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.

As you might imagine, I get these questions all the time. As a result, I do have recommendations in various articles on the site.

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

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All-In-One Solutions

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

My theory on these types of packages is this: most are built around 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 significantly lower quality products to fill in.

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 two recommendations.

CA Anti-Virus I've been using Computer Associates anti-virus software for perhaps a decade or more. It was the corporate solution within Microsoft when I worked there, and I figured that was as good a recommendation as any. I've rarely had an issue, and continue to run it on most of my machines.

CA Anti-Virus is not free, but it is solid and well supported.

AVG Free In response to requests for a free anti-virus solution I've come to recommend the free version of AVG. I'm currently running it on both my primary desktop machine (Windows XP) as well as my laptop (Windows Vista).

I have two concerns with AVG:

1. When you visit their site and download the program, AVG tries really, really had to up-sell you to the paid version, and their all-in-one suite. You already know how I feel about suites, and 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.

Because of the problems caused by Linkscanner, a number of people have sought out an alternative free solution, as a result I have heard good things about AVast, but I have not tried it myself.

Anti-Spyware

I currently use and recommend Microsoft Defender, which is a free download.

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 have heard some rumblings that Defender might be starting to lag behind other anti-spyware solutions. I still recommend it, but will also throw out Spybot Search and Destroy as a worthy alternative, also free.

Firewall

For home/business use I recommend the use of any good NAT router as a firewall. 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 from time to time.

What Else?

I recommend you backup, regularly. 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.

Related:

• 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 12721 | Posted September 30, 2008