Owning a computer and having it connected to the Internet requires each of us to choose a security software product or a variety of products for protection against Internet threats, this simply cannot be avoided, especially now that most malware threats have evolved from little more than nuisances to increasingly malicious and financially-motivated. Thankfully there are several security products available to assist us in the defense of our computers but, which one to choose and which one provides the best protection.
First, we need to understand that no single security software vendor, despite their over zealous marketing claims, will be able to provide 100% protection of "all Internet threats."
Secondly, because we cannot rely on 100% protection from security software, we need to understand that the majority of our protection will be determined by how we handle e-mail attachments, updating and patching our installed software and the ways we use and surf the Internet.
Choosing security software based on performance
Your friends, family members and posters at security forums all have their own recommendations of which is the best security software for you to protect your computer with but what about the real performance numbers of these security software products?
There are four metrics to use in assisting with choosing the right security software for you and your computer.
- Detection of known malware
- Detection of unknown malware
- System resource usage, scan speeds and other performance criteria
- What works for you and your computer
AV-Comparatives.org performs independent comparatives of Anti-Virus software. They have published their test results and will help with comparing products based on performance measurements of real malware. There are two different reports that you will need to review: one is the latest On-demand comparative and the other is the latest Retrospective/ProActive Test. To aid you with making your choice you are encouraged to thoroughly review each report and understand what is and what is not being tested.
To help with system resource usage, scan speeds and other performance criteria we can look to benchmark tests performed by Passmark Software. One thing to note about this test is that it was performed on a Vista/Dual Core computer, so unless you have the same set-up, your individual performance results will probably vary from their results.
The last and possibly the most important metric relates to you and what works with your computer. What is the user-interface like, is the product user-friendly for you, what affect does it have your computer's performance and what type of support options are available are some other considerations when evaluating security software. Exercise due diligence when selecting security software for your computer. Visit each vendor's website and take some time to familiarize yourself with the product's features as well as browse their forums to see what their current users are discussing about the product. The only way to measure the product for yourself is to try before you buy.
Other considerations with choosing security software
The Cost. Let's assume a purchase price of a security suite at $79.99 for the first year subscription and a $59.99 renewal subscription for the following years and you keep the product for 5 years.
$79.99*1yr + 59.99*4yrs = $319.95
Computer purchase price = $899.99
Computer security = 36% of the cost of your computer.
That's staggering when you consider, as previously mentioned, and proved by the performance tests, it is not possible to rely on a single security software product to protect your computer. None of them are able to detect 100% of the known malware and certainly all of them are far less able to detect unknown malware; so, which ever security software product you choose to install, it really won't equate to complete protection against all Internet threats. Therefore, it will remain highly necessary to perform online scans from other security software vendors at regular intervals to help form a second opinion about the state of your computer. Kind of makes you wonder what all that money was spent on doesn't it?
An equally safe alternative is to utilize free security software. Again, as proved by the performance tests, the vendors of free products performed equally or better than many top-brands. While the free versions themselves were not actually tested the pay versions were. The free versions use the same scanning engine as the paid versions do. Additionally, each vendor maintains ICSA Labs Anti-Virus certification and all have won several VB 100% awards and probably shouldn't be overlooked simply because they are free. However, there is a trade-off with using free products and that is namely the loss of support. Support forums and knowledge base or user manuals is the customary support with free products. If you decide to try a free version and find that it is not what you like you can always uninstall it.
Finally another consideration with a mix of caution thrown in too while choosing security software. Searching for Anti-Virus or Anti-Spyware software doing a simple search engine search can yield several results and unfortunately some of those results are rogue security products with very enticing websites and offers, be careful. The best practice is to stick with vendors that have submitted themselves to be tested by AV-Comparatives and have ICSA Labs Anti-Virus certification. I personally place being tested by AV-Comparatives as the main qualifier because if a vendor does not allow their product to be tested and have those results published to the public how are we to measure their performance; do they really expect us to take them at their word that they offer the best and most comprehensive protection? Another factor is even if a vendor wants to be tested they still must meet minimum requirement set by AV-Comparatives. Bottom-line: Not on the list, not worth trying.
Choosing security software - Let the research begin
Per the request of one company of not linking to their results but rather to their homepage I will oblige them as well as the other links for other websites.
AV-Comparatives - Once at the website click on Comparatives; your looking for the latest "On-demand comparative" and the other is the latest "Retrospective/ProActive Test." Also for a nice bonus report you can view their "AV-Comparatives Summary Report 2008" located on the same comparatives page but towards the very bottom.
Passmark Software - Once at the website click on Press room and look for "12/November/2008 Second edition of the Antivirus Performance Report for Windows Vista" There is also a First edition report available as well as a report for Windows XP performed earlier in the year.
Not discussed above, but really worth the read is a report published by Secunia that tested 12 Internet Security Suites against exploits. Also a recap on the Internet security suite test. I can say the results are dismal but as the blog and report highlight, it's the user who can solve allot of these problems by patching their software. While at Secunia's website you may want to download a handy tool that is able to detect which of your installed software needs to be updated or patched. It's called Secunia's Software Inspector.
You can also check another test results at Virus Bulletin here.
The vendors tested that offer free anti-virus software are: AVG, avast!, and Avira.
