As of: March 9, 2024, 1:43 p.m
By: Sandra Sporer
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To protect yourself from malware, an antivirus program is almost mandatory.
However, only one of them received a “very good” grade from Stiftung Warentest.
Munich – Trojans, computer viruses and phishing are just some of the threats you are exposed to on the Internet.
When it comes to phishing in particular, fraudsters are creative and always come up with new scams.
For example, emails that supposedly come from Netflix, Amazon or PayPal are also trying to access user data.
All it takes is one click on the wrong link and you are caught by criminals.
To prevent things from getting that far, your computer or laptop should be protected with good antivirus software.
The selection of programs is large and as a layperson you don't necessarily know what to look out for.
The test from Stiftung Warentest offers a good indication.
The consumer magazine took a close look at 28 antivirus programs and found, among other things, that even free versions can offer good protection.
However, first place – and the only “Very Good” rating – was secured by a paid program.
Stiftung Warentest tests antivirus programs for Windows, Mac and Android
Antivirus programs for Windows, Android and the Apple operating system Mac were represented.
Although the latter is much less likely to be attacked by malware, the risk of falling for a phishing email is also high here.
Some scams even specifically target Apple users, such as iCloud phishing, which uses a fraud email to obtain login details for the service.
A good antivirus program is essential to stay protected from threats while surfing the web.
At Stiftung Warentest, some offers for little money also performed well.
© Pond5 Images/IMAGO
The programs were confronted with various malware.
These are real, current threats, according to Stiftung Warentest.
In some cases, the threats were only a few days old at the time of testing.
The rating also took into account how user-friendly the programs were to use and how much strain they put on the computer.
No rating for Kaspersky – Stiftung Warentest removes products from the test due to security concerns
Stiftung Warentest did not give any ratings for the three Kaspersky products tested.
The reason for this is that the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has been warning about the Russian manufacturer's products since March 2022 and advises against their use.
The trigger was the conflict with Russia after the country attacked Ukraine.
“Antivirus software (...) has extensive system permissions,” said the press release at the time.
And further: “A Russian IT manufacturer can carry out offensive operations itself, be forced to attack target systems against its will, or be spied on as a victim of a cyber operation without its knowledge or used as a tool for attacks against its own customers.”
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Free product makes it to the winner's podium, but not to first place
In the end, the antivirus program G Data Internet Security took first place.
It received a “Very Good” rating in all three tested categories and had a GDPR-compliant data protection declaration.
A single license costs 40 euros per year.
For Mac computers, Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac is the best choice.
It received a grade of 1.9 (Good) and a single license is available for 29 euros per year.
However, Stiftung Warentest found clear deficiencies in the data protection declaration.
The best free option was the Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows.
Here too, however, there were clear deficiencies in the data protection declaration.
Nevertheless, it received a rating of “Good” (grade 1.6).
Windows Bitdefender is also available in a paid version.
A single license costs 35 euros per year.
The paid upgrade can be well worth it, as you often get additional functions in addition to less or no advertising.
The free Windows Defender, which is already pre-installed in Windows 10 and 11, only scored “satisfactory”.
Security is not just an important issue online.
Even in everyday life, you want to know that your possessions are in good hands.
Stiftung Warentest has therefore also tested the best bicycle locks.
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