What Security Software do you Recommend?

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Summary: I have recommendations for specific products in various places on the site. Here's a short single page summary.

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As you might imagine, I get these questions in various forms all the time. As a result, I do have recommendations in various articles all over Ask Leo!.

Here's the short version that sums it all up.

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All-In-One Solutions

I need to start by disrecommending those all-in-one solutions. By that I mean a single program or "security suite" that claim to do it all: firewall, anti-spyware, anti-virus and often much more all in package. What I see in reports and questions coming in to Ask Leo! is simply this: these types of suites typically have or cause more problems than other alternatives.

My theory is this: most of these suites started as or are built around what was once a company's flagship product; perhaps an anti-virus tool, anti-spyware tool or firewall. That particular product may in fact be quite good. The problem is that in order to create a suite the company creates or procures products to fill in that aren't anywhere near the same level of quality. In a race to fill in feature checkboxes to compare favorably with the competition, the second rate tools are often added in, and the integration of the "package" as a whole is often even worse.

You want top quality in all corners, and there's certainly no requirement that the various solutions all come from the same place.

Anti-Virus

I have three recommendations.

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is a recent rising star in the anti-malware world. Calling itself anti-malware, it straddles the line somewhat between anti-virus and anti-spyware, but it a solid solution that has garnered a reputation for eradicating malware that other tools cannot.

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware comes in two versions: free and pay. The free version is a fully functional stand-alone manual scanner. The paid version adds realtime scanning, and scheduled scanning and scheduled updates.

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is, coincidentally, what's running on my machine as I update this article.

AVG Free and Avira Free are two free solutions that I've come to recommend. I ran AVG for some time on my primary machine, and Avira is currently protecting my wife's laptop.

I have two concerns with both:

1. When you visit their site and download the program, they both try really, really had to up-sell you to the paid versions. Be persistent, be careful, and make sure you get the free version - it's the free version that I'm recommending here.

2. AVG Free includes a feature called "LinkScanner" that attempts to check links on the pages of the sites you visit for phishing and other malware. I've experienced and also had several reports of this feature seriously impacting browser performance. I recommend turning it off immediately. In fact, I recommend turning off any browser intrusive or email intrusive features on any anti-malware program at the first sign of problems.

Anti-Spyware

I continue to use and recommend Microsoft Defender, which is a free download, or may already be included in your version of Windows.

Defender runs quietly in the background and is updated regularly by Microsoft through Windows Update. When Microsoft purchased it some years ago, it was hailed as a particularly effective anti-spyware solution.

I'll also throw out Spybot Search and Destroy as a worthy alternative with a long proven track record, also free.

Firewall

For home/business use I recommend the use of any good NAT router as a firewall. They don't have to be expensive at all, and are one of the simplest approaches to keeping your computer safe from network-based threats. If all the computers on the local network side of the firewall can be trusted, then no additional software firewall is called for.

When traveling, I recommend simply turning on the built-in Windows Firewall.

I understand that some people feel strongly that an additional software firewall is still called for in certain circumstances, but in my opinion those circumstances are infrequent. I do not have a specific product to recommend, as all of the current software firewalls seem to cause issues, sometimes serious, from time to time.

What Else?

I strongly recommend you backup, regularly. In fact I can't stress this enough. 99% of the disasters I hear about could be completely avoided simply by having up to date backups. Acronis TrueImage is the backup software I use and recommend.

Keep your computer up to date. That means turning on Windows Update or making sure to visit the Windows Update web site religiously. The vast majority of computer infections we hear about are due to the operating system simply not being kept up to date with the latest available patches.

And finally, Internet Safety: How do I keep my computer safe on the internet? has even more tips for keeping your computer safe.

(This is an update to an article originally published September 30, 2008.)

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• Internet Safety: How do I keep my computer safe on the internet? Internet Safety is difficult and yet critical. Here are the seven key steps to internet safety - steps to keep your computer safe on the internet.

• Viruses: How do I keep myself safe from Viruses? Computer viruses are a fact of modern connected life. Anti-virus software is required, and both it and the database it uses should be kept up-to-date.

• Do I need a firewall, and if so, what kind? Firewalls are a critical component of keeping your machine safe on the internet. There are two basic types, but which is right for you?

• Spyware: How do I remove and avoid spyware? There are some important steps to take to deal with the ever-present concern of how to remove and avoid spyware.

Article C3517 - October 2, 2009