Antivirus Software Reviews
Computers have transformed nearly every aspect of our lives, from helping students learn and assisting in monitoring patients in hospitals and regulating crucial manufacturing processes. The increasing dependence on computers and devices has also led to an increase in cyberthreats such as malware, viruses and ransomware. Antivirus software is designed to identify these threats and prevent their destruction of your PC or stealing personal information.
When deciding on an antivirus program, it is important to think about its virus-scanning capabilities, if it has an internal fire barrier, and how it performs on independent lab tests. It is also advisable to look at its customer support, the frequency it updates itself and the number of devices it can safeguard. Certain programs, like Norton, include additional features that can help you secure your identity and protect your privacy online.
Top-rated programs offer a variety of security options. These include heuristic detection which identifies behaviors that are typical of viruses or malware, and signature matching which matches files against a database of known malicious code. Some programs employ sandboxing in order to block suspicious files in a virtual environment that is secure and in a safe place where they are not able to do any harm.
Many of the top antivirus software is available for free, though they may not include as many additional features as paid options. For instance, Bitdefender’s free edition scored very well in our tests and includes a firewall, whereas its premium version includes parental controls, a file shredder and a password manager. Similarly, Malwarebytes’ free version earned top marks in AV-Test for 2023 however it fell short in our tests for usability. Intego Mac Internet Security X9 has a solid combination of tools (VirusBarrier and NetBarrier) which killed and caught the majority of malware threats in our test.
