Every year, antivirus vendors paint the same gloom-and-doom portrait, their canvases filled with startling statistics outlining the rapid spread of malware. As a consumer, the natural reaction is to look at these reports with a fistful of salt and a sack of skepticism—after all, AV vendors have a vested interest in promoting a need for security software, but are we really as vulnerable as they say? It all depends on your computing habits, but make no mistake, the web is a dangerous place to roam.
We’ve seen firsthand what a malware-infected PC looks like; it isn’t pretty. Today’s malware strains not only slow down your PC and bombard you with pop-ups, they can also capture your keystrokes and send your bank login information to a cybercriminal thousands of miles away. An innocent mouse click on the wrong URL is all it takes to set the wheels in motion, and the next thing you know, someone else is using your identity to open up a credit card account. Not cool.
Careful computing is your best line of defense, but sometimes it’s not enough. Security software adds another layer of protection, which is why we run an antivirus roundup each year. This time around, however, we asked you to vote on which 10 programs should make the cut, and you’ll find the results on the following pages. If the one you voted for isn’t represented here, let us know and we’ll consider running a stand-alone review in a future issue.
What matters in an antivirus program and why
We’re passionate about our PCs, and we don’t spend endless hours researching parts and tweaking settings only to watch a security program rob us of the performance we so carefully crafted. To keep these programs honest, we compare how long it takes to boot into Windows versus a clean install. We also examine the impact on PCMark 7 and Vantage scores, and how long it takes to transfer 6GB of data. Finally, we measure the time it takes to run a first and subsequent system scan.
We know what we want when it comes to security software, but do the developers know? We deduct points for programs that try to upsell us additional security or that are hyperactive with unnecessary security alerts. At no time should we have reason to be annoyed or frustrated with an AV program. Period.
Most of the programs voted into this roundup are Internet security suites that promise to go above and beyond simple virus protection. In theory, these suites should include everything we need to stay safe on the web, and everything else is icing on the cake. At the same time, we don’t want to be bogged down with arbitrary add-ons that exist solely to beef up an AV’s resume. We’re looking for useful additions, and also how well they’re integrated into the core package. Extra points are awarded to AV programs that inform you when you need to update an app, plugin, or browser.
Let’s get one thing straight: You don’t need to pay for protection. If that’s the case, why bother reviewing non-free security suites? Put simply, we believe there’s value in security programs that bundle multiple layers of protection and features into a tidy package. However, the ones that charge an annual fee have to convince us that they’re worth paying for, unlike the free AV programs, which get an automatic pass in this category.
If you think this category should hold the most weight, we’re right there with you. Pricing and features don’t mean diddly-squat if an AV program turns a blind eye to malware. This is also the trickiest category to judge. Our approach is multipronged and starts with synthetic spyware and virus tests found on www.spycar.org and www.eircar.org. Next, we consult with independent testing labs Virus Bulletin (www.virusbtn.com), AV-Comparatives (www.av-comparatives.org), and AV-Test (www.av-test.org). Finally, we subject each program to our own collection of malware and dirty links.
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