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I've never really bothered with antivirus software or firewalls before, and it's never been a problem, but since I just invested in a nice new Windows box, I figured I'd get some extra protection.
What sort of features should I expect out of an antivirus program? I mean, they all obviously scan the HDD for viruses, so what else? Do some update their virus definitions more quickly than others? Or I suppose some programs are less demanding on system resources than others? Apparently there are testing agencies that compare and rate virus software; should I consult one of those?
Note: Please do not tell me what you think is "the best" antivirus software. I am looking for objective criteria that I can use to decide what is best for me. I imagine that a good answer would actually be OS-agnostic, unless there is some particular feature that I should look for on Windows (like some kind of registry scan for instance).
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"Is Antivirus Dead?" http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/11/is_antivirus_de.html
– Aki – 2011-09-24T15:10:39.500Good article, and it does make me wonder: having gone over 10 years without clicking on any bad links, whether antivirus would help me at all. But then again, if even Bruce Schneier himself still uses antivirus... – Neil Traft – 2011-09-24T15:23:21.007
Yesterday, I deleted ~100 auto-quarantined items spread across about 150 computers. One (average) month's worth. This does not include auto-deleted items, nor blocked Internet requests. AV is long from dead. :( – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 – 2011-09-24T15:28:32.780
@Neil: That sort of thing is completely dependent on how likely a person is to click through to the kind of site that doesn't work their security well enough to avoid getting hacked. I think viruses that infect programs are dead, but malware is alive and kicking - especially the "install fifteen additional malware programs" and the "go invisible in Task Manager and Add/Remove Programs" types. – jprete – 2011-09-24T17:38:57.660
1IMO, the best antivirus is Common Sense Antivirus 2012, it's free, it takes no memory or CPU resources, and it never need to be updated, and it is the only antivirus that can catch any zero-day viruses. – Lie Ryan – 2011-09-24T17:42:56.847