I think the discussion can go somewhere and we can all learn from it if you would provide concrete reasons for your views. Heck, I would even stop using AV right now and change my consulting practices with good reason. However, reading some article on the Internet about spy agencies spying on people through AV software will get me laughed at around my circle. I also think the discussion was creative because at least one of us actually sounded like they knew what they were talking about. I also think the discussion went somewhere, just not to the somewhere that you wanted to go. I don't need luck because I run Linux and anti-virus... You on the other hand is the one that needs luck. Safe surfing sir.
adding the PAID version of malwarebytes to security essentials is all the protection any windows user needs ... and remember to surf safely
I love Malwarebytes, but it doesn't offer firewall or sandbox protection so I advise Windows users to at least use Malwarebytes and Comodo if they don't want to spend money.
until now still using Avast avira give me fake alarm avg killing my system for free and safe i recommend avast after you sign you have 1 year protection
avast / avg will start to nag you to buy them ... I HATE THAT, never tried avira, to me they are all basically the same with virus protection, but different in using resources, locking down your system etc and it is a personal choice to what you need With that being said, I have cleaned up computer viruses off of protected systems with all the best internet security softwares ... McAffee, Norton etc which is why I say, it doesn't matter what you use, NONE of them will stop you from clicking on something and installing the virus ... they are all made to remove them after, that's it here's my advice, cause I see so many rogues ... KNOW what your antivirus software looks like, know that it is updated. I can't tell you how many people answer "I don't know" when I ask, do you have antivirus. If you do not know what yours looks like, you will fall for the scareware EVERY time ... do not believe anything telling you your system has a virus except for your installed software Keep up with your windows updates, did you know that the latest FBI virus that takes over your entire computer will install on it's own just from you visiting the wrong website if you do not have your latest updates? ... no need to click or open anything!!! just visit the wrong website without your latest critical updates and BAM Adobe and java should always be updated too also be very careful on facebook and stop using internet explorer even emails etc that appear to come from "friends" might just be from a friends hacked by a virus account ... DO NOT TRUST anything oh, and stop surfing the porn and downloading illegal stuff and you will not have any problems LOL PS if you do download anything, be sure to scan it before you open/run it
@mrsray. You give some very good advice. I just want to cover two of your points. I would dare to say that with the right proactive protection that some anti-virus software can prevent the installing of viruses. Some have sandbox modes, while others use application white-listing/black-listing, or on access/demand scanning. Also, don't use your computer under administrative mode when you don't need it. This prevents the ability to install unwanted software. One tool isn't going to cover all areas is why you need multiple tools, but with the right combination you can be pretty secure. What is an FBI virus? Can it install without administrative rights? What vulnerabilities does it exploit?
Oh great tip on Admin user mode, a must also ... thanks for adding it in you can read more on it here http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2012/august/new-internet-scam then research any other questions you may have from there
My mistake - I read it like you were stating that the FBI was sending a virus and not that a third party was faking an FBI message. Upon reading that article, you are right, that virus is nasty!
Avast and Microsoft security essential is best antivirus. These antivirus are light weight and doesn't effect speed of computer. Microsoft security essential is best antivirus and its scanning is best as compared to other antiviruses. Its keep computer smooth and block all Trojans and mail-ware. Its scanning is deep and it can be updated and downloaded on Microsoft website. It is easy to use and more easy to update any time.
Well for me avast anti virus is good, also it provides free license for one year for it's personal use.
Avast is the best anti-virus and no need to buy any activation key because it provide one year free service. Recently i used avast in my system and no problem occur after install this antivirus..
Hi all, hopefully I can lend a bit of extended outlook on the free/paid/managed antivirus topic. I see these discussions all of the time and I tend to say the same thing in different ways every time. Bottom line people are going to do what they do, but if you want to really know what antivirus performs how the first step is to find an unbiased and informed opinion. I recommend referring to av-test.org click on your operating system and review the list of antivirus programs they have tested. You will notice there are no affiliate links, at least there didn't used to be, and they are the ones that stripped Microsoft Security Essentials of their certification a few months ago. Now with that said lets go a bit further There are primarily three different types of antivirus protection that is popular now. Free Antivirus Protection Paid Antivirus Protection Managed Antivirus Protection Okay so free antivirus protection can be good. Not going to bad mouth them. Avast and AVG have the best reputation as far as a number of testing sites go. The difference between paid and free antivirus is usually in the area of the timing of the updates and other program features. Customer Service is also something that is a major difference between the two. Paid antivirus packages usually give you the whole enchilada so to speak, you get the customer support (at least to the point that the particular company offers) and full features of the program minus advertisements or prompts to purchase...that is until the last 60 or so days of your license. The updates are more frequent. Managed antivirus is something that to many may be a new concept as it has only recently (last year or two) been finding its way into the home user market. It is how corporations have been protecting their machines for a very long time. Recent technology and pricing changes have made it affordable for the standard consumer market. With managed antivirus you get a good antivirus and qualified computer technicians are informed via a dashboard type of environment when you may have a malicious software problem or if it was just a low priority or false positive. Usually the updates are more frequent as well. On to all of them as a whole. I can personally attest that there is not a single antivirus program in existence that is going to protect you from 100% of the risks out there 100% of the time. I have removed viruses and had system brought in that has been loaded with updated versions of every program mentioned here and many more. It is true that some do better than others. Using smart surfing practices is one of the best ways to help, keeping your programs updated like windows and other third party software, if you don't keep those upgraded with at least the critical and security updates then it doesn't matter how good your program is there are open doors for stuff to bypass it and get in. Sorry for the long post, this is a pretty complicated subject with a lot of information to share, I do suggest visiting av-test and taking a look however, and ask yourself before quickly telling everyone how good yours is, if it doesn't protect anything does that necessarily mean you really don't have anything?
I have the answers: Best Free Anti-virus = Avast Best Paid Anti-virus = Bitdefender: Internet Security Best Managed Anti-virus = F-Secure: Client Security
I just noticed a typo in my rather long post at the end...it is an important question I think. If your current antivirus protection doesn't detect anything does that really mean you don't have a virus or malware? In other words is a single antivirus program all you depend on or do you use other tools and methods to check beyond that program periodically?
Avast has consistently been one of the highest rated antivirus programs from various independent detection tests, is easy to use and has a relatively low memory footprint. Other options would be AVG, and MSE... actually I use MSE right now however I have recently seen some results which clearly place Avast, Avira, and AVG substantially higher in detection rates Bitdefender - this is an awesome antivirus. Just look at the detection rates http://www.av-comparatives.org/images/docs/avc_prot_2012b_en.pdf I wouldn't use F-Secure, but you asked for a managed option... Bitdefender is the best possible solution that costs money at this time http://chart.av-comparatives.org/chart1.php http://chart.av-comparatives.org/awardslist.php?year=2012