Best antivirus software? (Looking to switch)

[gotwf]

@jac Late to this but thought I’d weigh in with my two cents worth…

@phenomlab said in Best antivirus software? (Looking to switch):

The best by far is bitdefender.

I would be curious as to what data you have to back this claim up. Admittedly I have not been surfing avbulletin and such as of late but imho…

The best and longest running track record, by far, per real world testing by various virus labs of both lab and “in the wild” variants ESET NOD32 ANTIVIRUS.

Eset offers various upgraded products but I only use the av product. Well, hell, I full disclosure I do not use any of it as I have been winwoes free since the “new” millennium. Wife uses it though and I get stuck playing support. Hence why I research stuff like this from time to time.

Be that as it may, Eset does offer the everything and kitchen sink premium product, wh/includes password manager:

ESET SMART SECURITY PREMIUM

btw- I used to be a Kaspersky reseller bitd. Before Eugene fsck’d all us little hole in the wall independents over by negotiating a low, low bargain price deal with Costco retailing far less than my cost. Nice slap in the face. Double so the next time your client[censored] Costco and confront you re; your gouging. Great way to build trust, eh? Hence I ditched Kaspersky long ago. Tried a few others, e.g. F-Secure, that had great scores but experience showed once attained they tended to slack off a bit in profit “optimization” mode. Eset, however, has not been thusly, at least so far, and we’ve been using for years now. Additionally, Eset is also the preference of a couple InfoSec buddies for their home use.

Edit: Actually, the wife also uses the full suite that includes smartphone device app. No complaints from the lower tech user dept. there.

[phenomlab]

@gotwf said in Best antivirus software? (Looking to switch):

I would be curious as to what data you have to back this claim up

Have a look here. In addition, I use bitdefender’s suite of products at a corporate level, and compared them to a similar line from ESET. No comparison, and no contest. Bitdefender’s suite wins easily

[gotwf]

@phenomlab Well, that seems pretty comprehensive. I was targeting anti-virus/malware efficacy as the other stuff is of minimal importance in my little world.

Have a look here:

https://www.virusbulletin.com/testing/vb100/

https://www.virusbulletin.com/vb100/testing/microworld/escan-internet-security-suite

100% detection goes back further, i.e. more years than any other. Hence the reliable over the long course comment above.

It seems Bitdefender does not participate in their tests? VB100 and I go back decades now. Some of it has become pay access but it is/was the most robust testing methodology that I found. Leastwise last I looked. And I have admittedly not had cause to do so for a few years now.

[phenomlab]

@gotwf I’d agree with the longevity comment - they’ve been on the scene for some time, so likely have an advantage (1992 vs 2001). Mind you, one could argue that Norton (Symantec) have been in the scene since day one really - and look at what a pile of s**t their products are.

Trend Micro used to be pretty hot, but they’ve also slipped down the ladder over time.

[gotwf]

@phenomlab Yeah, I agree w/you comments about shite products. I was, however, specifically referencing eset consistently making the V100 for so many, many, many tests. Across products. Over span of many years. Kaspersky used to be up there as well, but then they went to shite. Not to mention ever heavy system load.

When VB100 first started, I think they tested for free any av manufacture who would provide product. No that they have achieved industry recognition fame and glory story I think they actually charge a fee, so maybe that is why Bitdefender is absent from their testing. Does not necessarily mean Bitdefender is not good/great. But maybe that they are simple more frugal? Still, VB100 is kind of industry standard so would be good to have them on the list - unlike some/many influence for hire whores, VB100 keeps their lists secret, e.g. no ad sales marketroid slipping the files to the big buck advertisers in advance.

[gotwf]

Interestingly, or perhaps more accurately, tellingly(?), I now note that several big name av products that USED to be routinely tested by VB are curiously absent. For e.g., I know F-Secure thew a hissy fit after they bombed one - cuz once you agree to the testing VB posts the results regardless. Unlike some places.

Too bad. They used to be quite comprehensive. Would be interesting to know how modern f-secure, kaspersky, etc. stacked up but their conspicuous absence tends to lead me to conclude they stopped being tested for a reason. And when all else fails: follow the money!

I don’t know if Bitdefender ever did avail themselves of vb’s testing services.

There were a couple other non commercialized, non ad driven anti-virus test sites I used to check out but I forget their names now! Don’t use it ya’ loose it! And VB100 was kind of the final authority bitd.

Edit: Ah, here is one https://www.av-comparatives.org/

[gotwf]

Ah, wtf… not allowed to edit after 600s? Whatever… Geronimo, here ya’ go:

Edit: Ah, here is one https://www.av-comparatives.org/

Hmm… Seems eset may be slipping a bit… I watched/monitored for years and the vb100 and comparatives tests were quite congruent.

Eset:

https://www.av-comparatives.org/vendors/eset/

Bitdefender

https://www.av-comparatives.org/vendors/bitdefender/

Eset does a bit better on the False Postive front. Which I found to be a BIG deal in the real world - clients trying to get real work done just “x it and make it go away” so quickly they had no chance of even a clue of what the warning may have been. Especially problematic with Kaspersky: yeah, maybe it caught a lot, but also alerted on a LOT of FP’s. So much so that I found I was inadvertently “training” end users to ignore it.

[phenomlab]

@gotwf said in Best antivirus software? (Looking to switch):

Ah, wtf… not allowed to edit after 600s?

Yes, sorry. Changed to 15 minutes

[JAC]

After some advice Mark, my antivirus is running out, is there any you recommend or is Bitdefender still top of the tree?

[phenomlab]

@JAC absolutely. Best on the market, and one I use currently.

[JAC]

@phenomlab Thanks Mark, will look to renew

[phenomlab]

@JAC Shop around for the renewal mate…

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144053267615

[crazycells]

@phenomlab our institution switched from Norton to SentinelOne EDR, and they require us to install this to our computers…

they say it is for modern cyberattacks… do you know this brand?

https://www.sentinelone.com/cybersecurity-101/what-is-endpoint-detection-and-response-edr/

[phenomlab]

@crazycells I’ve certainly heard of SentinelOne, but not used the product line myself so it wouldn’t be fair to comment. However, “modern cyber attacks” is something of an ambiguous statement to say the least!

[crazycells]

@phenomlab said in Best antivirus software? (Looking to switch):

“modern cyber attacks”

lol yeap the “buzzword” of this sector I guess…
Since I am using Mac OS for the past 15 years, I never had any problem anyways… But I remember my Windows times with pain

[phenomlab]

@crazycells said in Best antivirus software? (Looking to switch):

But I remember my Windows times with pain

Oh, yes. I’ve switched back to Windows because I need the interoperability on offer with work applications, but miss Linux soooooo much. I tried running Windows in a virtual machine for some time, although the audio here is far too choppy to maintain video calls etc, so Zoom, Teams, etc just don’t work all that well.

Admittedly, there are Linux equivalents, but they seem to lack the virtual backgrounds that as a privacy advocate I’ve come to rely on, whereas Windows has them and they work flawlessly.

[JAC]

@phenomlab what a great find Mark .

[phenomlab]

@JAC ALWAYS shop around. Bitdefender, despite being a great product, have a habit of charging more for a renewal than they do a new subscription!

[Muhammad Abdan Farooqui]

If you’re looking to switch, it really depends on your device and what kind of protection you need. For Mac users, I’d recommend checking out the best antivirus for Mac UK options like Norton, Bitdefender, or Intego as they offer great real-time protection, fast performance, and strong privacy features. Always look for one that includes web protection and a VPN for complete security.

[DownPW]

ESET internet Security is a good option I think