[Share] Good Virus Protection Doesn't Have To Be Expensive

[Choo Kim Yoon]

Good Virus Protection Doesn't Have To Be Expensive
By Sebastian Knoppik 
      July 28, 2010 9:33AM 
     





      There's no excuse these days for not protecting your computer against lurking Internet dangers, as free antivirus and anti-spyware software can keep your PC reasonably secure. But you may have to install multiple free programs to be assured of reasonable protection. Some free antivirus scanners lack a behavior-recognition system.  
     






     They're out there on the Internet, waiting: viruses, worms, hackers and phishers. And these days, those who fail to protect their computers against them are rightly accused of negligence -- particularly because you don't even have to spend money to get decent protection. 
      Even so, not all free software is equal. You will sometimes have to install multiple free programs to be assured of reasonable protection. 

      "You can achieve reasonable security  with free programs," says Matthais Gaertner from the German Federal Agency for Security in Information Technology (BSI). This was confirmed by a recent test by German computer magazine c't. Four of six no-cost programs delivered very good results. 

      All free scanners are capable of removing viruses, Trojans, or rootkits relatively effortlessly. "One of the two biggest problems with free virus scanners is the artificially inflated signature update intervals. Updates are not made every couple of hours, but rather just once a day. The other is the thoroughly underwhelming behavior identification systems," explains c't editor Christiane Ruetten. 

      The first disadvantage, the delayed update of signatures, isn't that serious an issue, the expert feels. After all, identifying the virus signatures, a bit like a fingerprint for malicious software, is just one of several ways that malware is detected. "There's also the heuristic approach, the statistic analysis, and behavior recognition," Ruetten explains. 

      The second disadvantage, the lack of behavior recognition systems, is a bigger problem. That functionality is one of the primary pillars for raising the alarm if a program acts in a suspicious way. Ruetten therefore recommends installing extra free software like Threatfire to identify suspicious behavior if your free virus scanner of choice lacks that function. 

      Another factor to consider: so-called drive-by infections. These come when malicious software is unintentionally downloaded while surfing the Internet. Programs that monitor the data  flow on the web include Avast Free Antivirus and AVG Anti-Virus. 

      Avira AntiVir did in fact perform convincingly on the test. The program stood out for its speed, putting it on equal terms with the Avast software and especially suitable for laptops, which tend to pack a bit less power under the hood. Microsoft's Security Essentials and Panda's Cloud Antivirus also stood out for especially good identification rates. The c't test also deemed both programs suitable for inexperienced users, since few settings need be made. 

      One small downside associated with some free scanners: pop-ups encouraging purchase of the full version. The intensity of the ad blitz varies from program to program, notes Christiane Ruetten. Avast only put in a minor amount of ads for its full version, for example, while Microsoft's Security Essentials didn't advertise at all, since there is no "full" version to upgrade to. 

      Users of free antivirus software should also consider that tools like anti-spyware tools and firewalls are not always included. "You need to arrange for them yourself," says BSI spokesman Gaertner -- which means installing more programs.

     



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