http://www.nwfusion.com/topics/virus.html The latest virus and worm news and analysis from NetworkWorld.com. Network World, Inc. Copyright(C) 1994 - 2009 Network World, Inc. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/112509-four-years-not-enough-for.html Is four years and a $250,000 fine really the best punishment for the self-proclaimed "Godfather of Spam?" Put another way: Do we take the criminal aspects of spam seriously enough? David Coursey 2009-11-25T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2009/112409-panda-antivirus-pro-2010-a.html Panda Antivirus Pro 2010 ($50 for a one-year, three-PC license) ranks fifth in our current roundup of 11 stand-alone antivirus apps. It was buoyed by positives such as strong traditional malware detection, but dragged down by negatives like poor behavioral scans. Erik Larkin 2009-11-24T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2009/112409-bitdefender-antivirus.html BitDefender Antivirus ($30 for a one-year, three-PC license) holds its own at dealing with malware, but its interface isn't especially user-friendly. Overall the program earned fourth place in our roundup of stand-alone antivirus programs. Erik Larkin 2009-11-24T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2009/112409-kaspersky-anti-virus.html Kaspersky's third-place ranking in our roundup of stand-alone antivirus programs reflects its ability both to impress and to disappoint. It pairs competent proactive protection with below-average signature detection, and a strong feature set with an at-times annoying user experience. Erik Larkin 2009-11-24T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2009/112409-symantec-norton-antivirus.html Symantec's Norton AntiVirus ($40 for a one-year, single-PC license) offers some terrific extra features and a polished user interface. But subpar performance in one detection category prevented it from capturing the top spot in our chart of stand-alone antivirus programs. Erik Larkin 2009-11-24T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2009/112409-top-protection-g-data-antivirus.html Most security programs use a single antivirus engine, but the German-made G Data ($25 for a one-year, single-PC license, as of 11/20/09) uses two separate engines: BitDefender and Avast. That double coverage may have helped it rack up an impressive 99.95 percent block rate for traditional, signature-based detection of known malware, a rate better than that of any other app we tested. It was likewise strong at blocking annoying adware, running up a 99.8 percent score, and these strengths helped it earn top billing. Erik Larkin 2009-11-24T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/112409-advanced.html Today's vast threatscape of duplicitous Trojan horses, invisible exploits, and slithering worms make antivirus protection a must. But that doesn't mean you have to pay top dollar for a security suite that may have features you don't want or need. Erik Larkin, Testing By and Andreas Marx 2009-11-24T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2009/112409-alwil-avast-professional.html Though Alwil Avast Professional Edition ($40 for a one-year, single-PC license, as of 11/23/09) has a speedy scan rate, that wasn't enough to offset its unimpressive protection from malware infections and its truly annoying interface. With a last-place showing in our stand-alone antivirus rankings, it's clearly a less than ideal choice for your paid protection. (A new version is coming early next year--see the end of this review.) Erik Larkin 2009-11-24T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2009/112409-mcafee-virusscan-plus.html McAfee VirusScan Plus ($40 for a one-year, single-PC license, as of 11/19/09) does well with traditional, signature-based malware detection, but it delivered a large number of false positives and fumbled on essentials like proactive protection and scan speed. Overall, it ranked tenth out of the 11 products in our roundup of stand-alone antivirus programs. Erik Larkin 2009-11-24T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2009/112409-eset.html ESET NOD32 has some nice, techie-focused extras and it effectively ferrets out rootkits, but it can't keep up with other antivirus apps when it comes to the essential task of blocking malware. It came in ninth place out of 11 in our current ranking of stand-alone antivirus software. Erik Larkin 2009-11-24T12:00:00-04:00