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Low cost of ownership Low-cost monthly subscription helps reduce your software licensing costs, hardware investment, and dedicated IT staff by automating your security. And we've included its antivirus in our list of recommended security app options before. But Avast was in the news for several months for its non-antivirus business, so we looked at the company, specifically reports at the end of that Avast allegedly collected user data with its browser plug-ins and antivirus software and then sold data it collected through its Jumpshot subsidiary in early In response to the reports that his company gathered and sold the details of its customers' online activities, Avast CEO Ondrej Vlcek said in a statement that he understood that his company's actions raised questions of trust in his company.

To address that, Avast terminated Jumpshot data collection in January and closed its operations because the data collection business wasn't in line with Avast's privacy priorities. These newer reports follow another in from Avast that its internal network was breached , possibly to insert malware into its CCleaner software, similar to an earlier CCleaner hack that occurred prior to Avast's acquiring the Windows utility. Avast is now saying the right things about taking its customers' privacy seriously , but it only came to that point after reacting to investigative reporting that revealed the Jumpshot practices.

The CCleaner revelations, while concerning, were self-disclosed, which is important to building user trust. We hope Avast's more privacy-friendly policies mean that there will be no further Jumpshot-style activities and it returns to glory as one of the best antivirus software.

In the meantime, we'd recommend using one of the many other solid choices in this realm listed above. Because the company has been in the news the past few years, let's talk about Kaspersky Lab -- specifically about the federal ban that blocks US government agencies from using Kaspersky Antivirus products.

Based in Moscow, Kaspersky Lab has for years produced some of the best antivirus software for business antivirus needs and home customers. But in the US government prohibited Kaspersky security cloud software on federal government computers because of alleged ties between Kaspersky and the Russian government. But as with China-based Huawei , the question remains: If the federal government doesn't think the products are safe enough for its own devices, should consumers avoid them as well?

In a statement sent to CNET, the company said, "Kaspersky Lab has no ties to any government, and the company has never, nor will ever, engage in cyber offensive activities.

Kaspersky Lab maintains that no public evidence of any wrongdoing has been presented by the US government, and that the US government's actions against Kaspersky Lab were unconstitutional.

In Kaspersky's favor, it continues to earn top scores and awards for virus and malware detection and endpoint protection from independent testing labs. And it's reasonably priced. In the end, even though no one has ever publicly produced a "smoking gun" linking the company to Russian intrigue, we think any of the options listed above are a safer bet.

And if you are a US government employee or work with the federal government, you'll want to steer clear of Kaspersky internet security products -- and perhaps use one of the antivirus software products mentioned here instead. Picking the best antivirus software for Windows means finding one that keeps your PC safe, doesn't take up a lot of system resources, is easy to use and stays out of the way till you need it. Here's what to look for. Antivirus software runs virus scans for known viruses and malware, of course, and can offer real-time protection.

And it watches for shady websites and suspicious links to keep you out of trouble. It can also offer ransomware protection and monitor unexpected behavior that may be a sign of new and not-yet-identified viruses and malware.

You want antivirus software that can successfully identify these unknown online threats without flagging too many false positives. Light on system resources. You don't want antivirus software that taxes your PC's resources. If after you install the program, websites open slowly, apps download or open sluggishly or file copies take longer than expected, you may want to try another service.

The good news is, all our picks offer a free trial to let you try out the antivirus program, so if your system feels sluggish after installation, you may want to keep looking. Cost and discounts. Don't just pay the sticker price for antivirus protection. Before you buy, check for discounts on a company's website. Another way to save: The prices we list above are for 10 devices -- if the company offered that package -- but you can trim your cost with antivirus packages if you need to cover three or five devices.

You may also find discounts on an app's Amazon page. To be effective, antivirus software needs to monitor what's going on with your PC, check in with company servers about unusual behavior and should provide sound banking protection. The companies say they anonymize this technical data as much as possible to protect your privacy.

But if you want to know more, the security companies on our list post privacy policies on their websites, so read their privacy statements to learn what the companies do with the information you share. Protection for other platforms. Microsoft is by far the biggest target for viruses and malware. While the Mac does come under attack via side-loaded apps, it's rare, and if you download apps only from the Mac and iOS app stores and keep your guard up when clicking links and download files, you should be OK without an antivirus app on Apple devices.

CNET editors pick the products and services we write about. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Best free Windows antivirus Microsoft Defender. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections. Computer viruses, malicious pieces of software explicitly created to cause harm or damage to your device, are a constant threat to computer users worldwide.

Some viruses are benign yet annoying, causing photos to pop up on your screen, but most of them are immensely destructive. One of the most sinister and disheartening aspects of these viruses is that, just like a flu virus, they easily pass from one host to the next. At any time, you would unwittingly contract a computer virus — and you could also unwittingly spread it to others. To protect your files, data, and identity, you need antivirus software for your computer. But which one should you get?

Many of the terms are confusing, and the features may seem to overlap each other. Different programs are designed for specific operating systems, and they vary in their protection, support, and other features.

The most important factor when choosing an antivirus software is compatibility with your operating system. Windows Windows is the most widely used operating system today. All of the antivirus software has at least one Windows version available. Microsoft has released new versions of Windows approximately once a year, with major revisions every five or six months.

Modern antivirus software may not work on older versions of Windows. Companies like Amazon may have some of the older versions of antivirus software on their shelves. If they do, you might be able to find one that works with your version of Windows. Like Microsoft, Apple has constantly released new versions of its operating system.

Make sure the antivirus package you get is compatible with your version of the Mac OS. Linux The Linux operating system is a portable version of the Unix operating system written from the ground up for PCs. Although Linux is now virtually identical to Windows in its user interface, many people still shy away from it.

Therefore, it is difficult to find antivirus software for it. Antivirus software is usually sold according to how many devices it will protect, with a license for each device. PCs and Macs are commonly covered on most packages, and many packages cover up to five devices in any combination three PCs and two Macs, four Macs and one PC, etc. Some will only protect one to three devices, while a few offer protection for an unlimited number of devices.

Protection can also be purchased for mobile devices, although this is less common. Determine how many devices in your home need protection before you start comparing antivirus software. A firewall is a software tool that monitors network traffic, both incoming and outgoing, to determine which traffic to allow or block. It performs this function based on a predetermined set of security rules.

Early firewalls were mainly hardware. Today, a firewall can be software, hardware, or a combination. A firewall is the first and most basic feature an antivirus software package should have.

Online data breaches have become a growing problem in recent years, and identity theft is on the rise. Antivirus companies have stepped up to the plate by incorporating privacy and identity protection in the suite of services offered in their software packages. The implementation can be spotty, which is why we encourage you to investigate our highly reviewed products. The file itself is still there, but is essentially invisible. It can be overwritten, either in whole or in part, by other programs or files.

Because of this, file recovery software can often recover a file you thought you deleted. In the case of sensitive, personal, or financial files or data, this is a bad idea. A file shredder overwrites the file with random binary data not once but multiple times.

Ransomware is a big — and criminal — business. If the attacker has used bit encryption standard these days your chance of recovering your files without that key is zero. Anti-ransomware will detect ransomware by its unique profile or according to an updated list of ransomware that has been identified or both.