Looking for new AV/Security suit

I�ll be buying my first Window 8 system before the end of the month. I think it will ship preinstalled with a 60-day trial of Symantec�s AV and security suite. I used Symantec products for almost ten years until a paid-for annual update crashed an XP system, necessiting a clean install. Moreover, by that time the product was hogging resources. I don�t want to go for it again. I like Zone Alarm�s firewall but lack faith in its AV. What to go for? At he moment I�m looking at the following:

· BitDefender
· Panda
· Eset

I�d welcome your opinion of these products and alternatives

i used to use Panda but now i use Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 and have done for the past 2 years and im very happy.

No need to pay a dime for 3rd-party AV & FW. Win8 comes with decent AV and FW. Keeping on top of software patching is one of the most important tasks you can do these days. Secunia PSI will help you with this.

http://krebsonsecurity.com/tools-for-a-safer-pc/

http://krebsonsecurity.com/2011/05/krebss-3-basic-ru...

I had a bad experience with Kaspersky...but it was back in 2001 on a Win 2K platform! BitDefender is gettting good write ups in the PC press

I agree about the MS security patches but is the onboard security on Win 8 really that good? It's better since Win 7 but so far I havn't gone without my extra layers

It's a perfectly acceptable freeware solution. Other software including Java, etc, still needs to be patched as soon as updates are released, not just Microsoft products.

I'm happy with the free version of Comodo Internet Security Premium which I'm using with Windows XP.

If you decide to give the download ago, as with other software always tick the box for the custom installation so you can choose what to install from the Comodo download.

Thread to read from the Comodo forum.

In reply to a post by Apprentice:

I'm happy with the free version of Comodo Internet Security Premium which I'm using with Windows XP.

If you decide to give the download ago, as with other software always tick the box for the custom installation so you can choose what to install from the Comodo download.

Thread to read from the Comodo forum.

Agree 100% with that, unless of course one has a Barclays Bank account in which case Kaspersky IS would be another "free" alternative

In reply to a post by ARD:

I agree about the MS security patches but is the onboard security on Win 8 really that good? It's better since Win 7 but so far I havn't gone without my extra layers

Works fine if you ask me. I'm running it on all my computers at home and at work - no problems.

I use MSE and Windows firewall on my Win 7 machine. Found from experience that 3rd party AV programs can have bad definition updates that list a critical windows process as a virus and breaks your machine.

I think that's what happened when I resubscribed to a Norton product in 2007.

Thanks I think I'll install that on a neighbour's laptop.

Use Linux
Problem solved

Ignorance is bliss.

In reply to a post by ARD:

I�ll be buying my first Window 8 system before the end of the month. I think it will ship preinstalled with a 60-day trial of Symantec�s AV and security suite. I used Symantec products for almost ten years until a paid-for annual update crashed an XP system, necessiting a clean install. Moreover, by that time the product was hogging resources. I don�t want to go for it again. I like Zone Alarm�s firewall but lack faith in its AV. What to go for? At he moment I�m looking at the following:

· BitDefender
· Panda
· Eset

I�d welcome your opinion of these products and alternatives

You might as well ask which religion is best. Everyone has their own opinion and of course their choice is the one to run with. No amount of research automatically points to the most effective software product to keep your PC free of unwanted intrusions. However when things inevitably go wrong you want the best support to clear the mess up. My company uses the offering from one in your shortlist on over 80 PCs and have no intention of seeking an alternative software suit. Support is first class when needed. I'll leave you to discover for yourself this gem. Remember that there is no such thing as a free lunch.

I only use Eset product these days. Been doing so since ditching Norton years ago, and had no problems whatsoever since.
It is a paid for product, but it works well.

In reply to a post by bobble_bob:

I use MSE and Windows firewall on my Win 7 machine. Found from experience that 3rd party AV programs can have bad definition updates that list a critical windows process as a virus and breaks your machine.

Actually it was a bad Win7 update from Microsoft that caused a few problems several months ago particularly with Kaspersky. Kaspersky "system watcher" wouldn't allow the OS to fully boot because it saw a potentially hazardous corrupt file. I'm pleased that it did since it showed that it was actually doing the job that it was intended to do. A day or so later Microsoft sent another update to correct that previous corrupt update and then all was well

In reply to a post by clyde123:

I only use Eset product these days. Been doing so since ditching Norton years ago, and had no problems whatsoever since.
It is a paid for product, but it works well.

I have to say that for critical Windoze machines I use ESET too. It doesn't seem to have any adverse performance impact on the machines. I know that Symantec products, especially the Norton ones used to clog up resources horribly but I am told that this has now been sorted.

http://www.av-test.org/en/tests/home-user/windows-8/...

I highly recommend ESET Smart Security - ESS Version 7 is in beta ATM but from what I have quickly seen ESS v7 has revamped its features with some really powerful and flexible rule based options. HIPS and more.

Also, Symantec�s had a security breach with their Source code which had been leaked by lulzSec and Norton AV 2006 SC had been pasted online..
IMHO, I would keep away from Norton/Symantec lulzSec breach Norton 2006 - Read here

Good comparison. They're both utterly useless and a waste of money.

In reply to a post by majika2007:

I highly recommend ESET Smart Security - ESS Version 7 is in beta ATM but from what I have quickly seen ESS v7 has revamped its features with some really powerful and flexible rule based options. HIPS and more.

[snip]

Loading the latest version of an AV product and firmware updates to a router are the least likely activities for many PC users.

I am sure that when ESET version 7 is released it will be very good, but development work on the product has seen a matching price hike which is not so welcomed.

In reply to a post by Zadeks:

They're both utterly useless and a waste of money

I agree with the former but we are worlds apart on the latter

Loading the latest version of an AV product and firmware updates to a router are the least likely activities for many PC users.

Come again..? unless you know of a way how to load a fully featured product (such as ESET SS) onto an embedded device like a router's nvram I would be extremely interested to know how!

My contribution to this discussion was not aimed at targeting embedded systems like WRT-based devices and the ilk but more so towards the *common* users approach installing soft based security products to secure systems via commercial grade security products, based on, installed and operated on a home laptop, workstation/server.

I am sure that when ESET version 7 is released it will be very good

Well, not to be too blunt but have you had the chance to review this product yet? under load and in a demanding environment?
I have and it is solid..

This version of ESET was able to detect the majority of Metasploit's attack vectors and payloads (and some custom payloads) during my testing, ESET SS 7 has way better heuristics for detecting custom UD packers.

but development work on the product has seen a matching price hike which is not so welcomed.

Oh, so you want a secure product with good levels of tech/community based-support and "relative" piece of mind from unauthorized security breaches, additional functionality but begrudge paying a slight premium for it; which, I must add is not that high of a increase. sounds like your penalizing a company for innovation..

Edited by majika2007 (Fri 13-Sep-13 22:51:21)

You are reading far too much into my contribution to this thread and sort of making assumptions from what I say. I do quite a bit of IT activity for local SMBs and private individuals and during the course of such activities can generally persuade them to move over to ESET. Returning a couple of years, or more, later, particularly to oversee a replacement computer[s], it is often noticed that the installed version is still there despite later versions being released. There are no reminders, or popups, from ESET to say that a later version is available [for free] to download. OK, there is a feature to check whether you have the latest version, but average Jo Public doesn't go there to find out. The same is also true for firmware updates to routers.

We are on the same hymn sheet about *common* users and off the shelf AV products but whereas you or I may indeed load the latest versions, that is not true of ever computer user.

I have no interest in reviewing forthcoming versions/products and would never load beta products onto a production PC and indeed that is true for my customers PCs. A beta version may be the best thing since sliced bread, but until it is a released version then that will be the time for me to discover the improvements. If you want to test a product that will be coming onto the market in due course, then that's fine by me but I object to your suggestion that I must do the same.

It is not me that bulks at the price for a quality product but more other end users who see free versions of AV products as being adequate for their needs. Going up the scale, well known brands are frequent advertised at half price, so the perception becomes that an AV product costs about £25. ESET is not a "slight premium" price as you suggest and indeed costs a third more than two years ago. It therefore stands to reason that it is more difficult to persuade someone to use a product that does all you say in your last paragraph. So you need stick you head out of the door and smell the real world and realize that not everyone can afford premium products.

Fortunately my reputation is such that if I recommend ESET then that is good enough for the majority of my customers and they subsequently become loyal to the product.

Seems to me that unless one re-scans a machine with something like Malwarebytes then one can never be sure how effective an AV produce is. People will say such and such a product is really good but they may be unaware that a machine is infected with malware simply because their AV software has not detected it.

For more than adequate security one could use the free Comodo IS product and set it to frequently update it�s data base and allow only known applications to run, hence it would block unknown applications and would not rely on heuristics which would allow unknown applications to run. This setting may be fine for many users who just need a machine for normal everyday computing?

Huge thanks to everybody who took the trouble to reply.