Open antivirus software

There are only a few actively maintained open-source antivirus projects. Other projects incorporate the ClamAV engine , which is generally not as capable as its commercial counterparts. Open source antivirus for smartphones is also rare.

I researched the statuses of various antivirus software offerings that are truly open source or used open-source components. We established a few criteria when deciding on what to recommend. Threat actors the bad guys release new and creative exploits regularly.

Some of the malicious software targets computers in large numbers. Without periodic updates, antivirus protection may not be able to detect the latest viruses. Over the years, many open-source projects have attempted to tackle virus detection, but many of the projects are now dormant and un-maintained. I excluded the following projects because due to their inability to address newfound threats.

The last virus definitions for OpenAntivirus is dated May 30, Definition-based antivirus cannot protect your computer unless the fingerprint of known viruses is well-maintained. The last source code commit was on September 12, The development team has abandoned Armadillo , so I cannot recommend using the antivirus. As mentioned earlier, signature-based threat detection requires stringent updates.

Unfortunately, there are no free and open-source software FOSS antivirus programs employing a heuristic engine for virus protection. Heuristic virus detection looks at previously-discovered virus signatures.

These definitions guide an algorithm to identify the behavioral patterns of undiscovered viruses. This type of detection is complicated which often requires dedicated and focused engineering teams.

How can you help: Submit undetected virus and spyware samples. Test the latest release, find and submit bugs and feature requests. Improve the documentation.

Link to clamwin. Project on SF. Mailing Lists. The full scan is actually better, and it lasts only minutes. Comodo can protect you PC from any kind of virus, malware, trojan, rootkit, adware and spyware. What features does Comodo give you? For a free antivirus tool to be this powerful and versatile is quite unusual. If you want a software that can do many things, Comodo could be a good choice. Alongside the already mentioned features, Comodo can do something interesting, but very helpful.

What is this? Well, obviously this option will scan your PC. Rating Scan will go through all the running processes and the most frequently infected areas. Once it finishes, you will have displayed a report based on the reputation of each file or process it found. Why is this helpful? Just think about! In such a case, the Rating Scan could be the way to go.

Based on this report, you can start looking in the right direction, thus reducing the time needed to find the issue. A pro about this program is the user interface. It was created to be appealing for any user. But be aware that there are certain features that need a little bit more expertise. Though they are not necessarily needed for an average user. Clamwin is an open source software free to install on your computer. More than , people use it worldwide, every day. The installation is easy and fast for any user.

It packs some nice features too:. As I already mentioned, it is being updated with the latest data from the virus database. This makes sure, that Clamwin can detect and eliminate even the most recent viruses. A well-known player among the alternatives, Kaspersky is a popular choice for lots of people more than million users globally.

For instance, you get protection against dangerous websites and a superior scanner to ensure your protected against any online threat. Kaspersky Free uses the same technology as its premium counterpart. This consists of 3 elements needed to make sure your data is secure on your local PC. The first defensive line is a file scanner that I already specified before. The second step is an analysis that searches for signs of weird behavior in your system. These could be associated with a malware attack.

The third and final step it takes is the inspection of any new file that looks out of place, and sends updates to all the other users. Doing this, will prevent everyone else to get infected in the same way, or with the same files. With Kaspersky being so efficient in handling threats, you may be thinking it must use up all your resources to obtain these results.

It uses a moderate amount of system resources to give you this security. What about its user interface? Kaspersky Free uses the same UI as the paid version. When all is good and secure, everything will be colored green of course. Red is obviously a bad sign. You might be under attack or some files could be infected. Take precautions and get rid of the problem. Sophos is a company developing security software for more than 30 years now.

Most of its programs were made for enterprise usage, but these days, they make available the Home Free version of their antivirus program for personal use also. Is it any good? Well, I can safely say that anyone can set up this software. You just have to find the free version on their website.

Once you got that, just download and install it. It will ask you to create an account with your email address, but this is something usual most of the others ask for this as well. After all this, the program will set up everything it needs, without asking for your assistance. Once the installation is completed and you check how your system is performing, you can see a considerable raise in the RAM usage.

This depends on your personal PC, more or less. But the program uses more resources, than some of its rivals, nonetheless. On one hand, the user interface is very nice. The company made it to be user friendly like a lot. When you open up the program, the dashboard will pop up. Here you can see some status information, like when you had your last scan or your last update.

There are, other option available too, but only if you log into your account on their website. Looking for free antivirus protection, malware protection or virus detection, willing to pay for an antivirus program that offers broad internet security coverage across all your devices, including from ransomware and phishing, or need to remove a computer virus or malware from your PC right now?

Here's where to start when looking for the best antivirus software for your needs. Honestly, if you practice safe computing -- you keep your software up to date, you use strong passwords with the help of a password manager , you steer clear of unexpected emails and you don't click suspicious links that may be phishing attempts -- you probably can avoid zero-day attacks and ransomware attacks.

And with the free Microsoft Defender Antivirus software running on Windows 10, you have a malware protection safety net if you do let your guard down. In fact, it is one of the best antivirus software. Note that Microsoft changed the name of Windows Defender to Microsoft Defender and has expanded the service to other platforms.

This free antivirus program is built into Windows and it's turned on by default, the antivirus engine does its thing, and this antivirus solution will cover the basics of internet security. Microsoft pushes new updates frequently. Defender also lets you tune the level of protection you want, giving you control over blocking potentially unwanted apps and protecting folders and files from a ransomware attack.

Note that Windows 10 will automatically disable its own Windows Defender antivirus when you install third-party antivirus.

If you uninstall the third-party protection, Windows 10 will turn back on its own antivirus. Norton antivirus provides industry-leading security software for PC, Mac, and mobile devices. Note, we don't think antivirus protection is terribly useful outside the Windows realm.

In addition to malware and virus protection for your computer and mobile device, this antivirus suite provides GB of backup to the cloud, safe-browsing tools, a secure VPN, password manager, parental controls and LifeLock identity theft protection and fraud alert. While not all of those services are necessarily best in their respective class, getting them all in one package is a compelling option.

If you'd like to take a step up in securing your PC without taxing your wallet, it's hard to beat Bitdefender's free antivirus software for Windows The Windows security software offers real-time monitoring for viruses, malware, spyware and ransomware protection.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition is easy to set up and stays out of your way until you need it. And the protection this antivirus product offers is solid. Bitdefender antivirus software consistently earns top marks for its antivirus protection and usability from the respected AV-Test independent testing lab. The free antivirus version covers one Windows PC.

Malwarebytes does protect your PC from a virus or malware attack, scoring reasonably well in recent independent testing for guarding against malware threats.

But that's not really what Malwarebytes is known for. If you find yourself in trouble, the go-to disinfectant for many is Malwarebytes. To get the antivirus company's free antivirus version, download this trial version , which "downgrades" to a no-fee on-demand cleaner with fewer features that detects and removes viruses and malware when you run an on-demand antivirus scan after 14 days.

In addition to the four antivirus apps we recommend above, a handful of other anti-malware tools are worth considering among the best antivirus protection if you find them at a better price or just prefer to use one over our picks above.

It feels like McAfee Antivirus has been around forever, first on its own in the '80s, then as part of Intel starting in , and then again on its own when Intel spun it off in And McAfee Total Protection has been around forever because quarter after quarter it creates solid, modern antivirus software that protects your PC.

In recent evaluations by AV-Test, it had high scores on both protection and performance. Maybe this antivirus provider is not as well known to consumers because of its focus on enterprise security, Trend Micro antivirus quietly brings its business expertise to the home with its Trend Micro Maximum Security tools.

Trend Micro's software earns high marks from AV-Test -- consistently scoring well for detecting zero-day attacks and widespread viruses and malware. And Trend Micro does a good job of not taxing system resources.