Antivirus Software Reviews
Computers have revolutionized almost every aspect of our lives, from helping students learn while in hospitals, to monitoring patients and controlling critical manufacturing processes. Cyberattacks such as ransomware viruses and malware have also increased because of the increasing dependence on computers. Antivirus software detects these threats and prevents them from damaging your computer or stealing personal data.
When choosing an antivirus program it is essential to look at its virus-scanning capabilities, if it has a fire-wall, and how it performs in independent lab tests. You may also want to look at its customer support, the frequency it updates and the number of devices it can safeguard. Certain programs, like Norton, include additional tools that can help prevent identity theft and protect your privacy online.
Top programs provide multiple security options. They offer heuristic detection which looks for signs that are typical of malware or viruses and signature matching that compares files with a list of known malicious code. Certain programs also employ sandboxing, which separates suspicious files and runs them in a safe virtual environment, where they are unable to do any harm.
Some of the best antivirus software is available for download. However, they might not provide as many features as paid-for alternatives. Bitdefender’s premium version includes parental controls, a file shredder, as well as a password manager, however its free version scored highly and also comes with firewall. Malwarebytes which is free and scored top marks in AV Test for 2023, failed our usability test. Intego Mac Security X9 offers an impressive set of tools that include VirusBarrier and NetBarrier, that removed and identified the most malware-related threats during our test.
