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14 Best Free Antivirus Programs

Complete Reviews of the Best Free Antivirus Software Available

By Stacy Fisher, About.com Guide

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11. PC Tools AntiVirus Free 9

Screenshot of PC Tools AntiVirus Free 9 in Windows 7

PC Tools AntiVirus Free 9 offers basic protection against viruses and other malware. While not my favorite, AntiVirus Free is still one of the best free antivirus programs you'll find.

PC Tools AntiVirus Free 9 works on Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.

The biggest problem I have with PC Tools AntiVirus Free is the reminders throughout the program that there's a not-so-free version that you should upgrade to. (Most of the features available in the upgrade are included for free in some of the other best free antivirus programs in this list.) I also thought the initial installation and integrated download process took a while.

Tip: Choose the Custom Install option if you'd like to disable the automatic installation of Google Chrome alongside PC Tools AntiVirus Free.

Download PC Tools AntiVirus Free 9

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12. Rising Antivirus Free Edition

Screenshot of Rising Antivirus Free Edition in Windows 7

Rising Antivirus Free Edition is the free antivirus offering from China's largest antivirus maker, Rising Software.

Rising Antivirus Free Edition works with Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.

While I doubt that Rising Antivirus Free Edition would top anyone's list of the most attractive antivirus software interfaces, it does appear to be updated frequently and it was easy to use.

Download Rising Antivirus Free Edition

13. UnThreat AntiVirus Free Edition 6

Screenshot of UnThreat AntiVirus Free Edition 6 in Windows 7

UnThreat AntiVirus Free Edition 6 offers standard malware protection, including threats via email. I found nothing too impressive about this program aside from its price... or lack thereof, I suppose.

UnThreat AntiVirus Free Edition 6 works in Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.

For the most part, I found the installation and use of UnThreat AntiVirus Free Edition 6 on par with most of the other best free antivirus programs I've profiled here. My favorite thing? UnThreat didn't try to install extra software or toolbars during installation, nor were any of my browser settings changed. While that should be commonplace, it's not, and it was appreciated.

Download UnThreat AntiVirus Free Edition 6

14. ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall 2013

Screenshot of ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall 2013 in Windows 7

ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall 2013 is just that - a combination free antivirus and firewall tool.

Check Point Software, the makers of ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall 2013, have been in the firewall business for a long time. They make good software and this program is no exception. While I didn't notice anything spectacular about the antivirus portion of this program, having an antivirus and firewall tightly integrated has its benefits.

ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall 2013 supports Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.

Tip: Be sure to choose the Custom Install and then click the Skip all offers link to avoid installing the toolbar and changing your browser settings.

Download ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall 2013

Which Free Antivirus Program is the "Best of the Best"?

As you can see from my list above, there are several fantastic free antivirus choices but which one really does the best job at preventing your computer from becoming infected?

Luckily, a company by the name of AV-TEST independently examines a number of free and paid antivirus programs and ranks them for protection, repair, and usability.

See their Detailed Test Reports for rankings. Antivirus makers regularly update their programs so AV-TEST publishes updated test results every few months.

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14 Best Free Antivirus Software for Windows (Updated March 2013)

From: Malwarebytes Corporation

Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2013 11:26 PM

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Malwarebytes Reads. In Case You Missed Them.


*B-Sides SF: The Aftermath* A few weeks back, we told everyone we were going to BSides to do things like meet awesome people and give some talks. Well we are back now and ready to tell you all about it. BSides San Francisco was a great experience for everyone; we saw some fantastic talks, met up with great people and were able to share our own knowledge with the rest of the conference and soon, all of you. While there, two of our researchers, Jerome and Adam, presented two talks about issues that we thought were most important. http://blog.malwarebytes.org/news/2013/03/bsides-sf-the-aftermath/ *Obfuscation: Malware's Best Friend* Despite advances in modern malware, dirty programs can’t hide forever. When malware is found, it needs some additional layers of defense to protect itself from analysis and reverse engineering. By implementing additional protection mechanisms, malware can be more difficult to detect and even more resilient to takedown. Although a lot of tricks are used to hide malware’s internals, a technique used in nearly every malware is binary obfuscation. http://blog.malwarebytes.org/intelligence/2013/03/obfuscation-malwares-best-friend/