, for the most part. However, free software lacks the functionality, features and overall support that is readily available on paid programs. Entry-level antivirus software provides significant advancements over freeware, and its feature set provides enough functionality for many home users. Internet security suites provide even more features, while premium security suites are the pinnacle of PC protection.

Regardless of which antivirus software catches your eye, make sure you consider help and support before making your final decision. Look for a program that offers 24/7 access to support through email, phone or live chat. Regular, easy access to support ensures that you can get the help you need, regardless of whether you have a simple question or your entire computer system crashes and you need immediate help. Whether you're looking for protection on your Windows 8 tablet, Windows 7 laptop or business computers, make sure the software has numerous means of technical support.

Small Business Antivirus Software

Regardless of what your small business is, you've worked hard to build it and keep it moving forward. Even if you don't want to purchase antivirus software for your personal computer, you should consider antivirus protection for your small business to ensure that you, your employees and your clients are safe from aggressive malware. As our computers become more advanced with more meticulous, refined technology and software engineering, hackers and viruses follow suit and adapt to become more efficient and malicious. The last thing you want is to leave a door open for an attack that can affect your entire business in one fell swoop.

However, choosing the right antivirus software for your business may seem like a daunting task, and it can be tempting to purchase the most expensive, premium programs, assuming they will solve all of your needs. This is not necessarily the case. In our lineup of the best small business antivirus software, we evaluated the overall performance of each program and compared their features to help you determine which programs can serve your needs. While you are considering which software is right for your business needs, determine the following.

Licenses & Pricing
First, if you're running a shop on your own, kudos. Second, a one-man band doesn't require 20 user licenses for your antivirus software to keep the business up and running. However, if you employ a few people who require personal work computers, you don't want to purchase licenses for only one or two computers. Every employee should have their computer protected so that a virus doesn't make its way through an unprotected system and travel from computer to computer within your business.

Make sure you protect every computer within your business from virus attacks, regardless of whether you have one computer or 20. Also, as a small business, you want to make sure the software you purchase is affordable. Fortunately, most antivirus programs are priced similarly to each other, so you don't have to worry too much about searching for the best bargain.

Malware Protection
If you're purchasing antivirus software for your small business, you want to make sure it performs its most basic function well, which is to protect you from malware. AV-Test put all the antivirus software we reviewed through rigorous tests to determine how effective each program is at detecting well-known malware and emerging, zero-day viruses. The very best programs scored 100 percent in both known and emerging malware protection. Look for antivirus software with high scores that is capable of defending you and your business against malicious threats.

Features
One of the main elements that separates antivirus software that can serve your business needs from programs that leave you wanting more is the security feature set. If your business requires constant email between your company and external clients, look for software that offers email protection, a feature that scans incoming email for malware. If hardware security is a concern, look for programs that are capable of locating lost or stolen mobile devices, such as laptops, tablets and phones. Some programs allow you to lock or wipe the content off laptops remotely, which is a great feature that protects you against the theft of proprietary information contained on the laptop.

Another element to strongly consider is what operating systems the antivirus software can protect. Every small business antivirus software program we reviewed is capable of protecting PCs, but only some programs can protect Macs or tablets. If you need to use Windows or Linux servers, make sure the software you purchase is capable of defending these systems from malware.

Antivirus software is a necessity in today's business economy. Over 200,000 new malware cases appear on a daily basis, meaning there are more ways, every single day, in which your business is at risk of staggering from a malware attack. The lack of computer security can halt even the strongest businesses in its tracks. Even large corporations suffer from malware attacks, which always catches the attention of the media. Fortunately for you, attacks against corporations are targeted attacks, meaning a person, or group of people, is specifically trying to harm that entity via malware, whereas most small businesses are threatened through untargeted threats. The best way to protect your small business from hacking or malicious viruses is to find the right antivirus software for your company, allowing you to rest easy.