Antivirus Software
Internet Security and Antivirus Software Reviews
There are many antivirus and other security applications on the market today and choosing the right one can be confusing. We have tested all of the leading brands, but only publish reviews of the ones we consider effective and value for money. Any one of the products listed below will give your computer a high level of protection from viruses and other malicious software.
What is the Best Antivirus Software?
This question is almost impossible to answer. The performance, features and capabilities of the different programs vary and computer users are not all looking for the same thing. Here are some points to help find the right one for you:
- How does the detection rate compare to other vendors?
- Does it score highly in independent tests?
- What about system resources? (Will it slow down my computer?)
- Number of additional features - email scanner, anti-spam, etc.
- Do you like the user interface? (Can I find the controls easily?)
- How intrusive is the program? (Does it stop me doing what I need to do?)
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As well as the speed of your hardware being an issue, a lot depends on how your computer is used on a typical day and what potential threats you are exposed to. User interfaces are a matter of personal taste. Some users find some antivirus programs very intrusive - if they delay webpages loading or emails coming in, for example - while others like the sense of security that this gives them.
What is Antivirus Software?
Antivirus software was originally designed to detect and destroy computer viruses. Modern antivirus programs also detect other malware programs such as worms, trojans, spyware and adware. They also protect the computer from becoming infected with malware in the first place by various means. The more sophisticated ones are internet security programs and, in addition to the basic antivirus functions, also have a range of real-time detection features including email script scanners and internet script scanners.
How do Antivirus Programs Work?
There are two main methods of detecting viruses - a specific method and a generic method.
Specific Method
The specific method involves detecting signatures from known viruses against an updated set of definitions. This is more difficult for Polymorphic Viruses as they change their signature, but the better scanners have sophisticated algorithms that can predict all possible combinations. For this to work properly and protect the computer againts newly discovered malware the definition files have to be regularly updated.
Generic Method
The generic method uses a 'heuristic' algorithm to identify suspicious files and virus-like behaviour. One of the methods commonly used it to look for command lines within files asking the computer to do something suspicious (e.g. format the hard disk). This is a good defence against unknown viruses.
The better antivirus programs on the market use a combination of specific and generic detection methods. This reduces the number of false positives that may result from relying on the heuristic method alone.
What Other Antivirus Programs are Available?
There are several vendors in this industry and the products are not all the same. As a general rule you get what you pay for, but this does not necessarily mean that the most expensive offering is the right one for you.
What it means is that free software from unknown brands is a waste of time. The programmers producing these do not have the resources to monitor the latest threats or produce timely updates to protect you adequately. As well as leaving your computer open to potential threats they can also lead you into a false sense of security - having an ineffective antivirus program on your system can be worse than not having any virus protection at all.
All our reviews are of the latest products at the time of writing (December 2009). Reviews will be updated and other products added as they become available. Most vendors offer a fully functional trial with the option to buy a licence later on.
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