Consumer Reports rates free PC security software as Best Buy
- — 06 May, 2009 05:32
Consumer Reports magazine slapped its Best Buy logo on a trio of free security programs for Windows PCs, saying that they offer the "best combination of performance and price" and are a smarter pick than suites from companies like Symantec Corp. and McAfee Inc.
The publication's June issue rated 11 commercial security suites, including high-profile products like Norton Internet Security (Symantec), Internet Security (McAfee) and Smart Security (Eset LLC). Each package was tested against both actual exploits active on the Web as well as others that were modified to represent "threats too new to have been discovered," said the magazine.
Eset's Smart Security led the list with a score of 72 out of a possible 100, with McAfee's and Symantec's suites in second and tied for third, respectively, with 71 and 70 points. (Microsoft's Live OneCare, which will be discontinued June 30, tied Norton with 70.)
The commercial software reviewed by the consumer magazine ranged in price from $40 to $90, with second-year-and-later renewal fees between $40 and $70 annually.
But Consumer Reports's top honors went to a free three-pack of Avira's AntiVir antivirus program, Microsoft's Windows Defender antispyware software and the Spamfighter antispam program.
"These free programs offer the best combination of performance and price. All are recommended," said Consumer Reports in giving the trio its "CR Best Buy" for the category. "[They] could be combined to create a makeshift suite."
PC Tools' Internet Security, a $60 program, came in last of the 11 commercial programs with a score of 47 out of 100.
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The thing that concerns me a bit is the statement about the freebies offering "the best combination of performance and price." Hmmm, well there is no price, so does that mean that a mediocre defense system has been elevated to a good choice because the cost element is nil? Just curious. Some crazy rootkit got onto my system from somewhere (I pretty much just read news and visit ebay and yahoo), and it made Avira think that it was 2004. I finally reinstalled and then when it was done scanning, the program would report that there hadn't been a scan done in over 30 days. I next went to Avast; within minutes the software was deactivated and I could not get it to reactivate. I finally had to change hard drives. I guess I will need to do more research to see if pay-for-protection is stonger.