Antivirus programs are designed to protect the PC from harmful intruders. But does that actually do anything? And what are the best virus scanners? This is what the new results from Stiftung Warentest say.
Stiftung Warentest has once again taken a close look at a number of anti-virus scanners. A total of 19 for Windows and 9 for MacOS. The testers’ result: you don’t necessarily have to spend money for good protection. Free programs are also very good at protecting the PC from attacks.
However, the paid G Data Internet Security was rated best, with an overall grade of 1.4. The tool is available for Windows and costs 40 euros per year. You also have to pay for the test winner on the Mac. The Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac (grade: 1.9) costs just under 30 euros per year.
Windows users who don’t want to spend money are best off using Bitdefender Antivirus Free. With an overall grade of 1.6, the antivirus program landed just behind the test winner. Mac users have the choice between Avast One Essential and AVG Antivirus. Both were rated 2.2 overall.
Microsoft Defender didn’t do quite as well. With an overall grade of 2.7, it was only enough for last place in the test. Basically, the protection function of Microsoft Defender is good. However, the testers complain about the lack of phishing protection for browsers other than Microsoft Edge.
“In three waves of attacks, Stiftung Warentest checked how well the virus scanners worked in the test. A team of IT experts collected around 30,000 malware for Windows, 300 for Android and 15 Mac attackers: real threats, all current, some only a few days old.”
Which antivirus scanner do you use? Do you even use one anymore? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Stiftung Warentest