Symantec, ESET, McAfee rank first in Windows anti-malware market share

[Andy Ful]

OPSWAT could simply accept the fact that WD is the most popular AV. This popularity does not prove that it is the best AV (it is not), and possibly can depend on the fact that WD is preinstalled on most computers with Windows 10 - such information should be added in the report. That's all.

WD cannot be simply excluded, because users who keep WD may prefer free solutions. So, if there was not WD they probably would install a free AV (not Symantec or Eset). Without WD the final results would be different from those published in the report.

The OPSWAT results do not present the users' choice about preferred AVs, but rather the preferences of users who do not like WD (or were guided so).

In my opinion, the OPSWAT results are based on creative (but not correct) statistics.

Edit.
OPSWAT honestly admits in the report that results may not be representative of the general population.

 

[mlnevese]

Popularity has never been an indicator that anything is good. Also it's easy to twist the numbers until you get a result you want you just have to change your criteria.

 

[RoboMan]

Don't care your degree or whatever IQ you have, you have good knowledge of security or not, you can be a genius in your field and still be a noob in security; not the first time i teach security to people smarter than me.
And what is this nonsense about the IQ of the users? and what it has to do with any company...
The masses can't handle complicated security software, they need something that does everything for them, automatically and silently as much as possible; this is a fact. Reason why Microsoft made Windows Defender built-in Windows 10 and why many don't bother anymore to buy 3rd party AVs.

What triggered my reaction is you using the word "not the best".
In computer security, there is no such thing as "the best". The best, the strongest, the most powerful, all this is plain crap where noobs fight upon.
In security, what matters is the all-around strategy you can deploy based on your knowledge, skills and available tools.
It is not the tool that makes security efficient, it is how it is used, hence my reply.

Also, did you ever used Symantec EP (managed)? Remember Norton product line isn't Symantec's line.

Ah, yes, the good old Umbra is back. We missed you!

 

[Andy Ful]

It is not easy to live with someone who says in a straight way that you have written something stupid. But this should not be punished too much if he is right. Of course, this should concern to everyone. Even the most knowledgeable person can be wrong sometimes.

 

[plat]

don't think that like 90% of users don't know what an AV is or how to use it.

Define the word "enthusiast" and yuo will define a good portion of this rather insulated forum. If it's not of interest to someone, he or she is not going to invest a lot in gathering knowledge about it. Can you name all the cranial nerves? No?! You n00b, you!

 

[show-Zi]

Think of it as a car. If you're not really interested in cars, I think most people will choose a big, famous automaker.
Users who are not interested in AV software at all will end up using WD as a passive choice, and those who know a little about security will probably choose software that is widely known.
I think it is not the ranking of superiority or inferiority, but the ranking of recognition.

 

[ForgottenSeer 823865]

Think of it as a car. If you're not really interested in cars, I think most people will choose a big, famous automaker.
Users who are not interested in AV software at all will end up using WD as a passive choice, and those who know a little about security will probably choose software that is widely known.

Exactly.

I think it is not the ranking of superiority or inferiority, but the ranking of recognition.

Exact again, we are all subject to this behavior when we don't know much about something, but when we start being interested and dig deeper, new paths open and we can move from the "popular" ones.
For example, As i said earlier, i'm not expert on networking, so i buy TP-Link or Linksys routers, because it is known to be decent. now when i dig, i learn about those appealing Gryphon stuff.

 

[eonline]

I think that if you move in a hostile environment it's best to use business solutions. If you don't move in hostile environments any antivirus is fine, which is for most users. I'm clear that I'm a beginner in computer security.

 

[Cortex]

On the subject of being wrong & in the post above a 'hostile environment' - I according to my other half who happens to be of the female variety, i am almost always wrong even on subjects I thought I knew a fair amount about. If I admit I am wrong helps somewhat, but not totally, just my view on things.

 

[Andy Ful]

On the subject of being wrong & in the post above a 'hostile environment' - I according to my other half who happens to be of the female variety, i am almost always wrong even on subjects I thought I knew a fair amount about. If I admit I am wrong helps somewhat, but not totally, just my view on things.

It is always better to assume (by default) that your wife is right. If not, then you will be unhappy very soon.

 

[shmu26]

It is always better to assume (by default) that your wife is right. If not, then you will be unhappy very soon.

LOL. The wife is not malware, so there is no need to take "default-deny" posture.

 

[Andy Ful]

LOL. The wife is not malware, so there is no need to take "default-deny" posture.

I am not afraid of the malware, but sometimes my wife can frighten me.
By the way, my posture is rather default-allow.

 

[eonline]

this forum is awesome XD

 

[bribon77]

. I'm clear that I'm a beginner in computer security.

I don't see you like this, you know enough not to get infected ... "We are all ignorant, but not everyone ignores the same things"

 

[TRS-80]

As was stated in the thread topic, we are looking at figures relating to Market Share. We need to treat the results of the testing as likely accurate in the absence of evidence to the contrary.

I'm not overly surprised to see ESET in there. I haven't personally felt comfortable with Symantec for some years now. However, that's purely my opinion and, I'm really going off topic.

Personal preferences should, in my opinion, be included, but briefly. We're looking at Market Share, not our own personal product of choice.

I just wish the OPSWAT uninstaller would completely remove their product(s) when executed. I have run OPSWAT(free) on a number of computers, all non-commercial. Either all those machines were loaded with malware or, OPSWAT has a higher than usual FP rate than most other anti-malware utilities. See how easy it is to diverge from the original topic?

@Umbra

Good to see you back around and on form!

We all need to remember that we are a multinational group. This means that, at times, meanings of our words can come across differently depending on who is doing the writing, the reading and, potential subtle linguistic differences.

Personally, I like people who speak frankly and openly. It avoids confusion and aids in conveying the salient facts.

Take care in the lead up to Christmas.

Very best,


@TRS-80

 

[Andy Ful]

About OPSWAT data collection:
"
Data Collection

• For the purpose of the report, our sample size is assumed to be representative of the market, based on the wide accessibility of our free tools to a large range of users. As our sample size grows, we expect our report to more accurately reflect real world results.
• While our free products have international reach, their use is not commensurate with worldwide population distribution. Only English-language versions of our free products are available, so countries with higher numbers of English speakers are expected to use these applications at higher rates.
• These applications are marketed in OPSWAT’s own channels. Users sampled may not be representative of the general population. For example, this report may contain a different distribution of Windows operating systems and device types compared to what exists in the real world.
• The purpose of OPSWAT’s Market Share Reports is to inspire discussion, not to make any claims on which anti-malware vendors are the best or to compare these vendors in terms of quality or performance. "

Does anyone use OPSWAT tools like Meta Access, OPSWAT Client, MetaDefender Chrome Extension, MetaDefender Cloud, Threat Intelligence Feeds, MetaDefender TeamCity Plugin?
If not (like me) then, how representative can be such statistics?

Is the report of statista.com (August 2019) more accurate (I doubt)?

Anti-malware vendors: global market share by month 2023 | Statista

Symantec Corporation held 77 percent of the Windows anti-malware application market as of May 2023, more than any other vendor.

www.statista.com

 

[Andy Ful]

I compared the results of OPSWAT and STATISTA reports, from August 2019.
All results are exactly the same, except for MalwareByte, Avast (lower in OPSWAT) and Symantec (higher in OPSWAT).
It is evident that one of the reports took data from another, with slightly changed interpretation criteria.

OPSWAT 08.2019

STATISTA 08.2019

As can be seen, the very good OPSWAT results for Symantec comes from lower results for free AVs (Avast and MalwareBytes). In this way, the Symantec result in August 2019 is magically twice as big in OPSWAT as compared to STATISTA.

 

[Mahesh Sudula]

Charts don't surprise me. Mcafee, Eset are and will be well known aggressive (over hyped but worthless) marketing around. So is companies around employing these, by the lookup of charts with little to no analysis.
Symantec is well known in development and marketing. Peace ✌upon Symantec. Pity upon E, M

 

[Aggravatorx]

It is always better to assume (by default) that your wife is right. If not, then you will be unhappy very soon.

that is the key to life wisdom my friend wisdom old saying
Happy Wife Happy Life...............

 

[Andy Ful]

Here, how the AV popularity is seen by vendors:

WD 500 millions users
https://www.ghacks.net/2019/08/03/windows-defender-has-a-market-share-of-50/

McAfee 500 mln users
https://www.mcafee.com/enterprise/e...ses/press-release.html?news_id=20190106005057

Avast (and AVG) 435 mln users
https://investors.avast.com/

Kaspersky 400 mln users
https://www.kaspersky.com/about

Eset 110 mln users
https://www.eset.com/int/

Avira 100 mln users
https://www.avira.com/

Symantec 50 mln users
https://www.symantec.com/theme/global-intelligence-network

WD and McAfee are often preinstalled on computers. McAfee is usually removed (trial version). WD is often replaced by another AV.

Edit.
Added Kaspersky and Avira.