2048tm
Member
Can anyone recommend the best antivirus software for a laptop, as well as software for an Android phone?
Someone mentioned purchasing Eset Smart Security and obtaining a license from Amazon or Flipkart.
Could someone confirm this or tell me which is the most recent and decent one?
mikiem2
Moderator
There are several good security apps, and most articles like this recommend you try before you buy -- note that you should look for & download the company's own removal program in case you decide the software's not for you, since a regular uninstall can leave too much behind [security software is intentionally hard to remove because some malware will try to remove or disable it].
zdnet[.]com/article/best-antivirus/
Windows builtin Defender may be enough, probably has the least impact on system performance, & has top ratings in tests from sites like av-test[.]org -- I use 3rd party security software because I feel Defender is more targeted by malware since it's installed with every copy of Windows, but that's me. On our lower powered devices I run McAfee, which also has top ratings, because it has less impact when you're running something like a lowly Atom or i3 CPU. BUT, McAfee can be expensive & is less often on sale -- I've been buying their LiveSafe package, which covers an unlimited number of devices, for $10 from Office Depot during their Black Friday sale.
But McAfee can be a little intrusive sometimes, so we run BitDefender on our more powerful PCs -- it's just far too much in my experience on our low powered [cheaper] devices. And Bitdefender is very often on sale for around $20/year for 3-5 devices. I think Android cell phone protection is usually included with security software packages -- my wife's been using McAfee on her phone for years now.
That said, the big problem with Android when it comes to security is that updates have to come through the manufacturer, & then in the US, often through the service provider itself, so you *may* get updates for a year or two, but that's often it. As a result you have situations like the recently discovered flaw in the Apple Lossless Audio Codec. "Check Point estimates that two-thirds of all smartphones sold in 2021 are vulnerable to what it calls "ALHACK"." Google released a patch last December, but only some newer phones will ever see it.
zdnet[.]com/article/android-security-flaw-in-an-audio-codec-left-two-thirds-of-smartphones-at-risk-of-snooping-say-researchers/
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