Top 10 Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware of 2006
A Review
Saturday, May 6, 2006 by Mithun Pal | Discussion: Personal Computing
There are several reviews on Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware on the web. One I found at Top10Reviews.com.The review result is just as follows:
Top 10 Anti-Virus of 2006: A Review by Top10Reviews.com
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4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
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| Features | ||||||||||
| ICSA 2005 Certified | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |
| VB100% 2005 Certified | √ | √ | √ | √ |
√ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| W.C.L Level 1 Certified | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| W.C.L Level 2 Certified | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |
| Virus Defintions Updated (Average) | 2-3 hours | hourly | 1-10 Days | Daily | As Needed | Daily | Weekly | Daily | Daily | Daily |
| Scanning Time 80 GB HardDrive | 20 Min | 8 Min | 35 Min | 30 Min | 24 Min | 1 Hour | 35 Min | 24 Min | 30 Min | 35 Min |
| Scanning Capabilities | ||||||||||
| On-access Scanning | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Realtime Scanning | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| On-demand Scanning | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Scheduled Scanning | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Heuristic Scanning | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Manual Scanning | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Adware/Spyware Scanning | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |
| Script Blocking | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||
| Scan Compressed Files | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Auto-Clean Infected Files | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Quarantines Infected Files | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Email POP3 Protection | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |
| Instant Messaging Protection | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |
| P2P/File Sharing Protection | √ | √ | ||||||||
| Registry Startup Protection | √ | √ | ||||||||
| WebMail Protection | √ | √ | ||||||||
| Detailed Virus Information | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Updates | ||||||||||
| Yearly Subscriptions to Definition Updates | $14.97 | $39.95 | $39.95 | $24.95 | $27.30 | $34.95 | $29.95 | $33.30 | $9.95 | $39.95 |
| Automatic Definition Updates | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Automatic Program Updates | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||
| Manual Definition Updates | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Manual Program Updates | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||
| Other Features | ||||||||||
| Online Virus Scanner | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||
| Estiamted Scan Time | √ | √ | ||||||||
| History/Report logging | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |
| Password Protect Settings | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||
| Outbreak Notice | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||
| Technical Support | ||||||||||
| Live Chat | √ | |||||||||
| Phone Support | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||
| Manual/FAQ/Knowledge Base | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Tutorials | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| User Forum | √ | √ | ||||||||
| Email Support | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Product details | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail |
| Supported Configurations | ||||||||||
| Windows XP | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Windows 2000 | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Windows ME | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |
| Windows NT | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||
| Windows 98 | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||
| Windows 95 | √ | √ | ||||||||
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4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| TOP TEN PRODUCTS | BitDefender | Kaspersky | F-Secure | PC-cillin | ESET Nod32 |
McAfee VirusScan |
Norton Antivirus |
AVG AntiVirus |
eTrust Antivirus |
Norman Virus |
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Top 10 Anti-Spyware of 2006: A Review by Top10Reviews.com
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| Lowest price *(annual price) |
$24.95* |
$29.99* |
$19.95* |
$29.95 |
$29.99 |
$29.95 |
$29.95 |
$41.91 |
$39.95 |
$39.99 | |||||||||||
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| Features | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Components that are Searched For | 105,000+ | 36,000 | NA | 37,691 | 56,940 | 23,675 | NA | 36,254 | NA | 38,996 | |||||||||||
| Rollback/Restore Capabilities | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||||||||||
| Indicates Spyware Severity | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||||||||||
| Descriptions of Found Spyware | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||||
| Scan Scheduling | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||||
| Auto Updates | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||
| Tracking Cookie Blocking | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||||||||||
| Real-time Blocking and Protection | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||
| Scans Removable Media | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||||||
| Detection and Deletion Capabilities | </tr>|||||||||||||||||||||
| Adware | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||
| Spyware | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||
| Keyloggers | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||
| Trojans | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||||
| Active X Configuration | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||||||||
| Scumware | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||||||||||
| Dialers | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||||
| Malware | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||||
| Data Mining | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||
| Parasites | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||||||||||
| Toolbars | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||||||||
| Drive-By Download | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||||
| Tracking Cookies | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||||||||
| Spyware Registry Keys | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||
| Browser Hijackers/BHO's | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||
| Technical Support Available | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Toll Free Phone | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||||||||
| Built-in Application Help | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||
| Knowledge Base/FAQs | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||
| Forums/Email | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||||||||
| Online Chat | √ | √ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Product Details | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail | |||||||||||
| Supported Configurations | |||||||||||||||||||||
| XP | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||
| 2000 | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||
| 98 | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||||||||
| 95 | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||||||||
| NT | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||||||||||||
| ME | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||||||||
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4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |||||||||||
| TOP TEN PRODUCTS | Spy Sweeper |
Spyware Eliminator |
Counter Spy |
Trend Micro |
Anti Spy |
Spy Doctor |
Pest Patrol |
Ad-aware Pro |
Spyware Begone |
McAfee AntiSpy |
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So, according to the review of Top10Reviews.com BitDefender and Spy Sweeper are the winners in the Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware section respectively. What's your decision? Want to go with the leader?
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Mithun Pal
Reply #22 Thursday, May 11, 2006 6:05 AM
Reply #22 Thursday, May 11, 2006 6:05 AM
| What no NOD32 for AV? Why wasn't it tested? |
Top10Reviews has included NOD32 in their review. You would find it at the 5th place. I'm posting the result once again:
#1. BitDefender
#2. Kaspersky
#3. F-Secure
#4. PC-cillin
#5. ESET Nod32
#6. McAfee VirusScan
#7. Norton Antivirus
#8. AVG AntiVirus
#9. eTrust Antivirus
#10. Norman Virus Control
- Top 10 AVs reviewed by Top10Reviews.com.
Mithun Pal
Reply #23 Saturday, May 13, 2006 10:16 AM
Reply #23 Saturday, May 13, 2006 10:16 AM
Want to buy BitDefender 9? Then here is a good news for you - purchase from Herman Street and save $15. |
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twobadmice
Reply #24 Saturday, May 13, 2006 11:37 AM
You didn't come across my glasses did you?
Reply #24 Saturday, May 13, 2006 11:37 AM
| Top10Reviews has included NOD32 in their review. You would find it at the 5th place. I'm posting the result once again: |
You didn't come across my glasses did you?
liquidguru
Reply #26 Saturday, May 13, 2006 12:38 PM
Reply #26 Saturday, May 13, 2006 12:38 PM
having now fully read all the reviews in the first table, i'm very glad i'm using NOD32...the review for BitDefender seems as if it were written by BitDefender's marketing team...
all the AntiVirus programs, apart from AVG, passed all the June 2005 VB100% and all the level 1& 2 Checkmarks from West Coast Labs., whatever they may be...
the only reason that NOD32 was marked 'down' was because
i don't mean this as a plug for NOD32, just that the review was written for 'the average home user' and it's worth probably downloading a few different trial antivirus programs and see which one suits you best...
on a side note, for me the most important thing is how much resident memory the programs use...it's very hard to find any info on this...my memory usage is
nod32krn.exe 20MB
nod32kui.exe 1.5MB
total 21.5MB
that's with the email scanner, file system moniter and internet moniter all running..
it would be interesting to see the figures from other products
all the AntiVirus programs, apart from AVG, passed all the June 2005 VB100% and all the level 1& 2 Checkmarks from West Coast Labs., whatever they may be...
the only reason that NOD32 was marked 'down' was because
| Nod32 is a first-rate antivirus program that offers several levels of superior protection. However, the product is somewhat hard to understand because of the technical jargon and wouldn't be our first choice for the average home user. |
i don't mean this as a plug for NOD32, just that the review was written for 'the average home user' and it's worth probably downloading a few different trial antivirus programs and see which one suits you best...
on a side note, for me the most important thing is how much resident memory the programs use...it's very hard to find any info on this...my memory usage is
nod32krn.exe 20MB
nod32kui.exe 1.5MB
total 21.5MB
that's with the email scanner, file system moniter and internet moniter all running..
it would be interesting to see the figures from other products
seapup
Reply #27 Saturday, May 13, 2006 1:22 PM
Reply #27 Saturday, May 13, 2006 1:22 PM
I've just switched from Norton Anti-virus 2002 to Bit Defender because I'd read it was top in the PC magazine.
With Norton this year they required a software update to 2006 instead of renewing the 2002 yearly subscription, so I decided to switch.
So far I really like Bit Defender....it has more updates and it caught two old trojans that I didn't even know I had on my computer. It's cheaper than Norton and my internet connection has speeded up...so I'm happy I switched!
With Norton this year they required a software update to 2006 instead of renewing the 2002 yearly subscription, so I decided to switch.
So far I really like Bit Defender....it has more updates and it caught two old trojans that I didn't even know I had on my computer. It's cheaper than Norton and my internet connection has speeded up...so I'm happy I switched!
Jafo
Reply #29 Saturday, May 13, 2006 6:34 PM
Reply #29 Saturday, May 13, 2006 6:34 PM
Nothing from Norton will ever be on this machine again.
I can't put it more succinctly than that.
Literally YEARS of running Norton didn't find that old email attachment in my ancient PST file...so old it was via [email protected] [provider is LONG gone - 3 years or so]....BitDefender found it...and removed it.
I'm still running the 'trial'...it took forever to do a thorough scan of my half million files [or there abouts] on 4 physical drives ....350 gig or so ...but I'm fairly confident it's all cleaner than it was...
Threi
Reply #30 Saturday, May 13, 2006 8:17 PM
Reply #30 Saturday, May 13, 2006 8:17 PM
Ive Tried pretty much every antivirus and spyware out there and they are all good, each with seperate strengths and weaknesses. Whichever antivirus you want depends on what your needs are:
1. If you want pure speed and performance: I suggest AVG Free
2. If you want #1 with good protection: I suggest NOD32
3. If you are one of those paranoid types that want the absolute best protection possible: I suggest Kaspersky
4. Bitdefender does everything REALLY good, but nothing exceptional
5. Avast free is good, but offers no scheduling
6. AntiVir took up 100% of my cpu straight on installation........
1. If you want pure speed and performance: I suggest AVG Free
2. If you want #1 with good protection: I suggest NOD32
3. If you are one of those paranoid types that want the absolute best protection possible: I suggest Kaspersky
4. Bitdefender does everything REALLY good, but nothing exceptional
5. Avast free is good, but offers no scheduling
6. AntiVir took up 100% of my cpu straight on installation........
George Rogers Jr
Reply #31 Sunday, May 14, 2006 1:31 AM
Reply #31 Sunday, May 14, 2006 1:31 AM
Paul, I've always wondered how long it would take to scan 4 physical HDD's in RAID configuration along with having to defrag all that space as well....guess when you start you just leave everything running & hit the hay!!! 
Jafo
Reply #32 Sunday, May 14, 2006 7:41 AM
Reply #32 Sunday, May 14, 2006 7:41 AM
| guess when you start you just leave everything running & hit the hay!!! |
Yep...
joeKnowledge
Reply #33 Sunday, May 14, 2006 1:38 PM
Reply #33 Sunday, May 14, 2006 1:38 PM
How come no one mentioned Spybot???
Just wondering.
Just wondering.
Threi
Reply #34 Sunday, May 14, 2006 2:27 PM
Reply #34 Sunday, May 14, 2006 2:27 PM
Spybot S&D is average in detection (not great), offers minimal proctection, and makes actual files hard to delete manually
I have tried many Anti-Spy/Adware programs as well as antiviral programs, and in terms of anti-spyware:
The best in my opinion is Spy Sweeper, it has a very good detection rate, Updates frequently, and has good protection features
Ad-Aware has good scanning speed, but a mediocre detection rate
Spybot S&D isnt reccomended by me
I have tried many Anti-Spy/Adware programs as well as antiviral programs, and in terms of anti-spyware:
The best in my opinion is Spy Sweeper, it has a very good detection rate, Updates frequently, and has good protection features
Ad-Aware has good scanning speed, but a mediocre detection rate
Spybot S&D isnt reccomended by me
Mithun Pal
Reply #35 Friday, May 19, 2006 8:34 PM
Reply #35 Friday, May 19, 2006 8:34 PM
I've just downloaded and installed CounterSpy 1.5 trial. It has detected two keyloggers in my system. But, very soon as I reboot my computer in safe mode, to my surprise I found it running in safe mode. The third-party software can only run on demand in safe mode. But, it started running as a start up process. Look at the following pictures:
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Jafo
Reply #36 Friday, May 19, 2006 8:51 PM
Reply #36 Friday, May 19, 2006 8:51 PM
I bit the bullet and bought BitDefender 9 standard .... only 'odd' thing is once a scan completes the icon disappears from the tray...[though the processes are still running] [could be a LS issue].
...and after every signature/update it sets a restore point...and since it can update every hour it pays to keep an eye on just how many points are made....[bit overkill, really]...
Mithun Pal
Reply #37 Saturday, May 20, 2006 3:44 AM
Share your experiences with BitDefender support team.
Reply #37 Saturday, May 20, 2006 3:44 AM
| I bit the bullet and bought BitDefender 9 standard .... only 'odd' thing is once a scan completes the icon disappears from the tray...[though the processes are still running] [could be a LS issue]. ...and after every signature/update it sets a restore point...and since it can update every hour it pays to keep an eye on just how many points are made....[bit overkill, really]... |
Share your experiences with BitDefender support team.
Underdog45
Reply #38 Monday, May 29, 2006 9:46 AM
Reply #38 Monday, May 29, 2006 9:46 AM
My anti-spyware strategy is using Firefox for everything possible, IE7 for the rest (mainly just Windows Update), and avoiding downloads that look like they might have sketchy origins. The only spyware I've ever had was when a roommate tried to load a pirated program on my computer. It wasn't even the program that did it, but the keygen program. SpywareBlaster also is a nice bit of preventative maintenance. I run Spybot and AdAware every now and then for fun, but they never find anything. As for antivirus, I get McAfee free from my university so i just use that. No problems yet in 3 years.
Adamness
Reply #39 Wednesday, June 7, 2006 4:16 PM
I'm about to reformat, and am looking for a new AV prog. Would you recommend Bitdefender, Jafo?
What's the resource (memory) usage like?
Reply #39 Wednesday, June 7, 2006 4:16 PM
| I bit the bullet and bought BitDefender 9 standard |
I'm about to reformat, and am looking for a new AV prog. Would you recommend Bitdefender, Jafo?
What's the resource (memory) usage like?
StephanA
Reply #40 Thursday, June 8, 2006 6:38 AM
Reply #40 Thursday, June 8, 2006 6:38 AM
Norton 2006 screwed my computer. I had to reformat and now also looking for AV having to give up a 12 month subscription to Norton.
Jafo, what is your further experience with Bitdefender and did you manage to control restore point issues? After a time, accumulation of restore points can add up to a few gigs on the hard drive.
Jafo, what is your further experience with Bitdefender and did you manage to control restore point issues? After a time, accumulation of restore points can add up to a few gigs on the hard drive.
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Reply #21 Thursday, May 11, 2006 6:04 AM
Till date ZoneAlarm Pro is the best.