Quick Heal Antivirus Pro v18.00 - A review by Der.Reisende

Product name
Quick Heal Antivirus Pro v18.00
Installation (rating)
5.00 star(s)
User interface (rating)
5.00 star(s)
Accessibility notes
Tons of features, though not bloated, logical arrangement of functions. Colours are pleasant to the eyes. Modern UI, with neat, big icons. Please refer to the screenshots in the full review.
Performance (rating)
5.00 star(s)
Core Protection (rating)
3.00 star(s)
Additional Protection notes
v18.00
There are no statistics available yet.
Rating to be changed as soon there is at least on month of Malware HUB input.

v17.00 was mediocre in terms of protection, refer to the links in the full article regarding the 0day-HUB tests.

Signatures are still below average. Much better dynamic protection (Advanced DNAScan, opt-in Anti-Keylogger, Web Security scans traffic, all new Total Ransomware Protection w/ secure folders, 2-way-firewall, 1-way-firewall by default, Trusted EMail Clients Protection)
Positives
    • Many features
    • Low impact on system resources
    • Lightning fast scans
    • Highly configurable
    • Easy to use
    • Simple and non-intrusive
    • Ransomware protection
    • Strong and reliable protection
    • Detects or blocks in the wild malware
    • Well designed, clear and easy to use interface
    • Multi-layer protection approach
Negatives
    • Antivirus capabilities are average at best
    • Mixed results from independent testing labs
    • Can be complex in some situations
Time spent using product
Reviewed over a 30-day period
Computer specs
Windows 10 x64 v1903 build 18362.116 (build no. at time of initital review)
8 GB RAM
Intel i5-7200U
Nvidia GeForce 940MX + Intel HD 620
1 TB HDD / 128 GB SSD (C:// is located on SSD)
Overall rating
3.00 star(s)

Der.Reisende

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Dec 27, 2014
3,423
Quick Heal Antivirus Pro v18.00
A review by Der.Reisende

Official website: (English)
Status: Stable (reviewed version: v18.00 build 11.1.1.14), x64
Name of Software/Product: Quick Heal Antivirus Pro v18.00

Detailed review below.
Product rating (3/5 stars, both protection & total rating) subject to be changed once there is at least one month of HUB input!

Enjoy :)
 

Der.Reisende

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Malware Hunter
Dec 27, 2014
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Quick Heal Antivirus Pro v18.00
A review by Der.Reisende

====================================================
Official website: (English)
Status: Stable (reviewed version: v18.00 build 11.1.1.14), x64
Name of Software/Product: Quick Heal Antivirus Pro v18.00
====================================================

Support:
  • Many options, including Live Chat (English), Forum, Telephone, Ticket System (free of charge, telephone according to provider).
  • No need to set up an account, you can also log in via Facebook / Google Twitter
  • Very good experience, they will send you a feedback form after ticket is closed.
Because there are so many options, please use the FAQ link to reach the plenty support options or via Help - Support.

There is also the possibility to get remote support via TeamViewer, click right on the QuickHeal icon in the Task Bar and click „Remote Support“.
& you can send them a system log, via „Submit System Information“, support might also ask for.

Sample Submission:

Note the product does Auto-SUD once detection suspicious software and removing it via Advance DNAScan.

===================================================================
Part 1:
===================================================================
Product Differences
The reviewed product is the smallest paid product out of a bunch of three, each 1 device:
Quick Heal AntiVirus Pro - comes at 30$ / year
Quick Heal Internet Security - comes at 40$ / year
Quick Heal Total Security - comes at 74$ / year
Quick Heal Total Security Multi-Device - comes at 75$ / year (3 licenses, instead of one device)

There are resellers, but I did not find a proper one for Germany, so I bought directly via Quick Heal webstore, Quick Heal - Antivirus for Home Users
Resellers: Locate Partner

For the functions shared by all 3 products, please refer to Part 2 - Technical Overview.

Here, I will outline functions which are on top of the base product:
  • Safe Banking (Internet Security & Total Security)
  • Phishing Protection (Internet Security & Total Security)
  • Parental Control (Internet Security & Total Security)
  • Spam Protection (Internet Security & Total Security)
  • Vulnerability Scan (Internet Security & Total Security)
  • Virtual Keyboard (Internet Security & Total Security)
Total Security exclusive features:
  • Webcam Protection
  • File Vault
  • Data Theft Protection
  • Secure Delete
  • PC Optimization (Registry / Disk / Traces cleanup, Registry Defragmenter, Duplicate File Finder)
  • PC2Mobile Scan (Mobile Phone Protection) - Android, iPhone, Windows Phone - back to Win XP (excluding iPhone support on Windows XP)
  • Bitdefender 3rd party engine (unconfirmed for v18.00) - List of Consumer AV Vendors (PC) | AV-Comparatives
In addition, Quick Heal Security products can be had for Android Tablets & as Total Security for Android, for Mac, for Server, and also some non-security related products, all not covered by that review.

===================================================================
Part 2:
===================================================================
Feature Overview - Quick Heal AntiVirus Pro
For Internet Security & Total Security version exclusive features, please refer to the section above.

The core protection consists of:
  • AntiVirus
  • Total Ransomware Protection (new in v18.00, although there was some dynamic Anti-Ransomware module also in v17.00)
  • AntiSpyware
  • AntiMalware
  • AntiRootkit
  • Firewall
  • Intrusion Detection
  • Intrusion Prevention
  • The Advanced DNAScan scan module is a tweakable Behavior Blocking component (=Dynamic Detection) against malware not yet recognized by signatures (=Static Detection).
  • Internet Protection is provided by the Browser Sandbox (shields the user against attacks out of the browser, configurable). I had browser conflicts in v17.00 (possibly related to browser’s own sandboxing system), handle with care.
  • Web Security will block and notify when accessing known malicious pages.
Further Features:
  • Quick Heal Secure Browse requires Internet Explorer / Mozilla Firefox / Google Chrome set as default browser, does not work with forks.
  • Automatic Backup: Will backup predefined folders & files by extension (or custom, by user) to a protected storage on the device, to restore in case of an ransomware attack => I believe this function is new since v18.00.
  • Anti-Keylogger: Off by default, make sure to activate it. Very useful option!
  • Screen Locker Protection: A special, customizable combination of keys will override screenlockers and restore access in case of a screenlocking attack.
  • Protection of External Drives & Devices: Will disable AutoRun of removable media by default, and also scan each removable device connected (either root or full device, full device is default, can take long in case of external hard drives).
  • Emails: This not only scans mails against viruses, but it also offers quite impressive bonus features:
    • in Email Protection:
      • Block attachments with multiple extensions (like disguised executables: test.pdf.exe - Windows in stock settings will remove .exe from view)
      • Block E-Mails crafted to exploit vulnerability
      • Attachment control (custom setting, you can block all attachments, or by custom list)
    • in Trusted EMail Clients Protection:
      • preset and custom EMail clients. It will detect and block attempts by malware trying to act as mail client and propagate. See , this shows Trusted EMail Clients Protection against a Botnet, trying to send Ransomware via hollowed svchost.exe...
      • Side note: Software shown in the video by @cruelsister, this is a pre-v18.00 release, and though it is the Total Security version in use there, the feature is also available in v18.00 AntiVirus Pro by QuickHeal.

Tools section - hidden gems:
  • Hijack Restore - restores Internet Explorer settings, useful e.g. in case of Toolbars,...
  • Track Cleaner - basic app and Internet Explorer traces cleanup
  • Create Emergency Disk - clean up infected PC by attaching an USB with Emergency Disk
  • AntiMalware - basic second opinion scanner
  • USB Drive Protection - disable AutoRun on external device
  • System Explorer - show running processes
  • Windows Spy - show detailed process information
  • There is also the option to exclude files from scanning & viewing Quarantine files.
  • Performing a right click scan on the QuickHeal icon in the Task Bar reveals a option to scan the memory.
    • With v17.00, this option did not solve malware in memory unknown to signatures. No experience with v18.00 yet.
    • Note that Advanced DNAScan will usually take care of malware in memory.

===================================================================
Part 3:
===================================================================
Personal Rating

Being a user of v17.00, the initital experiences are based mainly on v17.00, as v18.00 has been released mid-may 2019, the review might be altered according to the experiences in Malware HUB usage over the next months.

Note the review is based on custom settings, which are:
  • Firewall Protection: Advanced settings - Display Alert Message
  • Firewall Protection: Program rules - Firewall level: high - will monitor both incoming and outgoing traffic and alerts on suspicious behavior (default: Medium - does only monitor inbound connections)
  • Scan Options - Virus Protection - Delete when virus is found (default action: repair, malware backupped in quarantine though)
  • Scan Options - Advance DNAScan - Behavior detection level: High (default: moderate)
  • Anti-Keylogger: on (default: off)
N.B. - Instructions to configure Firewall Protection - Instructions to configure Firewall Protection : Quick Heal Support & Services

Advantages:
+considerably priced base line product (overpriced upper line products, personal view, for what is added)
+below average amount of security-oriented features for an entry-level Antimalware / Antivirus product
+serious behaviour blocker (lowers disadvantage of below average signatures)
+great system performance on my system:
Windows 10 x64 v1903 build 18362.116 (build no. at time of initital review)
8 GB RAM
Intel i5-7200U
Nvidia GeForce 940MX + Intel HD 620
1 TB HDD / 128 GB SSD (C:// is located on SSD)
Boot Time: 4.1 sec.
Performance with SMO TextMaker 2018 Pro open, one Brave Browser Window open, multiple
extensions inside Brave Browser, build 0.64.77, x64, Snipping Tool in use:
RAM: 190.9 MB
CPU: 2,5%

First full scan:

  • Duration: 5 minutes for a full scan. Impressive!
  • Resource usage: Total CPU fluctuating between 70% for a few seconds at the start of scan, came down to ~15% when taking screenshots (most of the CPU consumed by QuickHeal), RAM stable at 147,4 MB for QuickHeal only).
Disadvantages:
-below average signatures, even after 1-2 days
-difficult activation with existing key:
when using trial, activation is only possible with following steps:
1.) Open Quick Heal
2.) Click Help - About - Renew Now - enter renewal code (without hyphen / space)
-update speed (only a few updates/day)

===================================================================
Part 4:
===================================================================
The Realtime Experience Report

Disclaimer:
Don’t forget to always take the results with a grain of salt, as the amount of malware used in the tests is considerably low, and the infection vector isn’t up the the real world, the samples are tested in lab conditions (special containment, placed and executed on and from the machine, not directly downloaded from the internet, but provided in a pack by users).

I encourage you to compare these results with others and take informed decisions on what security products to use.

This review is not meant to cover every possible setting in the product, but shall give a recommended, most of the time proven setup oriented on everyday use (of course, Malware testing was done and should only be done in an contained environment!).

Also note that this review is based on custom settings, as stated in an upper section.

DO NOT EXPECT QuickHeal Antivirus Pro TO NOT FAIL ON SPECIFIC SAMPLES, IT’S A CAT-AND-MOUSE GAME WITH THE BLACKHATS!
Therefore, I appeal to every user to have a external backup, not only in case your main security product and it's components fail to protect your data, but also due to a physical error which might lead to data loss!


Because of the release of v18.00 in Mid-May (launch 16.05.2019), interested users are asked to regularly visit the MT exclusive section here Malware Hub (registration needed to view) to see the latest tests on fresh malware („Zero Day Protection tests“ detection below 25 on VirusTotal) as well as on widely known samples, tested against the dynamic modules of the product only („Special Samples).

There will also be a table, filled with the current statistics and reports regarding the Malware HUB tests here Statistics and Reports (public, no registration needed to view).

Montly reports will be added to this review also.

v18.00
There are no statistics available yet.

As for v17.00, the results can be found here:

April 2018:

January 2018 report is archived, so here are the results:

Sample: https://malwaretips.com/threads/05-01-2018-13.78719/#post-702757
Static (On-demand scan): 0/13
Dynamic (On execution): 4/13
Total: 4/13
System Status: infected
Files encrypted: no

Sample: https://malwaretips.com/threads/10-1-2018-16.78885/#post-704085
Static (On-demand scan): 0/16
Dynamic (On execution): 7/16
Total: 7/16
System Status: infected
Files encrypted: no

Sample: https://malwaretips.com/threads/16-1-2018-14.79045/#post-705613
Static (On-demand scan): 0/14
Dynamic (On execution): 7/14
Total: 7/14
System Status: infected
Files encrypted: no

Sample: https://malwaretips.com/threads/super-pack-28-19-01-2018.79142/#post-706216
Static (On-demand scan): 6/28
Dynamic (On execution): 12/22
Total: 18/28
System Status: infected
Files encrypted: no

Sample: https://malwaretips.com/threads/23-1-2018-18.79226/#post-706950
Static (On-demand scan): 3/18
Dynamic (On execution): 9/15
Total: 12/18
System Status: infected
Files encrypted: no

Sample: https://malwaretips.com/threads/super-pack-25-26-01-2018.79327/#post-707450
Static (On-demand scan): 1/25
Dynamic (On execution): 6/24
Total: 7/25
System Status: infected
Files encrypted: no

Sample: https://malwaretips.com/threads/31-1-2018-14.79461/#post-708315
Static (On-demand scan): 0/14
Dynamic (On execution): 8/14
Total: 8/14
System Status: infected
Files encrypted: no

Please note that due to improvements under the hood in v18.00 and ever-improved malware techniques, the results might differ between v17.00 and v18.00.

===================================================================
Part 5
===================================================================
Product Screenshots
Main.jpg
Total RW 1.jpgTotal RW 2.jpgTotal RW 3.jpg
Scan Options.jpgScan Options 2.jpgScan Options 3.jpg
Internet 1.jpgInternet 2.jpgInternet 3.jpgInternet 4.jpgInternet 5.jpg
External.jpgExternal 2.jpg
EMail 1.jpgEMail 2.jpgEMail 3.jpg
Settings 1.jpgSettings 2.jpgAutoupdate.jpgInternet Settings.jpgRegistry Restore.jpg
Registry Restore.jpgHijack Restore.jpgTrack Cleaner.jpgQHAntiMalware.jpgQHAntiMalware2.jpgSystem Explorer.jpg
TM1.jpgTM2.jpgTM3.jpg
scan.jpgscan2.jpgscan3.jpgscan4.jpgAutorun.jpg
scan5.jpgscan6.jpgscan7.jpgscan8.jpg
Taskbar.jpgSecure Browse.jpgRemoteSupport.jpgMemory Scan.jpg
RemoteSupport.jpgHelp 1.jpgHelp 2.jpgSubmit System Info.jpgSubmit System Info 2.jpgSupport_InApp.jpgSupport_Web.jpg
Reports 1.jpgReports 2.jpg
About.jpg

This isn’t a sales review but a diary of a use in hands-on malware testing, give it a try and decide whether it fits your needs :)
There was no discount granted by QuickHeal Technologies Ltd., actually I did this review because there isn’t any review on v18.00 I’m aware by the time of writing.


If you find errors, or just want to give feedback on this review, I warmly invite you to do so!

P.S. Part 6 coming soon, will be promised MalwareTips Malware HUB reports, stay tuned!

(c) Der. Reisende, first issue 27.05.2019


*****
Thank you for reading!
*****​
 

Der.Reisende

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Dec 27, 2014
3,423
It's a great pleasure to see a review like that. Thank you very much for sharing. Best regards.
You‘re very much welcome!
There aren‘t many on the net, i only found a v18 performance review on YouTube.
So i decided to do my own.


It is also sold in Japan, but there is little information available. I hope for the prosperity of the thread(y)
Thank you for letting me know!
I think the product is very much unknown outside India.
If there was better signatures, this one might be considered even more, also because of the big amount of features in the smallest iteration.
Actually i prefer a good dynamic protection over signatures.
Looking forward to what Advanced DNAScan will do in the HUB!

It's a shame they no longer use Bitdefender signatures. When I tested it recently, I was surprised by the terrible detection rate. Then I discovered, that they now only use their own signatures.
Not even in the Total Security version?
I thought it was exclusive to that one?
At least i only had BD detections in v17 with the TS product.
But it didn‘t update them very often anyway (like a chinese competitor), so save your money unless you really want / need the big pack.

There is no official documentation let alone AVC, lets wait for next test results, they might then use v18 and can tell whether there is a 3rd party engine in use.
 

Evjl's Rain

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Could you make a similar review for K7 Computing's software? They are another Indian antivirus company, but they have a proprietary engine.
I tried K7 for a while. It was really light. However, the protection was super super weak, useless against scripts. It got destroyed very easily during my hub tests
Totally not recommended as the main AV
 

Der.Reisende

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Why is this sofware so expensive ? What is the cheapest way to get license code?
I also wonder, especially the big packages.
Most likely not as much distributed outside India yet, therefore expensive.
I bought the reviewed version directly from their store, they seem to offer discounted upgrades when already bought product. It’s about 5-7€ for the reviewed version.
Did not find a cheap key on eBay.

Could you make a similar review for K7 Computing's software? They are another Indian antivirus company, but they have a proprietary engine.
Not that soon sorry :(
But maybe some day. I had the trial for a very short time in the HUB.
I have no VM, can install only one AV at a time using ShadowDefender as containment.
Need some months of tests for QuickHeal 1st.

I tried K7 for a while. It was really light. However, the protection was super super weak, useless against scripts. It got destroyed very easily during my hub tests
Totally not recommended as the main AV
Second that.
Even with settings maxed out.
Although their signatures are much better than QuickHeal and maybe (!) better than Bitdefender, at least in the first 48h.
 

Der.Reisende

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Important side note on QuickHeal products:

From personal experience, it seems that QuickHeal Total Security v18.xx does no longer implement Bitdefender
3rd party engine (I gave the last 3 packs in the Malware HUB a scan, those files detected by signatures were QuickHeal own signatures.
Consider that if you compare the products and the bang for buck.

Much more important:

QuickHeal Total Security (the one for $74, for one seat each) and QuickHeal Total Security Multi Device ($75 each, 3 seats) aren't the same product (by 09/07/2019) - IMO it's not stated clear enough on their page (the landing page advertises Multi Device, still in v17.xx). It's not like paying a third for the same product.
Landing page.pngHome users.png
Also, Total Security Multi Device is not offered as trial, you will need to enter your TS-MD key here (Download Software) in order to download.

From personal experience with v17, a key for MultiDevice will not work with TS and reverse.
Be careful to not burn your key if you want to ask for a refund if you misordered (like me, I got a refund luckily, updating the product did not give me anything but current signatures)
Anmerkung 2019-07-09 180854.pngAnmerkung 2019-07-09 181604 - bearbeitet.png

Compare.png



For reasons of fairness:
Users can upgrade to the latest version when available within the validity of their license.
v18 has some vital upgrades to v17, so QuickHeal might release a v18 of Total Security MultiDevice hopefully soon.
 
Last edited:

Der.Reisende

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@ Der.Reisende. Would you mind testing that new ransom feature only with some ransom samples. Curious about its efficacy after their revamped BB in a very short time.

Thanks.
Sure!
This is exactly the most notable feature introduced in v18 IMO and also patented:

From Personal experience, some ransomware was stopped by the behavior Blocker (Advanced DNAScan) but not the blueish Anti-Ransomware Shield (LockerGoga from your current specials).
Both do work without network connection though.
 

Mahesh Sudula

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From what have observed, both K7 and QH revamped their proactive modules right from 2017.Results are evident !
I still suspect QH might be using look up from BD cloud for Anti phishing and Web blocking ?
K7 signatures are better anyday over QH. But QH covers that with its another layers though ! :)
 

Harputlu

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Dec 26, 2016
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Sure!
This is exactly the most notable feature introduced in v18 IMO and also patented:

From Personal experience, some ransomware was stopped by the behavior Blocker (Advanced DNAScan) but not the blueish Anti-Ransomware Shield (LockerGoga from your current specials).
Both do work without network connection though.
Do you do a k7 total security review? Would you try k7 total security malware tests? I use K7 2 years and ı pike it
 
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