Even though an Antivirus is now issued automatically with Windows systems, many alternatives that offer more features exist. How to choose your antivirus and how effective is it?
The role of today’s antivirus is no longer confined to the detection of viruses. They evolve by being equipped with functionalities adapted to the Internet and the uses of the moment, thus trying to follow the evolution of the threats in order to better protect the user and his system.
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The best antivirus
The ranking of August 2017 of the AV Comparative site gives this result (see below for more information).
- Bitdefender
- Panda
- Bullguard
- Symantec
- Kaspersky
We could reduce the subject to this list but it would be a little misleading without explanation. Indeed there is not a single “best antivirus” but antivirus more or less adapted to each user. Some will be content with the one delivered with their system or free alternative version if they feel able to identify the pitfalls of malware. Others will prefer to have a little more assistance or will simply need products adapted to their uses.
There are indeed variations of Security software that contain an antivirus and many other protection options: advanced firewall, parental control, link verification, protection of Wi-Fi connections, VPN private network, etc. Some even have configuration options to allow the user to maintain the system, update software or be discreet when using software or a game.
Comparative Testing and Ranking
Difficult to declare that an antivirus is better than another. Only the user can sort the functions but also know his preference for the different interfaces. All security suite publishers happily offer free trial for 30 days for their paid products.
However, you have to start with something and the “Real World Protection” test, which the AV Comparative specialist site publishes several times a year, can already give us some indications. More complex than the only analysis of a sample of viruses, this test tries to put the software in situations close to those that will meet the user: malicious sites, software flaws, links to malware etc.
Best Antivirus
Editor Version Blocking rate False positive
Bitdefender Bitdefender Internet Security 22.0 100% 0
Panda software Panda Free Antivirus 18.3 100% 3
Bullguard Internet Security 17.1 100% 8
Symantec Symantec Norton Security 22.10 100% 8
Kaspersky Lab Kaspersky Internet Security 18.0 99.7% 0
In the graph published on their site, they indicate the detection rate of threats (green), the number of times the user is asked (yellow) or what is passed through mesh (red). At the bottom the line indicates the number of false positives of the software that is to say if it blocks sometimes legitimate contents without reason. This overview has been served by Techriation.
Bitdefender
This is the Internet Security version that has been tested here by Av-Comparative and the result is a faultless one with 100% of the blocked threats and one false positive. It is possible to test for free by downloading the evaluation version.
Bullguard
The security suite proposed by Bullguard proves to be very effective in detections. The Internet Security version tested here includes several modules such as parental control, a firewall, backup encryption and optimization tools for the system.
Norton Security
Even in 4th position, Norton offers a detection rate of 100% with a number of false alarms a little higher than the others, this is reasonable. It comes in 3 versions: Classic, Deluxe and the complete Premium suite.
Kaspersky
The publisher is almost equal to the first of this test with a result almost blank in terms of false alerts and detection of threats. It is the Internet Security version that has been put to the test and it is possible to test.
