McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2014

Pros CleanBoot rescue CD solved most installation woes. Very good malware blocking. SiteAdvisor blocks dangerous websites, marks up links in search and social media. Intelligent, hassle-free firewall. Intrusion prevention blocked some exploits. Includes remote management, file shredder, system tuneup, vulnerability scan.

Cons Installation on one test system required hours with tech support. Malware cleanup good, not great. Independent lab results good, not great. Firewall protects some of its services, not all. Antiphishing accuracy down from last year. Bottom Line McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2014 is practically a mini-suite, with firewall, phishing protection, and a variety of bonus features. It's not quite an Editors' Choice, but it's definitely an effective tool.

By Neil J. Rubenking

The line between simple antivirus and full-on security suite continues to blur, as some vendors load up entry-level antivirus tools with features more typically found in a full security suite. For example, McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2014 ($49.99 direct; $69.99 for three licenses) adds a powerful firewall and a number of useful security tools. In testing, it was better at blocking malware attacks on a clean system than at hunting down and destroying existing malware infestations.

McAfee's large main window devotes large panels to four important functional areas: Virus and Spyware Protection, Web and Email Protection, McAfee Updates, and Your Subscription. Smaller panels represent Data Protection and Backup and PC and Home Network Tools. The display is just fractionally misleading, in that this product doesn't actually include backup and the link to "firewall and anti-spam settings" reveals that anti-spam isn't present either. To get those features you'll need McAfee's actual full-scale security suite.

A separate "navigation" view simply lists all of the product's numerous features along with links to settings, reports, and online resources. If you know what you want to do but don't know where to find it in the program's user interface, this view is a godsend.

CleanBoot to the Rescue
On over half of my malware-infested test systems, my initial McAfee installation failed to complete successfully, for one reason or another. Tech support recommended that I run McAfee's CleanBoot rescue disk, a Windows-based bootable antivirus.

For all but a couple of the problem systems, CleanBoot totally did the job. Once I got McAfee installed I ran a full scan. Interestingly, every full scan after a CleanBoot scan found nothing at all, suggesting that CleanBoot incorporates McAfee's very latest technology. I mention this because the bootable rescue systems offered by many vendors run in retro text-only mode, and a subsequent full scan often finds traces missed by the bootable solution.

On one system, a virtual fistfight between McAfee and malware sucked up all the CPU cycles. Tech support took some very detailed diagnostic logs and, after quite a bit of back and forth, supplied a one-off solution. Another system lost all connectivity after its full scan. I supplied diagnostic files requested by tech support and they came back with a fix. Overall I give McAfee three stars for installation experience; it would have been four except for the very lengthy repair process on the CPU-impaired system.

CleanBoot seems to have exactly the malware-fighting power of the McAfee antivirus, packaged in a bootable form that doesn't have to contend with malware running alongside it. That being the case, I'd suggest running a CleanBoot scan before any attempt to install McAfee on a system that's' not guaranteed clean.

Decent Malware Removal
With installation problems solved, I went on to run a full scan on each of my twelve malware-infested test systems. McAfee missed a fair number of the resident samples, and didn't remove all the executable traces of some that it did find. In a few cases, I found a malware process still running after supposed cleanup. With a 75 percent detection rate and 5.9 points overall for cleanup, McAfee is in the middle of the pack, much as it was in last year's test.

It did beat out Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus+ 2014 by a tenth of a point. However, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus (2014) managed 83 percent detection and 6.6 points against the same collection of samples.

Tested with my previous collection of malware, Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus 2013 also scored 6.6 points. Top score among that group was 7.1 points, earned by the free, cleanup-only Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.70.

Cleaning up the mess when malware has already invaded is clearly a tough task. For an explanation of how I set up this type of test, please see How We Test Malware Removal.

McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2014 malware removal chart

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Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus+ 2014

Pros Excellent score in malware-blocking test. Impressive blocking of malicious URLs. Accurate antiphishing and antispam protection. Bonus firewall booster blocked many exploit attacks.

Cons Installation on some malware-infested test systems required hours of remote-control support. Good-not-great score in hands-on malware cleanup test. Behavior-based detection suspects or even quarantines valid programs. Bottom Line Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus+ 2014 focuses on resisting the very newest malware attacks, and does a good job. Its behavior-based detection can be over-enthusiastic, but it offers accurate phishing and spam protection and a firewall booster that can block exploit attacks.

By Neil J. Rubenking

We all agree that "antivirus" these days refers to a product that protects against all kinds of malicious software, not just viruses. But should it do even more than that? The folks at Trend Micro want to offer full-scale security protection even in their entry-level product, so Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus+ 2014 ($39.95 direct) adds spam filtering and a firewall booster, as well as an impressive antiphishing component.

The product's sparse main window uses one extra-large icon to show current security status; if it's anything but fully protected, you can click a button to fix the problem. From the mini-toolbar you can launch a scan, open the settings dialog, or check protection statistics. A second page titled "PC/Mobile" lets you create a rescue disk or launch a trial of Trend Micro's mobile protection.

The main window features a button bar at top and status bar at bottom in bold black and red. In between, in the main body of the window, you can swap in one of eight supplied background images. Clouds, fields, flowers, psychedelic patterns—the choices are quite varied. Don't like any of them? You can use your own picture!

Focus on Dynamic Testing
Trend Micro pulled out of Virus Bulletin's VB100 testing some years ago, on the basis that testing against a static malware collection just isn't relevant. They also don't participate in testing by ICSA Labs or West Coast Labs. The reviewer's guide for this product touts its ability to block zero-day threats, and indeed it received the top rating, ADVANCED+, in the grueling real-world protection test by AV-Comparatives.

AV-Comparatives does also run an on-demand detection test, but it's not precisely a static test. Each antivirus product gets a chance to scan and wipe out known malware, true, but the researchers also launch any samples that survive, giving the antivirus a chance to use behavioral detection and other dynamic technologies. Trend Micro passed this test with a STANDARD rating. Note that my own malware blocking test works in a very similar fashion.

German lab AV-Test evaluates products using a combination of static and dynamic tests. Each product can earn up to six points for Protection, Performance, and Usability. Trend Micro averaged 14.8 of 18 possible points in the most recent two tests.

Trend Micro's scores are good, but Bitdefender and Kaspersky participate in all of the lab tests that I follow and routinely earn top scores. For more about the labs and their testing methods, see How We Interpret Antivirus Lab Tests.

Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus+ 2014 lab tests chart

Mixed Installation Experience
Trend Micro installed without incident on nine of my twelve malware-infested test systems. To get past ransomware that blocks desktop access in another system, tech support recommended Trend's advanced bootable USB solution. It proved incompatible with my virtual machine configuration, but their old-school text-only Rescue CD totally solved my ransomware problem.

The remaining two systems caused me a lot of grief. On advice from tech support, I used the Trend Micro Anti-Threat Toolkit and several other in-house tools. Eventually, though, I had to turn over these systems for remote diagnosis and cleaning by a tech support agent, which took hours but ended in success for both systems.

An antivirus that installs on all twelve systems with little or no hassle displays a five-star installation experience. If all problems can be solved by applying a rescue CD or other ancillary tool, that's still good for four stars. When getting the product installed drags on into hours of remote control, that's not a great installation experience. Like Norton AntiVirus (2014), AVG Anti-Virus FREE 2014, and quite a few others, Trend Micro gets two stars for installation experience.

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AVG AntiVirus FREE 2014

Pros Excellent protection against malware attack on a clean system. Effective malware cleanup. Toolbar offers secure search, Do Not Track, Facebook view, more. Includes secure deletion file shredder. Free!

Cons Difficult installation on malware-infested test systems. Some users may object to numerous upsell attempts. Bottom Line I had a bit of trouble getting AVG AntiVirus FREE 2014 installed on my malware-infested test systems, but once installed it did a good cleanup job, and it was even better at protecting an already-clean system. You'll get excellent free antivirus protection from AVG.

By Neil J. Rubenking

If you don't have antivirus protection installed on all your PCs, shame on you! Given the quality of free antivirus products currently available, there's just no excuse for going without protection. AVG AntiVirus FREE 2014 is a good choice. I had a little trouble getting it installed on malware-infested test systems, but once installed it did a good cleanup job, and it turned in a great score in my malware-blocking test.

The product itself is free, but AVG really, really wants you to launch a 30-day trial of their full security suite. You get that option during installation, and a banner across the bottom of the main window repeats the offer each time you launch the antivirus. As I stepped through the product's features, I found quite a few marked "Upgrade to activate." I'll look at those features when I review the full suite.

One row of big buttons on AVG's main window let you access components like computer protection and Web browsing protection. Another row links to an array of other solutions from AVG. You can launch a one-time performance-fixing scan, and optionally install AVG's tune-up solution. There are links to the company's mobile apps, and to a partner-licenses app for ensuring you have the latest drivers. And a whole separate "More from AVG" page displays the company's entire line of products, most of which require separate purchase.

But don't worry. You really can have free antivirus protection. You just need to resist the temptation to purchase the various optional add-ons.

Rough Time at Installation
On exactly two of my twelve malware-infested test systems AVG installed and scanned without any problems. The installer crashed on another two, but worked OK when I retried the installation. In several cases the full scan halted with an "unspecified error"; trying the scan one or two more times fixed most of these.

Like most security companies, AVG offers a Rescue CD for situations where the antivirus can't install. The Rescue CD is a blast from the past, with a totally text-driven interface, but it offers a full collection of tools, not just an antivirus scan. It wiped out ransomware on one test system and cleared up a malware infestation that actively blocked the installer on another.

I went back and forth with tech support, supplying diagnostic logs and running the tools they supplied. The toughest problem was a system that lost all connectivity after AVG's scan; they eventually tracked that one down. Ten of twelve test systems encountered some sort of problem and a few needed days of back-and-forth with tech support. They all got sorted in the end, but I'm giving AVG two stars for installation experience.

Effective Malware Removal
Once I got past the installation difficulties, I found that AVG did a good job cleaning up my messy, malware-infested test systems. It detected 78 percent of the samples and scored 6.4 points, narrowly beating Norton AntiVirus (2014)'s 6.3 points. Of products tested using my current malware collection, only Bitdefender Antivirus Plus (2014) and the cleanup-only Jumpshot tool did better, with 6.6 and 6.5 points respectively.

Looking at antivirus products tested using my previous malware collection, the free, cleanup-only Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.70 beat all the competition, earning 7.1 points, and it did so without a hint of difficulty installing or scanning for malware. also did well, with 6.6 points. For an explanation of how I gather malware samples and perform this test, please see How We Test Malware Removal.

AVG AntiVirus FREE 2014 malware removal chart

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Norton AntiVirus (2014)

Pros New technology handles corrupted critical files. Installer remediates some potential problems. Very effective malicious URL blocking, exploit blocking, and antiphishing. Good malware cleanup scores. Remote monitoring via network map.

Cons Despite corrupted-file technology, scan disabled two infested test systems, requiring tech support intervention. Average malware blocking scores. Bottom Line Symantec focuses on protecting against malware at every level, and the latest Norton AntiVirus (2014) does more than ever to block real-world malware attacks. This focus costs it points in static antivirus testing, but the product is effective. I use it myself.

By Neil J. Rubenking

Early computer viruses under MS-DOS were simple things, chunks of code appended to executable COM files. Norton Antivirus was there, starting in 1990, working to wipe out these nasty infections. Norton AntiVirus (2014) continues to do the job, growing and evolving to face ever more complex types of malicious code.

Like Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and a few others, Symantec has stopped using a year or version number for its Norton product line. I've appended "(2014)" for the simple purpose of distinguishing this product from earlier versions.

Big, touch-friendly buttons on the main window let you quickly launch a scan or check for updates. An info panel monitors CPU usage (overall and specifically by Norton). The product comes configured for the best balance between security and performance, so most users won't need to dig into the product's settings.

A New Technique
When I met with Symantec representatives prior to this review, they explained a truly impressive new feature that's been added to the current version. Sometimes malware infests essential Windows components, in effect taking them hostage. The antivirus can't quarantine the infected file without disabling Windows. The best solution would be to replace the file with a clean copy of the original, but licensing issues prevent doing so directly.

To clean up this kind of problem, the product first consults the immense Norton Insight database to locate the corresponding clean file, then runs a cloud-based comparison against the infected edition. It supplies the local Norton installation with a file that represents the difference between the two—in effect, a set of instructions for changing the corrupted file back to its clean equivalent. Once the clean file has been verified, the cleanup is complete.

I frequently run into big problems with antivirus products that get too aggressive and delete important Windows files. I'm really impressed with the cleverness of this technology.

Installation Ups and Downs
The installer for Norton AntiVirus checks for problems and, when possible, solves them. For example, on one test system it detected an illegitimate proxy installation and offered to remove it. Doing so saved it from a host of post-install connection troubles.

When malware has rendered a system unbootable, or when ransomware actively blocks access to the system, the Norton Bootable Recovery Tool offers two ways to save the day. You can run Norton Power Eraser, an aggressive malware-killing tool, or run an advanced recovery scan. This tool easily wiped out ransomware on one test system, allowing installation of the full product.

On the flip side, the new cleanup technology I described didn't prevent Norton from damaging two test systems to the point they would not boot. On one system, Norton's Auto-Protect flagged a number of files immediately after installation and requested a reboot to finish cleanup. After reboot, it went into an endless logon/logoff loop. The other system couldn't update, activate, or call on its built-in support. On advice from tech support I tried Norton Power Eraser, and when that didn't help, Norton Bootable Recovery Tool. This system ended up in the same kind of logon/logoff loop.

Getting these problems fixed required several hours of interaction with tech support, including remote-access diagnostics and repair, which was rather disappointing. Both systems did eventually get fixed, but it took a lot of work. I rate the installation experience at two stars.

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Kaspersky Anti-Virus (2014)

Pros Advanced disinfection at install handles active malware. Excellent ratings from independent labs. Very good score in hands-on malware removal test. Accurate phishing protection. Useful bonus tools.

Cons Some difficulty installing on malware-infested systems. Good-not-great results in hands-on malware blocking test. Bottom Line The independent testing labs give top marks to Kaspersky Anti-Virus (2014). It didn't fare quite as well in my own hands-on tests, but it's definitely a good choice.

By Neil J. Rubenking

It's not even September yet, and I've already encountered one antivirus with "2014" in its name and another with an implied 2014. Kaspersky doesn't use year or version numbers anymore; I'll call their latest product Kaspersky Anti-Virus (2014) to distinguish it from last year's version. In addition to effective antivirus protection, it offers a number of useful bonus features.

G Data AntiVirus 2014 is the product that's declared itself ready for the new year. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus (2014) doesn't actually use a year number, but it's the latest version. Symantec has also eliminated version and year numbers; their new product line will show up in early September.

Installation Challenges
Kaspersky installed without incident on eight of my twelve malware-infested test systems. On seven of those systems, it reported active malware immediately after installation and asked permission to perform an advanced disinfection, followed by a reboot. In a couple of cases it requested another advanced disinfection afterward. This made for a lengthy installation process, but on several systems a later full scan found nothing, meaning that the initial disinfection did the entire cleanup job.

The WindowsUnlocker component of Kaspersky's Rescue Disc foiled a ransomware threat that initially prevented installing the antivirus. On another system, the installer totally failed. On advice from tech support I employed a number of specialized tools and ran the Rescue Disc. Advice from tech support fixed collateral damage caused by the Rescue Disc; eventually I managed a full scan.

Kaspersky installed fine on one system but every time it launched, the process was immediately terminated by malware. Solving this required a number of tools, including a custom script supplied by tech support, but eventually I got the product installed and working.

I did run into some issues getting Kaspersky installed, granted, but all of the problems were solved by the Rescue Disc and other ancillary Kaspersky tools. On that basis, Kaspersky gets four stars for installation experience.

Good Malware Cleanup
Once I completed all of the installations I ran a full scan on each system and tallied up the results. I was a little apprehensive, because I had tested Kaspersky PURE 3.0 Total Security using the same malware collection a few months ago. I wondered if information gathered during that earlier test would give the antivirus an unfair advantage.

I needn't have worried. The antivirus handled almost 90 percent of the malware samples exactly the same way the suite had, right down to the percentage of non-executable traces remaining. For those where the two products produced different results, sometimes one was better, sometimes the other. Why any difference? Most likely it's because I applied different ancillary cleanup tools in the process of getting the two products installed.

Kaspersky detected 81 percent of the samples, the same as Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition (2014) and better than the 78 percent detected by Kaspersky PURE. It scored 6.1 points for malware removal, a fraction above Kaspersky PURE and a fraction below Bitdefender Free.

Best among products tested with this same malware collection was Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, with 83 percent detection and 6.6 points. The unusual cleanup-only Jumpshot tool detected more, 86 percent of the samples, but scored just 6.5 points.

For a full explanation of how I run this test see How We Test Malware Removal.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus (2014) malware removal chart

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