Stay with ESET or trade-up?

[jeffw_00]

Hi - We've been using ESET Anti-Virus for many years (as originally recommended to us by Scot!) Kids are grown, PCs are used for work and light browsing. Our ESET A/V is up for renewal, and path of least resistance is to renew. But I checked the AV Comparatives report and, while ESET is still in the top 5, Kapersky and BitDefender appeared to perform significant better in a few areas. (Although ESET still was the "lightest" client in terms of impact on CPU resource, which I really like).

 

I'm posting for a sense of perspective, and an understanding of how much of a commodity these things have become. For my mundane pursuits, today I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a $50 video card and a $200 one (the cheaper one will do all I need). Have A/Vs gotten the same way? I.e.., unless I'm regularly browsing in risky areas, will any of the top 5 (or top 10) do all that I need? Are the AV Comparative tests much tougher than normal real life in order to discern differences?

 

Thanks in advance for your comments

/j

 

(PS - we also run Spybot and use a hosts file).

[goretsky]

Hello,

 

I would suggest looking at reports from more than one source, such as AV-Test, Dennis Technology Labs, ICSA Labs and Virus Bulletin, to name a few. All of them have been around for many years, and if you look through a year or two's worth of reports you'll probably have a better idea of how your protection is doing, anti-malware wise. Relying on just one reporter and/or looking at just the last report is not likely to give good, measurable results.

 

By the way, regardless of what you choose, be sure to look around online at pricing. I think NewEgg (or maybe it was Fry's) had one year, one PC ESET NOD32 Antivirus licenses for $12.99 a few days ago. Even if that's expired now, perhaps you'll find a good price on the next product you choose over there.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

[Guest LilBambi]

ESET NOD32 is still my go to pay to play antivirus of choice. It has been for many years. They do not rest on their laurels.

[zlim]

I generally run a free AV, MS Security Essentials, but I pay for the Pro version of Malwarebytes. Currently we have 4 licenses. The other less used computers run the free version. As I retire a computer, I remove the program and move the license to a newer computer.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Aryeh is biased.

 

Personally, I use MS Essentials, MBAM, and Ccleaner to keep my Win installations running safely and securely. However, I do NOT use my Win installations for anything other than gaming (XP) and basic familiarization (7), so they do not get the use that a production OS would. That all being said... were I to actually invest in a good quality AV, I would without hesitation choose NOD32 from ESET. By the way, I'm not an employee or paid spokesperson for that company/product. I just know from research I've done over the years that NOD32 is well worth the $$$.

[Corrine]

Aryeh is biased.

 

He has every right to be, although no bias was shown in his comments.

 

Personally, I love ESET. Testing is thorough and detection is excellent. In addition, ESET has many custom tools available to help both customers as well as users of other A/V products freely available. An excellent example is the ZeroAccess removal tool (How do I remove Sirefef (ZeroAccess) trojan? - ESET Knowledgebase). Besides help from customer service, ESET has moved beyond the forum at Wilders to a dedicated ESET forum at ESET Security Forum.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

I said it with a wink.

[JerryM]

ESET has always been a very good AV. However, it has slipped in latest AV-Comparatives Whole Product Tests. It also did not show good results in the

MRG Effitas Online Banking / Browser Security Assessment Project Q2 201. http://www.mrg-effitas.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/MRG-Effitas-Online-Banking-Browser-Security-Assessment-Project-Q2-20132.pdf

Although I do not routinely use my laptop and unsecured WiFi, there have been times when I was away from home and had to conduct a financiel transaction using unsecured WiFi. As far as I can determine Bit Defender is the only AV that secures in that case. That may not be of importance.

Regards,

Jerry

[jeffw_00]

Thanks for all the comments everyone, and with the last one we have come full circle 8-}

 

I know that ESET has fallen from the top of the rankings. My question was really "is the difference between #1 and #5 (or even #10) going to be discernable to the average user - or have they all gotten so good that the test cases used by the test places to discern differences unduly rigorous?"

 

Thanks!

/j

Edited September 25, 2013 by jeffw_00

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Bottom line:

 

No matter the AV and other anti-malware, cleaner apps installed and used regularly in MS WIndows, there's always the possibility of something UGLY slipping in. My primary choice for AV protection --> Linux.

[jeffw_00]

ummm, thanks for that, umm informative? answer.... 8-} Unfortunately, my wife is a Tax CPA and her applications run only on Windows.

[Corrine]

Eric has a point. Certainly there is a possibility regardless of the A/V a person uses that something can slip in or the A/V will have a disastrous false/positive. However, there is more to protecting your computer than a good A/V and firewall. Running an updated operating system with all security updates installed in part of the solution. The other parts include keeping third-party software such as Adobe products, Oracle Java, Real Player, etc. updated. Users of P2P programs are also much more susceptible to infection.

 

I didn't have an Internet connection at home until about 14 years ago. However, none of my computers have ever been infected.

[ross549]

Sensibility is the key to keeping your systems from being infected. Keeping Java properly patched, Flash up to date, using something other than IE as the primary browser, and keeping Windows up to date will go a long way towards keeping your system clean.

 

Another key factor is backups. Backup backup BACKUP! If you system is hosed due to something coming in through your defenses, it will not matter if your defenses were any good. Keep that system backed up regularly. There are several options for backing up your critical data online, and you can set up pre-internet encryption to keep your data safe from prying eyes.

 

Adam

[V.T. Eric Layton]

ummm, thanks for that, umm informative? answer.... 8-} Unfortunately, my wife is a Tax CPA and her applications run only on Windows.

 

I was just teasing a bit, Jeff. I wasn't seriously recommending Linux to you as a means of hardening your systems. I know that Linux is not for everyone. For many business and personal systems, Windows is a necessity.

 

I have not used MS Windows in a main OS/production setting since 2006. However, like Corrine, in the years prior to that and since I've never had any sort of virus infection or malware infestation either. *knocking wood*

[jeffw_00]

Hi - Thanks for the topics on good system maintenance. I'm aware of this, and keep my systems (which I built, installed O/S, and maintain myself) well-maintained, clean, and up-to-date. Nothing gets installed except what I install, and I always check stuff out first. I also do full image backups every week, and differentials AND incrementals every evening. I also use off-site storage.

 

My question, though, 8-}, was "is the difference between #1 and #5 (or even #10) going to be discernable to the average user - or have they all gotten so good that the test cases used by the test places to discern differences unduly rigorous?"

 

Thanks!

Edited September 26, 2013 by jeffw_00

[V.T. Eric Layton]

MS went back to Windows Defender? What the heck is that all about?

[V.T. Eric Layton]

I removed Win Def from my XP installation when I installed MS Essentials a couple years back. Of course, my Win 7 came with MS Essentials out of the box. I always recommend MS Essentials, and often install it, for my computer repair clients. If they prefer to pay for a service, as some do because they think they're getting better quality that way, I recommend NOD32.

[Guest LilBambi]

Having a full security approach is best.

 

Having a good AV is only one piece of the security puzzle.

 

Having a second opinion is very important. For me that is first and foremost Malwarebytes Antimalware.

 

Having a good cleaner application to clean -- temp folders, and Temporary Internet Files (TIF) at the very least -- daily after the browser is closed each day, before weekly scans, and if something feels wrong.

 

Running a modern upgradeable operating system and keep the operating system updated.

 

Keeping ALL internet facing programs, browsers, plugins, extensions updated.

 

Having and using a good imaging program so you can go back to a known good version of the system if things still manage to slip in even if you only go to legitimate sites. Count on it, it can happen to anyone.

 

Doing nightly backups to an external hard drive so you can restore data as necessary.

[Guest LilBambi]

AND don't forget that sometimes we are our own worst enemy.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Backups? HAHAHA! Yeah... right.

[Guest LilBambi]

Yeah, I know, it's one of the least done things and the most needed.

[jeffw_00]

Hi - the OP here - sorry to interrupt the 'titan battle" 8-}. I actually do everything on LilBambi's list, including nightly incrementals & differentials, and weekly images, all stored on different machines from where they're made (and all automated - thanks to the power of Perl).

 

I really like this forum, and have been a member for over a decade (and live within a couple of miles of Scot), so I'm hoping that at some point, someone might answer my original question. 8-}

 

My question was "is the difference between #1 and #5 (or even #10) going to be discernable to the average user - or have they all gotten so good that the test cases used by the test places to discern differences are unduly rigorous?"

 

Thanks!

/j

Edited September 30, 2013 by jeffw_00

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Jeff, we've beat around your question for a while now. Personally, I have not answered it directly because I just don't know the answer. Probably the only one here qualified to answer this for you would be Scot or Aryeh.

[Guest LilBambi]

No one can have that answer really. The articles listing the best ones are all subjective and contradict each other.

 

The real answer is your own choice. It's always been 98% your own choice among the best out there.

 

Comparison of antivirus software - Wikipedia

[zlim]

my Win 7 came with MS Essentials out of the box.

Eric, are you sure about that? Check the Control Panel and you will see Windows Defender. We have 3 Windows 7 computers currently in the house.

I disabled Defender because it can't be removed and installed MS Security Essentials.

 

Windows Defender - The free anti-spyware by Microsoft is shipped in Windows 7. This program is usually compatible with other programs. Make sure that Windows Defender is enabled, if you have not install anti-virus that will also scan for spyware.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Oops! I may be wrong about that, Liz. On further thought, I seem to remember having to remove Win Defender from Win 7 in order to install MS Security Essentials. Also, my XP came with NOTHING, of course. It's running MS Security Essentials now, though.

[ross549]

FWIW,

 

I am working on a new WIn 7 instal. Windows defender is installed, but I installed Security Essentials, and Windows defender is turned off. I have not launched the program since I got the machine, and it says it is turned off.

 

Adam

[Corrine]

That is correct. Installing Microsoft Security Essentials disables Windows Defender on Windows 7 and below because the anti-spyware engine of Defender is included in MSE.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

It counts for a lot, Adam. I proves that I have a carpy memory.

[zlim]

Wait Eric, sadly it gets worse. :'( I swear when I turned 60 (several years ago) half my brain decided to go on permanent holiday. I now write notes about everything. Between my husband and I, on a good day, we have a fully functioning brain.