AV-Comparatives: Latest Real-World Protection Tests

Let's see... avast ranked 15th, which in and of itself appears lousy... but its protection rate was 97%, which I believe is impressive.   In other words, the top 15 programs all scored with 3% of each other.   Put another way, for most of these, the difference in protection may be "splitting hairs", and users are probably "reasonably" protected by any of them (excluding McAfee and Trend, by virtue of their massive F/P detections).

On the other hand, Microsoft's security program --- which was considered a "baseline" for these tests --- only protected against a dismal 89% of malware.   So, with all due respect to those who use/advocate it, I have to wonder if it currently "stacks up" to the other programs? --- at least, in terms of this one test, it doesn't.

I agree with most of your points, ky331.

I think that the AV solution that works best in one's own environment is the one to use. For many, this might well be MSE, by virtue of its simplicity. (I still use it on one of my systems, but only supplemented by MBAM Premium, which I suspect takes up the slack in providing real-time protection against threats not blocked by MSE. My understanding is that viruses are no longer the major threat, as compared to other malware).

I'm not sure I would qualify this summary as "in terms of this one test". These tests took place over 4 months, involved 4,000 malicious URLs, and 2,000 clean domains and files. The differences might reach statistical significance, but like you I wonder if they reach practical significance.

Nothing in this report persuades me that paid AV products evaluated provide better protection against malware.

Perhaps this should be a separate thread...

but LifeHacker came out with a review/discussion of the 5 "best" anti-virus programs (based on nominations from their readers):  http://lifehacker.com/five-best-desktop-antivirus-applications-1607557993 

Their current top pick is avast http://lifehacker.com/5865356/the-best-antivirus-app-for-windows ; and they explain that thier "former favorite, Microsoft Security Essentials (also known as Windows Defender in Windows 8), has been tanking in antivirus tests left and right over the past few months..."

This topic probably does deserve its own thread., but I will respond here.

I'm not sure that polls are a good source to guide folks to the AV that is best for them. The largest poll of course is market share, and OPSWAT currently reports that MSE still has the highest share world-wide.  (More on MSE to follow).

I could just as easily point to the latest Wilder's 6-month poll where Nod32 (an excellent paid AV) lead the pack by a 50% margin. I used Nod32 for years on my work-related computer. I always thought it marginally better than the free AVs to protect sensitive professional data.

As you know, I have used avast! extensively in the past, and continue to recommend it as a good free AV. It never let me down in the years I used it on my home systems.

At the same time, I cannot help but notice how well Panda Cloud Free AV fares against most competitors (including Avast! Free), in multiple recent tests on several platforms.

AV-Test, Win 8.1, March-April 2014:
Panda 99-100% blocking of  138 0-day malware samples
Avast! 94-96% blocking of the same samples.

AV-Test, Win 7, Jan-Feb 2014:
Panda 96-100% of 151  0-day malware samples
Avast! 90-97%

AV-Test, Win 8.1, Nov-Dec 2013:
Panda 98-100% of 110 0-day malware samples
Avast! 85-95%

AV-Comparatives Real-World tests, Win 7, Mar-June 2014:
Panda 99.9% of 4,000 malware samples
Avast! 97.0%

AV-C File Detection Test, Win 7,  Mar 2014:
Panda 99.3% of 125,000 malware files, with only 1 false positive
Avast! 97.7%, with 95 FPs

AV-Comparatives Real-World tests, Win 7, Aug-Nov 2013:
Panda 99.8% of  1821 samples
Avast! 98.7%

AV-C File Detection Test, Win 7,  Sept 2013:
Panda 99.6% of  129,000 malware samples, with 20 FPs
Avast!   96.5%, with 10 FPs

AV-C Anti-Phishing Test, Win 7, July 2013:
Panda blocked 94% of 187 phishing URLs
Avast! blocked 82%

I have never chosen an AV based on these website tests alone, but I think you will agree that Panda has proved its mettle in blocking/detecting malware consistently over the past year.  I'm not convinced that the few percentage points that Panda has over avast! in all these tests amount to much extra protection, particularly when using layered security. But the pattern/trend is consistent over time. I leave it to others to decide if the differences are significant.

I switched to Panda Cloud AV Free for its simplicity (particularly the lack of need to keep downloading signature updates) and its ease of use. I am surprised that Lifehackers did not include it in its nominations, but these polls tend to be dominated by fanboys of various AVs. 

Now, back to MSE. As you know, I follow the testing websites closely, and MSE "out of the box" has indeed fared relatively poorly over the past year. I'm not sure I agree with the statement  that "it has tanked" when it still provides about 89% protection. Granted, not the best, but still respectable. More importantly, it has virtually a zero rate of false postive detections, better than any other AV extant. In practice, it has never failed me. But I would add that I always supplemented it with MBAM's real-time protection, which I believe is a prudent precaution for anyone choosing to use MSE. That said, I would note that MBAM has never indicated that it blocked anything in all the years I have used it.

There are independent lab tests, there are polls, and there is user experience. I know which of these to trust most.

Let's face it:   much of an anti-virus is based on familiarity and one's comfort level.   People tend to stick with what they know.

I continue to use and recommend both Avast and Panda Cloud.   I really enjoy the tweaking control I have over avast... but continue to be annoyed by its bloat (e.g. GrimeFighter) and its excessive pushing of Chrome.   Ironically, I have significantly more trouble with Avast on my Win7 system than I do on my XP!   Go figure.   So I have growing reservations about avast... but I don't see switching.

I have gained much more familiarity with Panda... and IF I were to switch from Avast, that would likely be my choice... especially since I recently upgraded my home internet service, so that Cloud-based protection/communication wouldn't be an issue.

And yes, while it seems even Microsoft no longer claims that Security Essentials (Defender on Win8) is top-of-the-line, I would concur with you that, when combined with MalwareBytes, they make a formidable team.

I think we are simpatico on this subject, mi amigo.

There is no "best" AV out there, but there are a few good free ones! And familiarity is important.

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