Who will replace the free Microsoft Security Essentials antivirus? The difference between paid and free antiviruses for Windows. To pay or not to pay for antivirus? Does avast conflict with microsoft security essentials
Microsoft has acknowledged the fact that its antivirus is not the best protection for the user. This was done, of course, unofficially. IT journalists made this conclusion from recent interviews with the developers of this antivirus. It said, verbatim, that Microsoft Security Essentials was “designed to rank near the bottom in tests.” There is nothing new in this fact itself. We have noted before that the functionality and level of protection provided by third-party solutions is higher than that of a standard antivirus. But somehow they hoped for progress from Microsoft. The idea of having a minimum of third-party applications on your computer seemed very tempting. But no, no. We've highlighted three free antiviruses that are worthy of your attention as a replacement for Microsoft Security Essentials (Windows Defender in Windows 8).
What happened to Microsoft Security Essentials
Nothing special. In tests by leading independent antivirus organizations, it always ranks high with the inscription “baseline”.
Those. it has always been recognized as a minimum level of user protection from viruses. But nothing more. The combination of Firewall and Windows Defender in version 8 generally seemed to me personally to be a very good tandem. But now I’m also thinking about installing a third-party free antivirus.
However, I am sure that for a user who strictly follows our advice on working safely in browsers and rarely inserts flash drives into their system unit that have been on the computers of other users, nothing is in danger even when using standard Microsoft antivirus.
1. Avast!
Avast! - a fairly reliable and understandable antivirus. It is not as bright as AVG, but this does not prevent it from providing high quality protection for the user. Perhaps this is the only antivirus review in which you can get the full version of the paid edition of Avast Inernet Security for your friends. You just need to recommend it to your friends through social networks, and you will be given a key.
This is apparently a promotion! Therefore, check if it is still valid on the Avast website!
Avast is strongly focused on the Internet user. It integrates security modules into all known browsers, monitors your mail and, attention, torrents! Perhaps, of all the review programs, not a single antivirus goes deeper into the jungle of our Internet activity.
This antivirus also has a mobile version.
Download Avast Free Antivirus
2.AVG
3. Avira Free
It took longer than other antiviruses to announce support for Windows 8. This was due to the fact that the developers, according to them, sought full integration with the protection mechanisms of this operating system, and were not just trying to run their scanner.
Such a serious approach commands respect. There are no bright, attention-grabbing features in this antivirus. There is a full suite of security mechanisms, including blocking harmful pop-ups in browsers and monitoring email. But this is all the same as with all programs in this review.
The conclusion regarding Avira will be simple: a good and stable free antivirus according to test results. You can also install the mobile version on your phone or tablet.
Download Avira Free Antivirus
Of all three good and reliable antiviruses, I would like to highlight Avast! Free Antivirus for trying to protect the user as much as possible by supporting everything, including torrents, from where the infection creeps in in large numbers in our domestic realities.
There is also a tempting prospect of getting a “Sandbox” mode for running dubious applications or visiting dubious sites, which is implemented in the Avast! Internet Security, having recommended this antivirus to friends.
An antivirus program should not only protect your computer, but also be able to work with other applications to make it easy to use. In this article, we will compare Avast with Microsoft Security Essentials.
Microsoft Security Essentials and Avast are free antivirus programs for personal use. Both programs will protect your computer, detect and remove malicious activity or processes that can damage your system or pose risks of losing your data or personal information. You can choose which of these two programs suits your needs.
System requirements, installation and user interface
Avast antivirus and Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) work on XP, Vista and Windows 7. The MSE installation file is smaller than in Avast - 4.28MB versus 41.5MB. Avast installations are more complex than MSE because it includes several security components that can be configured during the installation process. Installation Avast also includes an installer for the Google Chrome browser. To start using the protection provided by both programs, you do not need to restart your computer. Avast also uses more hard disk space than MSE: 112MB and 10.4MB, respectively.
During the MSE installation process, the installation wizard will attempt to verify that the copy of Windows on which the antivirus program is being installed is authenticated. On the other hand, Avast requires you to register via email to use its free antivirus protection.
Avast 5's user interface has many improvements over the earlier Avast 4.0. The media player user interface has now been replaced with a neat interface with easy access to the program's features and options. MSE's user interface has a simple navigation structure, and the Windows system tray icon looks just as good as Avast.
Features of Avast and Microsoft Security Essentials
All functions of the Microsoft antivirus program are also implemented in Avast, with the exception of minor differences:
- Mail - Avast will scan the contents of incoming and outgoing email messages for malware. It can also scan messages that are retrieved using the SSL protocol. MSE will only scan email attachments.
- P2P - Avast will protect P2P end users and chat programs, as well as provide online protection that will automatically block malicious URLs and known virus websites. Avast Network Shield also includes an intrusion detection system.
- Game mode with support for any applications running in full screen mode. Avast will continue to protect, but will disable displaying notifications on the screen. This ensures that Avast does not interfere while you are gaming or using any software in full screen mode.
- Behavioral Analysis - Both MSE and Avast protect your PC by monitoring the actions of programs, but in Avast, you can adjust the sensitivity of behavioral detection.
Product updates, scan speed and memory usage
Both antivirus packages offer free program updates. Avast and Microsoft give their customers the opportunity to download virus database updates. When using a computer to perform multiple tasks, there is not much difference in memory usage. Avast will use 2.7MB while MSE runs with 3.1MB of memory. However, Avast will use more memory during scanning:
- Avast will use 7.7 MB of memory while scanning;
- MSE only uses 4MB of memory during the scanning process.
Avast's quick scan completed 22,707 tested files in 12 minutes. The MSE fast scan lasted only 3 minutes.
Avast system full disk scan is faster than MSE:
- Avast scanned 427,576 files in 28 minutes;
- MSE completed scans after 47 minutes with -465,594 files tested.
Virus protection and detection
When testing the programs, a unique set of 85 malware samples was used. Avast will protect better than MSE:
- Avast can catch, in real time, 75 out of 85 malware;
- In real time, MSE caught only 65 out of 85 malware.
However, during on-demand scanning, MSE is able to detect more than Avast:
- MSE was able to detect 6 more of the remaining 20 malware samples.
- Avast did not find any more infections in the remaining 10 malware samples.
MSE's overall malware detection rate is 71 out of 85. Avast will be able to detect 75 out of 85 malware.
Independent testing by the antivirus laboratory AV-Comparatives awarded both products:
- Microsoft received 2 gold awards (low false positive rate and good on-demand malware detection) and 1 bronze award in 2009.
- Avast received 1 Bronze award for high scanning speed.
Programs for Windows 7 and Windows 8:
Choosing a free antivirus
We answer the question - “Which free antivirus is better?”
Avast! Free Antivirus, Avira Free Antivirus, AVG, Microsoft Security Essentials.
When it comes to free antivirus programs, most experienced users only smile skeptically, saying that a free antivirus cannot be reliable and of high quality. We won’t rush to conclusions and see whether this is true or not in a summary review of several popular antivirus programs for Windows.
Free antiviruses can be divided into two groups. The first group is trial versions of well-known paid programs. Among them are Kaspersky Anti-Virus, etc. Web, Norton and some others. As a rule, they all have limitations, either in terms of time of use (from one to three months) or are seriously reduced in functionality. The second group consists of completely free programs, which have no restrictions on operating time and are fully functional. This is, first of all, Avast! Free Antivirus, Avira Free Antivirus, AVG and Microsoft Security Essentials. We will start our story about free antivirus programs with them.
Please note that downloading free antivirus programs from any source other than the official website of the developer poses a considerable threat. Instead of a working antivirus, you may get a malicious program that only imitates work, but in fact infects the system and steals confidential data. For this reason, in our review we provide download links. only from official sites developers. No torrents or file sharing.
Avira Free Antivirus
Comprehensive online protection combined with ease of use
The German company Avira GmbH, which develops and supports Avira Free Antivirus, has been working on computer protection systems since 1986, which is perhaps a record among all modern antivirus developers. Avira's core business is security solutions for business. The free and full-featured antivirus program for home use is, rather, a publicity stunt aimed at increasing the popularity of the Avira brand.
So, the free antivirus Avira Free Antivirus itself includes the most necessary tools to protect your computer and has no restrictions on the time of use. The basic version comes with the following proprietary features:
— Advanced Real-Time Protection— real-time computer protection, with support for cloud-based virus detection technology Avira Protection Cloud.
— AntiAd/AntiSpyware— blocking adware and spyware.
— Browser Tracking Blocker- Internet tracking protection (Firefox and Chrome).
— Website Safety Advisor— assessment of the security of all sites in search results (Firefox and Chrome).
According to the results of a study by the independent laboratory AV-Comparatives, the free Avira antivirus is not inferior in its effectiveness, and in some places even surpasses paid solutions from other companies.
You can download and install Avira antivirus and additional components on the program’s official website www.avira.com/ru/avira-free-antivirus. We do not recommend downloading antivirus from any other sources. Firstly, it is unsafe, because... on third-party sites, instead of an antivirus, you can get a malicious file; secondly, after installing the main file, on the official site you will be prompted to install additional important components.
Download Avira Free Antivirus
To simply test the effectiveness of the antivirus, we loaded several malicious files into the test system, scattered them across different folders, including system folders, and then launched a scan. Based on the results of the work, the free antivirus Avira Free Antivirus performed just fine - absolutely all files were detected and deleted (looking ahead a little, we note that only one of the tested antiviruses did not fully cope with this task). The antivirus itself works quite quickly, the interface is not overloaded with too many functions, and the program has virtually no effect on system performance during operation.
Overall, we can recommend Avira antivirus for home use as a permanent antivirus solution to protect your computer from various threats. There are just a few points that I would like to draw attention to. In comparison with another free antivirus Avast, which we will consider further, Avira cannot boast of having additional interesting options, everything is very ascetic and simple (However, for many this may seem like an advantage). Some may be confused by the presence of unobtrusive advertising on the update screen, but, in general, advertising is not noticeable and does not distract from working with the computer and antivirus at all.
Free antivirus Avast! Free Antivirus 2014
Avast antivirus program is another long-liver in our review of free antiviruses. The developer of the program, AVAST Software, began its work back in 1991, almost a quarter of a century ago. And, I must admit, these decades were not in vain. At the moment, Avast Free antivirus is perhaps the most popular free antivirus solution in the world, with a user base of no less than 219 million active users. So what attracts all these people to Avast?
The free version of Avast antivirus includes all basic levels of system protection. First of all, this Intelligent computer protection in real time "DynaGen". The system prevents the penetration of malicious code from outside, while visiting websites or downloading dangerous files from unreliable sources. In addition, all email traffic is scanned for viruses. Protection against malware, spyware and rootkits includes a scanner that performs a complete scan of the computer's file system and removes all malicious files.
Using the convenient “Clean Browser” utility, you can clean your browser of all annoying extensions and toolbars that are often installed along with some programs.
The antivirus interface is designed in a minimalistic and strict style and is not oversaturated with too many details. All settings and options are separated into tabs, everything is logical and easy to master even for inexperienced users. The program has been completely and very efficiently translated into Russian.
Updates for identifying new viruses are released several times a day, including weekends.
You can download the free version of Avira antivirus from the official developer website using this link or use the direct link to the licensed installation file, which you will find below. The file itself is also located on the developer's server.
Direct download link from the official website. Interface in Russian. Includes enhanced support for Windows 8.1 64-bit. Download Avast! Free Antivirus 2014 (4.7 MB)
The result of our small virus testing, which we carried out using the same method as Avira, was the complete detection of all infected files on the test computer. In this regard, the antivirus worked exactly the same as Avira. At the same time, a full system scan took 12% longer than the competitor's, which, in our opinion, is not very significant.
Based on the testing results, we were unable to identify any significant shortcomings of the Avast Free antivirus. This program is rightfully one of the most popular in the world and provides its users with no less high-quality and reliable protection than many paid solutions. Perhaps, of all the free antiviruses presented in this review, in our opinion, Avast is the best.
Free antivirus AVG AntiVirus FREE 2014
The antivirus program AVG AntiVirus is quite popular among users all over the world. As of 2014, AVG antivirus was installed on almost 187 million computers. At the same time, the program developer, AVG Technologies, was founded back in 1991, just like AVAST Software. In general, the field of free antiviruses, as we see, is dominated by companies that began their history at the dawn of the Internet, at a time when personal computers in homes were still extremely rare.
What does AVG AntiVirus Free include? Anti-virus protection provides real-time blocking of viruses, spyware and malware. A special module is designed to protect the user from malicious links on the Internet, Twitter and Facebook networks (links from Vkontakte are also scanned). The File Shredder tool, as you might guess from its name, makes it possible to completely and permanently delete files to prevent tracking.
The program interface is made in the now fashionable “tiled” style, which came to us from Windows 8 and Windows Phone. It should be noted that tiled design is rapidly spreading and is now actively used in the design of many websites in programs.
When you use AVG Antivirus for the first time, you immediately understand that many years of work on the antivirus were not in vain. The interface pleases with the thoughtfulness of the elements and the absence of unnecessary details. All items and settings are in place, the program menu is intuitive and not difficult to master.
You will find more detailed information about the free AVG antivirus solution on the official website of the program www.avg.com/ru-ru/free-antivirus-download. To download the 64-bit version of the program from the official AVG server, use the link below.
Direct download link from the official website. Interface in Russian. Includes support for Windows 8.1 64-bit. Download AVG AntiVirus FREE 2014
Our standard test for malicious programs hidden throughout the system was passed successfully - AVG found and neutralized all potentially dangerous files that we had carefully scattered throughout the system. A full system scan was performed a little faster than Avast and Avira, but, in general, we did not find a significant difference in this parameter among the subjects.
AVG AntiVirus FREE 2014 left us with quite a pleasant impression. It performs its direct functions without any complaints, without slowing down the system or taking up too much RAM. Overall, it's on par with its competitors, behind Avast! Free Antivirus only in the number of additional options that are included in the basic set.
Free antivirus Microsoft Security Essentials
It would seem that who other than Microsoft knows their system best and can protect it from external threats? At first glance, everything looks quite good, MSE is a fairly effective antivirus, regularly updated and undemanding of system resources, with a simple and user-friendly interface. During testing, unfortunately, it turned out that Security Essentials is not the most reliable of the free antiviruses.
MSE is not Microsoft's first antivirus product. Support for the previous antivirus solution, Windows Live OneCare, was discontinued on June 30, 2009. This paid software package has been criticized more than once by market participants, has shown not very outstanding success in several independent tests of anti-virus programs, and has not received sufficient distribution among users.
As a result, the company decided to stop working on OneCare and launch a new project for home users - basic Microsoft Security Essentials antivirus program(Security Essentials). The new product does not require a fee for use, but requires a licensed version of Windows; before installing Security Essentials, you must go through the OS validation procedure. Security Essentials is integrated by default into the new Windows 8 operating system, called Windows Defender.
Direct download link from the official website. Interface in Russian. Includes support for Windows 7 64-bit.Download Microsoft Security Essentials
As testing progressed, it turned out that MSE was unable to detect several potentially dangerous files during a full system scan. To be fair, these were exploits intended for use outside the Windows system, but they were very successfully detected by other free antiviruses. We consider this an important mistake, because... Such exploits, undetected by antivirus, can successfully spread along with files until they finally reach the environment they need.
Unfortunately, despite the user-friendly interface and the truly minimal impact of the antivirus on the system (perhaps MSE is the best in this regard), Security Essentials is not suitable for people who work with important data and often transfer files to web servers running on Linux. For them, we recommend using other antivirus solutions. But for purely home use, MSE is more than suitable - it detects all major viruses and other malicious software quickly and without problems.
Let's sum it up
A comparison of popular free antivirus programs showed that they are all quite effective solutions for home use. Like their paid counterparts, they have active modules to protect the system in real time and are able to instantly respond to malicious content downloaded from the Internet. In addition, they have additional features previously found only in paid competitors.
The developers of all the antiviruses presented in the review are large and world-famous companies with extensive experience in developing antivirus software. This alone fully guarantees the reliability and quality of protection. In general, free antiviruses are now quite full-featured solutions. In comparison with paid analogues, they only lack those features that are not critical for ordinary computer users.
Based on the testing results, we chose the free antivirus as the best one for ourselves. Avast! Free Antivirus 2014, which turned out to be a very advanced and functional solution. When using this program, you don’t feel at all like you’ve installed a free version - here all the declared functionality works seriously and almost without restrictions. We strongly recommend this free antivirus for use on home computers and laptops.
| | |
Installing and updating Microsoft Security Essentials
MSE cannot be installed on Windows 8, because the built-in Microsoft Defender antivirus completely duplicates its functionality. On December 22, 2009, Microsoft announced the launch of a localized version of MSE for Russian-speaking users. Download the Russian version of the antivirus program available from the official Security Essentials website - http://windows.microsoft.com/ru-RU/windows/security-essentials-all-versions. The antivirus is available for all current Windows operating systems: XP (32 bit), Vista (SP1 or SP2) and Windows 7 (32 and 64 bit), with the exception of Windows 8.
Click Next to go through all the necessary procedures to install Security Essentials
To confirm your agreement with the user agreement, click on “I accept”
Before you begin installing the application, you must confirm the legality of the copy of Windows installed on your PC.
If your OS has been validated, a window will appear inviting you to begin installing the antivirus program. Click Install to begin installation.
Once the installation of Security Essentials is complete, click Finish.
Installing Security Essentials is incredibly quick and easy. There is no need to restart the computer. After the antivirus starts working, it will automatically start downloading the necessary updates, and then conduct the first scan of the computer for the presence of malicious software.
After which the program will begin its work, modestly located in the tray and without distracting the user with any unnecessary messages or notifications. The antivirus will remind you of itself only if potential threats are detected (a window will appear with a description of the threat and a proposed action to neutralize it) and it is necessary to scan the computer (the tray icon will change to yellow). This antivirus can easily be called one of the most “unobtrusive” among popular programs.
Setting up and using Security Essentials
Security Essentials designed to protect against viruses, spyware, rootkits and Trojan horses. Judging by the available public tests, Microsoft's brainchild does this very effectively. The independent laboratory AV-Test.org awarded SE a “very good” rating after this antivirus recognized 98% of malicious code samples. Of course, this is not a reason to change your paid antivirus program to Security Essentials. Please take into account the fact that the program under test does not contain a heuristic module, which excludes the detection of completely new threats that have not yet been included in the latest database updates. However, the chance of “running into” such a virus is negligibly small.
Antivirus management is organized as simply and logically as possible. By moving through the four tabs, you can perform basic operations with the antivirus. The first Home tab allows you to view the most current information about the operation of the antivirus and perform a quick, full or selective scan of your PC for malware.
The UPDATE tab contains information about the latest updates to the anti-virus database and provides the ability to update manually.
The HISTORY tab allows you to view information about all detected malware. If necessary, the history can be cleared.
And finally, the most informative tab is Settings. As the name suggests, all the antivirus program settings are collected here. We have carefully studied all the proposed settings and recommend that all users enable the Scan Removable Drives option, which is located in the Advanced menu. We recommend leaving all other settings unchanged. This still will not lead to any improvements in the operation of the antivirus, but some inconveniences may appear.
Let's take a look at all the subsections of the Settings tab:
Sheduled Scan. In this section, the user can create a computer scanning schedule (a specific day of the week or daily) and specify the type of scan (quick or full)
Default actions. In this section, you can configure the antivirus to perform specified actions when malicious code is detected. Moreover, the scenario can be set for different types of threats separately.
Real-time protection. If there is a need to disable Security Essentials, uncheck the “Turn on real-time protection” item and save the changes. In any other case, we do not recommend changing the settings in this section. Disabling any setting will reduce system security.
Excluded file types. You can add file types that will not be scanned by the antivirus. For example, add *.JPG and the antivirus will ignore image files.
Excluded process. Exclusion from the scope of Security Essentials monitoring of those programs that the user completely trusts. To do this, click on “Add” and select the required executable file. We strongly do not recommend using this tool, because... Almost any file can be infected with malicious code in the future.
Advanced. This section contains additional program settings: Scan archive files - setting up scanning of archive files in .ZIP and .CAB formats; Scan removable drivers—setting up scanning of removable media; Create a system restore point - when applying the setting, the program will automatically create a restore point before cleaning the system. Allow all users to view the full history results—applying this setting allows all computer users to view the program history.
Microsoft SpyNet. By joining the SpyNet program, MSE will automatically provide Microsoft with additional information about detected malware, including where it came from, what actions the user took on it, and MSE. By default, participation in SpyNet is disabled.
System Load
Perhaps this is one of the few cases when you really won’t notice the presence of an antivirus on your system. The MsMpEng.exe (AntiMalware Service Executable) process, on average, takes up no more than 58-70 MB of RAM. The second process related to the antivirus, msseces.exe (Microsoft Security Essentials User Interface), uses only 5-7 MB of memory.
After starting the quick system scan mode, the MsMpEng.exe process loads the CPU from 4 to 51%. Testing was carried out on a relatively slow mobile processor Intel U5400; on desktop systems, resource consumption will be completely negligible. During normal program operation, it was rarely possible to record even 2-3% CPU load. Needless to say, excellent optimization of work and a small amount of required resources allows you to use the Microsoft Security Essentials antivirus program even on low-power systems, including netbooks. All tests were performed on operating systems Windows 7 (64 bit).
conclusions
Recently, Microsoft has been pleasing users with more stable, faster and more functional software solutions. Take, for example, the launch of the latest operating system, Windows 7. The new OS was received with a bang by the whole world, which led to record sales around the world. And why all? Windows7 is able to work quickly and stably even on relatively weak systems. This is why we liked Microsoft Security Essentials. After all, even if a program is at least three times effective in removing viruses, if it slows down even on powerful systems with quad-core processors and gigabytes of RAM, who needs it?
Security Essentials can work effectively even on weak machines, has a pleasant interface, and is quick and easy to install. We do not consider the lack of Russian language for such an easy-to-use program to be a big drawback. The only serious drawback of the program is the absence of a heuristic module, but, as we said above, it is extremely unlikely that a malicious program will be installed on your computer that has not yet been included in the constantly updated program database. We recommend the program to all those who are satisfied with the basic functionality of the program and who are sorry to pay their money for complex software products.
What is the best free antivirus? This is the most frequently asked question we receive. Users want to be protected from viruses and don't want to make annual payments or use bloated antivirus packages with completely unnecessary extra features. I myself use a free antivirus for these reasons.
Indeed, choosing the best antivirus is not an easy task. There are many factors to consider, including user interface, resource consumption, and overall effectiveness against malware. Let's compare free antiviruses and take a closer look at five of them (Avast!, AVG, Ad-Aware, Avira and Microsoft Security Essentials) to choose the best one.
Criteria
Our antivirus comparison consisted of scanning a 500GB hard drive that was half full. We used a full scan. Our RAM usage detector was based on custom software running in the background, and we rounded up the average values obtained after three minutes of testing.
We took the protection information from AV-Comparatives and AV-Test, two leading sources of information on the effectiveness of antivirus programs. AV-Comparative's latest research and comparison tests were conducted in March 2012, and AV-Test was updated in June 2012.
All tests were carried out under the 64-bit version.
Lavasoft Ad-Aware Free Antivirus+
Lavasoft's fairly wide main menu provides complete information about the state of the computer without overloading the user with unnecessary data. Most functions are turned on and off using sliders, as well as a fairly large and bright “Scan Now!” button. This button allows you to immediately understand where to click to perform an anti-virus scan of the system.
To be honest, I was discouraged by the custom scanning options, since it is impossible to select specific drives to scan until the special checkbox is checked.
Lavasoft antivirus tries to lure users by providing additional features that can be used after activating the full version of the program. It's a little frustrating when you click on an unavailable feature, however, but this approach is less annoying than the sidebar ad message used by AVG.
Performance is not this antivirus' strong point. The full scan took just over twenty minutes, the second longest. An application running in the background when idle consumes about 32 megabytes of RAM. This is not enough to slow down the system, but it is by far the worst result among the antivirus programs tested here.
AV-Comparative still does not include Lavasoft software in its evaluation tests. AV-Test analyzed the program and found that it was only able to detect 99% of recently discovered threats. The only drawback is that zero-day attacks will not be detected. Lavasoft detected only 80% of such attacks and as a result came in last place in our testing, along with Microsoft Security Essentials.
Avast!
Avast! offers us a nice and modern interface, unlike most of its competitors. Its large windows contain a lot of white white space and provide the user with all the information necessary for the ongoing protection of the computer.
We really like the software's real-time protection menu. It consists of various threat vectors that Avast! protects and shows how much of each vector was scanned. It even updates in real time as potential threats are scanned.
The program has built-in advertising, but it mainly appears during the installation process and in the main menu. The computer scan and real-time protection menus that users use most often do not have advertisements.
A full scan of our test hard drive took about 15 minutes, this is the second best result. In the background, the antivirus consumes about 3.5 megabytes of RAM when idle, this figure is average.
Avast! missed about 2% of all malware samples that appeared, according to the latest data from AV-Comparatives. This is an average result. The latest AV-Test data is almost completely consistent with these indicators.
AVG
AVG's interface is incredibly simple. It simply provides a list of icons, each representing one form of protection, and contains all the scanning features in the sidebar. The "Scan Now" button is just a link, in the literal sense of the word. Click on it and AVG will start scanning your entire computer without displaying any additional prompts.
While the basic antivirus features are fairly easy to use, the additional components can be a little confusing. AVG includes everything from email protection to rootkit protection. Many of these components have some limitations, but when you click on them, you will be redirected to the purchase page for AVG's paid solutions. Other icons direct users to AVG products designed for other platforms, such as .
Didn't make any impression when calculating disk scan time. It took him almost 23 minutes to fully test our 500 GB hard drive - that's 75% larger than the fastest competitor. The background process was the second most RAM consumed. It required only 2.4 megabytes at idle.
According to the latest information from AV-Comparative, AVG missed about 3.5% of all threats, the least impressive result in our test group. However, AV-Test in its latest reports says that this antivirus found 99% all recently identified threats.
Avira
Avira has a confusing interface. For example, to scan a specific area, you need to go to the “System Scanner” menu, then click on a specific option and then click on a very small icon shaped like a magnifying glass. Or you can click on the "gear" button in the main menu, but this action will open another menu that will tell you that you must have "expert mode" activated to change the settings. What kind of expert mode is this? The big fat “Scan!” button used by competitors is simple, intuitive and easier to understand!
There are advertisements in the application, but I was literally amazed by the pop-up ads that appeared immediately after installing the software. Pop-up ads on my desktop are very annoying, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, so I will never use this kind of application. The antivirus also has many additional functions installed that can be seen, and can only be used after purchasing the full version.
Avira outperformed all competitors in our performance tests. She needed just over 13 minutes to perform a full scan of your hard drive, and its background process consumes only 1.8 megabytes of RAM when idle. Obviously, this antivirus software is best suited for users who prefer computer protection with little resource consumption.
In the latest AV-Comparatives tests, Avira program performed very well. It missed less than 0.5% of all known samples and became the second program in the overall antivirus ranking, beating all other free solutions. Plus in AV-Test antivirus tests Avira detected 99% all recently discovered threats.
Microsoft Security Essentials
It is qualitatively different from other competitors in that it is not a marketing tool. Every other antivirus vendor offers their products for free in an attempt to gain name, recognition, and user experience, and Microsoft simply doesn't have a complete antivirus option to sell. It does The program interface is more understandable and not cluttered with advertising.
The lack of some features creates a feeling of a cleaner interface. MSE can scan, detect, quarantine files, and attempt to remove viruses, but that's about all it can do. It doesn't have a mobile version, it doesn't have email protection, it doesn't even have an anti-phishing protection suite. Everything is as the name says - only essential functions.
MSE performed mediocre in our performance tests. He needed almost 20 minutes to completely scan our hard drive, and its background process consumes about 6.8 megabytes of RAM when idle.
Previously, MSE testing showed its high efficiency, but more modern tests give slightly different data. During the last AV-Comparatives testing, it missed almost 7% of all malicious samples. AV-Test testing showed that the antivirus missed 5% of all recently detected malware samples.
So, which antivirus is the best?
Avira stands out in technical terms. It scored excellent in our protection tests and also outperformed its closest competitors in our performance test. The only downside is the rather confusing user interface. It took me a few minutes to study the program before I understood how to work with it. If Avira makes its software more intuitive, it will have a nearly perfect product.
Avast! may be an ideal choice for users who do not want to spend a lot of time fiddling with protection your computer. It performs almost as well as Avira in performance tests, plus it offers a nice, simple interface. And advertising in the antivirus is kept to a minimum. Lavasoft and AVG are both ok choices, but both have some drawbacks, which may be significant for individual users. Lavasoft consumes far more resources in the background than its closest competitors, and AVG has an unattractive interface and is loaded with ads for the full version and other AVG products. However, both applications offer the user pretty good protection. And finally, the last one on our list: Microsoft Security Essentials.
It wasn't the slowest in our tests, and it didn't consume a lot of RAM, but security testing showed that he is the most ineffective tool to stop malware. 5% of all the latest threats according to AV-Test is not that much, but all other competitors missed only 2% or less.
It turns out that by using Microsoft Security Essentials, you are putting your computer at greater risk.
Introduction
Let's start with the fact that free versions of antiviruses, according to the manufacturers themselves, provide only a basic level of protection. Quite logical. To provide a higher level of protection and an expanded set of functions, you need to pay extra.
On the other hand, not all users need comprehensive protection. Quite experienced users use an antivirus as a “safety net” or can do without it altogether.
But users who are poorly versed in information security issues do not update the operating system and installed programs on time, do not know how to set up firewall rules and antivirus, cannot recognize phishing, a fake banking site, follow links in letters and messages received from strangers sources, launch dubious programs downloaded from the Internet - for such users, it is worth acquiring comprehensive protection .
List of compared antiviruses
To clearly demonstrate how comprehensive protection of the Internet Security class differs from a free entry-level antivirus, we decided to compare their functionality.
Unfortunately, there are too many paid and free antiviruses to compare them all. You can see how free antiviruses differ from each other in our comparison of free antiviruses. Paid antiviruses, due to their diversity, can be compared endlessly. For our comparison, we decided to take only Most Popular paid and free antiviruses.
Of the paid products, the most popular in Russia and the CIS countries is, of course, Kaspersky Internet Security, so the choice fell on it.
Of the free antiviruses, the most popular one was chosen both in Russia and around the world - Avast Free Antivirus. According to the search company Yandex alone, this free antivirus is searched for over 1.5 million times within a month! The enormous popularity of Avast Free Antivirus is also confirmed by data obtained from OPSWAT .
The third, and also free, antivirus was Microsoft Security Essentials or Windows Defender (for Windows 8), which is the second most popular free antivirus, after Avast Free Antivirus. In the new Microsoft Windows 8 operating system, this antivirus is installed by default and is a kind of free antivirus standard.
Thus, we settled on an illustrative comparison of Kaspersky Internet Security, the most popular paid comprehensive antivirus product, and Avast Free Antivirus with Microsoft Security Essentials as the most popular free antiviruses.
- Kaspersky Internet Security (2013);
- Avast Free Antivirus 8.0.1483.76;
- Microsoft Security Essentials 4.2.223.0.
Functionality comparison
The first thing you should always pay attention to when choosing an antivirus is functionality. Some users prefer All-in-One solutions from one manufacturer, while other users prefer to use combinations of products for their own personal reasons.
Table 1. Comparison of functionality of paid and free antivirus
| Kaspersky Internet Security | Avast Free Antivirus | ||
| Real-time file protection | + | + | + |
| Checking correspondence via POP3, IMAP4, SMTP protocols | + | + | - |
| Web Antivirus | + | + | - |
| Checking files received via P2P and IM | + | + | - |
| Automatic firewall | + | - | - |
| Behavior blocker | + | + | - |
| Heuristic analysis | + | + | + |
| Cloud technologies | + | + | - |
| Running programs in an isolated environment (SandBox) | + | + * | - |
| Safety online payments |
+ | - | - |
| Virtual keyboard | + | - | - |
| Anti-spam | + | - | - |
| Anti-banner | + | + | - |
| Anti-phishing | + | + | - |
| Checking site reputation | + | + | - |
| Parental control | + | - | - |
| Finding and closing vulnerabilities | + | + ** | - |
* Avast Free Antivirus has a semi-automatic sandbox version.
** Avast Free Antivirus does not track the status of operating system updates.
Let us briefly explain the purpose of some functions.
Automatic firewall: a component designed to protect a computer from attacks from the network. Contains a set of predefined rules; new rules are created automatically based on the results of application analysis.
Behavior blocker is designed to monitor application activity in the system and make decisions about blocking or allowing application actions based on the received data. This technology allows the antivirus to identify and block threats unknown to it.
Heuristic analysis allows, based on an analysis of the code of an executing application, script or macro, to detect sections of code responsible for malicious activity. The disadvantage of this technology is the increased level of false positives for legitimate applications and additional load on the system.
Cloud technologies are designed to increase the speed of the antivirus response to new threats. In essence, an anti-virus cloud is a company’s infrastructure, which is designed to process information received from the computers of users of a personal product in order to identify new undetected threats.
Virtual keyboard used for securely entering access credentials to various resources. Using a virtual keyboard eliminates the possibility of logins, passwords and other entered information being intercepted by malicious keylogger programs that intercept data entered from a regular keyboard.
So, as we see, an antivirus with comprehensive protection, in comparison with free versions, additionally protects the user from:
- Network attacks
- Spam
- Phishing
- Keyloggers
- New threats
- Protection of online payment transactions
- Prevents children from accessing unwanted information
Let's move on to assessing the quality of these antiviruses.
Quality control
After we have decided on the functionality of the products we chose, the question begins to arise: how well do these antiviruses do their job? A wide range of functions does not always guarantee stable and reliable operation.
To assess the quality of antivirus work according to various criteria, research is carried out in many laboratories that conduct testing according to various criteria. For example, such as AV-Test.org, Matousec, AV-Comparatives, where specialists test selected products using pre-developed and approved methods.
These tests are varied and include checking many parameters, such as the level of detection of malware, the quality of treatment of active infections, the number of false positives, ease of use of the product, speed of operation, etc.
We will try to give a qualitative assessment of a number of parameters of the antivirus products we have chosen for comparison.
Assessing the quality of detection, the level of false positives and the response to new threats
The first, and most important, in our opinion, is the level of detection of malware and the quality of treatment of active infections. It's no secret that no antivirus provides 100% guarantee of protection against malware. The tricks of cybercriminals are very varied. They try in every possible way to bypass user protection systems. Therefore, it is very important that the antivirus has a high level of malware detection, can independently detect it before updating the anti-virus databases (proactive defense) and can correctly disinfect the infected system if for some reason the malware managed to get into the system. At the same time, a high level of detection should not give a large number of false positives. It is extremely inconvenient to use a product that suspects everything and everyone. Rarely, but there are also situations when a false positive occurs on an important component of the operating system. In this case, there is a chance of getting a completely inoperable operating system. Therefore, the level of false positives should tend to zero.
According to the latest data from AV-Comparatives and AV-Test.org, Kaspersky Internet Security is the leader among our selected antiviruses in terms of detection, quality of response to new threats and the level of false positives. Avast Free Antivirus moved away from it quite a bit. Last place goes to Microsoft Security Essentials.
Table 2. Summary assessment of detection quality
| Antivirus | Grade |
| Kaspersky Internet Security | |
| Avast Free Antivirus | |
| Microsoft Security Essentials |
Quality of treatment for active infection
Now we need to discuss the treatment of active infection. There are two different approaches to this issue.
First: if the system becomes infected, you must completely reinstall the operating system.
Second: it is worth using an antiviral product for treatment. Both approaches have their pros and cons.
The first option is not always suitable due to the presence of some installed software that will be difficult to restore and configure after reinstalling the system. Or, in the event of a file virus infection, there is a high probability that an infected program from another disk partition will be launched on a clean system. In addition, some families of malware survive system reinstallation quite comfortably by infecting the boot sectors of the hard drive.
The second option is less safe in the sense that even after treating the system, there may be hidden “back doors” or other dangerous changes in the system. In addition, during treatment there is a risk of damage to operating system files, which can lead to complete system inoperability.
But we adhere to the following point of view: antivirus programs must be able to correctly eliminate active infections. After the system has been disinfected and the risk of re-infection has been eliminated, you can decide whether to reinstall it, if conditions allow it.
This aspect of the antivirus’s operation never goes unnoticed by testers. At the end of 2012, the portal and AV-Test.org tested antiviruses for their ability to treat an infected system. Based on the results obtained, we derived an average estimate of this indicator.
Table 3. Summary assessment of the quality of treatment of active infection
| Antivirus | Grade |
| Kaspersky Internet Security | |
| Avast Free Antivirus | |
| Microsoft Security Essentials |
Future testing will show how things will be in the future. It is quite possible that the results will change somewhat.
Evaluation of the speed of antivirus products
The next important evaluation parameter for users is the speed of the antivirus product.
On many resources on the Internet, disputes often arise about which antivirus works faster. Not a single topic “Which antivirus should I choose?” is not complete without statements: “Don’t buy product N, it hangs the system. And I have M, I don’t even notice its presence.”
Indeed, in order to ensure a reliable level of protection for the user’s system, developers have to use many different technologies, which does not have the best effect on its performance. Which user would like to watch how his powerful, newly purchased computer or laptop, after installing an antivirus, noticeably loses performance? And there are users with devices that are 2-4 years old, and the speed of these devices will decrease even more after installing a new version of the antivirus. Therefore, manufacturers constantly have to find a reasonable compromise between the speed of their product and the level of user protection.
In this regard, independent testing of the speed of antivirus products is regularly carried out, since this is an important point that many users pay attention to.
Testing for the speed of antivirus products conducted in March 2012 by an independent laboratory site showed that among the products we selected, Kaspersky Internet Security and Avast Free Antivirus have minimal load on the system. But Microsoft Security Essentials, alas, showed far from its best side. His presence in the system turned out to be very noticeable.
Table 4. Summary of operating speed
| Antivirus | Grade |
| Kaspersky Internet Security | |
| Avast Free Antivirus | |
| Microsoft Security Essentials |
Evaluating the ergonomics of antiviruses
An important role in working with an antivirus product is played by its interface. It is convenient and pleasant to work with the software, which has a simple and intuitive interface.
Since antivirus is a product of mass consumption, there is a very wide range of users, from novice users to experienced professionals. Therefore, antivirus software developers try to take into account all possible wishes and preferences of users. They strive to make the product interface as clear as possible for the average user, while at the same time giving advanced and experienced users the opportunity to fine-tune the product, without the possibility of getting confused in the structure of the settings.
In addition, the interface of the antivirus product should make it as easy as possible for the user to make a decision in the event of a reaction to a detected threat, provide quick access to various product functions and the ability to change them, view operation logs, etc.
In July 2012, an independent laboratory conducted an antivirus test on the site for ergonomics (ease of use). A similar test was carried out by the portal av-test.org.
Based on the testing results, all selected antiviruses showed their best performance in terms of their functionality and received the highest awards.
Table 5. Summary ergonomic rating
| Antivirus | Grade |
| Kaspersky Internet Security | |
| Avast Free Antivirus | |
| Microsoft Security Essentials |
This concludes our assessment of a number of important aspects when choosing an antivirus and moves on to conclusions.
conclusions
So, which antivirus should you choose? Paid or free? Multifunctional or with a minimal set of functions?
It all depends on the mode of use of the computer, how it is used, what kind of work is performed on it and what threats actually exist for this computer and the information on it (theft of accounts, fraud, theft of money from an online bank or payment system, loss of personal data (photos, videos) , databases, documents), uncontrolled use of the Internet by children, etc.). The level of knowledge of users in computer security is also important.
Paid comprehensive protection systems of the Internet Security class have the greatest functionality and the highest level of protection provided among the products we have selected.
Such comprehensive security systems are suitable for the vast majority of ordinary users, since they use a “set it and forget it” approach. Thanks to its wide functionality, there is no need to install and configure a number of additional security software.
Such systems typically include such an important component as Parental Control, which makes it possible to limit children’s access to unwanted information that they can receive even without a targeted search.
Since electronic payments via the Internet have become a part of our lives, it is very important to ensure a high level of security when working with payment data.
To do this, complex paid antiviruses, for example, Kaspersky Internet Security, contain components for running programs in an isolated environment (SandBox), online payment security, a virtual keyboard, anti-phishing and other important elements of comprehensive protection, which helps minimize the risk of money theft when making electronic payments via the Internet.
Also, these components provide reliable protection of identification data from theft when logging into forums, social networks and other resources that require entering a login and password.
In addition, without exception, all paid Internet Security class complexes provide protection against network attacks.
Free antiviruses, such as Avast Free Antivirus, are worth installing, in our opinion, for more experienced and careful users. In this case, the security requirements for the operating system and application programs in general increase. You need to more closely monitor program updates, if possible work on the Internet with limited rights, and be extremely attentive to the sites you visit and the files you download. In other words, be constantly on guard and do not forget that the protection used is not omnipotent.
In addition to the free antivirus, you may need to install additional security software. Which may be suitable for those users who like to use different combinations of protective products. On the one hand, this can be considered a disadvantage if we focus on comprehensive protection “out of the box,” but on the other hand, it allows the user to independently decide which programs to protect their computer.
On the other hand, it is quite acceptable to use free antiviruses on those computers that have lower requirements for the level of information security, where failure of the computer for a couple of days will not be critical.
Free antiviruses such as Avast Free Antivirus or Microsoft Security Essentials are great if there is absolutely no important information on the end device, and all work comes down to simple Internet surfing (without entering any credentials), listening and viewing audio/video recordings and the use of games that do not require a login and password.
Free antiviruses can be chosen by experienced users who simply need an antivirus product for “safety net.” If you are not confident in your abilities, then it is better to take a closer look at paid comprehensive anti-virus products of the Internet Security class, the price of which is very affordable. Among free antiviruses, Avast Free Antivirus has the best functionality.
We hope that we have provided answers to a number of the most important questions, and this comparison will help you navigate the choice of an antivirus product.
