Anti-Virus Software

Anti-Virus (or anti-malware) software has been the first line of defense over the years.  Most packages today include not only anti-virus, but also personal firewall, and anti-spam capabilities.  The most important thing I can say about this category of personal security is to keep it updated.  If you allow a subscription to expire you will not receive frequent updates that are needed to fight off the enemy.  If you do keep your subscription current, make sure that you allow the software to do automatic updates, and ensure they are happening.  If you do this, you have enabled your first line of defense.

In a recent article, Symantec, the parent company of Norton Anti-Virus, was quoted as saying that Anti-Virus (AV) software only protects you from about 45% of malicious attempts.  This is likely a true statement, with industry experts saying that the percentage could even be lower than that.  This is the reason I have adopted a multi-layered approach to security, with AV being just one component.

There are two primary trends in AV software today:  Freemium and Suites.  With Freemium, you can download a free version of the AV software, and some of these are quite good.  I personally have confidence in AVAST and AVG.  In my professional life I have met with these companies and they have a sound business plan and product.  Keep in mind that these Freemium products will try to upsell you to a premium version (thus Freemium).  You'll get advertising and reminders of the upgrades.  Most are fairly reasonable in not pestering you too much.

I'm not a fan of Microsoft Essentials, or whatever the free version from Microsoft is called these days.  I've had numerous industry experts downplay the effectiveness of this software.

In the Suite side of things, the big trend is licensing multiple devices.  Most applications will sell you a license for up to 5 devices, which could include Windows (PC), Mac, Android, and Apple iOS.  Please note, that what the Suites quote support for iOS, it is all of the add-on features, not the AV itself.  The Apple Operating System (iOS) does not allow AV software due to it's locked down nature.  Examples of Suite software come from Norton, Intel Security (aka McAfee), and Kaspersky.  Once again, in my professional life, I've met with all of these companies and all have a quality product.  My personal favorite right now is McAfee LiveSafe.  It has a license for unlimited devices.  When I start counting the devices in my home, I quickly go beyond the 5 included devices of the others.  LiveSafe also has another feature I like and I address in the Password portion of the blog.  They password manager that is included is quite good and rivals that of other password managers.  Since it is included, I've been trying it out and been pleased so far with the results.

Whatever AV solution you choose, keep your subscription current and keep your automatic update turned on.  This will help stop many of the attacks on you.