AV-Comparatives On-Demand Comparative March 2012

Available now at http://www.av-comparatives.org !

G Data, Avira and Kaspersky top detection rate with all three above 99%.

Absolutely horrible number of false positives from Webroot.

 

I don't see Symantec listed. Why does Symantec no longer participate?

 

"Symantec only wanted to take part in our public tests if they could choose which of the tests from our yearly public test-series they participated in; specifically, they did not want to take the File Detection Test (formerly called On-Demand Test). As an independent testing organization, we require all vendors to take part in all the basic tests in the series, and do not allow them to cherry-pick tests. We feel that the File Detection Test is essential to showing the overall capabilities of an anti-virus product, especially with regard to threats that do not come directly from web pages, but are spread via email, LAN or flash drive. Other independent testing organizations (such as AV-Test, VirusBulletin, ICSALabs, WestCoastLabs) include, or rely exclusively on, file detection tests. We know that such tests are not easy to pass, especially considering the need to minimise false positives. As we cannot allow any vendor to opt out of any of the core public tests, Symantec has decided not to take part into our public tests this year."
(explained in Survey and in forum).

 

I hope there is a really good reason because I just bought NIS from Amazon, and I am still in the 30 day refund window.

Edit: IBK posted right before I did.

Apparently Symantec was not going to do good in the file detection test because of false positives. Not happy about this situation period.

 

Glad to see Kaspersky still hovering at the top but comes as no surprise to me since they seem to set a maddening pace IMO for rolling out well researched/tested sig updates.

 

QUESTION. Is the detection rate based on total of detections including FPs, or based on the FPs being removed from the detected total first.

 

Surprise, surprise... Avira was last at Dennis Technology Labs, here at AV-Comparatives is No 2... Well I suppose those things happen.

 

Kudos to Webroot.
They just made the tallest Building on the AV-C!
If you are really missing Norton ..
Just take a good look at PC Tools

 

Dennis was hired by Symantec to do that job. See also:

https://blog.avast.com/2009/10/30/d...testing-paid-for-by-an-av-company-be-trusted/

 

They dropped out from AV-C and saved the money..
From that money they bought Dennis Test!!
Really smart move!!

 

The malware set is a completely different set from the false positive set.
Detections do not include FPs.

 

Pinga thanks, I know all too well Dennis' sponsor. My statement was ironic, particularly considering that Symantec decided to drop out of AV-Comparatives. Symantec has always been very good with the Dynamic Test, but they knew that with the On-Demand test their detection is not stellar and FPs are unpredictable. They probably want to play when they know they can win... It is a game after all.

 

Unfortunately false positives is their worst if not only problem. Also unfortunate is that the way they handle them is even worse. Still, I would have a higher opinion of them if they participated and failed then for them to not participate at all. I am not pleased to see that rather than allowing me to stop the program from deleting false positives as myself and many other license holders have asked for, they choose to address the situation by pulling out of public testing.

 

Nice read! Norton had a decent reputation about 15 years ago.

 

It's interesting to note two things:

1) PC Tools is never at the top, or not even tested, in Dennis Labs' tests, despite being a Symantec product.
2) PC Tools performs decently with slightly disappointing number of FPs in AV-C's test. Given it's the same engine and signatures, what was Symantec really worried about?

 

Norton is well related with Dennis Labs, so they don't need to participate in any other tests to looks good to the public and release a great pdf with 100% score. They already made his home made tests labeled with Dennis Labs...

https://blog.avast.com/2009/10/30/d...testing-paid-for-by-an-av-company-be-trusted/

https://blog.avast.com/2009/10/31/what-do-av-products-do-and-how-are-they-tested/

 

Avast is on the right way.
Avira is shining as usual.
Nice to see free antivirus on top.This is good news to the poor people and bad news to malwares.

 

I like ESET for its very respectable numbers for false positives. MSE seems to excell in this area,but now only if they can get the detection a little higher and still keep the FP's down.

 

MSE wtf? I wonder if v4 can make up for that

 

Suggest with great respect you get your refund from Amazon. They refuse to be evaluated unless they alter the rules. Does that allow them on to our top 5 products list? I think not.

You have KIS 2012 in your signature why ask about NIS?

 

I dont know but you cant honestly say its not consistent with low to no Fasle positive. FP are annyoying and some times more harmful the an actual virus.

 

Discussion ongoing: https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?p=2042856#post2042856

 

sorry to ask silly Q. what is password to open pdf result of test file

 

You dont need a password to to view the PDF results.Why it would ask for one is beyond me.

 

thanks i open it in chrome sorry i am on linux on evince it ask for password thanks i check on chrome