Are Free Antivirus Programs the Right for You?

Privacy and Surveillance

Are Free Antivirus Programs the Right for You?

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Paid antivirus software applications can be expensive, but having an antivirus software around is important if you want to make sure that your computers are kept free of viruses, spyware, and other malicious software that may compromise the contents of your computer.

But there are also free antivirus software out there and, similar to paid antivirus software, they also vary when it comes to the quality and variety of viruses that they could attack. When it comes to free versions of this program, the first brand that actually comes to mind is Norton. Its performance has been somewhat OK, detecting most of the viruses and spyware that ever came into my computer. But there was one particularly naughty spyware that it didn't manage to cut, leading me to choose another antivirus. This time, it's a paid one from McAfee.

So that brings up the question, if one of the most respectable free antivirus software out there makes these lapses when it comes to protection, how sure are we that the others are trustworthy products to use? After all, there's this conspiracy theory telling us that antivirus companies are actually the ones producing these malicious programs. After all, how are they going to get any money without the programs that they are supposed to defeat?

PC World did a recent study on the subject and came up with a number of conclusions. Actually, the main conclusion was something that we knew all along. Antivirus programs do give some value for nothing, but it's not exactly pretty and the price you have to pay when things go bust is particularly higher.

One concern that the study had was the support that these free antivirus programs give you in case a sneaky program gets across the screens. For most of these companies, online forums are your only chance, as compared to paid programs where you'll have actual support from the company.

Free software also have the tendency to less frequently update their malware directory. Hence, there's the distinct chance that newly created viruses can get over your security walls and infiltrate your computers. Now, can you stand that?

You can talk about... Are Free Antivirus Programs the Right for You?

Tags: • spyware • viruses • conspiracy theory • antivirus •

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