Which is the best antivirus software?

[anand]

To be honest, with WIndows 7, you don' t really need an Anti-virus program. Just make sure you you don't click on random ads and pop-ups and you should be good. Ohh, and don't visit porn sites. Be smart and use torrents instead :p

True, but not everyone, especially those who are new, are highly prone to clicking pop-ups and ads that look attractive and using fake antivirus programs. Then what about the risk of your PC getting infected with usb flash drives and portable hard disks? I had once got infected and that virus hid all the contents of the USB flash drive. It was a pain getting rid of the virus and unhiding everything using DOS commands.

[Dark69Slayer]

Have tried out alot of AVs. Been using Kaspersky Internet Security for past three years.
And Avast on Mobile. I tried McAfee too(Android) but some license issues after installing new ROM.
If anyone is buying a security software I suggest KIS or Eset

[cyberjunkie]

Have hardly ever used an antivirus, post 2000 or so. Am pretty careful while browsing and while accessing flash drives. No AV on the phone either.

[ander]

People of Tech2, Y U NO use these?:
http://www.av-comparatives.org/en/comparativesreviews (Click the links at the left side)
http://www.av-test.org/en/tests/test-reports/
http://www.virusbtn.com/vb100/archive/test?recent=1

Anyway, I've been using ESET Smart Security for about two years, and I can tell you that it kicks ass. Best interface (IMO), low performance hit, fast scans, high detection rates.

And yeah, you can usually stay safe just by being careful, but I still think a decent anti-virus program would help a lot. You never know when a zero-day attack's going to hit you. At the very least, I think people should use Windows Defender.

[sid_hooda]

^ Agreed, ESET is the best and i love their on-demand scanner.

Using KAV right now though (since i bought it unfortunately). Its alright but getting very slow and unwieldy. Also, it takes forever to update its definitions

[Dark69Slayer]

Even I have noticed that KIS being slow and hogging resources..... Hope it doesn't become like Norton.

[Dark69Slayer]

I have experienced the lag with KIS too
Don't you guys use any AV for your smart phones? I use it just for the Anti Theft part mainly. And remote data wipe.
Sorry abut the double post. I am using mobile.

[avtar2008]

Using KAV for last 2 years.Never faced any slow down or resource hogging. only problem is its update policy. Download update at a (very) slow speed.

[hatZim]

People of Tech2, Y U NO use these?:
http://www.av-comparatives.org/en/comparativesreviews (Click the links at the left side)
http://www.av-test.org/en/tests/test-reports/
http://www.virusbtn.com/vb100/archive/test?recent=1

Anyway, I've been using ESET Smart Security for about two years, and I can tell you that it kicks ass. Best interface (IMO), low performance hit, fast scans, high detection rates.

And yeah, you can usually stay safe just by being careful, but I still think a decent anti-virus program would help a lot. You never know when a zero-day attack's going to hit you. At the very least, I think people should use Windows Defender.

I agree, we should be using these more often.

Did use ESET for a while and used to find it one of the lightest on system memory. Don't use it anymore though...

In fact, I too haven't actively used an AV for close to a decade, and have been largely trouble free. Follow simple rules on the web and you should largely be OK.

[anand]

I have used ESET and it's great, but now I've switched to the free version of Avast and it's doing its job well. I don't use an AV on my Android phone, but yes, the remote data wipe tool is one of the most important features to protect your privacy.