Choosing a security solution is much more complicated than it appears. Users not only have to take into account details like the operating system or the availability of a stable internet connection, but they also need to keep a close watch on several aspects of free offers, including data collection. Here at NeoTeo we've made our share of recommendations, but the portal AV-Test.org offers a huge amount of reports and statistics about every antivirus it evaluates.
In May of last year, a Symantec representative said that the antivirus "was dead" as a security system "and" business model. At the end of September, a report revealed that several antiviruses, with Kaspersky at the head, proved to be as vulnerable as other programs, and could lead to elevated privileges if attacked by malicious elements. More than once I've seen comments from readers who say they don't use any antivirus, and that with enough care they managed to avoid direct threats. It's a risky bet, but it's also not reasonable to doubt an expert user who assumes the role of "first line" of defense. Even so, most users prefer security to be something automatic and in the background, that doesn't bother with warnings or false positives. For that, you have to know how to choose an antivirus, and that's how we arrive at the gates of AV-Test.org.
How AV-Test Evaluates Antiviruses
Basically, this portal's job is to publish quarterly evaluations (with exceptions) of antiviruses designed for Windows, and bimonthly ones in the case of Android. Windows-compatible antiviruses are categorized by level of protection, performance, and ease of use, while in the Android list, the performance category is left aside. If you click on one of the entries you'll see specific information about the evaluation process, including the version of Windows in which the antivirus was run, the protection percentages, false positive detection, and the effective impact on computer performance, a very delicate topic even with new hardware.
The Current Leaders
If we go by the available information, Bitdefender's solution manages to gain a slight edge with perfect scores in all three categories, closely followed by Kaspersky, McAfee (now under Intel's wing), F-Secure, Avira, Panda, and Trend Micro. On the Android side, the results are too even to highlight one antivirus, so with any of the main names you should be protected.
