Keeping some parts of the protection technology in the cloud prevents malware authors from adapting quickly to new detection rules. Using cloud detection enables vendors to detect and classify suspicious files in real-time to protect the user against currently unknown malware. One of the significances of cloud detection mechanisms is this: Malware authors are constantly searching for new methods to bypass detection and security mechanisms. Both tests include execution of any malware not detected by other features, thus allowing “last line of defence” features to come into play. It complements our Real-World Protection Test, which sources its malware samples from live URLs, allowing features such as URL blockers to come into play. Our Malware Protection Test measures the overall ability of security products to protect the system against malicious programs, whether before, during or after execution. Additionally, a number of AV products use behavioural detection to look for, and block, attempts by a program to carry out system changes typical of malware. In some cases, an antivirus program may not recognise a malware sample when it is inactive, but will recognise it when it is running. the ability to prevent a malicious program from actually making any changes to the system. This Malware Protection Test checks not only the detection rates, but also the protection capabilities, i.e. wants to check that a file is harmless before forwarding it to friends, family or colleagues. This ability remains an important feature of an antivirus product, and is essential for anyone who e.g. That is to say, it only tested the ability of security programs to detect a malicious program file before execution. The File Detection Test we performed in previous years was a detection-only test. If the user is asked to decide whether a malware sample should be allowed to run, and in the case of the worst user decision system changes are observed, the test case is rated as “user-dependent”. If a product does not prevent or reverse all the changes made by a particular malware sample within a given time period, that test case is considered to be a miss. behavioural detection features to come into play. Any samples that have not been detected by any of these scans are then executed on the test system, with Internet/cloud access available, to allow e.g.
Prior to execution, all the test samples are subjected to on-access and on-demand scans by the security program, with each of these being done both offline and online. The methodology used for each product tested is as follows. The Malware Protection Test assesses a security program’s ability to protect a system against infection by malicious files before, during or after execution.
Products were tested at the beginning of March with default settings and using their latest updates.
AVG is a rebranded version of Avast.Īll products were installed on a fully up-to-date 64-Bit Microsoft Windows 10 system. Information about additional third-party engines/signatures used inside the products: G Data, Total Defense and Vipre use the Bitdefender engine. However, some vendors asked us to include their (free) antivirus security product instead. In principle, home-user Internet security suites are included in this test.
Installing a free trial version allows a program to be tested in everyday use before purchase. Rather, we would suggest that readers consult also our other recent test reports, and consider factors such as price, ease of use, compatibility and support. Please note that we do not recommend purchasing a product purely on the basis of one individual test or even one type of test. network drives, USB or cover scenarios where the malware is already on the disk. While in the Real-World Protection Test the vector is the web, in the Malware Protection Test the vectors can be e.g. In the Malware Protection Test, malicious files are executed on the system.