Independent Tests of
Anti-Virus Software
Summary Report 2020
Awards, winners, comments
TEST PERIOD
: 2020
LANGUAGE
: ENGLISH
LAST REVISION
: 15
TH
JANUARY 2021
WWW.AV-COMPARATIVES.ORG
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
2
Content
INTRODUCTION 3
MANAGEMENT SUMMARY 5
ANNUAL AWARDS 9
PRICING 16
USER EXPERIENCE REVIEW 18
AVAST FREE ANTIVIRUS 21
AVG ANTIVIRUS FREE 24
AVIRA ANTIVIRUS PRO 27
BITDEFENDER INTERNET SECURITY 30
ESET INTERNET SECURITY 34
F-SECURE SAFE 38
G DATA INTERNET SECURITY 41
K7 TOTAL SECURITY 45
KASPERSKY INTERNET SECURITY 48
MCAFEE TOTAL PROTECTION 52
MICROSOFT DEFENDER ANTIVIRUS 55
NORTONLIFELOCK NORTON 360 DELUXE 58
PANDA FREE ANTIVIRUS 61
TOTAL AV ANTIVIRUS PRO 64
TOTAL DEFENSE ESSENTIAL ANTI-VIRUS 67
TREND MICRO INTERNET SECURITY 70
VIPRE ADVANCED SECURITY 73
FEATURELIST COMES HERE 76
COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER 77
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
3
Introduction
About AV-Comparatives
We are an independent test lab, providing rigorous testing of security software products. We were
founded in 2004 and are based in Innsbruck, Austria.
AV-Comparatives is an ISO 9001:2015 certified organisation. We received
the TÜV Austria certificate for our management system for the scope:
“Independent Tests of Anti-Virus Software”.
http://www.av-comparatives.org/iso-certification/
AV-Comparatives is the first certified EICAR Trusted IT-Security Lab
http://www.av-comparatives.org/eicar-trusted-lab/
At the end of every year, AV-Comparatives releases a Summary Report to comment on the various
consumer anti-virus products tested over the course of the year, and to highlight the high-scoring
products of the different tests that took place over the twelve months. Please bear in mind that this
report considers all the Consumer Main-Series Tests of 2020, i.e. not just the latest ones. Comments
and conclusions are based on the results shown in the various comparative test reports, as well as
from observations made during the tests (https://www.av-comparatives.org/consumer/test-
methods/)
.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
4
Tested Vendors
The following vendors’ products were included in AV-Comparatives’ Public Consumer Main Test-Series
of 2020 and had the effectiveness of their products independently evaluated. We are happy that this
year’s tests helped several vendors to find critical and other bugs in their software, and that this has
contributed to improving the products.
Approved Security Product Award
The tested products of all the 17 vendors above are AV-Comparatives 2020 Approved Windows Security
Products.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
5
Management Summary
Tests
In 2020, AV-Comparatives subjected 17 consumer security products for Windows to rigorous
investigation. All the programs were tested for their ability to protect against real-world Internet
threats, identify thousands of recent malicious programs, defend against advanced targeted attacks,
and provide protection without slowing down the PC.
Results and Awards
Whilst all of the programs in our test reached an acceptable level overall, some programs outperformed
others. For details, please see “Overview of levels reached during 2020”. In order to recognise those
products that achieve outstanding scores in our tests, we have given a number of end-of-year awards
that highlight the best results in each test, and overall. The Product of the Year and Top Rated awards
are based on overall performance in the Public Consumer Main Test Series; there are also Gold, Silver
and Bronze awards for each individual test type. Please see the Award Winners section for more details
of the awards. The 2020 Product of the Year Award goes to Kaspersky; Bitdefender and ESET receive
Outstanding Product Awards; the Top Rated Product Awards go to Avast and AVG.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
6
Overview of tested products
Here we provide a summary for each of the programs tested, with a note of each one’s successes
during the year. Although the user interface does not affect any awards, we have noted some of the
best UI features as well.
Avast is a Top-Rated Product in 2020. It received an Advanced+ Award in four of this year’s tests,
and Advanced in the other three. It also takes a joint Silver Award for Real-World Protection and a
joint Bronze Award for Advanced Threat Protection. It has a very clean, modern interface, and the
setup wizard offers ideal options for both expert and non-expert users.
AVG receives a Top-Rated Product award this year. In four of this year’s tests it took an Advanced+
Award, along with Advanced in the other three. It also received a joint Silver Award for Real-World
Protection, and a joint Bronze Award for Advanced Threat Protection. It has a touch-friendly
interface and good setup options.
Avira took three Advanced+ and three Advanced Awards in this year’s tests. It features a modern,
touch-friendly interface.
Bitdefender wins an Outstanding Product Award, having reached Advanced+ in all seven tests in
2020. It additionally receives joint Silver Awards for Malware Protection and Advanced Threat
Protection, and the Bronze Award for False Positives. Its well-designed user interface includes a
customisable home page, and real-time protection is highly sensitive.
ESET gets an Outstanding Product Award for 2020, as it reached Advanced+ level in all 7 tests this
year. It also receives the Gold Award for False Positives, and joint Silver Awards for Malware
Protection and Advanced Threat Protection. Reviewers were impressed with the clear and simple
layout of the GUI, and ease of use.
F-Secure took three Advanced+ and three Advanced Awards this year. It features an easy-to-use,
simply laid-out interface.
G Data takes this year’s Gold Award for Malware Protection. It also received 4 Advanced+ and 1
Advanced Award in the 2020 tests. Reviewers noted its especially detailed status display and excellent
access control.
K7 takes this year’s Gold Award for Performance. It also got two Advanced+ and three Advanced
Awards in the 2020 tests. Reviewers liked its simple design and impressive scanning speed.
Kaspersky is AV-Comparatives’ Product of the Year for 2020, having got Advanced+ Awards in all 7
of the year’s tests. In addition, it receives Gold Awards for Real-World Protection and Advanced
Threat Protection, the Silver Award for False Positives, and Bronze Awards for Malware Protection
and Performance. It has an easy-to-use tiled interface, and a wide range of configuration options.
McAfee received three Advanced+ and two Advanced Awards in the year’s tests, along with a Silver
Award for Performance. Its user interface is clean, modern and touch friendly. The program’s status
alerts are exemplary.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
7
Microsoft took the Bronze Award for Real-World Protection this year. It also received two Advanced+
Awards and one Advanced Award in the year’s tests. The product is integrated into Windows 10, and
has a simple, unobtrusive interface.
NortonLifeLock’s product took six Advanced Awards in this year’s tests. It has a well-designed overall
user experience, with detailed malware information accessible from alerts.
Panda received two Advanced+ and three Advanced Awards in this year’s tests. Reviewers noted its
security-blog feature, which lets you read articles on various IT-security related topics.
Total AV got one Advanced+ and four Advanced Awards in the 2020 tests. It features a very simple,
easy-to-navigate program window.
Total Defense took one Advanced+ and four Advanced Awards this year. Its user interface stands out
for its simplicity.
Trend Micro received one Advanced+ and two Advanced Awards in this year’s tests. The user interface
presents a simple overview, but allows easy access to advanced options. Its persistent malware and
status alerts stand out.
Vipre took four Advanced+ and two Advanced Awards in this year’s tests. It has a very clean design
and good online help feature, which you can search directly from the program.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
8
Advice on Choosing Computer Security Software
There is no such thing as the perfect security program, or the best one for all needs and every user.
Being recognized as “Product of the Year” does not mean that a program is the “best” in all cases and
for everyone: it only means that its overall performance in our tests throughout the year was consistent
and unbeaten. Before selecting a security product, please visit the vendor’s website and evaluate their
software by downloading a trial version. Our awards are based on test results only and do not consider
other important factors (such as available interface languages, price, and support options), which you
should evaluate for yourself.
Overview of levels reached during 2020
AV-Comparatives provides a wide range of tests and reviews in comprehensive reports
(https://www.av-comparatives.org/consumer/test-methods/). Annual awards for 2020 are based on
the Public Consumer Main Test-Series: Real-World Protection Test, Performance Test, Malware
Protection Test, False-Alarm Test and the Advanced Threat Protection Test.
All the programs tested are from reputable and reliable manufacturers. Please note that even the
STANDARD level/award requires a program to reach a good standard, although it indicates areas which
need further improvement compared to other products. ADVANCED indicates that a product has areas
which may need some improvement, but is already very competent. Below is an overview of awards
reached by the various anti-virus products in AV-Comparatives’ consumer main test-series of 2020.
Key: * = Standard, ** = Advanced, *** = Advanced+
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
9
Annual Awards
Awards for individual tests
For each of the test types
1
in the Public Consumer Main Test Series (Real-World Protection, Malware
Protection, Advanced Threat Protection, Performance and False Positives), we give Gold, Silver and
Bronze awards, for the first, second and third highest-scoring products, respectively.
Awards for all combined scores of all tests
As in previous years, in 2020 we are giving our Product of the Year Award to the product with the
highest overall scores across all the tests in the Public Consumer Main Test Series. This depends on
the number of Advanced+ awards received in all the tests. As the overall scores are considered, a
product can receive the Product of the Year award without necessarily reaching the highest score in
any individual test. A product cannot win the Product of the Year Award in 2 consecutive years if in
the second year there is another product (or other products) with the same highest award levels.
We sometimes have a situation where two products reach exactly the same highest award levels. We
think it is fair to highlight the fact that more than one product has reached an excellent level, and
so in such cases we give the Product of the Year Award to the product that didn’t get it most recently.
The other product with the same highest award levels will receive the Outstanding Product Award.
It even happens that three or more products reach the same highest award levels (as is the case this
year). In this situation, the product with the highest individual scores wins Product of the Year, while
the others receive the Outstanding Product Award.
As in previous years, we will also be giving Top Rated Awards to a select group of tested products
which reached a very high standard in the Public Consumer Main Series tests. We have used the results
over the year to designate products as “Top Rated”. Results from all the tests are assigned points as
follows: Tested = 0, Standard = 5, Advanced = 10, Advanced+ = 15. Products with 90 points or more
are given the Top Rated award.
To get the Approved Windows Security Product Award (see page 4), at least 35 points must be
reached.
1
For some test types, there may be two actual tests conducted in a year; the awards are based on the combined
score of both tests.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
10
Product of the Year 2020
AV-Comparatives’ 2020 Product of the Year Award goes to:
Kaspersky
Outstanding Products 2020
AV-Comparatives’ 2020 Outstanding Product Awards go to (in alphabetical order):
Bitdefender, ESET
Top-Rated Products 2020
AV-Comparatives’ Top-Rated Awards for 2020 go to (in alphabetical order):
Avast, AVG
Please see our summary and awards pages – links below:
https://www.av-comparatives.org/test-results/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/awards/
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
11
Real-World Protection Test winners
Security products include various different features to protect systems against malware. Such
protection features are taken into account in the Real-World Protection Test, which tests products
under realistic Internet usage conditions. Products must provide a high level of protection without
producing too many false alarms, and without requiring the user to make a decision as to whether
something is harmful or not.
The programs with the best overall results over the course of the year were from: Kaspersky, Avast,
AVG and Microsoft.
AWARDS
Kaspersky
Avast, AVG
Microsoft
For details and full results of the 2020 Real-World Protection tests, please click the link below:
https://www.av-comparatives.org/consumer/testmethod/real-world-protection-tests/
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
12
Malware Protection winners
The Malware Protection Test evaluates an AV product’s ability to protect against malware coming from
removable devices or network shares. Products must provide a high level of protection without
producing too many false alarms. In the Malware Protection Test, all samples not detected on-demand
or on-access are executed.
G Data, Bitdefender, ESET and Kaspersky scored well in both tests.
AWARDS
G Data
Bitdefender, ESET
Kaspersky
For details and full results of the 2020 Malware Protection tests, please click the link below:
https://www.av-comparatives.org/consumer/testmethod/malware-protection-tests/
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
13
False Positives winners
False positives can cause as much trouble as a real infection. Due to this, it is important that anti-
virus products undergo stringent quality assurance testing before release to the public, in order to
avoid false positives. AV-Comparatives carry out extensive false-positive testing as part of the Malware
Protection Tests. Additionally, also false alarms from the Real-World Protection Test are counted for
this category.
The products with the lowest rates of false positives during 2020 were ESET (5), Kaspersky (15) and
Bitdefender (19). These figures represent the SUM of the false positives from all FP Tests.
AWARDS
ESET
Kaspersky
Bitdefender
False Alarm Testing is included in each Protection Test.
For additional details about False Positives in the Malware Protection Test, please click the link below:
https://www.av-comparatives.org/consumer/testmethod/false-alarm-tests/
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
14
Overall Performance (Low System-Impact) winners
Security products must remain turned on under all circumstances, while users are performing their
usual computing tasks. Some products may have a higher impact than others on system performance
while performing some tasks.
K7, McAfee and Kaspersky demonstrated a lower impact on system performance than other products.
AWARDS
K7
McAfee
Kaspersky
For details and full results of the 2020 Performance tests, please click the link below:
https://www.av-comparatives.org/consumer/testmethod/performance-tests/
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
15
Advanced Threat Protection (Enhanced Real-World Test) winners
This tests a program’s ability to protect against advanced targeted and fileless attacks.
Kaspersky blocked 14 targeted attacks (out of 15), Bitdefender and ESET blocked 13 attacks, Avast
and AVG blocked 11 attacks.
AWARDS
Kaspersky
Bitdefender, ESET
Avast, AVG
For details and full results of the 2020 Advanced Threat Protection Test, please click the link below:
https://www.av-comparatives.org/consumer/testmethod/advanced-threat-protection-tests/
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
16
Pricing
AV-Comparatives’ awards and rankings are based entirely on products’ technical capabilities, not on
any other factors such as costs. However, the price of a security product is obviously a factor that
users consider. We have listed here some considerations that readers may like to take into account
when choosing their security software.
We would not recommend choosing a security product based on price alone. We suggest that you look
at protection, performance and ease of use first, and consider the price last.
It is clear that some free programs protection and performance on a par with paid-for programs, and
are easy to use. One of the main disadvantages to free programs can be limited technical support,
however. Additional features may also be lacking or limited. Finally, some free programs make
extensive advertising for their paid-for counterparts, which many users may find irritating.
It is possible to buy security programs from third-party vendors (e.g. online or in electronics stores)
more cheaply than the vendor’s list price. We would advise users to check that they are buying the
latest version of the product, or that the product purchased can be upgraded to the latest version
without additional cost.
When purchasing a product from the vendor’s own website, there are two factors that users might like
to consider. The first concerns multi-platform licences. Many vendors now offer a licence for e.g. 5
devices, which you can use for Windows, macOS or Android devices, or a mix. In some cases, the price
may vary depending on which section of the website you buy from. For example, a multi-platform
licence bought from the “Products for Mac” page may be a different price from an (effectively
identical) product bought from the “Products for Windows” page.
The second point to consider is auto-renewal. Some vendors offer or automatically apply auto-renewal
of the subscription when you buy from their website. Unless you cancel this, you will be charged again
at the end of the initial licence period, and the subscription will be extended accordingly. Clearly this
is to the advantage of the vendor, as it makes it easy for them to keep you as a customer. If you buy
an AV product from the vendor’s own website, we suggest that you check the auto-renewal situation
first. Some vendors do not have auto-renewal at all. Others let you opt in by putting a tick in a
checkbox, while others have auto-renewal activated by default, but let you opt out easily by removing
the tick from the checkbox. In some cases, auto-renewal is automatically applied, and cannot be
deactivated at the time of purchase; you have to message the vendor afterwards to cancel it. This
gives the vendor the opportunity to try to keep you as a customer, by offering various incentives.
Before agreeing to purchase a product with auto-renewal, we suggest that you find out what the
renewal price will be when your subscription expires. In some cases, this may be very much higher
than the initial purchase price. However, it might also be cheaper. It is also possible that if you opt
out of auto-renewal at the time of purchase, the price shown in the basket will increase. Our 2020
Security Survey indicates that about 9 out of 10 users are not happy with mandatory auto-renewal.
In the table below we have listed the (rounded) current discount price, full list price and auto-renewal
prices (where applicable) for the paid products in the 2020 Main Test Series.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
17
Key: Ratio of rounded full list price/autorenewal price to rounded discounted first-year price is (green) no more
than twice; (yellow) more than twice but no more than three times; (red) more than three times.
*We presume that the auto-renewal price will be the same as the full list price. However, either the information on
the vendor’s website was unclear, or it stated that the vendor had the right to change the price on auto-renewal.
Where "Auto-renewal on by default" is shown as "optional", it means that auto-renewal is activated by default,
but can be deactivated at the time of purchase, e.g. by removing a tick/checkmark in the relevant box. Where it is
shown as “mandatory”, you cannot deactivate it at the time of purchase, but have to cancel it afterwards. Each
vendor has its own procedure for deactivating auto-renewal, so we suggest that readers find out about this in good
time before the renewal date. It might be that e.g. uninstalling the product from the computer makes cancelling
auto-renew more difficult.
The aim of this table is to compare each product's full list price with both its discounted price for the
first year and its renewal price for the second year of the subscription. We advise readers NOT to use
the data here to compare prices between products. Some products provide just malware protection,
whilst others include e.g. parental controls as well, so it would not be a fair comparison. Our 2020
Consumer Main Test Series tested free products by Avast, AVG, Microsoft and Panda. These products
are not shown in the table, as pricing does not apply to them. For two of the products shown in the
table, the lowest-price subscription allows you to install the product on three devices. If you only
want to protect one device with these products, you will still have to pay the price shown here.
The terms “full list price” and “discounted price” could potentially be used by vendors in a misleading
way. Some countries, such as the UK and Germany, have laws stating that a vendor can only use terms
like "special offer" if the lower price is offered for a shorter period than the full list price. Readers
might like to check the applicable law in the country from which they are purchasing the product. We
have given the prices shown on the respective vendor’s website at the time of writing (December
2020), applicable to users in Austria. We have not investigated if or for how long the full list prices
stated on the vendors’ websites have been offered. Thus we cannot say if they are in accordance with
the applicable law in the country of purchase.
We should point out some good practices by some vendors. G Data is actually cheaper in the second
year, and along with Bitdefender, ESET, F-Secure, K7 and Kaspersky does not impose auto-renewal on
users.
2
It is possible that some vendors may offer additional discounts at specific times or under specific
circumstances.
Product Devices
Discounted
2
price first year
(in EUR incl. VAT)
Full List Price
(in EUR incl. VAT)
Auto-renewal
price
(in EUR incl. VAT)
Auto
-
renewal
ON
by Default
Avira Antivirus Pro
1
35
€
47
€
47
€*
Yes (mandatory)
Bitdefender Internet Security
1
2
7
€
5
0
€
5
0
€*
Yes
(optional)
ESET Internet Security
1
n/a
35
€
n/a
No
F
-
Secure SAFE
1
30
€
50
€
50
€
Yes (optional)
G Data Internet Security
1
n/a
40
€
28
€
Yes (optional)
K7 Total Security
1
20
€
34
€
n/a
No
Kaspersky Internet Security
1
28
€
40
€
40
€*
Yes (optional)
McAfee Total Security
1
30
€
70
€
70
€
Yes
(mandatory)
NortonLifeLock Norton 360
1
30
€
75
€
75
€
Yes (mandatory)
Total AV Antivirus Pro
3
35
€
120
€
120
€
Yes (mandatory)
Total Defense Essential Antivirus
3
25
€
4
0
€
4
0
€*
Yes
(mandatory)
Trend Micro Internet Security
1
25
€
50
€
50
€*
Yes (mandatory)
Vipre Advanced Security
1
22
€
50
€
50
€
Yes (mandatory)
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
18
User Experience Review
Review Format
For each of the tested products, we have looked at the following points (where applicable).
About the program
To start off with, we state whether the program is free or has to be paid for. We don’t list individual
protection components (e.g. signatures, heuristics, behavioural protection), for the following reasons.
Our protection tests verify how well each program protects the system, whereby it is not important
which component(s) are involved. It is not the number of features that is important, but how
effectively they work. Also, different vendors may have different names for individual functions, or
combine multiple types of functionality under one name. This could make it misleading to compare
products using the vendors’ component names. For readers’ convenience, we do note any non-
malware-related features, such as parental controls or spam filtering. With the exception of a
replacement firewall (see below), we do not check the functionality of these additional features.
Setup
We note any options available, whether you have to make any decisions, and any other points of
interest, such as introductory wizards that explain the program’s features. We suggest that there
should be a simple installation option for non-expert users. If at any stage the user has to make a
decision in order to proceed, the options should be explained simply and clearly.
System Tray icon
Here we state what functionality is available from the program’s System Tray icon. This can be a
convenient way of accessing commonly-used functions, such as scans and updates. A System Tray icon
is a standard feature for modern security programs for consumers. We regard it as a very useful means
of showing that the program is running.
Security alerts
First, we disable the program’s real-time protection, and check to see what alerts are shown. We also
look for a quick and easy means of reactivating the protection. An effective status display, which
shows a clear warning if protection is disabled, is a very standard feature, as is a “Fix-All” button/link
with which the user can easily re-enable protection. We regard both of these as important for non-
expert users. Additional pop-up alerts, which the user would see even if the program window were not
open, are a desirable bonus. Next, we check how each program reacts when malware is encountered.
We start off by downloading the EICAR test file (a harmless text file that antivirus products are
programmed to detect for test purposes). We look to see what sort of alert is shown, if there are any
options provided for dealing with the malware, if any information about the malware is given, and
how long the alert is displayed. For non-expert users at least, we feel it is appropriate for a security
program to show an alert when malware is detected, so that the user understands why the file in
question cannot be downloaded/accessed. Also for non-expert users, we regard it as ideal if the
malware is deleted or quarantined automatically, without the user having to make a decision on what
to do with it. We would definitely recommend that any alert box should not include an option to
instantly whitelist the file (i.e. allow it to be executed there and then). A much safer option is to
quarantine the file, after which power users could go into the program’s settings to whitelist and
restore it if they wanted.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
19
The next step is to connect a USB flash drive to the review system, containing a few very prevalent
and well-known malware samples. We note if any action is taken automatically by the security program,
or if it prompts to scan the drive. If a scan is offered, we decline it, and open the drive in Windows
Explorer. If the malware is not detected at this point, we attempt to copy the files on the drive to the
Windows Desktop. If this is successful, we then execute them. We note at which stage the malware is
detected, what sort of alert is shown, and if any action needs to be taken by the user.
All the programs in our Consumer Main-Test Series detect malware on execution, which is enough to
keep the system free of infection. However, many users may expect their security program to detect
malware on access, i.e. when the drive or folder containing it is opened in Windows Explorer, or at
the latest when it is moved or copied. This would prevent them inadvertently passing on malicious
files to somebody else on an external drive. We note that programs without on-access scanning may
have a performance advantage as a result.
Scan options
Here we look at the different types of on-demand scan provided by each program, how to access and
configure them, set scan exclusions, schedule scans, and what options are provided for PUA detection.
We also look at how the results are displayed at the end of an on-demand scan, and whether the user
needs to make any decisions. If multiple malicious files are found in a scan, it should be easy to carry
out a safe action on all of them at once, rather than having to select an action for each one
individually.
Quarantine
In the program’s quarantine function, we look to see what information it provides about the detection
location/time and the malware itself, and what options are available for processing it, e.g. delete,
restore or submit to vendor for analysis.
Access control
For users who do not share their computer with anyone, this section is not relevant. However, if you
share a computer, e.g. with your family at home, or colleagues in a small business, you might want
to read it. We look to see if it possible to prevent other users of the computer from disabling the
security program’s protection features, or uninstalling it altogether. There are two ways of doing this.
Firstly, access can be limited using Windows User Accounts: users with Administrator Accounts can
change settings and thus disable protection, whereas those with Standard User Accounts can’t.
Alternatively, a program can provide password protection, so that any user – regardless of account
type – can only change settings by entering a password. Some programs provide both methods, which
we regard as ideal. When testing access control, we try to find all possible means of disabling
protection, to ensure that any restrictions apply to all of them.
Help
In this section, we take a quick look at whatever help features can be directly accessed from the
program itself. Some vendors will have additional online resources, such as manuals and FAQ pages,
that can be found by visiting their respective websites.
Logs
Here we note what information is provided in the program’s log function.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
20
Firewall
Some of the products in this year’s tests have a replacement firewall. That is to say, they include their
own firewall, which is used in place of Windows Firewall. For these products, we perform a very simple
functionality test, to check that basic functions of their replacement firewalls work as expected. In
essence, this just verifies that network discovery and file sharing are allowed on private networks, but
blocked on public ones.
For this test, we use a laptop PC, running Windows 10 Professional, with a wireless network adapter.
We share the Documents folder, with read and write permissions for “Everyone”, and enable Remote
Desktop access. In Windows Firewall/Advanced Sharing Settings, we turn on network discovery, file
sharing, and Remote Desktop access for Private networks, but turn them all off for Public networks.
We then verify that network access is working as expected in both Private and Public networks. It is
initially connected to a wireless network that is defined as Private in Windows network status settings.
We then install the security product with default settings, and reboot the computer. If during
installation the third-party firewall in the security product were to prompt us to define the current
network as public or private, we would designate it as private at that point. After the reboot, we check
to see if we can still ping the PC, open and edit a document in its shared folder, and gain Remote
Desktop access. We would expect the third-party firewall to allow all these types of access.
We then connect the laptop to a new, unknown wireless network, which we define as Public in
Windows’ network status prompt. If the third-party firewall were to display its own network-status
prompt, we would also choose the public/untrusted option here. Next, we attempt to ping the test
laptop (IPv4 and IPv6) from another computer on the same network, access its file share, and log in
with Remote Desktop. We would expect the third-party firewall to block all these forms of access, as
Windows Firewall would do.
We also check what happens if the network status is changed from Private to Public in Windows
network settings, i.e. if the third-party firewall in the tested product picks up the new status
automatically, or displays its own prompt at that point.
In our opinion, a third-party firewall in a security program should either adopt Windows’ network
status settings automatically, or achieve the same result by means of displaying its own prompts. This
allows laptop users to share files when at home, but keep intruders out when using public networks.
We recognise that some users may like to use Windows Firewall – which is a known standard – rather
than the third-party firewall in their security product. For such users, it is ideal if the security product’s
own firewall can be cleanly disabled (i.e. permanently disabled, without security alerts being
constantly shown), and Windows Firewall can be activated instead. We check to see if this is possible.
Other points of interest
Here we note anything we observe or find out about a product that we think is relevant. This may
include privacy-related items, descriptions of the product on the vendor’s website, unusual places to
find features, customisation options, prompts to install additional features, upselling, bugs,
explanations of functions, and out-of-the-ordinary features and notifications.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
21
Avast Free Antivirus
About the program
Avast Free Antivirus is, as its name suggests, a free security program. In addition to anti-malware
features, it includes a manual software update feature and network-security scanner. You can find out
more about Avast Free Antivirus on the vendor’s website: https://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-
download. Avast tell us that they have recently improved the accessibility features, and the product
is WCAG 2.0 AA compliant. You can find out more about this standard here:
https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG2AA-Conformance
Summary
The interface of Avast Free Antivirus is clean and modern, and makes most important features easy to
find. Malware alerts and default actions on detection are good. By and large, it is very easy to navigate
and use. The setup wizard provides the choice of a default, one-click installation, or a fully
customisable install for power users, which we liked. The program actively promotes other Avast
products, some of which have to be paid for. We would suggest that users obtain independent advice
on what other types of security/performance-related products are appropriate to their needs before
buying any additional products.
Setup
The default installation of Avast Free Antivirus includes the Avast Secure Browser, and sets this as the
default browser. You can easily opt out of this by removing the relevant ticks (checkmarks) on the
first page of the setup wizard. We chose not to install the Avast browser for our functionality test.
Setup lets you change the interface language, after which you can simply click Install. For power
users, a custom installation is provided. With this option, you can select individual components to be
installed, and change the installation folder. We used the default configuration (all components except
Passwords are installed). The wizard prompted us to run a Smart Scan when setup completed.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
22
System Tray icon
The System Tray menu lets you open the program window, disable protection for a specified time, use
“Silent Mode”, open quarantine, update the program and/or definitions, and see program and
registration information.
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings, an alert was shown on the program’s
home page (screenshot below). We were able to reactivate the protection easily by clicking Turn On.
We note that if you click the three dots button, you will get the option Ignore. We do not recommend
using this, as it permanently disables the warning message normally shown when protection is
disabled. When we tried to download the EICAR test file, Avast blocked it and displayed the alert
shown below. We did not need to take any action. The alert persisted until we closed it.
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to the system, Avast offered to scan the
drive. This prompt can be disabled directly form the alert box. We chose not to run a scan, but instead
opened the USB drive in Windows File Explorer. Avast did not initially take any action. However, as
soon as we copied the malicious files to the Windows desktop, Avast detected and quarantined the
copied files. An alert similar to the one above was shown, and a warning sound was played. If multiple
malicious files are found at the same time, separate alerts are shown one after the other. You have to
close each of these individually. Clicking on See details opens a panel at the bottom of the alert box,
showing additional information. For e.g. the WannaCry worm, we could see the threat name, file name
and path, the process that encountered the malware, and the Avast protection component that
detected it. When we ran an on-demand scan of malware samples on a USB drive, Avast presented us
with a list of threats found. From this, we were able to select all threats with one click, and deal with
them by clicking Resolve All.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
23
Scan options
The Smart Scan button on the home page runs a very quick malware scan, and checks for outdated
apps and browser threats. It also displays “Advanced issues”, which is a means of promoting features
only found in Avast Premium Security. The Protection\Virus Scans page additionally provides the
options Full\Targeted\Boot-Time\Custom scans. A Custom scan can be scheduled. You can also scan a
drive, folder or file by using Windows Explorer’s right-click menu. Under
Menu\Settings\Protection\Virus Scans, you can change the default action to be taken when malware is
discovered, and whether to scan for potentially unwanted applications. PUA detection is enabled by
default for on-demand scans, but disabled for real-time protection. Scan exceptions can be configured
on the General tab of the settings dialog.
Quarantine
Avast’s quarantine feature is called Virus Chest. Here you can see the file names and detection names
of quarantined items, along with their location and date/time of detection. You can select individual
files, or all of them, and take one of the following actions: Delete, Restore, Restore and add exception,
Extract, Send for analysis. It appears that the Extract function lets you restore the file to a custom
location. We could not find any further information about the malware on the quarantine page.
Logs
A basic log of scans completed can be found by clicking Protection/Virus Scans/Scan History. This
shows the date of each scan, along with the detection name, file name/path and action taken.
Help
The help feature can be accessed by clicking Menu\Help\Help. This displays a series of frequently asked
questions, such as “How do I scan my PC for potential threats?” and “How do I resolve my protection
status?”, grouped together into categories. A simple text-only answer is provided for each question.
Access control
Standard Windows users have full access to the program’s settings by default, and so can disable
protection features. However, they cannot uninstall the program. It is possible to password protect
the program under Menu\Settings\Password, and there are two options for doing this. The Require
password only to access settings option locks the settings dialog. However, it is still possible to disable
protection using the System Tray menu. The second option, Require password to open Avast and access
settings, makes it impossible to access settings or disable protection by any means. However, it also
locks any form of access to the main program window and the functionality of the System Tray menu.
The only thing a user can do then is to run a right-click scan from Windows Explorer, though it will
not be possible to see the scan results or take any action on malware found.
Other points of interest
• When we first opened a web browser after installing Avast Free Antivirus, the Avast Online Security
page on the Chrome Web Store was displayed.
• The Rescue Disk feature can be found on the Protection\Virus Scans page.
• By default, Avast collects user data via 3rd-party analysis services. However, they inform us that
this is only used in-house for e.g. product improvement purposes.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
24
AVG AntiVirus Free
About the program
AVG AntiVirus Free is a free security program, as its name suggests. In addition to anti-malware
features, it includes Data shredder, a secure delete function. You can find out more about the program
on the vendor’s website: https://www.avg.com/en-eu/free-antivirus-download
Summary
The interface of AVG AntiVirus Free is straightforward to use, and makes most important features easy
to find. Malware alerts and default actions on detection are good. By and large, it is very easy to
navigate and use. The setup wizard provides the choice of a default, one-click installation, or a fully
customisable install for power users, which we liked. The program advertises other, paid-for AVG
products on its home page and in the default scan. We would suggest that users obtain independent
advice on what other types of security/performance-related products are appropriate to their needs
before buying any additional products.
Setup
The default installation of AVG AntiVirus Free includes the AVG Secure Browser, and sets this as the
default browser. You can easily opt out of this by removing the relevant ticks (checkmarks) on the
first page of the setup wizard. We chose not to install the AVG browser for our functionality test.
Setup lets you change the interface language, after which you can simply click Install. For power users,
a custom installation is provided. With this option, you can select individual components to be
installed, and change the installation folder. We used the default configuration (all components
selected) here. The wizard prompted us to run a scan when setup completed. At the end of this, the
user is prompted to run a Smart Scan once a month. When we first opened our default browser after
installing AVG Free, we were prompted to install the AVG Online Security add-on from the Chrome Web
Store.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
25
System Tray icon
The System Tray icon menu lets you open the program, scan the computer, and disable protection.
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings, an alert was shown on the status
area (screenshot below) and Computer tile of the main program window. We were able to reactivate
the protection easily by clicking Turn on.
When we tried to download the EICAR test file, AVG blocked it and displayed the alert shown below.
We did not need to take any action. The alert persisted until we closed it.
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to the system, AVG offered to scan the
drive. We chose not to run a scan, but instead opened the USB drive in Windows File Explorer. AVG
did not initially take any action. However, when we copied the malicious files to the Windows Desktop,
AVG immediately detected and quarantined them. An alert like the one above was shown. Clicking See
Details opened a drop-down panel showing the threat name, file name and path, Windows process
that encountered the malware, detection component, action taken, and an option to report the file
as a false positive. An individual alert box was shown was shown for each malware item detected, and
each had to be closed individually. When we ran an on-demand scan of malware samples on a USB
drive, AVG presented us with a list of the items detected, and noted that they had all been
quarantined. We then just had to click Done to close the scan results window.
Scan options
The Run Smart Scan button on the home page runs a very quick malware scan, and checks for browser
threats. It also displays “Advanced issues”, which is a means of promoting features only found in AVG
Internet Security. When the scan is finished, the program will prompt you to schedule a monthly scan.
If you click the three dots icon next to the Run Smart Scan button, a menu with scan options opens.
This additionally lets you run a Deep Scan (full scan), USB/DVD scan, file or folder scan, or boot-time
scan. You can also set up a scheduled scan from here. It is also possible to scan a drive, folder or file
using Windows Explorer’s right-click menu.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
26
Under Menu\Settings\General\Exceptions you can configure scan exceptions. Basic
Protection\Detections lets you change the real-time protection’s default detection behaviour
(automatic) and PUA detection (ignore). Under Basic Protection\Scans you can configure the same
options for on-demand scans. Here, the default behaviour is to detect PUAs. If malware is detected
in an on-demand scan, the default behaviour is Fix automatically.
Quarantine
The quarantine page can be found in the Tools section of the Menu. This is shown below, along with
available options for quarantined items.
Logs
AVG AntiVirus FREE doesn’t have separate log feature in. However, the date and time of malware
detections can be seen in the Quarantine window.
Help
The help feature can be accessed by clicking Menu\Help. This displays a series of frequently asked
questions, such as “How do I scan my PC for potential threats?” and “How do I resolve a red protection
status?”, grouped together into categories. A simple text-only answer is provided for each question.
Access control
By default, Standard Windows Users are able to change settings and disable protection features, but
not uninstall the program. If you share your computer, you might like to use the Password feature
(under Settings\General). If you choose the Require password to open AVG and access settings option,
nobody will be able change any settings or disable protection without knowing the password. The
program window will be completely inaccessible, and the only action unauthorised users can perform
is a right-click scan from Windows Explorer. It will not be possible to see the results, however. The
Require password only to access settings option locks the settings dialog, but unauthorised users can
still disable protection from the System Tray menu, or the Computer tile on the home page.
Other points of interest
• The update function is found under Menu/Settings/General/Update.
• By default, AVG collects user data via 3rd-party analysis services. However, they inform us that
this is only used in-house for e.g. product improvement purposes.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
27
Avira Antivirus Pro
About the program
Avira Antivirus Pro is a paid-for security program that includes anti-malware features and a VPN with
data/location limitations. There is no free trial as such. However, Avira Free Antivirus has an identical
interface, so you could use this to see what the program looks like. You can find out more about Avira
Antivirus Pro on the vendor’s website: https://www.avira.com/en/antivirus-pro
Summary
Installation of Avira Antivirus Pro is extremely simple, and the program’s most essential features are
easy to find. Safe default settings and sensible alerts are provided. Access control options are
outstanding. Most of the program has a very modern, clean and touch-friendly interface. Aside from
the display language, all options are found in an older, more mouse-oriented dialog. Avira Antivirus
Pro promotes the company’s Prime service.
Setup
To install Avira Antivirus Pro, log in to your Avira online account and go to Devices\Protect more
devices\Windows to download the installer. You can email a link to yourself from here. Just one click
is required to install the program, and the installer window explains the program’s features while it is
being set up.
System Tray icon
The System Tray icon menu lets you enable/disable real-time protection, open the program window,
and run scans and updates.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
28
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings, an alert was shown on the home
page. We were able to reactivate the protection easily by clicking Turn on.
When we downloaded the EICAR test file, Avira detected and quarantined the downloaded file. We did
not need to take any action. The alert shown below was displayed, and persisted until we closed it.
An audible alert was also played.
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to our test system and opened it in Windows
File Explorer, Avira immediately detected and quarantined the malicious files. An alert like the one
above was shown, and the audio alert was also played. Clicking Details displayed the malware on the
program’s quarantine page.
When we ran an on-demand scan of malware samples on a USB drive, Avira presented us with a list of
the items found, with a suggested action (Clean up) for each one. We just had to click Apply now to
deal with all of them. We note that it is possible to change the suggested action for any threat by
right-clicking its entry.
Scan options
You can run a Smart Scan from the button of the same name on the program’s home page. This takes
about a minute, and is supposed to check for security, privacy and performance issues. It serves to
advertise Avira Prime, by showing additional actions that could be taken with this service.
Under Security\Virus Scans you can choose from quick, full and custom/scheduled scans. You can also
scan a drive, folder or file by using Windows Explorer’s right-click menu.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
29
Scan options can be set by going to Security\Protection options, and clicking the cogwheel icon to the
right of Real-time protection. This opens a dialog box in an older interface design, from which you can
configure all protection options, including on-demand scans, password protection, and network
protection. There are detailed choices for types of threat to be detected, including PUAs (detection
is enabled by default), and the action to take when a threat is detected.
Quarantine
This displays the threat name, file name and path, plus date and time of detection. You can select
individual quarantined files, or all together, and rescan, restore or delete them. No additional
information about the malware samples is provided.
Logs
We could not find a log feature as such in Avira Antivirus Pro. The Quarantine page shows the date
and time of malware detections.
Help
Clicking Help in the ? menu opens Avira’s online manuals page. Under Windows you will find a
searchable FAQ feature. Simple text instructions and explanations are provided for each topic.
Access control
Standard Windows users cannot disable protection features, or uninstall the program. This is as it
should be. There is also a password protection feature, which lets you specify in detail which actions
are password protected. This can prevent other users disabling protection or uninstalling the program,
amongst other things.
Other points of interest:
• The Firewall feature on the Security page provides controls for the Windows firewall. Avira does
not provide its own firewall.
• Subscription information can be found by clicking the ? menu, then About, Manage my licences.
This opens the subscriptions page of your online Avira account.
• When we opened our default browser after installation, we were prompted to enable the Avira Safe
Shopping add-on for Chrome.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
30
Bitdefender Internet Security
About the program
Bitdefender Internet Security is a paid-for security program. In addition to anti-malware features, it
includes a replacement firewall, vulnerability scanner, antispam, ransomware remediation, Wi-Fi
security advisor, parental controls, file shredder (secure deletion), and a limited VPN. You can find
out more about the program on the vendor’s website:
https://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/internet-security.html
Summary
Bitdefender Internet Security is very straightforward to install and navigate, with almost all important
functions easy to find. We liked the ability to customise the tiles on the home page. Malware on a
USB drive is automatically detected in an instant, and access-control options are optimal. Default
options are very safe for non-expert users. A double warning is shown if you try to access a risky
website. However, we feel that co-ordination of the Bitdefender Firewall with Windows’s security
settings could be improved.
Setup
The setup wizard lets you choose the interface language, and opt out of sending product reports.
Otherwise there are no decisions to make, and installation completes very quickly. An optional “Device
Assessment” is suggested at the end of the setup process; this took 2 minutes in our functionality
check. You have to create a Bitdefender account, or log in with an existing one. You can then enter
a licence key, or opt to use the 30-day free trial.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
31
System Tray icon
The System Tray icon menu lets you open the program window, run updates, and see program
information.
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings, an alert was shown on the home
page (screenshot below). We were able to reactivate the protection easily by clicking Enable Now.
When we tried to download the EICAR test file, Bitdefender initially showed a warning in the browser:
We persisted, by clicking I understand the risks, take me there anyway. Bitdefender then showed us a
second alert:
Again we persisted, by clicking Yes. Bitdefender then immediately detected and deleted the EICAR
test file, and showed the alert below. We did not need to take any action. The notification closed by
itself., and the alert closed after 30 seconds.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
32
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to the system, Bitdefender offered to scan
the drive. However, before we had had time to react to this, the program displayed a detection
window, listing all the malicious files (shown below). We just had to select an action to take for all
items (we chose Take proper actions) and click Continue. Bitdefender then quarantined the malware
and ran a quick scan. We can only describe this proactive detection of malware on a USB device as
exemplary.
We found that even when we chose Take no action in the detection window, Bitdefender’s real-time
protection still prevented the malware being copied or executed.
Scan options
The Dashboard page lets you run a Quick Scan or System Scan. Under Protection\Antivirus\Scans you
can set up a Custom Scan, which can be scheduled. You are also provided with a wide range of options,
including whether to scan for potentially unwanted applications, whether to scan the memory, and if
only new and modified files should be scanned. On the Settings tab of the Antivirus page, you can
create scan exceptions, open the quarantine, and configure (automatic) scanning of USB drives,
optical media, and network drives.
Quarantine
The Quarantine page (found under Protection) shows the file name and path, detection name, and
time/date that each item was quarantined. From here, you can select one or multiple items, and delete
or restore them. The dialog box notes that restoring a file automatically excludes it from future
scanning.
Logs
At the end of a scan, it is possible to see a log of that scan. Other than this, we could not find a log
feature in the program.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
33
Help
The lifebelt icon in the top right-hand corner of the window has links to the User’s Guide and Support
Center. The User’s Guide is a very comprehensive manual of over 200 pages. It covers all aspects of
installing, configuring and using the program. It includes a glossary of relevant technical terms, and
contact details for Bitdefender’s support services. The Support Center is a searchable FAQ. There are
detailed instructions and explanations, very well illustrated with screen videos.
Access control
Standard Windows users cannot disable protection features, or uninstall the program. This is as it
should be. You can also password protect the settings, meaning that no other users can disable
protection without entering the password.
Bitdefender Firewall
In our functionality test, we found that the firewall in Bitdefender Internet Security does not co-
ordinate perfectly with Windows security settings. If you join a new wireless network and designate
this as public, the Bitdefender firewall will adopt this setting. However, if you then change the
network type to private in Windows network settings, the Bitdefender firewall will not change, but
will continue to see it as a public network. We feel this could be problematic if a user accidentally
designated a wireless network in e.g. a coffee shop as public; trying to rectify the mistake by changing
the network type to public in Windows settings would not have any effect. The user would need to go
into the settings of the Bitdefender firewall and change the network type there. If you prefer to use
Windows Firewall, you can cleanly disable the Bitdefender Firewall in the program’s settings. This will
activate the Windows Firewall.
Other points of interest:
• The update function can be found in the System Tray menu
• Subscription information can be found on the My Account page (user menu)
• The tiles shown on the Dashboard (home page) can be customised
• In the course of our functionality test, we were prompted to set up Ransomware Remediation
• When we first opened our default browser after installing Bitdefender, we were prompted to enable
the Bitdefender Wallet extension for Chrome
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
34
ESET Internet Security
About the program
ESET Internet Security is a paid-for security program. In addition to anti-malware features, it includes
the ESET Firewall, Connected Home Monitor, Anti-Theft, Anti-Spam, Anti-Phishing, and Banking &
Payment Protection. You can find out more about the program on the vendor’s website:
https://www.eset.com/int/home/internet-security/
Summary
We found ESET Internet Security to be very well designed and easy to use. Non-expert users are
provided with safe default settings and a clean, easy-to-navigate interface. All the essential features
are very easily accessed. The settings dialog – which has a useful search function – has plenty of
advanced options for power users. Real-time file-system protection is very sensitive and reacts very
quickly when needed. Help features are excellent.
Setup
You can download the program from its page on the vendor’s website. The installer lets you enter a
licence key if you have one, or opt for a 30-day free trial. Setup is straightforward, and starts by
letting you choose the interface language. You have to provide an email address, and decide whether
to enable LiveGrid (data sharing), PUA detection, and the Customer Experience Improvement Program.
However, the wizard provides an explanation of what each of these things does. At the end, you are
prompted to set up Anti-Theft and Parental Control, though these are optional. An initial scan is run
after installation.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
35
System Tray icon
The System Tray icon menu lets you see protection status, pause protection, pause firewall, block all
network traffic, open settings, see log files, open the program window, see program information, and
check for updates.
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings, an alert was shown on the home
page (screenshot below), and as a Windows pop-up alert. We were able to reactivate the protection
easily by clicking Enable real-time file system protection.
When we tried to download the EICAR test file, ESET blocked it and displayed the alert shown below.
We did not need to take any action, and the alert closed after 10 seconds. We note that this interval
can be changed in the settings.
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to the system, ESET offered to scan the
drive. It’s possible to change the default action here to Automatic device scan or Do not scan, using
the program’s settings. We chose not to run a scan, but instead opened the USB drive in Windows File
Explorer. ESET’s immediately detected and quarantined the malware. An alert like the one above was
shown.
If multiple malicious files are found at the same time, ESET displays separate alerts for each one,
shown one after the other. You can dismiss all the alerts at once from the menu in the top right-hand
corner of the message box.
Clicking on the threat name in an alert box opens the relevant page of ESET’s threat encyclopaedia in
a browser window. For e.g. the WannaCry worm, ESET provides a very detailed information page about
the threat. This includes a general description, information about files, folders, file extensions and
registry entries created or modifies, plus screenshots of the malware’s GUI and messages displayed.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
36
When we ran an on-demand scan of malware samples on a USB drive, ESET displayed the number of
detected threats, and noted that these had all been cleaned, in the program window. By clicking on
Show Log, we were able to see the file names, paths and detection names, along with other scan
details such as date and time.
Scan options
The default scan, accessible from the home page, is a “Smart Scan”. The scope of this can be configured
in the settings. The scan page, opened by clicking the Computer scan menu, has a number of options.
You can run a complete system scan, removable media scan, or custom scan. The latter provides very
granular options, including operating memory, boot sectors/UEFI, WMI database and registry. There
is also an option to repeat the last scan. You can scan a file, folder or drive by dragging it to the
Computer scan page, or using Windows File Explorer’s right-click menu. Malware found in an on-demand
scan is automatically quarantined. Under Advanced Setup\Detection Engine\Real-Time & Machine
Learning Protection, you can choose whether to detect potentially unwanted applications, potentially
unsafe applications (e.g. hacker tools), and suspicious applications (e.g. those using typical malware
obfuscation packing). Scan exceptions can be set in the Exclusions section. Real-time file system
protection lets you choose to detect malware on file open, creation, execution or removable media
access (all on by default). Overall, ESET provides a very wide range of scanning and other options,
letting users fine-tune the program to their requirements.
Quarantine
The Quarantine page can be found under the Tools menu\More tools. It shows the date and time of
detection, file name and path, file size, detection name, number of occurrences, and name of the user
that was active at the time. To delete a quarantined file, you have to right-click it and then click
Delete from Quarantine. There is a Restore button, and also a Move to quarantine button. The latter
allows you to browse the file system for any suspicious files that have not been detected yet. Once
they are in quarantine, you can submit them for analysis, or delete them, using the right-click menu.
Logs
The Logs page is under the Tools menu\More tools. It provides records of detections, events (such as
updates), and scan results, along with events relating to the program’s other features, such as anti-
spam and parental control.
Help
The Help and support page includes links to Open help and Search ESET Knowledgebase. The former
opens an online manual, with topics such as System requirements, Installation and Beginner’s guide in
a menu column on the left-hand side of the page. Each page opens detailed explanations and
instructions, very clearly laid out, and well illustrated with annotated screenshots. The Knowledgebase
lets you search for specific queries, such as exclusions.
Access control
Standard Windows users cannot disable protection features, or uninstall the program. This is as it
should be, in our opinion. Additionally, you can password protect the settings (Setup\Advanced
setup\User interface\Access setup). If this is set up, any other users can operate all the features of the
program, but not disable protection in any way.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
37
ESET Firewall
In our functionality test, the firewall in ESET Internet Security behaved exactly as expected. It co-
ordinated perfectly with Windows’ own network-type settings. It allowed network access such as file
sharing in a network we had designated as private, but blocked it in a network we had defined as
public. This is exactly as it should be, we feel. Should you nonetheless prefer to use Windows Firewall,
you can cleanly disable the ESET Firewall in the program’s settings. This will activate the Windows
Firewall.
Other points of interest
Under Tools\More tools, ESET provides a number of useful system utilities. Running processes lists
currently active processes with a reputation score, relative number of users, time of discovery, and
software manufacturer. Network connections shows you which programs have made network
connections, and the IP address of the remote computer, along with transfer speeds and amount of
data sent/received. You can use Watch activity to view dynamic graphs of file system activity and
network activity. All of these utilities could be useful for investigating suspicious behaviour on your
system.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
38
F-Secure SAFE
About the program
F-Secure SAFE is a paid-for security program. In addition to anti-malware features, it includes parental
controls. You can find out more about the program on the vendor’s website: https://www.f-
secure.com/en/home/products/safe
Summary
We found F-Secure SAFE to be straightforward to install and use. The program window is quite simple
and clean, with a number of features found in the Tools menu and Settings dialog. Real-time protection
is sensitive, and alerts are kept simple. One suggestion for improvement would be to show the “Fix-
all” button when any protection features are disabled.
Setup
First of all, you have to create an F-Secure account and log in to it on the vendor’s website. To
download the installer, you have to specify if you want to install SAFE on your own computer, your
child’s computer, or another device. This allows for the parental control feature in the program.
Once you have downloaded and run the installer, you have the options of changing the language and
sending anonymous user data. A single click then starts installation, and in less than a minute the
program is up and running. A Chrome extension has to be approved.
System Tray icon
The System Tray menu lets you access your online account, check for updates, view messages and
events, open settings, use gaming mode and see program information.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
39
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings, an alert was shown on the home
page (screenshot below). No “Fix-All” button was provided, so to reactivate protection, we had to go
into the program’s settings and find the relevant switch. We note that when we disabled all protection
components (Tools\Turn of all security features), a very obvious Turn on button appeared on the home
page, allowing us to restore complete protection with a single click. If any or all protection
components are disabled individually from the Settings, the Turn on button is not shown. The rationale
behind this escapes us.
When we tried to download the EICAR test file, F-Secure initially showed a warning in the browser:
We persisted, by clicking Allow website on this computer. After we had confirmed a Windows User
Account Control prompt initiated by F-Secure, we were able to download the file. However, as soon as
the download was complete, F-Secure detected and quarantined the file. The alert below was shown.
We did not need to take any action, and the alert closed after about 10 seconds.
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to the system, F-Secure prompted us to
scan the drive. The prompt can be disabled in the settings if you prefer. We chose not to run a scan,
but instead opened the drive in Windows File Explorer. F-Secure immediately displayed the alert below:
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
40
Whilst F-Secure did not delete the files from the flash drive, we were unable to execute or copy any
of them. When we ran an on-demand scan of malware samples on a USB drive, F-Secure presented us
with a list of the items found, with both file and detection names. The default action to be taken for
each one (Clean Up) was shown, and could be changed. We just had to click Handle all to deal with
all of the items at once.
Scan options
The Virus Scan button on the program’s home page runs a quick scan. You can run a full scan by going
to Virus scan options in the Tools menu. A scheduled scan can be set up under Settings\Scanning
settings\Scheduled scanning. You can also scan a drive, folder or file using the right-click menu in
Windows Explorer. Exclusions can be set under Tools\App and file control\Excluded. There is no means
of configuring PUA detection.
Quarantine
You can open the Quarantine function from the main page of the Settings dialog. It shows the date
and time of detection, plus file name and detection name. From here, you can allow or delete
individual quarantined files. You can click on the detection name of any file to see a description of it
in F-Secure’s online malware encyclopaedia. For the samples used in our functionality test, only generic
descriptions were provided.
Logs
The log feature is found by clicking the Tools menu, then Recent events. It shows various system
events, including installation, changes in protection status, and detections.
Help
You can open the help feature by clicking the question-mark symbol in the top right-hand corner of
the main window. A local help file opens, with a list of topics in a left-hand menu column. These
explain the essential functions of the program and how to use them, using simple text instructions.
Access control
Standard Windows users cannot disable protection features, or uninstall the program. This is as it
should be, in our opinion. We could not find a password-protection feature in the program.
Other points of interest:
• When you first log in to a Standard Windows User Account, F-Secure prompts you to set up parental
controls.
• Updates and subscription information can be found under Settings\Updates and Settings\Support
respectively.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
41
G Data Internet Security
About the program
G Data Internet Security is a paid-for security program. In addition to anti-malware features, it
includes a replacement firewall, backup function, and parental controls. You can find out more about
the program on the vendor’s website: https://www.gdatasoftware.com/internet-security
Summary
We found G Data Internet Security to be largely very straightforward to install and use. The status
display provides details of individual protection components, and access control is excellent. We do
however have some concerns that the G Data Firewall might leave users unknowingly unprotected in
public Wi-Fi networks.
Setup
The setup wizard starts by asking you which interface language you would like to choose. There is
then a choice of Standard or User-Defined Installation. The latter lets you choose which optional
components, such as anti-spam and parental controls, to install. You can also change the installation
folder. At the end of the wizard, you can enter a license key, or opt for the 30-day trial. You need to
restart your computer to finish the installation.
System Tray icon
The System Tray icon menu lets you open the program window, disable malware protection, disable
the G Data firewall, disable Autopilot, and see protection statistics.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
42
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings, G Data displayed the alert below in
the program window. We were able to reactivate protection by clicking Real time protection\Enable
virus monitor.
When we tried to download the EICAR test file, G Data deleted the file, and showed the alert below.
We did not need to take any action. The alert persisted until we closed it.
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to the system, G Data offered to scan the
drive. This prompt can be disabled directly from the dialog box, if you so choose. We declined to run
a scan, but instead opened the drive in Windows File Explorer. G Data immediately detected the
malicious files, and displayed the dialog box shown below. We took the default action for all detected
threats, whereby the files were moved to quarantine.
When we ran an on-demand scan of malware samples on a USB drive, G Data presented us with a list
of items found. The default action to be taken (this can be changed for individual files) was Disinfect
and copy to quarantine. We just had to click Execute actions to deal with all of the samples at once.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
43
Scan options
The Virus protection page (second icon from left on the top toolbar) provides a number of different
scan options. These are: Check computer (all local drives); Scheduled virus checks; Check memory and
Autostart; Check directories and files; check removeable media; Check for rootkits. You can also scan a
drive, folder or file using Windows File Explorer’s right-click menu. Scan options let you choose which
protection components should be used (all are on by default). You can also choose whether to detect
potentially unwanted programs (on by default). Exceptions for both real-time protection and on-
demand scans can be set in the Anti-Virus section of the Settings dialog.
Quarantine
The quarantine function can be opened from the Anti-Virus page. It shows the date and time of
detection, threat name, file name and path. You can disinfect, delete or restore items one at a time.
Logs
Logs can be opened from the clipboard icon in the top right-hand corner of the window. You can see
detections and signature updates. Clicking on any item displays a details pane below with more
information, such as program and signature versions, protection components used, and areas scanned.
Help
The question-mark icon in the top right-hand corner of the window opens G Data ’s online help pages.
These take the form of a searchable manual, with items listed in categories such as First Steps, Virus
Protection and Settings. For each item, there is a very detailed page of instructions and explanations,
very well illustrated with screenshots.
Access control
Standard Windows users cannot disable protection features. You can also password protect the
settings, to prevent any other users changing them.
G Data Firewall
In our functionality test, G Data Firewall did not co-ordinate with Windows’ network settings at all.
Nor did it display any prompts of its own regarding network type. We feel that this could lead to users
unknowingly being exposed to threats on public Wi-Fi networks.
We installed the program on a system with the currently connected network defined as public, on
which ping, file-sharing and RDP access were blocked by Windows. After installing G Data Internet
Security and rebooting the system, we found that all three forms of access were allowed on this
network. When we connected to a new wireless network, and defined this as public in the Windows
prompt, G Data again allowed ping, file-sharing and Remote Desktop access, even though these had
been blocked in Windows settings. When we changed the current network type from Trusted (the
default for all networks) to Untrusted in G Data ’s settings (under Firewall\Networks\Show networks),
we found that ping and Remote Desktop access were immediately blocked. However, we were still able
to access the file share, and add, edit or delete documents in it. It was not until we rebooted the
computer that access to the file share was blocked.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
44
Our advice to users of G Data Internet Security would be to check in the program’s own network
settings that the current network is configured appropriately. If it is necessary to change the network
type here, they should then reboot the computer.
We could not find a means of disabling the G Data firewall and using Windows Firewall instead.
However, the User-Defined Installation will allow you to deselect installation of the G Data Firewall, in
which case the Windows Firewall will remain active.
Other points of interest
• After installation, we were prompted to install the G Data add-on for Google Chrome.
• A G Data prompt asked whether updates should be installed using the current network connection.
We assume that this is to let users avoid updating when using metered connections.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
45
K7 Total Security
About the program
K7 Total Security is a paid-for security program. In addition to anti-malware features, it includes a
basic parental control feature, with a blacklist/whitelist web filter and Internet time restrictions.
There is also an anti-spam feature, a replacement firewall, tune-up function, and secure delete feature.
You can find out more about the product on the vendor’s website: https://k7computing.com/us/home-
users/total-security
Summary
We found K7 Total Security to be very simple to install, and straightforward to use. The most important
everyday functions can easily be accessed from the home page. Real-time protection is very sensitive,
and the default actions for connecting external drives and malware detection are ideal. Access control
is very good. There is a minor non-security issue with the K7 Firewall, which blocks write access to
file shares.
Setup
Installation is extremely quick and simple. Having started the installer file, you just need to click
Install, and less than a minute later the program is up and running. At the end of the wizard, you
have to supply an email address, and enter a licence key or opt for the 30-day trial.
System Tray icon
The System Tray menu lets you open the program, run scans and updates, disable protection, stop
network traffic, enable gaming mode, see product information, and access help features.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
46
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings, an alert was shown on the home
page (screenshot below). We were able to reactivate the protection easily by clicking Fix Now.
When we tried to download the EICAR test file, K7 blocked it and displayed the alert shown below. We
did not need to take any action, and the alert closed after a few seconds.
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to the system, K7 offered to scan the drive.
This prompt can be disabled directly from the dialog box if you wish. We chose not to run a scan, but
instead opened the USB drive in Windows File Explorer. K7 immediately detected and quarantined the
malicious files, and alerts like the one above were shown (one for each sample). When we ran an on-
demand scan of malware samples on a USB drive, K7 displayed a list of the threats that had been
found, with file name/path and detection name. It informed us that they had all been removed, and
so no further action was necessary.
Scan options
The Scan button at the bottom of the program window lets you run quick, complete, custom, rootkit
and scheduled scans. You can also scan a drive, folder or file using Windows Explorer’s right-click
menu. Under Settings\Antivirus and Antispyware, you can choose whether to scan for PUA (on by
default), and set scan exclusions. It’s also possible to change the default action on detection from
here.
Quarantine
The quarantine feature is found under Reports\Quarantine Manager. From here, you can delete or
restore detected malware items. The page shows date and time of detection, file name and path,
malware type, and file hash.
Logs
You can find the logs feature under Reports\Security History. The Virus Found Events page shows the
date and time of detections, current user at the time, application involved, file name and path,
malware type, and action taken.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
47
Help
If you click on Help in the top right-hand corner of the window, a local help file opens. This lists a
variety of topics, covering the configuration and use of the product. Simple, clear instructions are
provided for each topic, illustrated with screenshots where appropriate.
Access control
Standard Windows users are not able to disable protection features, or uninstall the program. This is
as it should be, in our opinion. You can also set password protection, so that all users must enter a
password to disable protection by any means.
K7 Firewall
In our functionality test, the firewall in K7 Total Security co-ordinated very well with Windows’ own
network-type settings. It allowed network access such as (read-only) file sharing in a network we had
designated as private, but blocked it in a network we had defined as public. This is exactly as it should
be, we feel. We did however find that the minor problem reported last year, namely that write access
to file shares is blocked, still exists. This does not affect security.
Other points of interest
While testing K7 Total Security, we found a serious bug, relating to network security, which applied
to its enterprise product as well. We immediately reported this to K7, who have now fixed the problem
in all its products
3
. We recommend users of K7 to ensure that their products are up to date.
3
https://support.k7computing.com/index.php?/solutions/view-article/Advisory-issued-on-23rd-October-2020
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
48
Kaspersky Internet Security
About the program
Kaspersky Internet Security is a paid-for security program. In addition to anti-malware functions, it
includes ransomware protection, set of privacy protection functionalities including banking
protection, webcam protection, a VPN (with server/data limitations) and browser privacy features. You
can find out more about the product on the vendor’s website: https://www.kaspersky.com/internet-
security
Summary
Installation is straightforward, with safe default options. Kaspersky’s modern, tiled interface makes
all essential features easily accessible from the program’s home page. The program deals with malware
detection automatically, without requiring any user decisions. Advanced users will find a wide range
of configuration options in the settings. The program promotes Kaspersky Safe Kids, which is a
freemium parental control product. We feel that co-ordination of the Kaspersky Firewall with
Windows’s security settings could be improved.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
49
Setup
Having accepted the License/Privacy agreement, and decided whether to join the optional Kaspersky
Security Network and allow use of your data for marketing purposes, you come to the install page.
Here you can opt out of installing Kaspersky Password Manager (on by default). Then you just have to
click Install to start setup. At the end of the wizard, four options are presented (all selected by
default). These are: Turn on protection against ads to install only desired software and block additional
installations; Delete malicious tools, adware, auto-dialers and suspicious packages; Detect other software
that can be used by criminals to damage your computer or personal data; Take a tour through the
application features. The introductory tour introduces the banking protection, webcam protection,
browser privacy, and parental control features. You can then enter a licence key, or opt to use the 30-
day trial. When the program window first opens, it encourages you to create/log in to a My Kaspersky
online account. However, you can just click Skip if you don’t want to do this.
System Tray icon
The System Tray icon menu lets you open the program window, pause protection, open settings, view
the program’s support page, see program information, and shut the program down.
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings, an alert was shown on the home
page (screenshot below), and as a Windows pop-up alert. We were able to reactivate the protection
easily by clicking Details, then Enable.
When we tried to download the EICAR test file, Kaspersky blocked the download, and displays an alert
page in the browser. This included a link to the Kaspersky online threat encyclopaedia. A Windows
pop-up alert was also displayed (shown below). We did not have to take any action, and the alert
closes after a few seconds.
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to the system, Kaspersky automatically
scanned the root directory of the device. As our malware samples were contained within a folder on
the drive, the automatic scan did not detect them. However, as soon as we opened this folder in
Windows Explorer, Kaspersky immediately detected and quarantined the malicious files. Alerts were
shown (one for each sample), similar to the one above. We note that the default removeable drive
scan can be set to scan the entire drive, rather than just the root folder. We suggest that this might
be a good idea.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
50
Scan options
The Scan button on the program’s home page opens the Scan page. This provides a choice of full,
quick, custom, removable media and vulnerability scans. You can also scan a drive, folder or file from
Windows Explorer’s right-click menu. Scan exclusions are available in the program’s settings (cogwheel
icon in the bottom left-hand corner of the window), under Threats and Exclusions. You can specify
which protection components – e.g. real-time protection, on-demand scans – the exclusion should be
applied to. PUA detection is also found on the Threats and Exclusions page.
When we ran an on-demand scan of malware samples on a USB drive, Kaspersky Internet Security
quarantined the items and displayed the following dialog box:
Quarantine
The quarantine feature can be found by clicking More Tools on the program’s home page. It shows the
file name and path, detection name and date/time of detection, along with action taken, for every
item. From here, you can select files individually and delete or restore them.
Logs
The log function can be opened by clicking the More Tools\Reports. A wide variety of reports is
provided, including individual reports for the different protection components, such as File Anti-Virus,
Web Anti-Virus and Firewall. There are also reports for additional features, such as Anti-Spam and
Software Updater.
Help
The question-mark symbol in the top right-hand corner of the window opens Kaspersky’s online manual
for the program. Straightforward text-only instructions for each feature are provided. A left-hand
menu column lets you navigate easily to other topics.
Access control
Standard Windows users have full control of the program’s settings, and can disable protection
features. However, only administrator accounts can uninstall the program. You can password protect
the program. All users then have to enter the password to access settings or disable protection by any
means.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
51
Firewall
In our functionality test, the firewall in Kaspersky Internet Security partially co-ordinated with
Windows Security settings. When we connected to a new wireless network, and designated this as
public in the Windows file-sharing prompt, Kaspersky also registered this as a public network, and
blocked ping and file-sharing access. However, we note that by default, the Kaspersky Firewall allows
Remote Desktop access in public networks, regardless of the Windows settings. Kaspersky tell us that
this is in response to user feedback. They also say there is a feature in the product that prevents
hackers from cracking RDP credentials by brute force. We found that when we changed the status of
a network from Private to Public (or vice-versa) in Windows’ settings, the Kaspersky Firewall did not
register the change until after we had rebooted the computer. We found that restarting the product,
or reconnecting to the network, has the same effect. A user who accidentally clicked “Yes” in the
Windows file-sharing prompt, and then immediately corrected the mistake by changing the network
type to Public, would thus need to take one of these actions to be fully protected. We note that it is
possible to cleanly disable the Kaspersky Firewall and use the Windows Firewall instead.
Other points of interest:
• The program’s home page displays a Protection for kids tile, which is shown in faded colours with
a download symbol. If you click on this, an information page informs you that this is an additional
download, and that a separate licence is needed to use all the features of Kaspersky Safe Kids.
Kaspersky Safe Kids is a separate Kaspersky application that uses a freemium model.
• The setup wizard of Kaspersky Internet Security places a shortcut for Kaspersky Password Manager
on the Windows Desktop. This is also a separate Kaspersky freemium application.
• During our test, Kaspersky Internet Security displayed an alert to say that a newer version of a
third-party program had been found, and prompted us to install this.
• A prompt was displayed that encouraged us to install a Kaspersky add-on for the Google Chrome
browser.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
52
McAfee Total Protection
About the program
McAfee Total Protection is a paid-for security program. In addition to anti-malware features, it
includes a software updater for commonly used apps, replacement firewall, performance booster,
cookie and tracker remover, and anti-spam feature. You can find out more about the product on the
vendor’s website: https://www.mcafee.com/en-us/index.html
Summary
McAfee Total Protection is very simple to install, and has a modern, touch-friendly interface. This
makes it very straightforward to find essential functions. The innovative program home page shows
various security-related suggestions, and malware alerts are clear and persistent. We note that malware
is only detected on execution, and there appears to be no means of enabling on-access detection.
Setup
Installation could not be simpler. You only have to click Install, and that’s it. When the program first
runs, you need to sign in with a McAfee account, or create a new one.
System Tray icon
The System Tray icon menu lets you open the program window, check for updates, run scans, open
settings, and open the help page.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
53
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings, an alert was shown on the home
page (screenshot below). We were able to reactivate the protection easily by clicking Turn it on. The
three-dots symbol in the top right-hand corner of the grey panel displays a list of all protection
components and their status.
When we downloaded the EICAR test file, McAfee showed an alert in the browser window. Clicking
Block download deleted the file, while clicking Accept the risk left it in place. In the latter case, we
found that trying to execute the file caused it to be detected and deleted by McAfee’s real-time
protection.
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to the system, McAfee offered to scan the
drive. The prompt can be disabled directly from the message box, if you so choose. We declined to
scan the drive, but instead opened the drive in Windows File Explorer. McAfee did not take any action.
We were able to copy the malware from the external drive to the Windows Desktop without it being
detected. However, when we executed the samples, McAfee immediately detected and quarantined
them. The alert below was shown. We did not need to take any action. The alert persisted until we
closed it. By clicking on See details we were able to see the detection name, plus file name and path.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
54
When we ran an on-demand scan of malware samples on a USB drive, McAfee displayed a list of the
detected items, showing file name and path. We were able to see the threat name of an item by
clicking on its entry. The accompanying message was “We scanned and you’re good”, so we just had
to click Close.
Scan options
The Scan for viruses button on the home page lets you run a quick or full scan. There are also
instructions for using the right-click context-menu scan with Windows File Explorer. You can schedule
a scan from the Settings menu (cogwheel icon in the top right-hand corner of the window), Scheduled
scan. Under Settings\Real-Time Scanning, you can exclude specific files from real-time protection. We
could not find any means of excluding an entire folder, configuring exclusions for on-demand scans,
or configuring PUA detection.
Quarantine
This is found under Settings\Quarantined items. It shows the file name and path, threat name, and
date/time of detection. You can restore or delete individual items, or all items together.
Logs
The log feature is found under Settings\Security History. You can see blocked incoming network
connections, scan results, and blocked threats. For the latter, the threat name, plus date and time of
detection, are shown.
Help
The help features are found on the My info tab, under Get help and support. The Help link opens an
online manual for the product. This provides brief, text-only explanations of the program’s features.
There is a search box at the top of the page. The McAfee Support Website link opens the McAfee
knowledge base, which covers all McAfee consumer products. The search function finds answers
relating to all of these, so some sifting through search results may be necessary to find relevant
answers. Simple text-only explanations are provided.
Access control
Standard Windows users cannot disable protection features (the switches are deactivated), or uninstall
the program. This is as it should be, in our opinion. We could not find a means of password protecting
the settings.
Firewall
In our functionality test, the McAfee Firewall co-ordinated perfectly with Windows’ security settings.
When we designated a network as private in Windows Settings, the McAfee Firewall allowed ping,
Remote Desktop and file-sharing access. When we changed the network status to public in Windows
Settings, McAfee blocked all these forms of access.
Other points of interest:
• The main status display panel of the program window shows a variety of reports and prompts
regarding different features of the program.
• The update function can be found in the System Tray menu.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
55
Microsoft Defender Antivirus
About the program
Microsoft Defender Antivirus is a free security program that is included with Windows 10. Similar
protection features are built into Windows 8.1, albeit with a different interface. You can find out more
about the program on the Microsoft website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-
ie/windows/comprehensive-security
Summary
Microsoft Defender Antivirus includes all the essential features of an antivirus program in a clean,
touch-friendly interface. Safe default options are provided for non-expert users. In the scan results
dialog, and the quarantine page, you can only take action on malware items individually. A “select
all” button would be helpful in dealing with multiple malware detections. We also found a small issue
with scans of a USB device only detecting a small proportion of the malicious files on it.
Setup
No setup is required, as the program is built into Windows.
System Tray icon
The System Tray icon menu lets you run a quick scan, check for updates, view notification options,
and open the Windows Security window.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
56
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings, an alert was shown on the home
page (screenshot below). We were able to reactivate the protection easily by clicking Turn on.
When we downloaded the EICAR test file, Microsoft Defender Antivirus detected and deleted the file.
The alert below was shown. We did not need to take any action, and the alert closed after a few
seconds. Clicking on Get details opened the Virus & threat protection page of Windows Security.
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to the system, Microsoft Defender Antivirus
did not take any immediate action. However, as soon as we opened the drive in Windows File Explorer,
Defender detected and quarantined the malware. An alert similar to the one above was displayed.
Scan options
If you click on Virus and threat protection\Scan options, you can run a quick, full or custom scan. You
can also run a Windows Defender Offline Scan, to deal with hard-to-remove malware. The program
informs you that this will restart the device and take about 15 minutes. Exclusions can be set under
Virus and threat protection settings. We could not find any means of configuring PUA detection.
If malware is detected in an on-demand scan, the Scan options page is displayed. This lists the malware
found, and displays the Start actions button, which by default removes the malware. You can change
the action for any individual threat by clicking on it; this provides the additional options Quarantine
or Allow on device. If you choose the latter option, it will be possible to execute the malware.
In our functionality test, we found that if we scanned a USB drive containing six malware samples,
Microsoft Defender Antivirus would initially detect one or two of these. The detected sample(s) would
be shown on the Scan Options page, and could be removed as described above. The other four or five
samples could still be seen on the drive in Windows File Explorer. All the samples used in this case
would be detected by Microsoft Defender in other circumstances, e.g. on file copy.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
57
Quarantine
The quarantine function is found under Virus and threat protection\Protection history. It lists detected
items by date and time detected. By clicking on any item, you can see more details of the threat, and
restore it if you want. Clicking on Learn more opens Microsoft’s online threat encyclopaedia, with
details of that threat.
Logs
The log feature is effectively combined with quarantine under Protection history.
Help
Clicking Get help on the Virus and threat protection page opens the Microsoft Virtual Agent, which is
an automated chat service. You can type in a query, and search. Depending on the question you asked,
an answer may appear in the chat window, or a link to an online article may be shown. Our query “Set
scan exclusions” brought up three irrelevant answers, plus the option “None of the above”. When we
clicked on the latter, it correctly suggested “Add an exclusion to Windows Security”. Simple and clear
instructions, well illustrated with icons and a screenshot, were then provided.
Access control
Standard Windows users cannot disable protection features or restore items from quarantine, which is
as it should be, in our opinion.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
58
NortonLifeLock Norton 360 Deluxe
About the program
Norton 360 is a paid-for security program. In addition to anti-malware features, it includes a
replacement firewall, backup feature, anti-spam and performance tune-up features. There is no free
trial. You can find out more about the product on the vendor’s website:
https://us.norton.com/products/norton-360-deluxe
Summary
Norton 360 is very simple to set up, and has a very modern, touch-friendly interface. Essential features
are easy to find, and safe default settings are provided. Access control is excellent. However, we feel
that co-ordination between Windows network settings and the Norton 360 Firewall could be improved.
Setup
You can opt in to Norton’s data sharing scheme, and change the installation folder if you want.
Otherwise you only need to click on Install.
System Tray icon
The System Tray menu lets you open the program, run scans and updates, access support, enable
gaming mode, and disable antivirus and firewall features.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
59
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings, an alert was shown on the home
page (screenshot below). We were able to reactivate the protection easily by clicking Fix Now.
When we downloaded the EICAR test file, Norton 360 deleted it and displayed the alert shown below.
We did not need to take any action, and the alert closed after 30 seconds. Clicking Details opened the
program’s File Insight page, showing the file name and path.
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to the system, Norton 360 did not initially
take any action. However, as soon as we opened the drive in Windows Explorer, Norton 360’s real-time
protection detected the malware and quarantined it. An alert similar to the one above was shown. We
were then prompted to restart the computer.
Scan options
The Scans button on the Security page lets you run quick, full and custom scans, whereby a custom
scan can be scheduled. You can also scan a drive, folder or file using Windows Explorer’s right-click
menu. Under Settings\Antivirus\Scans and Risks you can set exclusions and specify treatment of Low
Risks, which we assume means PUAs. If malware is detected in an on-demand scan, the scan results
page is shown. This shows the threat name, risk level and status/action taken. You do not need to do
anything.
Quarantine
This is found under Security\History. Resolved Security Risks shows you risk level, detection name, plus
date and time of detection. Any individual file can be restored, restored and excluded, or submitted
to the vendor for analysis.
Logs
This is combined with the quarantine function.
Help
Clicking Help in the top right-hand corner of the window displays a number of help options, including
Product Manual. This opens a very comprehensive .PDF manual of over 80 pages. It covers all aspects
of installing, configuring and using the program, explained with simple text instructions.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
60
Access control
Standard Windows users cannot disable protection features, or uninstall the program. This is as it
should be. Protection settings are greyed out when the program is used by a non-administrator
account. There is also a password protection feature. This makes it impossible for other users to change
settings or disable protection without knowing the password.
Firewall
In our functionality test, the Norton 360 Firewall co-ordinated partially with Windows network
settings. When connected to a network we had previously defined as public, Norton adopted the
Windows settings and blocked file-sharing, Remote Desktop and ping access. When connected to a
network that we had previously designated as private in Windows Settings, the Norton Firewall allowed
ping, file sharing and Remote Desktop access, as it should. However, when we changed the network
status to public in Windows network settings, Norton continued to allow ping requests with IPv6, and
file-sharing access (although it blocked ping requests with IPv4, and Remote Desktop access). After
rebooting the PC, we found that Remote Desktop access was also blocked, although ping requests with
IPv6 were still allowed. We would advise Norton users to reboot their PCs after changing Windows
network type from private to public. It is not possible to use Windows Firewall with Norton Security,
as Norton locks the Windows Firewall settings.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
61
Panda Free Antivirus
About the program
Panda Free Antivirus is, as its name suggests, a free security program. In addition to anti-malware
features, it includes a limited VPN. You can find out more about the product on the vendor’s website:
https://www.pandasecurity.com/en/homeusers/solutions/free-antivirus/
Summary
We found Panda Free Antivirus to be very straightforward to install and use. The program interface is
simple to navigate, and safe default options are provided. Although Panda Free Antivirus promotes
other, paid-for Panda products, this is done in a very subtle, non-intrusive way, by means of a thin
strip along the top of the window.
Setup
Installation is very straightforward. You can change the installation folder and interface language. By
default, the Opera browser is installed. We chose not to install this for our functionality test. When
setup is complete, a page of the Panda website opens, showing the additional features available in
Panda paid-for products. You are prompted to sign in with a Panda account, or create a new one.
System Tray icon
The System Tray icon menu lets you open the program window, enable gaming mode, reach help and
support services, disable/enable protection, and use Panda’s VPN feature (which has limitations on
servers and data).
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
62
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings, an alert was shown on the home
page (screenshot below). We were able to reactivate the protection easily by clicking Fix, and then
Enable.
When we downloaded the EICAR test file, Panda detected and quarantined it. The alert below was
shown. We did not have to take any action, and the alert closed after a few seconds.
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to the system, Panda offered to scan the
drive. This prompt can be disabled directly from the alert dialog box, if you want. We chose not to
scan the drive, but instead opened it in Windows File Explorer. Panda did not initially take any action.
However, when we tried to copy the malicious files to the Windows Desktop, Panda immediately
detected and quarantined the copied files. An alert like the one above was shown.
When we ran an on-demand scan of malware samples on a USB drive, Panda displayed the number of
files scanned and detected. By clicking on Show details, we could see the file name and path, plus
detection time and action taken, for the detected files. We did not have to take any action.
Scan options
The Scan button on the home page (magnifying-glass symbol) lets you run Full, Custom and Critical
areas scans. The Antivirus page enables you to set a scheduled scan. You can scan a drive, folder or
file using Windows Explorer’s right-click menu. Under Settings\Antivirus, you can set exclusions and
choose whether to detect PUAs (on by default).
Quarantine
This feature is found on the Antivirus page. It shows you the detection name, file name and path, plus
date and time of detection. You can recover or delete quarantined items one by one. No further
information is provided about the threats detected.
Logs
You can find the log feature on the Antivirus page, by clicking View report. It shows the same
information as the quarantine page, plus the action taken (e.g. “Deleted”).
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
63
Help
The help feature is located in the “hamburger” menu in the top left-hand corner of the window.
Clicking on this opens an online manual for the product. A menu column on the left-hand side of the
page shows various topics. Selecting one of these displays simple, text-only answers in the main pane.
Access control
Standard Windows users can disable protection features, but not uninstall the program. You can
however password protect the program. In this case, access to the main program window will be
blocked unless the password is entered. However, it will still be possible to run scans from Windows
File Explorer’s right-click menu, and see the results of this.
Other points of interest
• The download link for Panda Free Antivirus on the Panda website redirects to cnet.com.
• The setup wizard states that free support is included for “any PC or Internet related problems”.
UK, USA and Canadian telephone numbers are provided (in the English version of the program);
Panda tell us that the calls are free of charge.
• The “Aa” symbol in the bottom right-hand corner of the window lets you show or hide the names
of the symbols on the home page.
• The program’s settings are found in the “hamburger” menu in the top left-had corner of the
program window.
• A strip along the bottom of the windows displays headlines from Panda’s Media Center. You can
click on this to read the full story, and others. There are articles on various IT-security related
topics.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
64
Total AV Antivirus Pro
About the program
Total AV Antivirus Pro is a paid-for security program. In addition to anti-malware features, it includes
a system performance tuner.
Summary
We found Total AV Antivirus Pro to be very simple to install and use. The program’s features are easily
found in a single menu panel, and default settings and alerts are sensible. In our functionality test,
the product behaved mostly as expected, with one exception, which we think should be fixed. When
we scanned a USB drive containing malware samples using Windows File Explorer’s right-click menu,
Total AV failed to detect any of the malicious files. In order to detect malware on an external drive,
you have to open the drive in File Explorer and scan the files and folders within it.
Setup
Installation is extremely quick and simple. You just need to run the installer, click Install, and less
than a minute later it’s done. You have to log in to your Total AV account when the program first
starts.
You can install the “Total AV Safe Site” add-on – which is actually an ad blocker - for Chrome, Firefox
or Edge by clicking Internet Security (fingerprint icon), Ad Block Pro. We note that the product’s URL
blocker is called WebShield.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
65
System Tray icon
This lets you open the program window, open the settings dialog box, check for updates, and see
program and definitions version information.
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings, an alert was shown on the home
page (screenshot below). We were able to reactivate the protection easily by clicking Enable Protection.
When we downloaded the EICAR test file, Total AV detected the condensed file and quarantined it. An
alert like the one below was shown.
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to the system and opened it in Windows
File Explorer, Total AV immediately detected and quarantined the malware. The alert below was shown;
this persisted until we closed it. By clicking on 4 Threats Blocked, we were able to see the file and
detection names of the malware samples.
Scan options
You can run a Smart Scan from the button of the same name on the home page. The description states
that this also checks for performance and privacy issues, and removes duplicate files. More scan
options can be found by clicking the shield icon in the top left-hand corner, and then Malware scan.
There is a choice of Quick Scan, System Scan, and Custom Scan. You can also scan a drive, folder or
file using the right-click menu in Windows File Explorer.
In the program’s settings, you can change a number of options, such as whether to scan removeable
drives, type and time of scheduled scans, and action to be taken when malware is discovered.
We ran an on-demand scan of malware samples on a USB drive, by means of a custom scan run from
the program window. The malicious files were detected and displayed as a list in the program window.
All we had to do was to click Quarantine All to deal with them.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
66
When we scanned the USB stick by right clicking the drive in Windows Explorer, none of the malware
samples was detected. When we selected all folders and files manually, and scanned from the right-
click menu, all the samples were detected and quarantined. We note that if you do the latter, TotalAV’s
real-time protection will also take action against the malware. Nonetheless, users who run a right-
click scan of an entire drive will believe that all the files on the drive are safe, when they are not. We
feel this is an issue that TotalAV should fix.
Quarantine
The quarantine function is opened by clicking the shield icon, then Quarantine. For each item, it
displays the file name, threat name and date/time the threat was encountered, in chronological order.
You can select individual or multiple items using checkboxes, and delete or restore these.
Logs
There is no separate logs feature, though you can see the day and time threats were encountered in
Quarantine.
Help
The help feature is accessible from the General tab of the Settings page. We feel this is a far-from-
obvious place to put the help feature. Clicking Visit the help center opens the support page of the
vendor’s website. This provides options for contacting support, and about a dozen FAQs. Of these,
most are not about technical support, e.g. “How many awards do you have?” and “Do you offer Internet
Security?”. However, the article on real-time protection provided a comprehensive explanation, well
illustrated with screenshots.
Access control
Standard Windows users cannot disable protection features, or uninstall the program. This is as it
should be, in our opinion.
Other points of interest
We feel that some descriptions on the TotalAV website are unclear. For example, the landing page of
www.totalav.com displays a prominent button marked “Free Antivirus Software”. This leads to a page
where a 30-day trial of the full product can be downloaded. We do not think this is clear, as a time-
limited trial is not the same thing as a free product.
We note that if you wish to cancel your TotalAV subscription, TotalAV advises you to contact their
support service before uninstalling the product. They also ask customers to contact them regarding
any questions about autorenewal charges.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
67
Total Defense Essential Anti-Virus
About the program
Total Defense Essential Anti-Virus is a paid-for security program, which offers phishing protection in
addition to anti-malware features. You can find out more about the product on the vendor’s website:
https://www.totaldefense.com/shop/anti-virus
Summary
Total Defense Essential Anti-Virus presents a very simple program interface that makes status and scan
functions easy to find. Automatic scanning of external drives makes sure these are clear of malware.
Help articles are clear and well illustrated. The use of symbols rather than text for menu items means
that it may take a little bit of exploring to find the more advanced functions. However, everything is
neatly laid out, and we soon managed to find our way around the program. One suggestion for
improvement would be to provide password protection for the settings.
Setup
There is a custom installation option, which just lets you change the installation folder. Other than
this, there are no options or decisions to make. Setup completes very quickly once you click Install.
An update runs when you first open the program window.
System Tray icon
The System Tray icon menu lets you open the main program window, check for updates, and pause
real-time protection.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
68
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings, an alert was shown on the home
page (screenshot below). We were able to reactivate the protection easily by clicking Fix all.
When we tried to download the EICAR test file, Total Defense blocked the download and displayed an
alert in the browser window. We persisted, by clicking Advanced Settings\Proceed to Website [Not
Recommended]. This downloaded the file, but it was immediately detected and deleted by Total
Defense. The alert below was shown for a few seconds. We did not need to take any action, although
clicking Details opened the program’s log page, which showed the threat name, threat level, and action
taken.
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to the system, Total Defense immediately
scanned the drive automatically, and notifies us that it was doing so. When the scan completed a few
seconds later, an alert like the one above was shown. Clicking on Details opened the program’s
quarantine page, showing the threat names, file names, and threat level of the detected files.
Scan options
Scans can be run by clicking the Security tile and going to the Overview page. There is a choice of
quick, full, or custom scans. The Suspend Scans button on the same page temporarily deactivates real-
time protection for a specified number of minutes. You can scan a drive, folder or file using Windows
Explorer’s right-click menu.
On the Security page/Settings tab you can set the scan security level to Low, Recommended (default),
High or Custom. The latter lets you decide whether to scan network, archive and hidden files, and
whether suspicious files should be treated as infected. Exclusions can be set on the tab of the same
name. We could not find a way of configuring PUA detection as such. However, Total Defense tell us
that the default setting for the application control feature (Recommended) enables PUA detection.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
69
Quarantine
This feature is found on the Security page, Quarantine tab. It shows the date and time of detections,
file name, threat severity, threat name, and threat type – although the Trojans used in our
functionality test were all listed as “virus”. You can restore or delete quarantined items from here. We
could not find any further information about the detected malware.
Logs
The Reports tab of the Security page displays a list of threats found, along with the detection
date/time, and scan type that detected them. This can be displayed as a summary, showing how many
of each threat type has been blocked.
Help
Clicking the question-mark icon in the top right-hand corner of the window opens the About page.
Here you can click Support Info/Online Support. This opens the support page of the vendor’s website.
If you click Product Support, a searchable FAQs page opens. Each article provides simple, step-by-step
instructions for the task in question, generously illustrated with annotated screenshots.
Access control
Standard Windows users are able to disable all protection features, and we could not find a means of
password-protecting the settings to prevent this. An administrator account is needed to uninstall the
program, however.
Other points of interest:
• The status display prompts you to run a full scan if you haven’t done this recently.
• The cogwheel icon in the vertical menu bar handles updates, notifications and proxy settings;
scan settings are found on the Security page.
• The Devices page shows all the devices you have installed. Actions you can perform on these are
limited to changing the device name, and the avatar representing the user. More usefully, the Add
Device function allows you to send an email to a colleague, friend or family member, with a link
to the appropriate installer for their device.
• To find subscription information, log in to your Total Defense online account.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
70
Trend Micro Internet Security
About the program
Trend Micro Internet Security is a paid-for security program. In addition to anti-malware features, it
includes ransomware protection, parental controls, secure erase feature, and a secure browser mode
for financial transactions. You can find out more about the product on the vendor’s website:
https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/forHome/products/internet-security.html
Summary
The program is very easy to install, and most important features are easy to find. Safe default settings
are provided. We liked the persistent malware and status alerts, and the online manual is simple and
clear.
Setup
The free trial can be downloaded by clicking Downloads/Free Tools on the Trend Micro home page. The
setup wizard asks you to enter a licence key or opt for the free trial. Other than this, there are no
decisions to make. At the end of the wizard, you are invited to set up the ransomware shield. By
default, this covers Windows’ Documents, OneDrive and Pictures folders, but you can add further
folders if you want.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
71
System Tray icon
The System Tray icon menu lets you open the main window, run a scan, check for updates,
disable/enable protection, enter silent mode, check your Trend Micro account and subscription, run a
troubleshooting tool, and quit the program.
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings, an alert was shown on the home
page (screenshot below). We were able to reactivate the protection easily by clicking Enable Now.
An additional pop-up alert was shown above the System Tray. This persisted until we closed it.
When we tried to download the EICAR test file, Trend Micro blocked it and displayed the alert shown
below. We did not need to take any action. The alert persisted until we closed it.
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to the system, Trend Micro did not initially
take any action. However, as soon as we opened the drive in Windows File Explorer, Trend Micro
detected and quarantined the malicious files. An alert similar to the one above was shown. Clicking
More details opened the program’s scan log page, showing date and time of detection, file name and
path, detection name and action taken, for each item.
Quarantine
The pie-chart symbol to the right of the settings icon opens the Security Report page, which shows a
summary of threats found. These are divided into different categories, including Viruses (which in fact
includes many Trojans), Spyware and Ransomware. If you click See more details and select a category,
you can see a log of detections in that class. Logs show the date and time of detection, file name and
path, threat name, and action taken. Clicking on an individual item displays a details panel, which
includes a Restore button.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
72
Scan options
The Scan button in the main program window runs a quick scan by default. If you click the small down
arrow symbol to its right, the choice of quick, full or custom scans is shown. The program’s settings
dialog lets you schedule scans. You can also scan a drive, folder or file from Windows Explorer’s right-
click menu. Under Settings\Scan Preferences, you can configure detection of PUAs (enabled by default).
The Exception Lists page of the settings dialog lets you set scan exclusions. If malware is detected in
an on-demand scan, the scan results page is shown. If you click Show Details, the malware file names
and paths are displayed, along with the action taken.
Logs
Logs are combined with the quarantine feature.
Help
Clicking the ? menu, Product Support opens the program’s online manual. The first page has an
overview of the program’s main functions. There are simple explanations and instructions, well
illustrated with screenshots.
Access control
Standard Windows users can disable protection features, but not uninstall the program. Under Other
Settings\Password, you can password protect the program to prevent other users changing the settings.
You need to enter an email address when doing this, so that you can reset the password if you forget
it.
Other points of interest:
• A desktop shortcut to Trend Micro Pay Guard is created. This opens the default browser in a secure
mode for financial transactions.
• A free trial of Trend Micro’s Password Manager is offered on the Data page.
• The update function is found in the System Tray menu.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
73
VIPRE Advanced Security
About the program
VIPRE Advanced Security is a paid-for security program. In addition to anti-malware features, it
includes a replacement firewall. You can find out more about the product on the vendor’s website:
https://www.vipre.com/products/vipre-advanced-security/
Summary
VIPRE Advanced Security is very simple to install, and has a very modern, touch-friendly interface.
Real-time protection is very sensitive, and default settings provide safe options for non-expert users.
We liked the online help feature and the ability to search it directly from the program. The ability to
set scanning exclusions using Windows File Explorer’s right-click menu is also very convenient. We do
however have some concerns that the VIPRE firewall might leave users unknowingly unprotected in
public Wi-Fi networks.
Setup
You can change the installation folder if you want. Otherwise installation completes very simply with
a single click.
System Tray icon
The System Tray icon menu lets you open the program window, check for updates, shut the program
down, enable/disable protection components, and run scans.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
74
Security alerts
When we disabled real-time protection in the program’s settings a (rather subtle) alert was shown in
the main program window. We were able to reactivate the protection easily by clicking Turn On.
When we downloaded the EICAR test file, VIPRE deleted the file silently, i.e. without showing an alert.
When we connected a USB drive containing some malware to the system, VIPRE offered to scan the
drive. You can disable this prompt in the program’s settings if you want. We chose not to scan the
drive, but instead opened it in Windows File Explorer. VIPRE immediately detected and quarantined
the malicious files. The alert below was shown. We did not need to take any action, and the alert
closed after 30 seconds.
Clicking Learn More opened a page on VIPRE’s website, which provided a generic description of
computer viruses. When we ran an on-demand scan of malware samples on a USB drive from the
Explorer right-click menu, the VIPRE program window opened and showed the scan progress. When
the scan was complete, a summary of files scanned and cleaned was shown. No further action was
necessary. We found that if we accepted the prompt to scan the USB drive when it was inserted, the
scan ran and removed the malware, but the program window did not open, and no indication of scan
progress or completion was shown.
Scan options
If you mouse over the Scan button on the homepage, a dropdown menu appears, with the options of
full, quick and custom scans. The Schedule Scan button to its right lets you do precisely that. You can
scan a drive, folder or file using Windows Explorer’s right-click menu. Very conveniently, the same
menu also lets you exclude a drive/folder/file from VIPRE scans. You can reverse this by right-clicking
again and clicking Remove from VIPRE exclusion. Exclusions can also be set under Manage\Antivirus.
You can set detection of PUAs here too (on by default), under Include Low-Risk Programs.
Quarantine
The quarantine function is found under Manage\Antivirus. It shows the name, threat level and type of
the detected threats, number of traces (e.g. files or registry entries) for each one, and allows you to
delete, restore, or always allow the selected items.
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
75
Logs
These are found under Manage\Antivirus\Antivirus History. There are separate logs for on-demand
scans, real-time protection, blocked websites, and Edge Protection. The latter is intended to block the
download of online threats, “in most web browsers” (not just Microsoft Edge). The scan log shows the
date, time, duration and type of scan, along with the number of files detected and cleaned. The i icon
opens a panel showing threat name, level and type, number of traces, and action taken.
Help
The help features are found on the Account page. VIPRE Help opens a Windows Help window, which
lists various topics. Simple text instructions are provided for each topic. You can also type a search
term into the program’s search box, which will search the online FAQs/forum questions and open the
results in a browser window. These include all products made by VIPRE, including beta versions, so
you may have to browse through a number of irrelevant results before finding the applicable answer.
Access control
Standard Windows users can disable protection features, but not uninstall the program. We could not
find a means of password protecting the settings.
Firewall
In our functionality test, the VIPRE Firewall did not co-ordinate perfectly with Windows security
settings. We found that during installation, VIPRE adopts the network type (public or private) currently
set in Windows. However, if you later change the network type in Windows settings, this does not
change it for the VIPRE firewall. We also found that when connecting to a new network, VIPRE did
not co-ordinate with the network type set at the Windows prompt. VIPRE does not show any prompts
of its own when you either connect to a new network, or change the type of an existing network.
When either joining a new network, or changing the network type for an existing network, we would
recommend users go into the settings of the VIPRE firewall, check whether it is appropriately
configured for the current network, and change the network type if necessary.
We also found that in a private network (set to Trusted in the settings of VIPRE Firewall, and Private
in Windows settings), VIPRE blocked IPv6 Ping requests and Remote Desktop connections to our test
PC. We tried to enable Remote Desktop access in the settings of the VIPRE Firewall, but without
success.
It is possible to disable the VIPRE Firewall completely in the program’s settings, which immediately
activates Windows Firewall. A (subtle) warning will be shown on the home page of VIPRE Advanced
Security if you do this.
Other points of interest
If you don’t like the default dark mode of the interface, you can easily change it to another colour
scheme under Account. There are 7 different colour schemes to choose from.
Featurelist Windows (as of December 2020) FREE FREE COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL FREE COMMERCIAL FREE COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL
Product name Avast Free Antivirus AVG AntiVirus Free Avira Antivirus Pro
Bitdefender Internet
Security
ESET Internet Security F-Secure SAFE G Data Internet Security K7 Total Security
Kaspersky Internet
Security
McAfee Total Security Microsoft Defender Norton 360 Deluxe Panda Free Antivirus Total AV Antivirus Pro
Total Defense Essential
Anti-Virus
Trend Micro Internet
Security
VIPRE Advanced Security
Supported Program languages All
English, Czech, Danish,
German, Spanish,
French, Hungarian,
Indonesian, Italian,
Japanese, Korean,
Malaysian, Dutch,
Norwegian, Polish,
Portuguese, Russian,
Slovak, Serbian, Turkish,
Chinese
English, German, Italian,
French, Spanish,
Portugese, Russian,
Dutch, Turkish, Japanese,
Chinese, Polish,
Indonesian
English, French, German,
Dutch, Spanish, Italian,
Romanian, Portuguese,
Polish, Greek,
Vietnamese, Turkish,
Korean , Czech,
Japanese, Hungarian,
Thai
English, Arabic,
Bulgarian, Czech, Danish,
German, Greek, Spanish,
Estonian, Finnish,
French, Hebrew,
Croatian, Hungarian,
Chinese, Italian,
Japanese, Kazakh,
Korean, Lithuanian,
Dutch, Norwegian,
Polish, Portuguese,
Romanian, Russian,
Slovak, Slovenian,
Serbian, Swedish, Thai,
Turkish, Ukrainian,
Vietnamese
English, Bulgarian,
Chinese, Croatian, Czech,
Danish, Dutch, Estonian,
Finnish, French, German,
Greek, Hungarian,
Italian, Japanese,
Korean, Lithuanian,
Norwegian, Polish,
Portuguese, Romanian,
Russian, Slovenian,
Spanish, Swedish,
Turkish, Vietnamese
English, German, French,
Italian, Spanish,
Portuguese, Dutch,
Polish
English
English, Arabic, French,
Bulgarian, Czech, Danish,
Dutch, Estonian, Farsi,
Finnish, German, Greek,
Hungarian, Indonesian,
Italian, Japanese,
Korean, Latvian,
Lituanian, Norwegian,
Polish, Portuguese,
Romanian, Russian,
Serbian, Chinese,
Spanish, Swedish, Thai,
Turkish, Ukrainian,
Vietnamese
English, Chinese, Danish,
Dutch, Finnish, French,
German, Greek, Italian,
Japanese, Korean,
Norwegian, Portuguese,
Russian, Spanish,
Swedish, Turkish
English, French, Dutch,
Portuguese, Czech,
Danish, German,
Spanish, Italian,
Norwegian, Polish,
Russian, Finnish,
Swedish, Turkish,
Chinese, Japanese,
Korean, Arabic, Hebrew
English, French, German,
Japanese, Spanish,
Italian, Dutch, Swedish,
Finnish, Norwegian,
Danish, Portuguese,
Czech, Polish, Hungarian,
Romanian, Slovak,
Russian, Greek, Turkish,
Chinese, Korean, Arabic,
Hebrew
English, Bulgarian,
Danish, Dutch, Finnish,
French, German, Greek,
Hungarian, Italian,
Norwegian, Polish,
Portuguese, Russian,
Chinese, Slovak,
Slovenian, Spanish,
Swedish, Turkish
English, Danish, Dutch,
French, German, Italian,
Norwegian, Polish,
Portuguese, Spanish,
Swedish, Turkish
English
English, German, French,
Italian, Spanish,
Portuguese, Japanese,
Chinese, Russian, Polish,
Dutch, Danish,
Norwegian, Swedish,
Indonesian, Korean,
Thai, Turkish,
Vietnamese
English
Third-party scan engine included proprietary Avast proprietary proprietary proprietary Avira Bitdefender, Cyren proprietary proprietary proprietary proprietary proprietary proprietary Avira Bitdefender proprietary Bitdefender
Protection
Scans file on execution
Scans files on demand
On-access file scan while copying/moving files (by DEFAULT)
On-access file scan after Internet download (by DEFAULT)
Prevents access to phishing and other malicious websites
Has capabilities to clean-up an infected system
Detects also threats for e.g. Android, Mac, Linux
Detection of potentially unwanted applications (PUA) turned ON by DEFAULT
Is the online malware detection the same as offline
Additional features
Rescue disk
Firewall
Parental Control
Anti-Spam
Software Updater
limited
Password Manager
Webcam Protection
Multi-device protection / Multi-platform licensing
Secure Browser / banking protection
Browser cleanup / Privacy cleaner / File Eraser
WiFi protection / Home Network Protection
Scans HTTPS traffic
VPN limited limited limited limited
Other features Microphone Monitor
Script-Based Attack
Protection, Ransomware
Shield, UEFI Scanner,
WMI Scanner
Cloud Backup
Data Locker,
Vulnerability scanner
Application Control,
Private Browsing, Anti-
banner, Browser
Configuration, Secure
Keyboard, On-Screen
keyboard
Biometric Password
(Truekey), Backup,
Malware Removal
support guarantee
(money-back)
Several of the above
features are part of the
Microsoft operating
system (e.g. Firewall,
Software Updater,
SmartScreen, Parental
Control, Edge, etc.)
Identity Safe
password/data
protection; Management
portal
Cybersecurity-News Folder Shield
Social Watch, Malware
Removal support
guarantee (money-back)
Support
Online Help
Support forum
Phone Support
Email support
User manual
Online Chat
Supported languages (of support)
English, French, Czech,
German, Italian, Spanish,
Russian, Dutch,
Japanese, Portuguese,
Polish
English, German, Czech,
French, Italian, Spanish,
Portuguese, Dutch,
Japanese, Polish
English,German, French,
Italian, Portuguese,
Spanish
English, French,
Portuguese, Spanish,
Italian, Dutch, German,
Romanian, Japanese,
Swedish, Norwegian
All
English, Danish, Dutch,
Finnish, French, German,
Italian, Japanese,
Norwegian, Polish,
Swedish
English, German, French,
Italian, Spanish,
Portuguese, Dutch,
Polish
English
English, Russian,
Spanish, Portuguese,
German, Dutch, French,
Italian, Greek, Polish,
Turkish, Chinese, Hindi,
Japanese,
Korean
English, Chinese, Danish,
Dutch, Finnish, French,
German, Italian,
Japanese, Korean,
Norwegian, Portuguese,
Russian, Spanish,
Swedish, Turkish
English, Arabic,
Bulgarian, Chinese,
Croatian, Czech, Danish,
Dutch, Estonian, Finnish,
French, German, Greek,
Hebrew, Hungarian,
Italian, Japanese,
Korean, Latvian,
Lithuanian, Norwegian,
Polish, Portuguese,
Romanian, Russian,
Serbian, Slovak,
Slovenian, Spanish,
Swedish, Thai, Turkish,
Ukrainian
English, Chinese,
German, French,
Portuguese, Spanish,
Turkish, Polish, Danish,
Dutch, Finnish, Greek,
Italian, Norwegian,
Romanian, Russian,
Swedish, Slovenian,
Hungarian
English, Spanish
English, Dutch, Danish,
French, German, Italian,
Norwegian, Polish,
Portuguese, Spanish,
Swedish
English
English, Japanese,
Chinese
English
Summary Report 2020 www.av-comparatives.org
77
Copyright and Disclaimer
This publication is Copyright © 2021 by AV-Comparatives®. Any use of the results, etc. in whole or in
part, is ONLY permitted after the explicit written agreement of the management board of AV-
Comparatives prior to any publication. AV-Comparatives and its testers cannot be held liable for any
damage or loss, which might occur as result of, or in connection with, the use of the information
provided in this paper. We take every possible care to ensure the correctness of the basic data, but a
liability for the correctness of the test results cannot be taken by any representative of AV-
Comparatives. We do not give any guarantee of the correctness, completeness, or suitability for a
specific purpose of any of the information/content provided at any given time. No one else involved
in creating, producing or delivering test results shall be liable for any indirect, special or consequential
damage, or loss of profits, arising out of, or related to, the use or inability to use, the services provided
by the website, test documents or any related data.
For more information about AV-Comparatives and the testing methodologies, please visit our website.
AV-Comparatives
(January 2021)
