For years I've run Kaspersky AV/internet security. With its Russian routes I am not happy having it on my machine anymore. What are good alternatives? Norton, from what I gather, insists on a credit card to allow you to activate it!? Any Norton users able to verify that? If so they can jog on too. Any other softwares that are any good? I want to get shot of this Russian stuff asap before they start some sort of cyber chenanigans.
Depends what you mean by good. You can check reviews at places like av-comparatives.org or pcmag. Just bear in mind the trueism - if you're not paying for a product then you're paying with your data.
Windows defender, built in, isn't all that bad and you've already paid for it. Last time I checked, McAffee came out top of the comparitives, with Avast (about to be owned by Norton), AVG (already owned by Norton) and Bitdefender doing well too (along with Kaspersky).
Last edited by kalniel; 01-03-2022 at 03:29 PM.
What you want is a free option that's built by the same people that built the OS, built actually into the OS, that's what you want
Not necessarily. It's not the only reason software is free. The most obvious example is the open-source community, but even in the commercial world, it isn't the only motivation. The other, usually, is to build either market share or brand, or both (as they kinda are different sides of the same coin).Originally Posted by kalniel
Though, in that case, sooner or later "free" is likely to become a basic model, and the 'pro' or 'premium' version comes out with the goodies attached.
I do take the point, though, and yeah, often .... if you can't see what the product is, you're the product.
Back in the very early days of AV software, arguably, there was a really good case. I remember a meeting with Alan Solomon way back when, and he was very convincing. Or maybe I was too naive. Since then, I've used most of the big names (Norton, AVG, Avast, Avira, Kaspersky, BitDefender, etc) but currently, I rely on :-
- router-based security and AV
- Windows defender,
- the exercising of considerable care in my internet activity
- complete abstinance from dodgy sites
- as sophisticated as my networking knowledge lets me get (not very) in network configuration (VLANs, VPN, etc)
- being very careful what data gets put on what network and not putting the more sensistive stuff on any internet-connected machine, and
- a rigorous backup regime just in case.
A lesson learned from PeterB about dignity in adversity, so Peter, In Memorium, "Onwards and Upwards".
why? What I want is a paid solution like Kaspersky but not Russian that gives decent default protection and user control with a low footprint. I've been very happy with Kaspersky but can't ignore its roots and alleged ties to Russian security services. In previous tests of my own KIS picked up things Windows Defender did not seem to.What you want is a free option that's built by the same people that built the OS, built actually into the OS, that's what you want
I was a long time AVG user but from a certain version they added too many pop-ups & messages and I disliked the interface. It became too graphical & was quite an overhead on resources, not to mention I didn't like the way features were laid out.
However, that was the free version, so the paid for version would probably be less intrusive and annoying.
I had no qualms about its detection ability.
While I agree Windows Defender is very good today. I'm again not keen on its interface, Microsoft have a habit of changing & moving settings. But it regularly scores high in tests, better than a lot of paid software.
I've more recently gone with Comodo, again with the free edition but it's all I need. It includes some basic business like features such as Password protection, ability to hide features to create less clutter and the only one still free for commercial use, should that matter. It uses barely any resources, 30-40MB of RAM on my laptop and no annoying pop ups to speak of.
As previously mentioned by Saracen999 a lot of it comes down to how you configure and use your computers & networking equipment and whether you've adopted other safe guards.
The only other thing I would add to the table is consider your DNS options.
I moved over to Cloudflares Family DNS which has the option of blocking Malware & Adult content.
https://blog.cloudflare.com/introduc...-for-families/
You can check out AV Test & SE Labs to see a broad choice of available options & test results.
https://www.av-test.org/
https://selabs.uk/reports/home-endpo...ction-2021-q4/
People say Norton/Symantec is no longer a resource hog like it used to be.
Also most of them give a free trial, so if like me you're fussy about the interface or other features you can have a go with the ones that interest.
Saracen999 (03-03-2022)
Personally, I like and use eset Internet Security.
I wanted something lightweight, which I believe that to be, and was able to get it on a 50% off deal a few years ago. I renewed it for another 3 years a few months ago as my 3 years were up, and while it wasn't as cheap as the 50% off, I'd still say it was a reasonable cost.
I only wanted to cover 1 PC though, so YMMV on how much you're willing to spend.
And of course, if you only want the virus scanner part, their NOD32 Antivirus is still available at a cheaper cost.
Make sure to untick Automatic Renewal in the cart of course if you'd prefer to choose manually whether you keep it for longer.
On an interesting side-note, it appears that after adding it to the cart, you can also now choose to get eset products on a monthly subscription basis rather than yearly too. You would however be paying more overall for the monthly version of course.
You can of course try the 30-day free trial to determine if it's for you or not.
Last edited by Output; 02-03-2022 at 03:53 PM. Reason: Added free trial note.
Good catch. Yup, missed that.
They nearly always score among fastest DNS too, and though I've never personally benchmarked a comparison, I've seen no reason to doubt that they're fast and very good.
A lesson learned from PeterB about dignity in adversity, so Peter, In Memorium, "Onwards and Upwards".
Avira?
Another Norton owned brand, though didn't do quite as well as the others in the tests I looked at (they do vary though). There was also that story about them running a miner in the background: https://www.guru3d.com/news-story/da...yptominer.html
CAT-THE-FIFTH (03-03-2022)
I have it on my laptop as it seemed lighter on resources than some others I had tried. Did check the Crypto thing after you mentioned it,and you have to opt in. Might have to look around at other AV suites.
*Shameless plug* Or build a Pi-hole and have complete control over your own DNS, with added blocking of ads and telemetry.
All AV are similar now, so you can use Microsoft Defender, it comes witch Windows
I know this is an old post. I used bulldog and loved as it did not slow my pc but Norton has taken it over and wow now I know everybody hates Norton. It has slowed my browser down so much it's crazy. Does anyone use intergo and of so how good is it.
JABULANI NONKE
Thats odd as Norton has never slowed down my browser, certainly not in the last few years.
Never heard of Intergo.
I use Norton or Bitdefender
Jon
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