To assess how well consumer-grade security packages actually handle threats in the wild, we draw on real-world tests carried out by not one but two specialist antivirus testing labs – namely AV-Comparatives.org and AV-Test.org. The scores we cite represent the average of the ratings reported by each lab in their latest available reports. The number of false positives represents the total number of incorrect alerts raised up by each package, across both labs’ tests.
To measure the impact of each security product on system responsiveness, AV-Comparatives uses a combination of its own in-house test suite and the PCMark 10 benchmark, while AV-Test times a series of standardised tasks, including launching applications, opening websites and copying files, on both a typical and high-end PC. We convert these scores into a percentage and take the average to reach our performance rating for each suite we test.
We also run our own speed tests, using each suite to scan through an external hard disk containing 55GB of assorted files, including documents, images, application installers – and the EICAR test file, a harmless bit of code that all security packages identify as faux-malware for testing purposes.
While protection and performance are of great importance when choosing a security suite, those aren’t the only things we consider. We extensively road-test each package ourselves, and take into account the accessibility and user-friendliness of the interface, as well as the breadth and usefulness of features beyond the standard scanning component. Naturally, we also weigh up value for money, and all of these factors are combined to award each security suite a star rating out of five.
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HPE's new Cray system is a pocket powerhouseNews Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) had unveiled new HPC storage, liquid cooling, and supercomputing offerings ahead of SC25
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High performance and long battery life: How Dell AI PCs offer the best of both worldsUnlocking the true potential of on-device AI requires a perfect balance between software and hardware
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Millions of Dell laptops are are at risk thanks to a Broadcom chip vulnerability – and more than 100 device models are impactedNews Widely used in high-security environments, the PCs are vulnerable to attacks allowing the theft of sensitive data
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‘A huge national security risk’: Thousands of government laptops, tablets, and phones are missing and nowhere to be foundNews A freedom of information disclosure shows more than 2,000 government-issued phones, tablets, and laptops have been lost or stolen, prompting huge cybersecurity concerns.
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Iranian hackers targeted nuclear expert, ported Windows infection chain to Mac in a weekNews Fresh research demonstrates the sophistication and capability of state-sponsored threat actors to compromise diverse targets
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The top malware and ransomware threats for April 2023News New ransomware gangs and malware abound as hackers continue to evolve their tactics
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Avira Free Security review: An effective antimalware suite, but heavy on the marketingReviews It’s hard to fully appreciate Avira’s malware protection when the packaging feels so manipulative
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Kaspersky Free review: Effective and lightweight – everything you want from a free antivirus solutionReviews It’ll be a real shame if politics means people missing out on this top-class security tool
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McAfee Total Protection review: Quick, effective and affordableReviews A solid security choice, with perfect malware protection, a fully functional VPN and more
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AVG Internet Security review: Money for nothingReviews An ostensible upgrade from the free Avast package – but there’s very little here to justify the cost
