I got this from this months "Windows Secrets" a tech news report. This is the best and newest anti-virus test and results .
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Five antivirus programs ace the PC-defense test
By Mark Joseph Edwards
Avira Antivir and four commercial programs come out on top in tests of 37 antivirus packages.
The big surprise: only one widely known brand made the list of the best protectors.
Putting antivirus solutions to the test
In my Apr. 14 column, I wrote about the best and worst firewalls. Afterward, I received a few e-mails asking which is the best antivirus program, a subject of more-than-moderate debate among computer users.
A number of groups routinely test antivirus software to gauge how well the programs protect PCs from infection. While their respective results vary only slightly over time, some programs repeat regularly as top contenders in terms of their ability to detect viruses.
One source I rely on for antivirus test results is the Virus Bulletin, a paid publication specializing in malware technology and trends. The publication is worth every penny of its $175-per-year price. After all, it'll probably cost you far more than $175 if one of your vital systems is destroyed by malware.
Virus Bulletin's April 2008 edition tested 37 antivirus solutions. The tests were run on Windows Vista PCs and included a list of viruses known to be circulating in the wilds of the Internet as of January 2008: worms, bots, polymorphic viruses, file infector viruses, and even legacy virus strains.
Five products notched perfect 100% detection rates (prices include one year of virus-signature updates): Avira Antivir Personal (free for noncommercial use), ESET NOD32 ($40), Fortinet FortiClient ($2
, Frisk FPROT Antivirus ($29 for up to five PCs), and Symantec Norton Antivirus ($40).
Several other antivirus programs achieved near-perfect scores of 98% or 99%, including some of the usual suspects:
• McAfee Antivirus Enterprise
• Microsoft's Forefront Security Client and Windows Live OneCare
• Webroot Spysweeper
• Bitdefender Antivirus 2008
• CA eTrust Antivirus and CA Internet Security
• Check Point ZoneAlarm
• Kaspersky Antivirus
• MWTI eScan Internet Security
• Redstone Redprotect
• Sophos Anti-virus
• Bullguard
The detection ability of antivirus software is directly related to two factors: signature-update turnaround time and heuristic detection. New viruses appear regularly, and whenever a new strain hits the Internet, any number of variants are sure to follow.
The sheer volume of viruses puts a tremendous burden on antivirus companies as they strive to keep their signature databases as current as possible, as quickly as possible. The vendors also rely on heuristics to detect viruses based on the miscreants' characteristics rather than by adding the specific signatures of the new viruses to the products' databases.
If you want the absolute best antivirus protection available, choose one of the top five virus fighters listed above.