Best antivirus and malware protection for windows 8

Though free antivirus programs can provide adequate protection for most users, the best protection must be bought. Here are the top four programs you might consider purchasing, with their prices for one year of protection on three PCs lited parenthetically:. G Data InternetSecurity earned the top ranking among paid antivirus programs in our January roundup. At the same time, it had minimal impact on PC performance, and an acceptable complete malware removal score of 60 percent.

When you buy an Internet Security suite, in addition to getting better protection, you usually get more features and services than you would with a free antivirus program. For example, most Internet Security suites include a firewall to help block intrusions and data theft these firewalls tend to be better than the free firewall built into Windows , as well as a spam filter to help you control your junk email.

Was this discussion helpful? Yes No. Sorry this didn't help. Thanks for your feedback. Windows 8. Windows Defender is good enough but if you want to try another Anti-Malware, it is fine and you could chose anyone you want and they will disable Windows Defender. Problems you are referring might and might not be related to malware or virus or they simply could be system errors or problem due to third-party application and you could explain them in details, so we could help you to resolve them.

Was this reply helpful? Let us know how they work out. In the event that the antivirus is unable to return a verdict, there should be an option for the file to be sent to actual researchers for human analysis and make a determination. CIS features rules-based HIPS that tracks application activities, as well as system processes, efficiently blocking those that are identified to be malicious. This is made possible by preventing actions that could damage crucial system components.

The antivirus software should provide granular management of inbound and outbound network activities, hide system ports from scans, and release alerts when suspicious activities are detected. CIS has a Secure Shopping feature that lets you shop and bank online without a fuss. This isolates your browser inside a secure container, which cannot be hacked, tracked or viewed by malware or cyber criminals. To defend your computer against malware, Comodo provides new security solution that prevents buffer overflow attacks.

These kinds of attacks are commonly used by ID stealing thieves to purposely crash a computer. This enables the hacker to run malicious code and gain control of the entire operating system.

It leaves the system vulnerable to malware that can reformat the hard drive, steal sensitive user information, or install programs that transform the machine into a Zombie PC. Download Kaspersky Free Now. Malwarebytes Free is a good choice for users looking for a simple antivirus scanner that they can install and forget about. Apart from the scanner, Malwarebytes Free also comes with a browser extension that protects against a wide range of threats, including malware, ads and trackers, scams, and PUPs.

Malwarebytes Free is a minimalistic antivirus scanner with good virus detection and removal rates. It also comes with a browser extension that blocks malware, phishing sites, ads, and trackers.

Download Malwarebytes For Free Now. Sophos Home Free offers pretty good free anti-malware protection. It also includes some helpful web protections and covers up to 3 PCs all within its free antivirus package. In addition to multi-device protection and remote management, Sophos is also a decent choice for families because it has free parental controls. Sophos offers pretty good antivirus scanning and remote management for up to 3 devices — which is pretty generous for a free antivirus.

Users looking for coverage on up to 10 devices, advanced malware and ransomware protection, and advanced web safety tools should upgrade to Sophos Home Premium. Download Sophos Free Now. There is no such thing as a truly free antivirus. Most antivirus companies limit the free version of their software to only offer basic protection. Windows Defender is not a bad antivirus — it even ranks a little bit better than some third-party free antiviruses. If you choose an antivirus program from a trustworthy company, then yes.

All of the brands on this list here are perfectly safe to use — the only difference between their free and paid versions is that the paid software includes additional features, like a VPN, a password manager, and parental controls, as well as better customer support options. Avira is my 1 pick for the best free antivirus in