Winters signify the arrival of flu season. A time when people become susceptible to a virus strain, which brings on a massive horde of body aches, runny nose, feverish chills, sore throat, and fatigue along with it. Under the influence of this infection, you find it impossible to get out of bed. Your whole routine gets disturbed and your performance sees an all-time low. Wherein lies the cure? A flu shot, plenty of healing liquids, and most importantly, antivirus medication.
Interestingly, this antivirus cure finds its way in computer terminology too, and for good measure. Just like the human body, a computational device is also vulnerable to attack. This attack may come in the form of malicious software downloaded from the internet or it may reside secretively in the external storage devices you attach. Whatever the cause, a digital virus infection bears down hard on a computer’s overall performance.
At this point, an antivirus program comes in like a knight in shining armor and saves the day. Mostly, it scans the respective device for possible hidden contamination, permanently removes the bad files, and creates preventive barriers against future attacks. It is a safeguarding shield, which protects your data and devices from harm. Moreover, as the New Year approaches with a fresh dose of cyber-hostilities, you need to update your security standards by getting your hands on the latest antivirus protection. Check out the best software in the list below. Download the one that suits you best over a stable internet connection, like the one offered in Spectrum internet packages. Spectrum internet comes with its own security suite, which adds another layer of protection to your system.
Table of Contents
Table of contents
1. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus
Even though this is a paid software, with an annual subscription costing $23.99, yet its excellent features make up for the slightly hefty cost. In Bitdefender’s latest version, you find multi-layer ransomware protection that extends to the synced devices as well, over the Central app. This is especially relevant given the number of mobile ransomware variants grew by 46% in 2018 (Symantec Internet Security Threat Report 2018) alone! Moreover, it:
- Provides top-notch virus detection by scanning the whole system.
- Filters browser data to look for possible hidden bugs and blocks access to malicious sites.
- Gives a password management facility that auto-completes sensitive details in web forms.
- Secures the internet browser to keep your transactions safe.
- Shows alerts about any malicious links in emails through its amazing anti-phishing module.
The list of amenities goes on. However, this antivirus software is known to take up more resources than others and even clash with the functioning of some other programs. However, I think that the rock-solid protection it offers is worth it!
2. Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus
If you are looking for fast, cheap, and light, then this antivirus software comes at the top. Webroot is known for its:
- Always-on security shield.
- Accurate real-time anti-phishing.
- Smart system-behavior monitoring.
- Regular Firewall checking.
- Advanced anti-ransomware protection.
This antivirus provides some amazing features. It supports both Windows and Mac, covers one device at max, is super lightweight on resource consumption, and comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. The Webroot Antivirus has a $19.99 annual subscription fee.
3. Norton Antivirus Basic
Do you know what is sneakier than a rat in the wall? Malware. Yes, this disruptive software snakes its way into a healthy system and rots it from the very core. Malware is an umbrella term, which refers to all those computer viruses, worms, spyware, and Trojans made with malicious intent. That is why sturdy protection against all these is necessary to survive the oncoming year.
Fortunately, Norton’s best-valued security software comes to the forefront with only $14.99 a year subscription. Its best features include,
- A handy URL blocker that prevents access to contaminated sites.
- A file-reputation analyzer to check any suspicious downloads.
- An automated system checker that senses weird behavior and quarantines threats immediately.
So on and so forth. However, some of its browser extensions are unreliable and create a problem with Chrome especially. Other than that, it is all good.
4. Avast Free Antivirus
The latest edition of this software, version 17, comes with a hands-on Gaming Mode, which allows the processor to focus on bearing the heavy game while blocking the pop-ups and reducing the load. In addition, Avast’s new interface is very smooth and offers a password management option as well. Other than this, it has:
- Super-reliable virus detection.
- Amazing malware scanner.
- Automatic clean sweeps of the system etc.
However, Avast does have a slightly negative effect on launch timings. Nevertheless, what you need to know about it is that it is great antivirus protection, which comes completely free!
5. Avira Free Antivirus
The diversity of operating systems with which this antivirus establishes its compatibility is quite impressive. Avira is a well-known software on the block, eliminating 99.7% of threats according to the AV-TEST program. Its features include:
- A dependable Phishing protection.
- Comprehensive System Optimization tools.
- Built-in VPN.
- No more false positives.
- Clean and user-friendly interface.
One of its most badgering demerits is the pop-up ratio. Besides that, this antivirus software has got you covered with the top-notch security suite, which comes free!
So, if you are planning to update your devices’ security, then do consider the aforementioned antivirus plans.
