The best free antivirus around might surprise you

Microsoft’s cybersecurity tool, Microsoft Defender, is the best antivirus solution for October 2021, independent researchers are claiming. 

AV-TEST, a 15-year-old independent research institute for IT security from Germany, regularly puts all of the big-name antivirus solutions to the test, and for October this year, it found Microsoft Defender better than the likes of Kaspersky, Avast, or others. 

First and foremost, Microsoft Defender was successful at blocking all of the 0-day malware attacks that came from the Internet during these 31 days, including malicious websites and email attacks. Based on a sample of 407 malware, it also managed to exceed the industry standard of 99.8% for the detection rate.

Furthermore, it detected all of the widespread and popular malware that was making rounds in October.

AV-TEST also says Microsoft’s free antivirus solution was less impactful on website loading, compared to other antiviruses. In a sample of 50 websites visited, the industry average slowdown was 17%, while for Microsoft Defender (on a standard consumer-grade PC), it was 7%. On the other end of this spectrum was AVAST, whose antivirus solution allegedly slows down website loading by as much as 39%.

Faster browsing, slower installations

On the downside, it interfered more during application installation. Based on a sample of 20 installed applications, AV-TEST found that the industry standard for a slowdown when installing applications is 15%. With Microsoft Defender, app installation slows down by 33%.

Finally, Microsoft Defender was said to be comparatively faster than Kaspersky, McAfee, or AVG. It doesn’t slow down file copying at all, even with the industry average being a low 1%.

Having a strong antivirus solution is a must in today’s risky cyber environment. With the rising popularity of remote and hybrid working, in which employees often use personal endpoints, and unsecured networks, for work, making sure every device is free from malware and ransomware is paramount. 

You might also want to check out our list of the best firewalls around

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