Inexpensive Internet Security Software

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Stephen L Smith

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Does anyone know of inexpensive (or free) Internet Security Software that has a good reputation - ideally one that also cleans system junk from the computer.

I use Avast free anti virus softward but was wondering if there were better options.

Thank you.
 
I have really liked Malwarebytes. My best friend is an IT professional, and that’s the one he recommends hands-down. Their free edition is good, but their premium service is only $40 for an entire year ($3.33 per month; whatever that means in NZ). Very reasonable.
 
Hmmm... I actually avoid them all. My experience is they usually bog down my computer. I learned to avoid sites that would give me a virus: free software, free games, etc and I no longer click on sponsored ads/"news stories" on news sites (fox news, breitbart, etc can give you a virus). If I have any problems, "system restore" usually does the trick. Worst case scenario, restore or wipe the computer (backup your docs first). I haven't had a virus in many years.
 
Hmmm... I actually avoid them all. My experience is they usually bog down my computer. I learned to avoid sites that would give me a virus: free software, free games, etc and I no longer click on sponsored ads/"news stories" on news sites (fox news, breitbart, etc can give you a virus). If I have any problems, "system restore" usually does the trick. Worst case scenario, restore or wipe the computer (backup your docs first). I haven't had a virus in many years.

This might be true for some totally free programs, and even many paid ones (e.g., Norton), but there are programs that are entirely legit and used by actual professionals (like my friend I mentioned above). I can say about Malwarebytes that it takes absolutely no performance hit in my computer, even when it’s scanning in the background. In fact, I forget it’s even there until it gives me the daily report (and, yes, it has actually stopped malware several times).

The biggest reason I got Malwarebytes is because of ransomeware. Granted, as long as you’re not going to any suspicious sites, or opening links in emails from unknown senders, you should be fine. However, every now and then you might click on a harmless looking Google search result that is “infected.” This is when Malwarebytes has stopped me and been like, “Nope.”
 
I had the same experience with Norton that it made my computer run much slower. Kaspersky on the other hand is quite effective and does not slow down the computer. It is run out of Russia though, so if you have anything on your computer that you don't want the FSB to read I wouldn't recommend it.
 
Kaspersky on the other hand is quite effective and does not slow down the computer.
I ran Kaspersky for several years on my Mac, but recently discovered it was significantly affecting both my performance and stability in a number of areas. I became suspicious for various reasons, and when I removed the program all of the issues immediately resolved. I then confirmed via some tech chatrooms that others had the same experience. Kaspersky's own site confirmed they were aware of the problems and were working on a fix. That was six months ago, and I had kept up with all of their updates. After some research I decided to go with BitDefender for Mac, and so far I have not experienced any problems or performance issues. Upon running my first full system scan with BitDefender it detected a number of infected files that Kaspersky was obviously missing.
 
I use the built in Windows anti-virus for day to day use - seems to be the lowest impact from a resource standpoint. Of course, it does nothing to help with the Cortana virus.

On an periodic and as-needed basis, I use Malwarbytes and Spybot S&D.

Add in avoiding links in untrustworthy emails and staying away from p0rn sites and clickbait.

And finally, avoid any 'protection' from McAfee or Norton. They can be worse than a virus.
 
I let McAfee expire on my new laptop (bought for when my ten year old workhorse dies) and it bugs me often and frequently whenever it is on to renew. Does anyone now much about PCmatic? They advertised heavily when I used to watch Fox. My old laptop is Windows 7 and no longer updateable. So I don't plan to install any new protection on it. As with others, Norton, McAfee just slowed it to a crawl.
 
My understanding is that with Windows 10, Windows Defender (which is enabled by default) does a pretty good job. Lots of security folks say it should work just fine for most people. You might check the settings to ensure it's fully enabled.
 
I use BitDefender and don't seem to have any slowdown. I am a gamer as well, so in theory I should be more sensitive to performance issues. However, as the previous poster stated, the Windows default is actually pretty good as well. However, this assumes you have a Windows machine.
 
If anyone has any feedback on PCmatic I would like to know if it works okay. I nearly got it but then something turned me off but I forget what it was (maybe insisting on a charge card for a free trial; I hate that).
 
I let McAfee expire on my new laptop (bought for when my ten year old workhorse dies) and it bugs me often and frequently whenever it is on to renew. Does anyone now much about PCmatic? They advertised heavily when I used to watch Fox. My old laptop is Windows 7 and no longer updateable. So I don't plan to install any new protection on it. As with others, Norton, McAfee just slowed it to a crawl.

I've had that same issue with McAfee, constantly bugging me about renewal. I've tried removing it from the computer, but it is resilient to my attempts.
 
Here are some sites that test the various commercial offerings:


I've seen the various software providers change rank frequently so look for trends over time.

Personally we use Norton and Malware Bytes. Norton has sped up quite a bit from the hog it used to be in my opinion. However, it seems every time I glance at these reports, ESET tends to do well.
 
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