What is the best Antivirus and Firewall in 2013

[CoSm1c_gAm3r 1]

I would like to know what antivirus and firewall you prefer.

I had problems with ZA which somehow blocked ARMA3 from starting and there was needed disabling tollbar for game to start. But recently ZA started to break somehow. In task manager vsmon started to use 13% of my cpu almost all the time even if I was rendering graphic. I tried to make priority to low and then it stopped using 13% of CPU but when I am using my PC to furf the net ZA still uses 13% of CPU and also 363000K of memory. I am having proplems to start arma3 now and other game that my friend gave me key for beta of "Loaded". Arma just stops responding and in task manager I cant close it also the same thing is with Loaded, it stops at logging in. I tried to see ZA if it still works properly but when I chose scan for viruses it is not making anything, scan duration is at 00:00:00 and progress bar is not showing any progress. That is enaught I decided to throw it away from my pc. So now I have question for you guys. What best free antivirus and firewall you prefer?

[dysta 10]

I used to be an Nod32 user, until it becomes more a trouble than a protection.

Well, I suggest Kaspersky (if you trust Russians :p ). Internet Security Suite is good enough for a gamer. PURE 2 can give you much more utilities support, if you want any. :)

[Fuse 1]

Avast!, AVG, or MSE all seem to work fine and I can't recall having any major issues using them while gaming (though of course things are always changing). Right now I'm using Avast! on one PC and AVG Free on another. No complaints with either.

When I worked free tech support at college we put AVG on hundreds of machines and it never did us wrong. I've got a bit of a fondness for it due to that.

I hear a lot of good things about Kaspersky, but haven't tried it my self. IIRC it used to be kind of a pill with some games. I can't remember what the deal was exactly, maybe it was a DRM thing, I just remember I avoided it for some reason. Anyone know why that might have been?

Check out Comodo Firewall if you want to add an extra level of security, though Windows seems to do the firewall thing well enough for most users.

[CoSm1c_gAm3r 1]

I completely uninstalled ZA and I can confirm that recent game blocking was fault of ZA I dont know what caused it to start malfunction and blocking some games without showing any notification. Maybe it was because I disabled that Toolbar IswSvc to be able to play ARMA3 because untill then I had no problems at all.

Fuse i was making notes when I tested AV and FW in case I would forget why I didnt like some of that programs :) One of the worst was OUTPOST which caused BSOD and I didnt suspect that it may be because of AV and FW I was seeking problem somewhere else and I could not find what was causing BSOD so I just had idea to disable some programs and I discovered that outpost was that bad boy.

I had some problems long time ago with comodo but maybe now they fixed it so as FW I'll try that. And for AV I will try AVG and avast.

Thanx guys for suggestions.

[kavoven 4]

Using Kaspersky since forever and I frequently gets awards for being the best system. Plus it seems like they really managed to make it run fast in the 2013 release :)

[Nicholas 5]

I'm using the combination of Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware. Never had any malware on my PC for the last 3 years.

[TW_ 2]

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.

[bangtail 0]

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.

QFT

All I use now - all that other INET security bollox can take the train.

Malwarebytes detects more of the bad stuff than Kaspersky, ESET et al put together and is far less arbitrary or intrusive.

[kavoven 4]

QFT

All I use now - all that other INET security bollox can take the train.

Malwarebytes detects more of the bad stuff than Kaspersky, ESET et al put together and is far less arbitrary or intrusive.

Source?

[[frl]myke 14]

My favourite antimalware (besides Windows Firewall and MSE) is Brain 2.0. It doesn't take any CPU or Ram resources although it is known to cause problems on incompatible HID-Controllers.

[mrcash2009 0]

I use ZA and dont have any issues with it like you mention, I use the suite but I disabled all tools (crap it tries to add to browser) apart from just the AV and firewall. The others mentioned here are just as good though as you seem to have issues with it.

I disabled that Toolbar IswSvc

I do that every time, just extra crap and also kill the extension under browser that it installs too.

I also use "Superantispyware" which I run every week, along side "Ccleaner" to sort reg and temp files (which also searches firefox profiles which is good) & also "AVG rootkit free" for a search of rootkits. Apart from that I use a download manger in fire-fox that auto runs ZA virus check on save of any file.

I completely uninstalled ZA and I can confirm that recent game blocking was fault of ZA I dont know what caused it to start malfunction and blocking some games without showing any notification.

You have overrides to set ZA to ask every time a process runs that its not aware of, so you alt-tab to the pop up (which pauses the process) and choose "remember" so if you allow it ZA will remember this next time and not ask and list it under known programs. You probably have it set to auto detect itself, which is crappy.

Set defensenet slider to "manual" under advanced firewall settings.

Its all under application control "settings" > click the "advanced settings" button > then you can go through all notification processes and set the to "always ask permission". for connection attempts and so on. Then you will get a pop up for everything that tries a connect or run a raw process (that ZA doesn't know about yet) so you can control if you allow it, block it, and also you get the option to view the process and path from the pop up, so you have control over all processes and apps.

To have "remember" options you need to go to "application control" tab from the advanced settings (as above) and tick the options "Enable advanced application control" & "Enable application interaction control" << these things pop up with your options to remember and also get pop ups when an application tried to run a external process (and allow it or check it).

This can go to component dll level too (not much need though).

For arma3 issue, you just needed to find the process under programs and set it to allow (green tick) for whichever zone you use.

If you did the above but it started happening maybe you updated to latest version and opted to go to default setting? Default wont have the above set.

Edited March 31, 2013 by mrcash2009

[BENTWING 1]

Kaspersky, Ccleaner, and windows firewall .

Edited March 31, 2013 by BENTWING

[bangtail 0]

Source?

My own experience - I've run Kaspersky and ESET and found 2 or 3 threats, then I run MB and find 20.

I used Kaspersky for several years, then switched to ESET and finally to MB and have never looked back.

Kaspersky and ESET (among others) are far too intrusive and arbitrary for the limited protection they provide afaiac - but if you're happy with Kaspersky then good for you :)

[kavoven 4]

I'm just wondering because I cant imagine that Kaspersky doesn't find those 20 threats. Are they real viruses or just stuff where the heuristics scream "warning"? I had sometimes problems at work with certain virus scanners who detected my freshly baked VB.net programs as threats - only because of they weren't signed or anything.

[bangtail 0]

I'm just wondering because I cant imagine that Kaspersky doesn't find those 20 threats. Are they real viruses or just stuff where the heuristics scream "warning"? I had sometimes problems at work with certain virus scanners who detected my freshly baked VB.net programs as threats - only because of they weren't signed or anything.

Nah I've seen Kaspersky and ESET miss 'mission critical' threats that MB has picked up on numerous occasions - that's why I ditched them.

I just find MB cheaper, less intrusive and more effective - that's just my experience.

[h - 169]

I have used F-Secure for well over a decade, in addition to Human Brain.

Never had any infections with it compared to some others I have tried over the years (well, I mean firewalls/anti-viruses, not someone else's brain obviously.. :p ).

Not saying it's the best, just never really felt like I would have to choose another one since I switched to it back in the day after having quite bad experiences with others. Like the atrociously sucky Norton products (that were pushed to you whenever you bought a new motherboard and such)..

After years of doing fixing for other people's PCs I have not seen one firewall/anti-virus software that would not fail if the user doesn't use his/her brain though so like someone already said Brain is still the best.

Edited March 31, 2013 by h -
typo

[GRS 10]

Eset has never given me an issue and has kept my system clean for years. I also don't click on stupid stuff. :D

[mrcash2009 0]

eset has never given me an issue and has kept my system clean for years. I also don't click on stupid stuff. :d

Apparently Eset has a few security issues and is the worst for malware (self generating script based hooks),

the full post report on it, you may think twice.

[NoRailgunner 0]

Isn't it that all those antivirus/firewall stuff is a bit of snake oil + faithful thinking? Most new threats are discovered only after they have infected systems but not before. How much are those AV statistics are worth if they can be "faked" one or another way? How many false positives, security and calling home/collecting data issues aren't listed/public?? Guess many people just like to switch of their brain just to feel good clicking through the internet because they got a "magic" AV/firewall shield.

[mrcash2009 0]

Isn't it that all those antivirus/firewall stuff is a bit of snake oil + faithful thinking?

Well if you are refering to people using blind faith and then going on a click rampage without thinking about it then yes, but if you mean using it as a preventative measure along side common sense and a combination of security settings via router and so on then no.

Although like anything in life what is perfect? None of it, just depends if you thought it was. Theres also the conspiracy aspect of companies creating such threats in order to justify the software and $$.

Guess many people just like to switch of their brain just to feel good clicking through the internet because they got a "magic" AV/firewall shield.

Imagine how much worse a situation might be with a spread of something if they just didnt bother. Magic or not.

[Fuse 1]

Isn't it that all those antivirus/firewall stuff is a bit of snake oil + faithful thinking? Most new threats are discovered only after they have infected systems but not before. How much are those AV statistics are worth if they can be "faked" one or another way? How many false positives, security and calling home/collecting data issues aren't listed/public?? Guess many people just like to switch of their brain just to feel good clicking through the internet because they got a "magic" AV/firewall shield.

To put it bluntly: No. Check out a college network. Without mandatory antivirus and firewall use they can get pretty bogged down by traffic from infected computers. A computer with no protection, connected to a completely open network, can get a virus very quickly. I accidentally plugged a PC in to the wrong ethernet cable (not behind the school's firewall) when working tech support at college and the PC was infected in less than minute. Smart companies and schools won't let you on their network without up-to-date protection.

Most viruses and vulnerabilities do infect some computers before being discovered. It might not be your computer, and they don't just go away because we know they exist. Here's an article from January about infected computers at two US power plants. Workers aren't keeping their home PCs protected properly & then they're bringing those infections in to work at a power plant. Up-to-date software caught the infection, but that didn't stop it from infecting PCs that weren't protected.

Obviously the human brain is enough if properly utilized since most people are already protected by their router, OS, and ISP; but if someone's experienced enough to know this then they probably aren't asking gaming forums for recommendations. ;)

Edited April 1, 2013 by Fuse

[NoRailgunner 0]

Security concept has failed if someone can download/upload and share in a company's network without a check/confirmation. Agree that AV software can help to prevent spreading infections but in the end its PEBKAC. Of course college students would be raging and bitching if someone would make their network really secure.... on the other hand a college network isn't exactly comparable to a network of a working company. Guess the OP was just searching for the AV/FW with the most stars, points and highest rating! Now which blog/magazine/feeling can be trusted more?? ;)

[Haystack15 10]

Oh man, good to know that there are other people using Microsoft Security Essentials. I've always had the impression that people and big time PC users think of it as cheap crap you shouldn't use.

Though its the only thing I use, But it doesn't matter much since I always reinstall my OS for clean feeling every month :p

[mrcash2009 0]

Though its the only thing I use, But it doesn't matter much since I always reinstall my OS for clean feeling every month :p

What!? Do you really, what a nightmare, I assume your using ghosting image or something, please say at least that :)

Guess the OP was just searching for the AV/FW with the most stars, points and highest rating! Now which blog/magazine/feeling can be trusted more??

Well I read it as he might not have understood how his current software works and was looking for an alternative, asking people for an opinion and getting an overview is far from looking for a star rating with shiney sales quotes. Last time i checked, asking in relatively reliable independent view forums is far more balanced than running to a magazine and compromised blog owners.

[Haystack15 10]

What!? Do you really, what a nightmare, I assume your using ghosting image or something, please say at least that :)

Yea I forgot to mention I use Windows System Image.