“Best” virus scanning program?

[Matt_Smi]

I understand that this topic can be a little subjective and really does not have an answer, but here is the deal, I used to have McAfee but about a week ago I re-installed Windows and I lost my McAfee virus scan, my college FORCED everyone to install it on their computer, and they did not turn the network on until it was on everyone’s computer, they did not give us a copy of the CD, so I have no way of re-installing it. I am kind of glad it is gone and I am forced to get a new/better Anti Virus, because I have heard all sorts of bad stuff about McAfee. So right now in the mean time I am using AVG as my scanner and plan on running Trend Micro’s House call every so often. I really want to get a good virus scanning program that is not a resource hog and I am willing to pay money for it if it’s good. What do you think are the best ones out there? I have heard very good things about NOD32, so that is a consideration right now. Thanks.

[VikingStorm]

Well I'll reiterate the fact that there is no best. Though McAfee actually has one of the higher detection rates (2nd only to Kaspersky seems to be the vibe) of all malware, and I assume your school didn't give you the consumer version did they? (the one with the security center) (If you had Enterprise, that is actually one of the upper-tier performing AVs IMO).

Do you want your AV to just detect mainly viruses, or other things as well? (trojans, etc.)

[Matt_Smi]

I would like to AV to detect Trojans as well, and I am not sure which McAfee the school gave me; I know it was not enterprise though; all I really know is that it was called “network associates”.

[RejZoR]

Network Associates is a security group that covers multiple AV products.

[tazdevl]

What's your system specs?

I'd recommend Kaspersky Personal 5.0. Been out for a short while, has the best detection out there. Overall it's very stable, couple minor issues that will be fixed soon. It is heavier on a system than NOD32, but offers much broader protection worm, virus, trojan, riskware, adware, pr0nware.

[se7engreen]

Well, I can start you off with a number of suggestions and tell you what I know/think about them.
Norton- The regular norton av scanner seems to have pretty good detection rates but at too high of a cost on resources (my opinion). Trojan detection is mediocre at best. The corporate version is shaping up to be a good program but there's still better out there. Updates weekly.
Norman Virus Control- I think this av has serious potential. When it scans a file/prog it emulates a virtual pc and lets the code run loose to see how it acts. If viral like behavior is detected (or trojan/worm/etc...) the file is removed. Of course this happens behind the scenes, transparent to the user. This also comes at a cost of resources, but at least there's a good reason for that. Updates 3-4 times weekly
Kaspersky- Reigning king of overall detection, version 5 is much more efficient with resources. Probably best trojan detection of the AV's. Updates nearly every 3 hrs.
F-Prot/Command- F-Prot is an excellent all-round av. Probably the lightest on resources, heuristics are effective (more effective with Neural Network heuristics turned on), but my only complaint would be the ability to configure the real-time scanner to delete viruses on access. I hear Command (uses F-Prot engine) is able to do this. Also command adds their own defs and heuristics. Updates near daily.
NOD32- Most here know all about it's famous heuristic ability & advanced heuristics. Proven to work so it speaks for itself. Light on resources. I saw the latest demo in action and it looks real promising. Now if only trojan detecton can improve...
Updates near daily?
Avast!- Great av, very good detection rates, heuristic ability for inbound/outbound email scanning, medium resources, and that's just the free version. Pro has script blocker and PUSH updates. Updates mostly daily.
McAfee- Awesome detection rates, heuristics, but updates are scarce. Another case where the enterprise version is the best because of a terrible interface on the home version. Updates weekly.

That's enough typing for me, but I hope that gives you a basic overview of some of the choices out there. I probably made a mistake or two in there so I'm sure others will point them out. Also I'm (obviously) not a tester, just a consumer.

[sard]

Originally Posted by se7engreen

Norton- The regular norton av scanner seems to have pretty good detection rates but at too high of a cost on resources (my opinion). Trojan detection is mediocre at best. The corporate version is shaping up to be a good program but there's still better out there. Updates weekly.

Updated almost every day, sometimes multiple times a day when I was testing it. I don't know of any paid for AVs that don't update daily. They wouldn't be worth paying for if they didn't.

[tazdevl]

Originally Posted by sard

Updated almost every day, sometimes multiple times a day when I was testing it. I don't know of any paid for AVs that don't update daily. They wouldn't be worth paying for if they didn't.

They and McAfee don't update as frequently as the others.

[VikingStorm]

Originally Posted by sard

Updated almost every day, sometimes multiple times a day when I was testing it. I don't know of any paid for AVs that don't update daily. They wouldn't be worth paying for if they didn't.

Norton and McAfee don't update daily or multiple times a day except in rare cases of an outbreak. This only happens a few times a month (+year for multi), so can't be put as a generalization.

Of course, unless you are talking about manual daily updates through Symantec's "Intelligent Update", or McAfee's beta definitions, which in that case are updated more frequently. With McAfee seeming to be updating more often (i.e. updated atleast 5 times today) overall on the beta def side.
[I was forced to make myself a program to auto-download and update the virus sigs until they supposedly switch to normal daily defs]

Originally Posted by Matt_Smi

I understand that this topic can be a little subjective and really does not have an answer, but here is the deal, I used to have McAfee but about a week ago I re-installed Windows and I lost my McAfee virus scan, my college FORCED everyone to install it on their computer, and they did not turn the network on until it was on everyone’s computer, they did not give us a copy of the CD, so I have no way of re-installing it. I am kind of glad it is gone and I am forced to get a new/better Anti Virus, because I have heard all sorts of bad stuff about McAfee. So right now in the mean time I am using AVG as my scanner and plan on running Trend Micro’s House call every so often. I really want to get a good virus scanning program that is not a resource hog and I am willing to pay money for it if it’s good. What do you think are the best ones out there? I have heard very good things about NOD32, so that is a consideration right now. Thanks.

Personally I use Kaspersky 5 which is perhaps the Rolls Royce of antivirus programs but then again if you want the Hyundai no frills versions of antivirus freebies like AVAST, AVG or AntiVir are worth considering but you have to be aware of their shortcomings and adjust your surfing, downloading behaviour accordingly, ie use common sense

[bigc73542]

I will have to put in my opinion and recomend command antivirus. it runs fast, and light on resources and has very good detection with virtually "0" false positives. did I mention it is very inexpensive. Also detects trojans/worms/viri and more. It has a def file of 100.000 plus. can be found here

[Chuck57]

I haven't used Kaspersky 5 so can't comment. I use version 4.5 and absolutely swear by it. Yeah, it's heavy on resources so, knowing that, I have it set to do the weekly full scan, checking everything after I'm done with the computer.

I don't see how anybody can go wrong by selecting Kaspersky, but I'm prejudiced. I like Kaspersky products so much, I'm using their antihacker firewall now, too.

I agree with those that say KAV is the best. In terms of updates, unpacking and trojan detection, KAV rules. The only catch I find is that programs respond a little sluggishly with KAV due to it's scanning of every program that you open.

McAfee generally comes in at #2 and works as smooth as butter on my system, so this is my choice.

I also agree with those about F-Prot. I used it on my old Pentium 200MX and it ran great. Command sounds interesting...

NOD32 is a very good AV, lite on system resources and has a streamlined interface. It's only knock has been trojan detection.

Some comparisons:
http://www.rokop-security.de/main/article.php?sid=693 (German)
http://www.av-comparatives.org/
http://www.virus.gr/english/fullxml/...p?id=62&mnu=62

[Matt_Smi]

Thanks for the input, it looks like a have a lot of choices to consider here, it guess it comes down to finding which is best for me. Someone asked what my system specs are, so here they are…

- Windows XP
- 2.2 GHz P4
- 768 MB of Ram
- 80 GB 7,000 RPM HD

Pretty decent I guess, and I suppose that I could run even a fairly heavy AV without noticing much slowdown, but I would still rather not, as I like my system to be running as fast as possible. Also I would say that I practice pretty safe browsing habits, I always keep up on critical updates, use Firefox, run ad aware and spybot, don’t use any type of P2P program, don’t download anything unknown, barely use my e-mail and I never open ANY attachments, I also don’t visit any adult or sketchy websites. So I think that based on my browsing habits alone and using AVG I am pretty safe, When I go back to school however I am on a network and I am concerned about getting a virus that spreads though the networks there. I would say that a high detection rate of both viruses and Trojans in pretty paramount to me, right now Kaspersky and NOD32 seem to be my top considerations, where can I get Kaspersky and how much does it cost? And if you think that for my usage I would be better off with something else let me know, thanks.

Sounds like your surfing habits are very close to mine. Been using free AVs since 2000. Not a single infection. Just because you're connected to a network does not mean that the bugs can walk directly into your PC. I would, however, add a good firewall to the free AV (Avast Home or AVG).

Am currently using Zone Alarm Pro 4.5.594. The only program with server right is FF 0.9. All other options are set to HIGH mode.

Keep in mind that nothing is fool-proof in PC computing. If you value your data, then you must back them up! Consider partitioning your hard drive so you can store important data in a separate partition and image that partition at regular interval. A program like Bootit ng will do all of this for you for a mere $35. You can try out the full program for 30 days.

F.

[Matt_Smi]

O yeah I forgot to mention I have an external hard drive that I keep all of my important data backed up on a free firewall like zone alarm is another thing I was considering getting. f123 which free AV do you use? Or which ones have you used and which have you found to be best?

Started out with AVG. Been using Avast Home for 2 years. Have many friends who are also happy with Avast Home. Avast is not perfect, but it's FREE, and it is 100% reliable for me. I would probably go with command AV if there are no more free AVs.

BTW, I disabled the full-time Avast scanner. I know what I'm doing...hehehehhh. Only the Avast e-mail scanner is active. The virus definition is updated manually, twice a week.

You would be much safer if you allow the full-time Avast scanner to load during PC boot (default configuration). Avast will automatically update the virus definition file when you're connected to the internet.

It appears that you are pretty well protected when it comes to data. Be sure to disconnect the external HD when not in use. I still think that you should look into imaging the OS (C partition for most users). Reloading windows from scratch can be a pain.

I've tested many FWs but found ZA Pro 4.5.594 to be excellent if properly configured. The Pro version has automatic PC/hard drive cache cleaner, ad blocking, and ID lockout. Make sure you set the Firewall to HIGH mode, and disable window explorer and internet explorer (four red Xs). You're using FF, right?

ZA version 5.0 is very buggy.

F.

[Tassie_Devils]

HI Matt.

I also thoroughly recommend KAV [I am using KAV 4.5 PRO with *extended* data bases to cover Trojans/spyware/malware, with hourly updating].

My specs are similar to yours. AMD Athlon XP 2.1Ghz, 1G RAM and I find no 'lag' etc. at all.

For your freebie backup, use either AVG Home/Avast as f123 recommends.

As to FW, I use Kerio 2.1.5, very light resources, and very configurable, even on straight install. Just remember it is a rules based app, and you should create some to block Netbios and 445.

Good luck in your searches.

TAS

KAV here:

Home:

http://www.kaspersky.com/

Buy Personal $US49.95

http://www.kaspersky.com/store

Pro: $US79.95
http://www.kaspersky.com/personalpro

[illukka]

my opinion?

i think you just can't go wrong with any of the big name av's out there
KAV/f-secure are my personal favorites,

couple of things that spring to mind;
i find the norman sandbox highly overrated.. i tested it with a set of backdoors /downloaders/ bots and , well it was able to detect about 10% of the stuff, mostly downloaders. those were detected as win32malware.. it failed on most of the really dangerous backdoors..(optix, asassin, nrat, lithium,beast, well known rats. i did pack those to make 'em undetected, but thats what the sandbox is for)
not to mention that normans overall backdoor/trojan detection is quite poor(just an opinion based on my experience with it)

i've also tested kaspersky anti hacker. IMO it doesn't offer adequate protection, sure it blocks inbound stuff quite well, but outbound traffic is a different thing=almost every injecting/FWB trojan gets past it. i wouldn't recommend it yet, but it is bound to improve with future versions

i'd recommend the free antivir personal (www.free-av.com) as backup

[Blackcat]

Originally Posted by Matt_Smi

Pretty decent I guess, and I suppose that I could run even a fairly heavy AV without noticing much slowdown, but I would still rather not, as I like my system to be running as fast as possible. A high detection rate of both viruses and Trojans in pretty paramount to me, right now Kaspersky and NOD32 seem to be my top considerations. And if you think that for my usage I would be better off with something else let me know, thanks.

For both virus AND trojan detection AND a very light footprint, think about KAV 5 and Dr Web.

For a light footprint, excellent virus detection BUT run with an additional AntiTrojan scanner, think about NOD, F-Prot for Windows and Command AV.

Although with your surfing habits, the chances of picking up a trojan are fairly slim.

As mentioned in many threads here, trial some of your choices first to see their effect on YOUR system.

[Mannaggia]

Panda Platinum 7. I'm not saying it's the best, but it's pretty darn good. And besides, you can get for free here...............
http://www.pandasecurity.com/survey/

[kloshar]

My opinion is that the best antivirus is F-secure. I prefer older version (5.41), because it use 3 scan engines!!! (F-prot, Orion and AVP) What do you want more? You have Kaspersky and F-prot in one package. I think there is no better thing! And in Task Manager Processes I see that there is no such a big consumption of memory. I don't see any of f-secure servicess that is bigger than 3 mb.

[illukka]

Originally Posted by Tassie_Devils

I also thoroughly recommend KAV [I am using KAV 4.5 PRO with *extended* data bases to cover Trojans/spyware/malware, with hourly updating.

those are *NOT* recommended for everyday use( for someone like Tassie who knows stuff yes).
the extended bases detect so many legitimate files( with possible malicious use) as malware that cleaning those with KAV can leave your system corrupted...
use these only when you REALLY think you're infected.

[Tassie_Devils]

Originally Posted by illukka

those are *NOT* recommended for everyday use( for someone like Tassie who knows stuff yes).
the extended bases detect so many legitimate files( with possible malicious use) as malware that cleaning those with KAV can leave your system corrupted...
use these only when you REALLY think you're infected.

Ahh yes, illukka, I should have stated that that's not the 'norm' for basic KAV set-up. Just I was so used to using never considered it could present some problems to others.

Seeing as I am posting again in this thread, I would also recommend "gkwebs" wonderful little security app WWDC.exe {Windows Worms Doors Cleaner} to close ports 135; 137-139; 445 and UnP&P 5000 [a known trojan port of entry] and Messenger.

http://www.firewallleaktester.com/wwdc.htm

Even though I have Netbios ruleset blocking in Kerio, along with 445, this actually closes those ports of entry, not just relying on FW to block.

It's only 50kb and 'standalone'.

TAS

EDIT: sorry if OT for above, but still part of securing so nothing can come in the first place without having to worry about detection by an AV.

[Arin]

try Command or DrWeb. they are really light and good trojan detectors.