Comparison of security software

If you've got young kids or teenagers at home, then you might want parental-control software to keep tracking of what your children are doing online or to track the physical location of their phones. If you're a person of means, then investing in identity-theft protection might be wise. If you travel a lot, you'll want to use a VPN while in hotel rooms and airport lounges.

To get a better idea of the stand-alone services these premium security suites compete with, visit our buying guides for the best identity theft protection , best cloud backup services, best parental-control apps and best password managers. You just have to decide which ones you really need. Paul Wagenseil is a senior editor at Tom's Guide focused on security and privacy.

He has also been a dishwasher, fry cook, long-haul driver, code monkey and video editor. He's been rooting around in the information-security space for more than 15 years at FoxNews.

One of the best internet security suites you can buy right now will protect a household's worth of PCs, Macs, iPhones and Android phones from malware, phishing scams and malicious websites. Norton with LifeLock Ultimate Plus. Specifications Anti-theft: No. Backup software: Yes. Firewall: Yes. Game mode: Yes. Hardened browser: No. Parental controls: Yes. Password manager: Yes. Ransomware rollback: No. Webcam protection: Yes. VPN: Unlimited.

Reasons to avoid - Heavy slowdown during full scans - Parental controls, cloud storage don't work on Macs. Some antiviruses for PC are designed to target and treat some specific types of threats only. This leaves your systems vulnerable to threats from other threats, which are not covered by your computer security software.

You should ensure that your antivirus software can detect and delete a range of threats like Trojans, bots, spyware, malware, phishing attacks, etc. With the advancements in technology and the Internet, cybercriminals are developing more and more sophisticated ways to harm computers. They are developing newer types of threats. Your antivirus software should update itself constantly to detect, track, and treat newer threats that might affect your systems.

Data is one of the most important assets that a business or an individual own. Customers trust businesses with sensitive information like their financial information and personal details. It is extremely important for businesses to protect this data from theft from virus, phishing, spam, bot, spyware, malware, rootkits, Trojans, and any other kind of cyber threats. With changes in technology, cybercriminals are also developing newer threats that can bypass firewalls and damage your systems, networks, drives, and devices.

Therefore, it becomes imperative for you to use the best antivirus for PC. We are listing some of the benefits of doing so:. The most important advantage of installing a computer antivirus software is that it protects your systems and networks from attacks like that of Trojans, malware, viruses, spyware, bots, and phishing. This saves not only the critical data stored on your systems but also your devices from any virus related damages.

Once you have installed computer antivirus software, you can be sure of all your personal information to be safe from any hacking efforts while surfing the Internet or making online purchases. Once you have computer security software installed, you can reduce the number of spam emails and unsolicited information drastically.

This is because most of the viruses and malware attacks are launched through attachments in spam emails. As discussed above, businesses most of the times are privy to sensitive financial and personal information of consumers. Computer security software ensures that this sensitive data is protected from any threats of theft or damage.

Installing this software also ensures that you protect your data from getting corrupted before viruses infect it. Cyber threats like malware, Trojans, and viruses are known to not only damage the data stored on your computers but also negatively impact the functioning of your computer systems. They slow down the speed of your computer system and might lead to them crashing down completely. Best antivirus software ensures that your systems and data are firewalls protected in two ways i.

In case any piece of information is found to be suspicious, it is immediately quarantined and deleted. Most of the cyber threat attacks originate from the various pop-up advertisements on the websites that we browse and inadvertently open. Antivirus software ensures that these pop-up advertisements are blocked permanently. The best antivirus for PC come inbuilt with features that ensure that all your passwords are protected from any hacking attempts to steal your critical data.

It is extremely important to assess if your computer assets and networks are vulnerable or prone to threats of viruses. The most preferred target areas of cybercriminals seem to be payment gateways and emails of businesses. Once you decide that you absolutely need to purchase a computer antivirus, we suggest that you keep in mind the enclosed factors before investing in the best antivirus for PC.

These days most of the companies conduct their business online having virtual identities and other functions like selling online and saving some critical and sensitive financial and personal data pertaining to their consumers. Now, instead of viruses affecting our systems through hardware devices, they are inserted through emails and our networks. This is why most businesses absolutely need the best antivirus for PC.

Whether you have been previously attacked by viruses or are pre-empting an attack from malicious codes that you think will compromise the sensitive and critical data that your store, damage your files, steal your business information, or even allow remote access to your computer by cyber criminals, you need to decide what do you actually want the PC security software to do?

Defining these requirements beforehand help you in deciding as to what do you really want and making an optimized investment for you to get optimum returns on your investments. Having an earmarked budget to save you from the various cyber threats is a great idea.

You need to be pre-emptive and take preventive action against any cyber crimes that may affect your business. In case, the budget is not set aside, you may end up not being protected against these threats or even overspending. It might get a little overwhelming and confusing for businesses to choose the best antivirus for PC due to the thousands of computer security software available in the market and they all make claims about their features.

We are listing some ways that will help you in deciding the best option for your business:. Some antivirus software slows down the speed of the computers. The software that you choose should be easy to install and use.

Preferably the antivirus software should automatically clean your system and networks instead of waiting for prompts. The PC security software that you choose should detect almost 95 percent of the malware that is attacking your systems. However, you should ensure that these reports are not false positives that quarantine harmless files as viruses. In our comparison of antivirus software, SecureAnywhere stands out for its slim program code.

The security solutions are swiftly installed and only utilize minimal system resources. Among the first companies to combine multiple virus scanning engines in a single antivirus software is the Finnish company F-Secure. The company focuses on virus security and intrusion prevention , with a product portfolio that spans simple antivirus programs and complex security suites for businesses. Its F-Secure Anti-Virus package secures your computer against spyware, viruses and other malware, but it is only available for Windows.

When using F-Secure products in companies, clients can choose to secure all their end devices or the entire cloud. They can also install more complex threat security and install weak spot management. Even in residential and work spaces, practical wireless networking is widespread. In the following article, we explain the biggest security risks and show you how to make E-mail, instant messaging, or voice-over IP: If you want to communicate over the internet, you should make sure that the data transfer process can be trusted.

The same goes for the World Wide Web. With online banking and digital shopping, money transactions are increasingly being carried out online. A firewall provides effective protection against viruses and other malware that attempts to infect your computer. However, it needs to be properly configured to do so. In the following article, you will learn how to do this, how a firewall works, and what its limitations are. With a real estate website, you can set yourself apart from the competition With the right tools, a homepage for tradesmen can be created quickly and legally compliant Choosing the right antivirus software — what criteria to look out for?

Antivirus software in comparison. Bitdefender Bitdefender is a Romanian cybersecurity company which provides different antivirus packages for private users and businesses. The features that make Bitdefender stand out include: Real-time scanner delivers an always-on security shield and offers strong performance thanks to the integrated cloud scanner without burdening system performance Automatic updates : programs are updated hourly and achieve a higher hit rate to detect different types of malware Safepay offers special security for financial transactions Spam protection filters irrelevant messages in email inbox Weak point scanner shows weaknesses in a computer system One of the main disadvantages of Bitdefender is that its spectrum of features depends on the package — the higher the price, the more features are included.

The most important features of the Norton Security antivirus software are: Real-time protection against all types of malware attacks Intelligent firewall for Windows and Mac Exclusive Norton expert support and virus protection guarantee money return guarantee in case of irremovable virus attack Password manager Cloud backup 10GB, 50GB, or 75GB depending on the edition SafeCam function to block foreign access to webcam not part of the Plus edition Dark Web Monitoring monitors the darknet for personal user data and alarms the users if third-parties attempt to steal sensitive data not part of the Plus edition One of the disadvantages of the software is that peer-to-peer P2P network worm protection is missing.

Avira Avira is a well-known German software company that offers various antivirus software products for private users and companies. The key features Avira packages offer include: Automatic software and driver updates not in Pro version Real-time protection and repair function Security for online transactions and credit card payments Intelligent ad blocker Smart home security Anonymous surfing Avira Prime The dashboard can be a little confusing due to multiple menu options and will be more appropriate for experienced users.

Kaspersky With establishments in over 30 countries worldwide, a team of more than 4, highly qualified specialists and expertise in security software since , Russian software company Kaspersky Lab has a lot of experience in producing high-quality software security solutions for private users and businesses.

Without these patches, hackers and ransomware can take advantage of these weak points and use them to attack your computer. Parental controls are also good to have. These tools allow you to limit the time your child is online as well as block inappropriate content. They are also good for blocking cyberbullies and predators. Kaspersky Internet Security includes internet filter categories that make it easy to quickly block harmful content, including vulgarity, profanity and violence.

The best internet security software comes with multiple licenses or a single license that can be used to protect multiple computers or mobile devices at once.

Sometimes, the only difference between a top-rated security program and the best premium security suite is the number of licenses you get. You can usually find deals that make the first year cheaper though. Premium-grade software typically goes one step further to include all the security tools a developer has to offer. Because premium security solutions have more tools than internet security software and include additional user licenses, they typically cost more.

You'll find him covering everything from smartphones and home computers to 3D printers and headphones. He's also our resident cocktail expert. Included in this guide: 1. Premium security: Bitdefender Total Security. Reasons to avoid - Some packages offer poor value compared to others. Norton Reasons to avoid - Multi-device coverage locked in more expensive tiers. Kaspersky Kaspersky doesn't put a foot wrong, surpassing our already high expectations.

Reasons to avoid - Parental controls locked to premium option. Avast Premium Security. Avast's free offerings are second to none, but it struggles to justify the costs.

Reasons to avoid - Heavy performance impact - Better offerings elsewhere. McAfee Total Protection McAfee's single program solution is great, but it falls short of its rivals.