Microsoft is betting big on Windows Defender for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, where its own solution comes pre-installed, but as for Windows 7, users running that version of the operating system must install a security product manually to make sure their data is protected.
Choosing an antivirus for Windows 7 basically comes down to choosing from a long list of products, either free or with a paid license, or going for Microsoft's own security software, although the most recent tests show that this is not a good idea.
German security institute AV-TEST has conducted a new series of tests on Windows 7, revealing that Kaspersky Antivirus is still the best at the moment. The tests show that Kaspersky scored a maximum of 18 points, with 6 points for each stage, namely protection, performance and usability.
Trend Micro and Bitdefender were near perfect, coming in second place in the survey with 17.5 points, while Symantec, Bullguard, Avira and AhnLab each received 17 points. ESET, which was once a top security vendor, underperformed and earned just 15.5 points, with 5 points for protection, 4.5 points for performance and 6 points for usability.
As for the worst antiviruses, there are two of them: Microsoft and Comodo. The AV-TEST institute says that Microsoft's security solution received just 13.5 points, while Comodo was again at the bottom of the test with just 12.5 points.
Microsoft was awarded 5 points for protection, 4.5 points for performance, and 4 points for usability, while Comodo's antivirus scored just 1.5 points for performance. This means it has a significant impact on your system's performance and could dramatically slow down a Windows 7 system.
As usual, keeping a computer clean and in tip-top shape doesn't just come down to a strong antivirus product, and users staying away from potential threats, malicious websites, and infected files is one of the best ways to avoid having a system exposed.
