I've been, successfully, using Malwarebytes for years. Read through their offerings and decide for yourself. I recommend them highly.

https://www.malwarebytes.org/downloads/#tools

Edited to add that I use the paid version.

The links below will take you to ratings/rankings done by PC Mag based on a compilation of objective testing done by several independent labs. PC Mag has been a respected name in the industry for decades.

The free ones aren't necessarily equivalent to the non-free ones and the ones that charge are not all necessarily better.

Many internet service providers, whether a cable company or a phone company, provide free security software (often top performing McAfee or Symantec's Norton, which are otherwise not free) to customers. Check and see if yours does.

Even if you choose one of the not-free ones, the cost is nominal compared to the cost of having to pay an expert to fix an infected machine.

The best security system available for everyone is free and is the user - YOU. Follow safe internet practices and common sense and you'll not have any problems.

Modestly priced security software

Free security software

I used free AVG for some years until one of the program updates sent it acting wonky. I switched to free Avast at that point, probably 5+ years ago. I also have the free versions of Malwarebytes and SpyBot on a couple (not all) of my systems. I don't have anything on my phone as I don't use it for e-mail and *very little* for web access.

Kaspersky is a Russian/Moscow product. I wouldn't use it under the ... uhhh, current circumstances ... whether or not the concerns are valid.

I agree about Kaspersky. I myself did not have positive experiences with the free software during a several year trial period some years ago. I've used Norton for nearly 10 years and like it a lot. It's been perfect and my PCs have been invasion-free.

Elmer, what changed your mind about Kaspersky? Just curious.

Elmer J Fudd

Mike, that sounds like a rehash of the same one Wall Street Journal story. Radio programs often source "news" from the print media. Even the NY Times article cites the WSJ article. It's one report lacking any mention of credible sources and nothing more. I don't use Kaspersky but if I did, I would continue to do so. For now.

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October 7, 2017 at 11:04AM

If you're linking to an earlier rec I made (which I don't see) but comparing it to what I think now, I found Kaspersky's denial of the allegations underwhelming.

I'm not a flag waving patriot, a paranoid nor do I walk around with an aluminum foil hat on but I think the allegations of widespread Russian cyber-infiltration into the US are credible. The Cold War only ended on western side of the Atlantic and the Eastern side of the Pacific as far as the two superpowers are concerned. There's nothing so exceptional about Kaspersky's products that can't be easily accomplished with those from other sources and no reason to give them preference. So, if there is an issue, it's very easy to sidestep. If there is no problem, the choice I've made and suggested has no downside.

I spend a lot of time surfing and am pretty savvy about avoiding sketchy web sites or clicking on the wrong hot link, but a few missteps are inevitable. I've been using the free version of Avast for at least 5 years, and it has never failed to catch the bad stuff.

I tried paid versions of antivirus for decades, mainly McAfee and Norton, and finally gave up on them: frequent changes to interface, increasingly complex software that sometimes hogged resources and bogged down my computer, failure to catch all viruses, and recurring charges.

I also have Malwarebytes and Superantispyware on my desktop, which I fire up once in a while as a double-check on my system, but my 24/7, active AV is Avast.

I use Norton on PCs in one home and McAfee in another. I find both to have very light touches because they do their work when the PCs are idle and stop if use recommences, never hog resources, and have always given me 100% protection.

The bogging down you mention may have been a periodic issue 15 years ago but hasn't been the case (in my experience) anytime recently, certainly not for me in the last 10 years. Some years ago, when I was on hiatus from using paid versions, I had Avast "quarantine" an essential Windows system file and that turned a functioning PC into a paperweight. No thanks.