Do you have a Companion AV as well as your main AV?

  • Thread starter Deleted Member 333v73x
  • Start date

Do you use a Companion Anti-Virus? If so which one.

  • Zemana Anti-Malware Premium

    Votes: 23 45.1%
  • Webroot SecureAnywhere

    Votes: 2 3.9%
  • Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium

    Votes: 12 23.5%
  • Other (please specify)

    Votes: 12 23.5%
  • No

    Votes: 9 17.6%
  • Immunet Free/Pro

    Votes: 2 3.9%

  • Total voters
    51
D

Deleted Member 333v73x

Thread author
Hello everyone, do any of you use a companion antivirus/antimalware?

What is a companion antivirus? a companion antivirus is a product designed to be run along a normal antivirus to catch anything your main antivirus misses.

Do I need one? you do not NEED one but having one will not do any harm and ensure that your system is secure.

Aren't you only supposed to have one AV? yes but that is a normal/main AV which you should only have one of. A companion AV is ESPECIALLY designed to be run with an AV and should not be run on its own as it will only have essential protection which will not protect you enough.

I currently am using Avast Internet Security with Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit Premium, Zemana Anti-Logger Premium, Zemana Anti-Malware Premium and MCShield Anti-Malware.

P.S: The programs I use is down to personal preference and knowledge, I do not recommend you to copy it simply because I use it. If you do it is completely at your own risk.

tskbr av.PNG

Hope this helps:) Have a good day!

Regards,
AMR
Anti-Malware Reviewer
 

CMLew

Level 23
Verified
Well-known
Oct 30, 2015
1,251
ZAM is running on both of my two laptop.
I even using ZAM and EEK Portable whenever I'm travelling.

My new laptop is using EAM and ZAM with both real-time protection turn on. So considered two companion AV running.
 

Ink

Administrator
Verified
Staff Member
Well-known
Jan 8, 2011
22,361
No. Real-time "Companion" Antivirus software are not required, but second-opinion on-demand scanners are acceptable.

Antivirus software don't need babysitters monitoring them, but maybe the user does.
 

Rishi

Level 19
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Well-known
Dec 3, 2015
938
True, ZAM with cloud(hence the engines) and portability are a big plus, MBAM scores over originality( correct me if wrong - they use own updates,engine)heuristics,offline scanner,and good malware removal ability.Comes down to bandwidth and user experience I guess.You can use both in one-paid-one-free configuration also.
 

Hangtooth

Level 5
Verified
Dec 5, 2015
202
Avira Pro + HMPA

I trust Avira to catch the few viruses that float around, and HMPA should catch all the really dangerous exploits, so I just use these two plus a bunch of second opinion scanners to get rid of any spyware/minor malware that isn't picked up and accumulates. I also have windows firewall set up with Windows Firewall Control so that nothing gets to phone home without a rule or interactive permission.

EDIT: TLDR: Voted NO as HMPA is not a companion AV by definition, as far as I can determine...
OR IS IT?! "exemplary exploit technique prevention and proactive malware detection and remediation" HitmanPro.Alert - SurfRight
This sort of blurs the line - proactive malware detection sounds like it fits the definition of antivirus stated in the posts below - that it uses signatures and runs in real time to detect malware.
Changing my vote to : Other

EDIT3: OMG I fail again: "HitmanPro.Alert disrupts individual chains of the cyber threat life-cycle with multiple signature-less technologies "
Vote changed back to NO, lol.
 
Last edited:

Azure

Level 28
Verified
Top Poster
Content Creator
Oct 23, 2014
1,712

Online_Sword

Level 12
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Well-known
Mar 23, 2015
555
It seems that the definition and scope of the concept "companion antivirus" are not clear enough.

Regarding the definition of "companion antivirus", OP (@Anti-Malware Reviewer ) mainly consider the perspective of "companion". But here I hope to emphasize the perspective of "antivirus". I think a companion antivirus refers to an "antivirus" that is properly designed to be compatible with other antivirus programs in the average case. As an antivirus, it should at least be able to use signature (either in local or in the cloud) to perform real-time monitoring. I am not a fanatic of signature, but just consider the traditional and widely used definition of "antivirus". I think this definition can match the list given by @Umbra well : List of Companion Antiviruses .

So, I think some on-demand scanners, like the free version of MBAM, the free mode of EAM, EEK, the free version of ZAM, etc, are not companion antivirus, because they do not have the capability of real-time monitoring.

In addition, I think that some other products mentioned in this thread, such as Katana and MBAE, cannot be viewed as companion antivirus either, because they are not signature based.
 
D

Deleted member 178

Thread author
It seems that the definition and scope of the concept "companion antivirus" are not clear enough.

Regarding the definition of "companion antivirus", OP (@Anti-Malware Reviewer ) mainly consider the perspective of "companion". But here I hope to emphasize the perspective of "antivirus". I think a companion antivirus refers to an "antivirus" that is properly designed to be compatible with other antivirus programs in the average case. As an antivirus, it should at least be able to use signature (either in local or in the cloud) to perform real-time monitoring.

This is the exact definition.

So, I think some on-demand scanners, like the free version of MBAM, the free mode of EAM, EEK, the free version of ZAM, etc, are not companion antivirus, because they do not have the capability of real-time monitoring.

Katana and MBAE, cannot be viewed as companion antivirus either, because they are not signature based.

Exact again.
 

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