14 DAY TRIAL // It sure is important to have AV protection, I know I said it a million times before, but what happens when your anti-virus becomes a liability? Well, if your AV is vulnerable, then so is your machine. What's the use of having a huge virus signature database if the program has a flaw that would enable a hacker to take control of your computer? So yes, this is possible - an insecure security software.
So, this brings us to Kaspersky - they received a Gold Self Protection Award from Anti-Malware Test Lab. This means that they got high scores in a security test. So, what was the test all about? Well, it was all conducted on a VMWare GSX server and a virtual machine with Windows XP SP2 on it was created for each AV product. Then, they went and simulated hack attacks, trying to exploit different bugs, or using hackware. Out of the 33 attacks, Kaspersky Internet Security 7.0 resisted 32, thus scoring 97% of possible points. It was the only product to score this high and get such a medal.
This is by far a comfortable lead and it just comes to reassure people that Kaspersky really is one of the leaders in the industry. Many security software developers state that they're leaders in this business, but apparently, only some stand up to their name. What can I say? Way to go Kaspersky, for delivering safe solutions that keep your computers safe!
So, Kaspersky ranked first, then, in second place came VBA Antivirus 3.11, Symantec Internet Security 2007 and F-Secure Internet Security 2007. Then, in third place, came ZoneAlarm Internet Security 7.0, Trend Micro PC-Cillin and others. Out of the AVs that didn't take the test, I'll mention Avast! Professional Edition 4.7, Sophos AV, Microsoft Windows Live OneCare 1.6 and Bitdefender Internet Security 10. I've got to say it, I expected BitDefender to rank higher, but I guess you can't have it all. It is heuristics-based and takes down threats really well, but apparently it does not defend itself to well.