AVG Anti-Virus
After yesterday’s post about K9 Web Protection we received several messages asking what Anti-Virus program we recommend. The short answer is AVG Anti-Virus. They provide a free version of their software that doesn’t bog down your computer with updates and scans. The program simply works and you can’t beat the price (free for home use).
The longer answer is anti-virus starts with you. It is very rare that malware or other harmful programs make their way into reputable websites (we’ll save the Microsoft Windows is a harmful program debate for later!). It should also be rare that the friend you’ve only emailed one time in the last six years sends you a “joke video” with attached message to open right away. By accessing only reputable websites and not opening suspicious email attachments you exponentially decrease your odds of downloading a virus.
At our day job we examine hundreds of computers a year, many of which are infected with some type of virus. It may be a coincidence but pretty much all of those infected computers are also loaded with pornography and show histories of accessing pornographic and other file sharing websites regularly. File sharing is not limited to downloading from websites however. Programs that involve file sharing (Limewire is public enemy #1) are often full of malware and other harmful software just waiting to be downloaded.
AVG Anti-Virus is a good start however it should only be one tool in keeping your computer clean.
I have used AVG in the past and used to recommend it for those looking for a free anti-virus solution, but within the past year, I’ve migrated over to Microsoft Security Essentials. It is free, and unlike many of the AV solutions out there, doesn’t bog down my computer. Every year, most major technology publications pit AV software against each other, so what may rank first one year may rank lower the next. PC World recently posted their 2011 tests and Avast rated first for free AV (MSE ranked third). http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/collection/5928/2011_free_av.html
I agree with TCB that the first line of protection is the user and no one should rely solely on their AV software to protect them. Make sure you keep your important files backed up, but even better is to have your whole system backed up.
Thanks SZ. The PCWorld link provides in depth reviews on each of the top five rated anti-virus programs for 2011. It looks like Microsoft Security Essentials and this year’s #1 Avast are both good alternatives if you don’t like AVG.
One vote for Avast