BEST ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE TESTED
GOLD AWARD Norton 360
Best value: Norton 360 Premium 2022 (10 devices, 2 years) £24.99 from www.snipca.com/41381 WHAT WE LIKE
Norton 360 is an impressively versatile, powerful and trustworthy security suite from the company now known as Nortonlifelock (it was formerly called Symantec). Its main attraction, and the reason we’ve given it our Gold Award, is the quantity and quality of features it offers even in its cheapest Standard edition.
These include an intelligent firewall, which automatically blocks suspicious traffic and keeps you safe from hackers; a password manager that lets you store an unlimited number of account logins in an encrypted online vault; and Norton’s Safe Web extensions for Chromium browsers and Firefox, which warn you about dangerous sites and unsafe links in emails and social-media posts, and protect your online banking transactions by running them in a virtual machine.
There are also extras that you don’t normally get with antivirus software, such as an easy-to-use cloud backup tool that protects your files from ransomware – the Premium edition offers a very generous 75GB of online storage while the Standard version has a still reasonable 10GB.
All Norton 360 products include Secure VPN (see screenshot below), which differs from the virtual private networks (VPNS) included in rival suites by providing unlimited encrypted data, rather than only giving you a certain amount for free; and Safecam, which blocks unauthorised access to your webcam to stop hackers spying on you.
The Premium version also includes parental controls that let you monitor and restrict your children’s web access; and Dark Web Monitoring, which alerts you if your email address and other personal data are being traded by criminals on the dark web. A Premium licence can be used across 10 devices, which keeps all your settings and data (including passwords) synced across desktop and mobile devices, while a Standard subscription can only be activated on one.
This amazing array of features would be less attractive if Norton failed to protect your PC from malware, but it does that effectively as well. The most recent tests by Av-test (www.snipca.com/41385) and SE Labs (www.snipca.com/41384), conducted last December, gave Norton 360 the maximum score, with 100 per cent protection accuracy and no false positives detected.
In Av-comparatives’ latest test (www. snipca.com/41386), Norton 360 was the only program with a 100-per-cent protection rate, but it was marked down for 37 false positives – though this was before the 2022 editions were released.
You can perform a quick scan for malware directly from the program’s main screen (see screenshot above), or by right-clicking a file or folder in File Explorer. Full and custom scans can be run in three clicks, along with the option to use Norton Power Eraser (see screenshot below left) to detect and remove rootkits.
Despite its many features, Norton’s streamlined interface makes the software quick and easy to use, and it’s no longer the bloated resource hog of old, though it still requires much more processing power than Microsoft Defender. We also like its Silent Mode, which prevents updates, pop-ups and other interruptions while you’re streaming TV shows and films or playing games on your PC.
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE
Last year, Nortonlifelock made the curious decision to add a crypto-mining tool to all versions of Norton 360, which allows users with powerful processors to ‘mine’ for Ethereum cryptocurrency. Mercifully, this new Norton Crypto feature is disabled by default, but we question the need for its inclusion – particularly because it has no security benefits. Another minor grumble is that, unlike many antivirus tools, Norton doesn’t automatically scan USB sticks for malware when you plug them into your computer.
OUR VERDICT
Norton 360 is a feature-packed security suite that shows other paid-for programs how it’s done and highlights why free antivirus tools are basic in comparison. It achieves perfect scores in laboratory tests, is very easy to use and – cryptomining misstep aside – offers all the tools you need to protect your computer, your data and your identity from the latest threats. No other software covers all aspects of modern security as thoroughly as Norton.
SILVER AWARD Microsoft Defender Antivirus
Best value: N/A. Free with Windows Security in Windows 10 and 11 WHAT WE LIKE
With some antivirus programs priced at £100 a year or more, the inclusion of Microsoft Defender Antivirus with Windows 10 and 11 not only saves you money, but also the hassle of having to choose, download and install security software. It works in the background from the moment you set up your PC and when you uninstall third-party antivirus it re-activates automatically to keep your system safe.
As well as providing real-time protection, Defender offers a choice of on-demand scans. A quick scan (see screenshot above right) will usually suffice, but you can also perform full and custom scans, and remove hidden malware using its offline scan (find out how on page 56). Although it’s undeniably basic compared to our Gold Award winner, Defender forms part of the Windows Security suite, which includes a firewall, protection against potentially unwanted programs (PUPS) and ‘exploit protection’, which blocks attacks before they infect your computer.
Convenience and (lack of) cost aside, Microsoft Defender Antivirus earns our Silver Award above programs with more features because of the accuracy and reliability of its malware detection. It was given a 100-per-cent total protection rating by Av-test last December, 99 per cent by SE Labs and 99.7 per cent by Av-comparatives, with no false positives across the board. These results mean Defender is ranked above software from big names in cybersecurity such as Avira, ESET and G Data.
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE
Although Defender Antivirus protects your whole PC, some of the other features in Windows Security – including parental controls and blocking malicious websites – only work with Microsoft’s Edge browser. And although Defender rarely produces false positives, its Smartscreen option can be overzealous at blocking ‘unrecognised’ tools. Also, unlike other antivirus programs, Defender doesn’t let you easily schedule virus scans, though it is possible – as we explain on page 56, along with other tips for boosting your protection.
OUR VERDICT
Microsoft Defender now provides worldclass malware protection and, because it’s included with Windows and runs automatically, it saves you having to pay for and install a third-party antivirus program. It offers some useful extra features through the Windows Security suite, though some of these apply protection only to Microsoft’s own tools.
BRONZE AWARD Bitdefender Antivirus
Best value: Bitdefender Internet Security 2022 (3 devices, 2 years) £29.99 from www.snipca.com/41399 WHAT WE LIKE
Bitdefender offers almost as many features as Norton, across all its versions, but Internet Security should be enough for most home users. This lacks a few options found in the pricier Total Security and Family Pack suites, such as one-click system optimisation and protection of your mobile devices, but otherwise provides everything you need to stay safe online, in a smart, simple interface.
Features include a firewall, a network scanner for blocking botnets, multi-layer ransomware protection (see screenshot below right), a password manager, a file shredder for deleting sensitive files and a Safepay browser that protects online banking transactions. Bitdefender also blocks trackers, phishing and malicious links, and lets you control which apps can access your computer’s webcam and microphone.
In the most recent tests by Av-test and Av-comparatives
(SE Labs no longer covers the program), Bitdefender Internet Security performed admirably, blocking almost all the malware that was thrown at it (two threats sneaked through in the latter test) to attain protection scores of 100 per cent and 99.7 per cent respectively. In November, Av-test reported four false positives, but by December there were none, so Bitdefender had clearly refined its data. Av-comparatives named it the top product for ‘real-world protection’ for the whole of 2021.
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE
Although similar to Norton 360 Premium in terms of performance and features, Bitdefender Internet Security isn’t as good value, only covering three devices compared to the former’s 10, which don’t include your phone or tablet – unless you upgrade to its Total Security plan. Also, its VPN restricts you to 200MB of encrypted data per day. Microsoft Defender offers fewer features, but provides the same level of protection for free, which is why we’ve ranked it above Bitdefender.
OUR VERDICT
Bitdefender Antivirus offers plenty of useful features, but make sure you choose the right edition for your security needs and budget. It’s not as versatile as Norton or as convenient as Defender, but it’s still an excellent choice. A basic free version has just been released (www.snipca. com/41405) to save you splashing out.