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Thread author
Hello,
This is a mini-review of BitDefender Free. ** See illustration below in thread and next post for important infos **
Pros:
Cons:
Impression:
BD Free is the minimalist AV taken to the absolute limit. It is so extreme I consider it "Experimental." A curiosity if you will.
I am not too sure about PCMag's review by Rubenking on this one. 4 Stars ... Really ? Maybe, but jury is still out.
When testing BD Free against malware from MT's Malware Hub I see a difference in detection rates compared to the paid version. Obviously they should detect equally if they both use the same signature database and are updated with the same frequency.
CORRECTION: It has been explained to me by fellow MT member yesnoo that BD states the signaturess are the same, but BD Free's local signature cache is very small. Unlike the paid version, BD Free has to cycle through the entire signatures database via the cloud during its very slow continuous scan. Real-time on-access queries are made by Virus Shield.
On the other hand, the malicious URL blocking seems equivalent to that of the paid version. I also observed BD Free's heuristics (real-time) stop malware that evaded signature detection... the recently posted JS.Downloader/Bat.Encoder sample on MT Malware Hub. Heuristics blocked the .js file. That was a real surprise so, +1 for BD Free.
In contrast, when those.js/.bat files were allowed to run the paid version did not block them, but instead later slammed the hidden downloads. Scratching my head on the difference.
There are other drawbacks:
It uses continuous scan mode that is so slow that it will take an entire day, if not more, to fully scan an entire system. This means malware could be on system for a long time.
There is no mechanism to re-Quarantine a file; I tried to locate the Quarantine and whitelist files, but despite my best efforts they eluded me.
GUI is easy. No bugs. There's nothing to it. There's even a 5-page PDF manual... complete with illustrations. It's in the BitDefender folder and cannot be found online.
From what I see, compared to Windows Defender, it is an improvement in some respects. It's a breeze to install and uninstall so a "look-see" is not too bothersome.
However, I think Avira Free is a better alternative.
Bottom line on this one... it is really only suitable for someone that downloads and installs very little or a system that has low-end RAM/CPU. This solution is very likely not able to adequately protect the "click-happy."
If BD Free turns out to actually provide 4-star protection over time I will be surprised.
At this point I am not convinced... not against malware younger than a week. Older malware ... yes.
In short order this review is closed.
This is a mini-review of BitDefender Free. ** See illustration below in thread and next post for important infos **
Pros:
- Virtually 0 % resource usage on my W8.1 system (even when running full scan).
- Essentially requires no user interaction; virtually "set-and-forget."
- Requires virtually no user knowledge/experience to quickly learn to use properly.
- No cost (but not free).
- Signature database identical to paid version (but local signature cache is tiny, so detections may take a long time until BD Free cycles through entire signature database during its continuous scan).
- Malicious URL blocking that does work equivalent to paid version.
- User can manually perform full-system scan.
- Real-time protection (Virus Shield with heuristics/Active Virus Control).
- Can Quarantine, Restore and re-Quarantine detected files.
Cons:
- No firewall.
- To be effective, system should not be turned off so as to always have continuous scan running.
- Scans are so slow that malware may be on system for far too long.
- No way to increase scan speed.
- Essentially no support (but there is a PDF manual).
- Online offers when register product.
- BD Free will auto-delete files without user approval during installtion; it deleted Emsisoft's a2hook32.dll during the initial installation scan (see posted screenshot in thread with reason why BD Free did it).
Impression:
BD Free is the minimalist AV taken to the absolute limit. It is so extreme I consider it "Experimental." A curiosity if you will.
I am not too sure about PCMag's review by Rubenking on this one. 4 Stars ... Really ? Maybe, but jury is still out.
When testing BD Free against malware from MT's Malware Hub I see a difference in detection rates compared to the paid version. Obviously they should detect equally if they both use the same signature database and are updated with the same frequency.
CORRECTION: It has been explained to me by fellow MT member yesnoo that BD states the signaturess are the same, but BD Free's local signature cache is very small. Unlike the paid version, BD Free has to cycle through the entire signatures database via the cloud during its very slow continuous scan. Real-time on-access queries are made by Virus Shield.
On the other hand, the malicious URL blocking seems equivalent to that of the paid version. I also observed BD Free's heuristics (real-time) stop malware that evaded signature detection... the recently posted JS.Downloader/Bat.Encoder sample on MT Malware Hub. Heuristics blocked the .js file. That was a real surprise so, +1 for BD Free.
In contrast, when those.js/.bat files were allowed to run the paid version did not block them, but instead later slammed the hidden downloads. Scratching my head on the difference.
There are other drawbacks:
It uses continuous scan mode that is so slow that it will take an entire day, if not more, to fully scan an entire system. This means malware could be on system for a long time.
There is no mechanism to re-Quarantine a file; I tried to locate the Quarantine and whitelist files, but despite my best efforts they eluded me.
GUI is easy. No bugs. There's nothing to it. There's even a 5-page PDF manual... complete with illustrations. It's in the BitDefender folder and cannot be found online.
From what I see, compared to Windows Defender, it is an improvement in some respects. It's a breeze to install and uninstall so a "look-see" is not too bothersome.
However, I think Avira Free is a better alternative.
Bottom line on this one... it is really only suitable for someone that downloads and installs very little or a system that has low-end RAM/CPU. This solution is very likely not able to adequately protect the "click-happy."
If BD Free turns out to actually provide 4-star protection over time I will be surprised.
At this point I am not convinced... not against malware younger than a week. Older malware ... yes.
In short order this review is closed.
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