Every day, online experts identify around 250,000 new malware programmes. This shows that it is absolutely necessary to protect your computer with the best antivirus software. But the market has a lot to offer and there are differences in functionality and price. However, since every user has their own user behavior, we give you a some tips how to find the right antivirus software that suits your personal needs.
Antivirus programme must protect multiple levels
Malware changes and becomes more complex nearly every day. That is why it is not enough to provide the PC with a real-time protection as your files are only protected against threats that are already known. On the other hand, an effective antivirus software should contain several protection components. For example, a function that blocks access to threatening websites which prevents malware from reaching your computer in the first place. Many manufacturers of antivirus products rely on the so-called dual scanner technology to identify and delete suspicious software even better.
The best antivirus software has high detection rates
Probably the most important feature of an antivirus programme is the detection rate. This tells you how effectively your computer is protected against unknown threats. Most providers offer a protection performance of more than 95%. In 2018, the Austrian non-profit organisation AV-Comperatives (which regularly tests and evaluates the best antivirus software) carried out an analysis in which the virus scanners tested achieved an average detection rate of 99.95%. Therefore, you should not be satisfied with less if you choose an antivirus programme.
The best antivirus software: Verify SSL
Already in 2017, about 50% of all internet pages used TSL, better known as SSL protocol. This means that the content of a website is transmitted in encrypted form and the data cannot be read. For an antivirus software, however, SSL encryption is a hurdle that should not be underestimated. Many products need to control the traffic on websites in order to detect threats. SSL is an end-to-end encryption, which means that Internet content can only be scanned if anti-virus protection uses a local SSL proxy. This proxy simulates the actual security certificates of the website. However, this also involves dangers as it can also be suggested to the user that a website is allegedly encrypted, even though it is actually not the case. If you value SSL security, choose an antivirus programme that works without compromising the security protocol.
Antivirus programmes and data protection
You should also keep an eye on the data protection with regard to the best antivirus softwares. After all, providers collect a lot of data about your user behavior in order to improve their products. Traditionally, simple data related to the use of antivirus software is stored anonymously. However, there are programmes that upload suspicious files to the scan cloud. Especially companies or institutions that work with confidential customer data or are afraid of industrial espionage should consider.
Important behavior analysis of the antivirus software
Ideally, signature-based scanners are suited to identify already known malware. However, they are useless in case of so-called zero-day attacks, i.e. new versions of malware whose attack waves flood millions of computers worldwide within minutes before any antivirus software manufacturer can even think about a signature update.
Therefore, a lot of antivirus vendors use behavioral analysis to reduce this risk. Typical behavior modes of dangerous software are detected and thus prevented from any modifications that could be made to your system. That is why an effective behavioral analysis is the only technical tool that efficiently protects you from zero-day attacks. This factor should play a role when selecting an antivirus software.
Antivirus software and false alarms
If a warning message is issued for harmless software, this is a false alarm and in this case, you should be careful. If the antivirus programme incorrectly identifies a clean file as a danger, it gets the same treatment as a malicious programme and could be quarantined or even eliminated by the system. In the end, if the file belongs to software, it will might run incorrectly or not at all. Unfortunately, many antivirus vendors have difficulties with this. The testers from AV-Comperatives, for example, triggered over 250 false alarms in 20,000 malware cases.
However, providers who lower the detection threshold for this reason, might also lower the detection rate. Therefore, you should rely on the best antivirus software that balances the factors false alarm and high detection rate.
The usability of antivirus programmes
One of the most important features of a well-functioning antivirus programme is a good usability. After all, an optimal detection rate is not enough if you have to study computer science in order to use the programme? Therefore, make sure that you have a balanced mix of design as well as function and choose a software with an easy to use structure. An important indicator are the settings of the antivirus programme that can easily be adapted to your needs.
Antivirus programme: System effects
An antivirus programme is useless for you if your computer slows down after the installation and an effective work is no longer possible. Even the highest detection rates won’t help. Many products are poorly optimized and the reason why lots of PCs are a slow-motion mode. Unnecessary additional functions consume many system resources. Therefore, look around for the best antivirus software for private users, which does not negatively influence your daily use, i.e. works in a resource-saving way. A good antivirus software does not affect the start time of your computer and quickly stops your scans.
Is the price of antivirus programme an indicator?
If you browse through the internet jungle of anti-virus programmes, you will also meet many free products. Here you will be led to believe that they can also compete with commercial programmes. If you actually find an option that meets your requirements completely and perfectly, we can only congratulate you! Nevertheless, take the above tips to your heart and compare whether zero-euro programmes actually protect your computer against zero-day attacks.
With an alleged free antivirus software, you might pay at least with your personal data. And that is one of the hardest currencies. Furthermore, you might be overwhelmed with annoying advertisements or, in connection with the anti-virus protection download, you have to download useless programmes that slow down your PC and: You don’t even need them. Experience has shown that free offers cannot compete with commercial offers in terms of performance and support. With many providers, you can choose between annual subscriptions and one-time payments, but after that you will still be asked to pay for updates. And especially with antivirus software, it is existentially important that it is always up to date in order to cope with the constantly growing flood of malware.
Best antivirus software for everyone at Licenceking
No matter what conditions your personal antivirus programme has to meet: At Licenceking, we offer you the best antivirus software from the certified manufacturers. It makes no difference whether you want to arm a Mac or a Windows computer against the diverse and complex dangers from the World Wide Web.
