Our
personal computers hold our precious information that includes not just
personal pictures and videos but also includes our bank details, adhaar card
copies, and business documents. Computer viruses, a term first coined by Fred
Cohen in 1983, are looking for exactly the same stuff to steal and thrive on.
This heightens the need to secure our computers from malware.
The democratization of antivirus
software
Earlier,
antivirus software was expensive and it was hard to get your hands on an
original one because pirated copies of antivirus software had infiltrated the
market. Several of these pirated copies were actually trojans that would infect
the computer device in place of fixing it.
As the
internet exploded and the sharing of software was made economical and more
democratized, antiviruses were made available online for free. The updated and
premium versions of the software were put up for a price that could be bought
by those who needed extra features. The monopoly of companies was removed from
anti-malware products and we saw an outburst of antivirus software out in the
open for everyone to use.
Today
there are many independent labs that test antivirus software to help the users
select the best options.
Here, in
no particular order of importance, is a list of some reputed antivirus
applications that are available for free.
Kaspersky Free Antivirus is easily one of the
best antivirus software out there. It is
especially noticeable for very quick scans. It can be a little hard to find
online because weirdly, Kaspersky Lab doesn’t promote its free anti-malware
product.
It has a
no-nonsense but highly efficient interface which is very easy to use. The fact
that it doesn’t offer any added or extra feature is seen as negative point by
some but experts believe that having limited features streamlines the work that
an anti-virus product is entrusted with doing, instead of getting distracted
with too many other features.
Bitdefender
Antivirus Free Edition gives top protection against malware. It is very easy to
use. However, it’s scanning takes time and there is no option of scheduling
scans. This software doesn’t have much except the basics. In terms of malware
detection, there can be a few problems like the software being prone to
detecting false-positives. The primary reason why Bitdefender Antivirus has
made it in the list and remains to be top rated anti-virus software is that it
does what it is asked of and that is: detect malware and prevent it from
entering the computer.
It is,
unlike the above two software, loaded with additional features. It is highly
customizable. It is one negative point is that it is not lightweight and takes
more storage, battery, and time to work. Some tests have shown that a highly
sophisticated breach is possible by some malware that can also cause privacy
concerns. However, this is highly unlikely as this drawback was only seen
during test runs and not during regular operations. The software offers a
password manager, network scanner, and hardened browser. Avast Antivirus is considered one of the best
anti-virus software out there and is employed by companies as well as
individuals.
Made by Microsoft
itself, the Microsoft Windows Defender comes pre-installed in Microsoft
computers, which is highly convenient for the users. Its design is super neat
and easy to use. It offers an all browser protection, parental control, and
another n number of additional features. With the help of Controlled Folder
Access, Windows Defender has also enhanced its anti-ransomware protection.
TotalAV
delivers what it promises to the user. It runs smoothly on Android, Mac, and
Windows. It also has a system booster, disk cleaner, and browser protection for
Chrome and Edge. The scans are prompt and accurate. Its phishing protection is
very efficient. It finds and deletes duplicate files from the PC on a regular
basis so as to save the storage from overcrowding. Even though the antivirus
software runs very promptly, the PC is still able to perform its other
functions as there is no impact on its performance. On the negative side,
TotalAV lacks in time malware detection and does detect a number of false positives
which can be bothersome and inconvenient. Another negative is that there is no
option of daily scan available in the software.
Norton
Security is a highly rated and popular antivirus software that guards your PC
against all sorts of unsafe websites, Trojans, ransomware, and viruses. It is
lightweight and doesn’t slow down the computer. Even its free version has
24-hour support and firewall. However, no password manager and a large number
of false positives is a negative point.
McAfee is
one of the very few anti-malware software that is equipped to deal with unknown
threats that several anti-virus programs aren’t prepared to catch. It has
managed a hundred percent protection against zero-day invasions in recent
times. There are options like on-demand and real-time scans. It also offers
email and web protection, alongside file lock up. The software provides safe
money transactions, e-banking, and online shopping experience by securing the
browser. The password protection feature named McAfee True Key lets you log
into your apps by saving your password without the risk of a breach. It works
well with a number of platforms. The constant ads that crop up during the free
version can interfere with one’s work, but it is small negative.
Panda Free
Antivirus covers all the basics of capable antivirus software. Its a detection
of ransomware, trojans, viruses, and spyware is most accurate of the lot. Its
free version has clean-up tools, custom scans which can be scheduled, safe web
scanners for Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome. This covers three of the most used
and most popular search engines. The absence of automatic scans and direct
technical support is a big negative point which should be rectified by the
brand in the next versions.
