New antivirus programs

Hackers are constantly devising new ways to break into operating systems, and companies have to keep updating ways to stop them. The same goes for iPhones and Android smartphones. A survey by Security. It also found that people are increasingly more likely to pay for antivirus software the older they are and that most have been using it for years.

The dynamic has been observed in other parts of the technology world, such as people who continued to pay AOL for internet service even though they had other internet providers. McAfee, the once-ubiquitous Windows antivirus program, still has more than 20 million paying customers, a spokesperson said.

More than half of the revenue the antivirus company Malwarebytes made last year came from personal users, a spokesperson for the company said. The good news is that almost all of the tools everyone should be relying on to be more secure are free.

Hackers today are most likely to target regular people by trying to take over their personal accounts for email, social media or financial websites. That means using unique passphrases — several words together, which are easier to remember than a string of random characters — because the longer a password is, the harder it is for an automated program to guess.

People should also protect every important account with two-factor authentication. It feels like McAfee Antivirus has been around forever, first on its own in the '80s, then as part of Intel starting in , and then again on its own when Intel spun it off in And McAfee Total Protection has been around forever because quarter after quarter it creates solid, modern antivirus software that protects your PC. In recent evaluations by AV-Test, it had high scores on both protection and performance.

Maybe this antivirus provider is not as well known to consumers because of its focus on enterprise security, Trend Micro antivirus quietly brings its business expertise to the home with its Trend Micro Maximum Security tools. Trend Micro's software earns high marks from AV-Test -- consistently scoring well for detecting zero-day attacks and widespread viruses and malware.

And Trend Micro does a good job of not taxing system resources. Free version? It earns high scores for usability and offers solid virus protection. The free antivirus version of Sophos Home gives you virus protection for three Windows PCs -- using the company's high-scoring anti-malware tool -- plus a day trial of the company's malware-removal tool.

Test after test, Avast Antivirus for Windows performs well for malware detection with options ranging from Avast free antivirus software to Avast Premium Security. And we've included its antivirus in our list of recommended security app options before. But Avast was in the news for several months for its non-antivirus business, so we looked at the company, specifically reports at the end of that Avast allegedly collected user data with its browser plug-ins and antivirus software and then sold data it collected through its Jumpshot subsidiary in early In response to the reports that his company gathered and sold the details of its customers' online activities, Avast CEO Ondrej Vlcek said in a statement that he understood that his company's actions raised questions of trust in his company.

To address that, Avast terminated Jumpshot data collection in January and closed its operations because the data collection business wasn't in line with Avast's privacy priorities. These newer reports follow another in from Avast that its internal network was breached , possibly to insert malware into its CCleaner software, similar to an earlier CCleaner hack that occurred prior to Avast's acquiring the Windows utility.

Avast is now saying the right things about taking its customers' privacy seriously , but it only came to that point after reacting to investigative reporting that revealed the Jumpshot practices. The CCleaner revelations, while concerning, were self-disclosed, which is important to building user trust.

We hope Avast's more privacy-friendly policies mean that there will be no further Jumpshot-style activities and it returns to glory as one of the best antivirus software. In the meantime, we'd recommend using one of the many other solid choices in this realm listed above. Because the company has been in the news the past few years, let's talk about Kaspersky Lab -- specifically about the federal ban that blocks US government agencies from using Kaspersky Antivirus products.

Based in Moscow, Kaspersky Lab has for years produced some of the best antivirus software for business antivirus needs and home customers. But in the US government prohibited Kaspersky security cloud software on federal government computers because of alleged ties between Kaspersky and the Russian government. But as with China-based Huawei , the question remains: If the federal government doesn't think the products are safe enough for its own devices, should consumers avoid them as well?

In a statement sent to CNET, the company said, "Kaspersky Lab has no ties to any government, and the company has never, nor will ever, engage in cyber offensive activities. Kaspersky Lab maintains that no public evidence of any wrongdoing has been presented by the US government, and that the US government's actions against Kaspersky Lab were unconstitutional.

In Kaspersky's favor, it continues to earn top scores and awards for virus and malware detection and endpoint protection from independent testing labs. And it's reasonably priced. In the end, even though no one has ever publicly produced a "smoking gun" linking the company to Russian intrigue, we think any of the options listed above are a safer bet.

And if you are a US government employee or work with the federal government, you'll want to steer clear of Kaspersky internet security products -- and perhaps use one of the antivirus software products mentioned here instead.

Picking the best antivirus software for Windows means finding one that keeps your PC safe, doesn't take up a lot of system resources, is easy to use and stays out of the way till you need it. Here's what to look for. Antivirus software runs virus scans for known viruses and malware, of course, and can offer real-time protection. And it watches for shady websites and suspicious links to keep you out of trouble. It can also offer ransomware protection and monitor unexpected behavior that may be a sign of new and not-yet-identified viruses and malware.

You want antivirus software that can successfully identify these unknown online threats without flagging too many false positives. Light on system resources. You don't want antivirus software that taxes your PC's resources.

If after you install the program, websites open slowly, apps download or open sluggishly or file copies take longer than expected, you may want to try another service.

The good news is, all our picks offer a free trial to let you try out the antivirus program, so if your system feels sluggish after installation, you may want to keep looking. Cost and discounts. Don't just pay the sticker price for antivirus protection. Before you buy, check for discounts on a company's website. Another way to save: The prices we list above are for 10 devices -- if the company offered that package -- but you can trim your cost with antivirus packages if you need to cover three or five devices.

For most, Endpoint Protection is the most critical element. Powered by AI and based in the cloud, Endpoint Protection can help your business reduce attack surfaces, identify threats from community-sourced data and defend your data in the event a breach happens. Malwarebytes can protect as little as a single device and as many as devices. Those include real-time protection on desktop, ransomware and phishing protection and zero-day exploit detection.

If you have a larger team or need extra security, Malwarebytes has you covered. The premium package includes threat isolation and recovery, ransomware rollback and the ability to add server security. From protecting a few devices in a small office to defending dozens of devices from large attacks, Malwarebytes has something for everyone.

Who Should Use It: Malwarebytes offers a scalable platform that fits in the small office as well as it does in the sprawling enterprise. Norton is a household antivirus name, and for good reason. The business service provides the same excellent protection. That said, it loses a few points due to a limited feature set and high prices. Norton provides the convenience of a personal antivirus with the reach of a business one.

As a cloud-based service, you can easily manage your devices and protection without dedicated hardware. AVG sets itself apart with features such as Linkscanner, which checks links before you open them, and CyberCapture, which sends unrecognized files to AVG for analysis. Featured Partners 1. Holistic antivirus protection is important for business and personal use, but there are few areas that are more important for businesses. Browser and email protection are two of the main precautions.

According to the cybersecurity firm Proofpoint, phishing schemes are a rampant issue in the business community, and email is a top attack vector. An antivirus service can help identify malicious emails and links, which already deals with a significant issue businesses face. Ransomware protection is very important for businesses, too.

An attack can lock you out of your key business resources and cost you a significant amount of money. Personal threats are widespread—the goal of cyberwarfare is to infect as many people as possible. Business threats are often targeted, using tactics like phishing to gain access to business networks and resources in a directed way. Forbes Advisor closely analyzed the top antivirus services to bring you this ranking.

First, we gathered hundreds of data points on the top products from the top antivirus companies. The dataset was divided into the key features for an antivirus service: price, customer support, user experience, app ratings, and core features.

With the key features set apart, we weighted the results and assigned each of the features a score. The combination of these scores is what you see in the five-star rating above. Although we looked at everything from support to ransomware protection, there were a few key areas that took precedence in our ranking.

The first was the price. Outside of that, we paid attention to features and extra protection measures. Windows 10 comes with Windows Defender, which is a free antivirus service. If you have highly sensitive data, an antivirus program can serve as an insurance policy if nothing else. Between browser security and Windows Defender a built-in antivirus in Windows 10 , you can keep yourself protected by following good security practices like avoiding suspicious links and using unique passwords across websites.

That said, a dedicated antivirus program has upsides. Antivirus providers have business plans that can help keep company resources protected from ransomware attacks and employees from phishing schemes. Jacob Roach is a writer and technology enthusiast.

He specializes in computing and small business software, lending his experience to sites like Digital Trends, Business Insider, and Cloudwards. You can follow him on Twitter ManowarElves.

In that role, he was responsible for writing, editing, and strategizing content geared toward small business owners. Before that, he worked at PCMag as a business analyst. Select Region. United States. United Kingdom. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Jacob Roach, Rob Watts.