When It’s About More Than Security
Only one antivirus program is best

02/23/2022, 12:17 pm

Stiftung Warentest finds only one out of 20 antivirus programs for Windows computers very good. If it’s just about strong security, you can save yourself money, free software can do the same.

The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) recorded 144 million new malicious program variants last year, a 22 percent increase compared to 2020. The average daily figure was 394,000, with a maximum of 553,000 – higher than ever measured.

Hackers are increasingly targeting the companies and institutions whose data they encrypt for ransom. Attacks often come from employees’ personal computers, often using phishing emails or fraudulent websites.

Stitching Warrentest Tested 20 antivirus programs for Windows computers. The focus was on protective function, and handling and computer load were also assessed.

Kaspersky’s double victory

test win Kaspersky Internet Security With an overall grade of 1.5. It provides great protection against malware and phishing and hardly slows down the computer. The cost of a single-user license for the program is 40 euros per year, making it one of the most expensive virus monitors in the testing area.

free version Kaspersky Security Cloud But performed almost as well and came second with a quality rating of 1.6. Users have practically no harm compared to the paid Kaspersky program, except for advertisements.

Better protection than test winner bitdefender internet security, which is available from 25 euros per year. The antivirus software gives a slightly weaker overall rating of 1.7 due to a slightly heavier computer load.

Testers alone rated Microsoft’s pre-installed tools from good to worse Windows Defender, which received a quality rating of 3.1. Warentest still certifies it to have a “passive” protective effect. The fact that the program does not provide phishing protection is only a problem if you do not use a browser with this function. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge have them built in and enabled by default.

Macs. additional security for

In theory, phishing is the only reason why Stiftung Warentest recommends that Mac users install antivirus software. Otherwise, Apple’s computers are inherently well protected against malware, as macOS hardly provides any interfaces that malware can use to attack, the watchers write. During the trial period, they also did not find any relevant website containing macOS malware.

If you still want to install antivirus program on your Apple computer, you can Mac. Bitdefender Antivirus for (20 euro/year), F-Secure Safe (30 euros) and Kaspersky Internet Security (40 euros) Well served, all three of which received an overall grade of 2.1. Azad landed second avg antivirus free With a quality rating of 2.4.