Data breaches are happening every day. The numbers are increasing exponentially. Personal information like Social Security numbers, bank details, and credit card numbers is at tremendous risk. Such leaked data can be found on the dark web. Such information, if obtained by hackers, has the potential to ruin your financial life as well as all your details. s.
Books, movies, information, and software are readily available on the internet in today’s era. Almost a huge percentage of information is publicly available. Millions of sites are available on the internet for different purposes. We need to specify whether we can get this information through this website. Out of millions, thousands are sites that contain viruses, malware, etc. While downloading files, we might be downloading viruses along with them. Also, to avoid substantial subscription charges for premium software, we download pirated software infected with malware and viruses. Such viruses infect our computers, and we might suffer huge file losses, including important information. Moreover, such malicious code may make the computer slow too.
To protect against such threats, we need antivirus software installed on our system. But selecting antivirus software is another nightmare. Sometimes, hackers make viruses that remain undetected by some antivirus software. While selecting antivirus software, we must ensure that the software is frequently updated with new threats, codes, etc. Also, some antivirus software requires more RAM and a faster processor, which significantly drops our system’s performance.
This article lists the best antivirus software that will protect your system without harming your computer.
Avast Antivirus
It is one of the oldest antivirus programs on the market. More than 500 million users have used this antivirus till now 8. This antivirus has an easy user interface and provides you with unique features for free. The remarkable thing about Avast antivirus is that it takes less RAM than others. Avast has won the best free antivirus award too.
You can have a network security scanner and web browser security features with it. It does not have a disturbing mode, which blocks annoying popups and ads to improve your viewing experience.
Norton 360
It is one of the most feature-packed antiviruses. It has excellent real-time protection and 100% protection from viruses and malware. The Norton 360 antivirus comes with a VPN, a perfect add-on.
Not only that but Norton 360 offers a pretty good mobile application and also protects from unauthorized webcam access. One thing about this antivirus that I do not like is that it has no free version and is also definitely not cheap.
Kaspersky antivirus
Single PCs and large tech companies widely use the most popular antivirus in the software market. This is Russian-made software. It is the oldest and most secure antivirus on the market. This antivirus software has both free and upgradeable subscriptions.
Other features you get with antivirus are a password manager, a VPN, etc. VPN is limited to 300 MB per day.
Bit defender
Although this antivirus offers some of the best features, it is cheaper than its competitors. It is also much easier to use because of its simple user interface. Along with constant scanning and monitoring of your PC for malicious files, Bit Defender also provides additional features like a password manager, secure browsing, webcam and microphone protection, and many others. Note that the cloud-based virus scanning engine won’t slow down your device even a little bit, which is a massive plus for Bit Defender.
Avira
With a large user base of 500 million worldwide users, this antivirus is undoubtedly one of the best. The impressive thing about this antivirus is that its free version is considered the best among its alternatives. The installation of this antivirus is straightforward, and it has a low load on the device. Other than real-time protection from viruses and malicious items, Avira offers excellent features like a password manager, VPN, safe shopping, and more.
Mcfee
McAfee provides perfect real-time virus and malware protection. This antivirus has many unique features like Wi-Fi network protection, VPN, and an anti-phishing browser extension, which helps in protecting users from various phishing attacks. The only drawback of this antivirus might be that it slightly slows down your device whenever you do a full scan. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you should try this antivirus without a second thought.
The antivirus mentioned above has a premium subscription for all premium features. You can use their free version too. If you can’t afford to pay for antivirus software separately, then Microsoft Defender is the best antivirus you will ever need in most cases. It is a great antivirus that protects from viruses as other antivirus software does. Microsoft releases updates regularly, which aid in the protection of the immune system against new viruses, malware, and other threats. Microsoft does not offer internet browser security like others. Microsoft is also planning to launch its own PC manager app which will help in removing unnecessary files from Windows.
Using antivirus software helps to secure your system as much as possible. But for some malware, antivirus software may be unknown. Even if antivirus software provides maximum security, we should always avoid downloading pirated applications, music, books, movies, etc. Antivirus also protects you from phishing, but it might fail in some cases too.
Using antivirus software will indeed protect your computer from threats. But your personal information may be leaked while surfing. To secure more privacy, you can use a VPN.
Quick Note: Remember to update your Windows regularly to protect your system.