
- #BEST ANTIVIRUS FOR MAC CONSUMER REPORTS UPGRADE#
- #BEST ANTIVIRUS FOR MAC CONSUMER REPORTS SOFTWARE#
- #BEST ANTIVIRUS FOR MAC CONSUMER REPORTS FREE#
However, there are plenty of antivirus solutions offered to Mac owners.
#BEST ANTIVIRUS FOR MAC CONSUMER REPORTS SOFTWARE#
Luckily, it’s not the most-targeted platform on the planet, but having antivirus software installed on your Mac can certainly give you peace of mind.įinding an antivirus platform can be challenging because so many options are only compatible with Windows. If you’re a Mac user, you probably love the sleek desktop experience and how easy it is to use and understand. Read more about wide area network in Network World's Wide Area Network section. However, McAfee Internet Security 2012 and Panda Internet Security 2012, both paid anti-malware programs, only reached the middle-tier "good" category, according to the Consumer Reports "Net threats" tests.Įllen Messmer is senior editor at Network World, an IDG publication and website, where she covers news and technology trends related to information security. Top-ranked for "Net threats" defense with an "excellent" rating were Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 and BitDefender Internet Security 2012. In contrast, the paid Avira Internet Security 2012 did better against "Net threats" with a "very good" ranking, as did paid software from G Data Internet Security 2012, ESET Smart Security 5, Norton Internet Security 2012, F-Secure Internet Security 2012, BullGuard Internet Security 2012, and Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security 2012.

#BEST ANTIVIRUS FOR MAC CONSUMER REPORTS FREE#
In the "Net threats" dense tests against live exploits from websites, Avira Free Antivirus, Avast Free Antivirus and Microsoft Security Essentials earned the middle-tier "good" rating, with only AVG Anti-Virus Free 2012 rising above that to a "very good" ranking.
#BEST ANTIVIRUS FOR MAC CONSUMER REPORTS UPGRADE#
However, the publication does not define what that is in much detail, except to suggest "if you remotely access files on your computer when you're away from home, for example, you'll need stronger protection."Ĭonsumer Reports also acknowledges "pay suites offer more features and are simpler to use, with a single interface, just one download and installation, and a single upgrade from time to time."ĭespite its strong recommendation for Avira and the three other anti-malware freeware programs, the Consumer Reports article indicates that the freeware it tested did not generally do better in the "Net threats" protection tests against viruses and exploits than the paid anti-malware software did.

In the June issue, Consumer Reports recommends that consumers use free anti-malware tools - the top choice being Avira Free Antivirus, followed by AVG Anti-Virus Free 2012, Avast Free Antivirus and Microsoft Security Essentials, unless the user should be considered among the "most at-risk Internet users." The effectiveness of any "firewall performance," "spam filter," "parental filter" and "non-boot rescue" were also technically reviewed by Consumer Reports and its testing partner. Other categories such as "information help," related to how clear and useful instructions are, and "clear warnings" were examined. The testing also looked at "scan speed" related to how fast large groups of files could be scanned, and "updating" to see how fast each software package would be updated against new malware.

It combined these results with other tests related to "ease of use," as well as a measurement of how the software used memory or other "resources" that might slow computer operation during a scan.
