What's the Best Anti-virus?

Look at the av testing sites and make your own opinion. Again though, anything that anyone says is a matter of opinion. Even the testing sites.

Definitions of malware and other types of threats are all categorized differently by vendors.

Home: AV-TEST - The Independent IT-Security Institute

AV-Comparatives Independent Tests of Anti-Virus Software » AV-Comparatives

There are a few to get you started.

Here is some other interesting info on privacy and how AV apps use your data:

http://www.av-comparatives.org/wp-co...ng_2014_en.pdf

In short, there is no "best Antivirus". The best antivirus is you. Everything starts with you. Most malware infections are caused directly by the user then anything else. Be smart about what you download and install. There is no such thing as 100% security and never will be. The best you can do is be smart and use the internet carefully along with the tools needed to protect you.

Noscript and an ad blocker is the very lowest, basic form of protection. It may keep you from getting targeted ads or a malicious script. There is zero protection from bots, Trojans, drive by infections, or a root or boot kit.

As an aside, Norton's servers were hacked a couple of years ago and some code stolen. They recovered from it and I still use it. Having a forum hacked is not a real security risk to users.

I will reiterate Andrew's statement, security starts PBTKB, Person Behind The Keyboard. Porn sites, Torrent sites, warez site all will attempt to infect visitors in some way.

Tracking cookies are not a threat, they only tell a server what sites you've visited to serve you a "Preference based" ad.

Britton30 said:

Noscript and an ad blocker is the very lowest, basic form of protection. It may keep you from getting targeted ads or a malicious script. There is zero protection from bots, Trojans, drive by infections, or a root or boot kit.

Tracking cookies are not a threat, they only tell a server what sites you've visited to serve you a "Preference based" ad.

Sure ad blocker is lowest basic form of protection though how is NoScript in same level?
there is various kind of scripts out there who can install all type of malware in your OS o_O
this is just one of them: Malicious PHP Scripts on the Rise Webroot Threat Blog

Tracking cookies should be enough a threat to send spam mail using your mail account?
sure they aren't a threat in general but they rarely can become if overlooked ~_~;

Otase said:

Britton30 said:

LOL, see the last 897 posts.

I know avast forum was hacked but that can happen to any other so... wondering yet
also thanks for the recommended SuperAntiSpyware :)

Yep well have a look at this lot I have quoted on many occasions
Probably the Best Free Security List in the World if you are into free and me I have run Kaspersky for four years now and what comes across in this thread is that it is forgotten that the best anti virus is sitting at the keyboard. It depends on what you do for browsing or using really,

The AV Comparatives and Matousec Results and comments - www.matousec.com too never include Norton which I know a lot of folks like.
If you take a look at these two what I tend to think of as main tester sites the results are quite different.

I find to whole thing quite subjective in a way because it is sorta obvious they use dissimilar methods of testing and just how do you test an AV when there really is no benchmark of testing - that I know of, and as it seems to me and I am no expert malware has an infinite "database" and how does one keep up with that.