Battle What antivirus for my aunt?

[JB007]

Hello,
My aunt (73 years old) is not very concerned with computer security
But I will try to install an antivirus (other than Microsoft defender) on her new laptop.
I have some remaining active keys for Bitdender Total Security, ESET Smart Security Premium and Kaspersky Plus.
Considering the reliability and automation of the protection, which of these software would you recommend?

 

[upnorth]

which of these software would you recommend?

Non, and it has nothing to do with how effective they are as most polls on this forum always have one of them as a winner anyway. Kaspersky.

For most seniors, it's a clean set and forget product that matters and two comes in mind that I can recommend. F-Secure and Emsisoft.

 

[Berny]

Hi,

I installed Kaspersky and TeamViewer on the PC from my older brother

 

[eXDj]

ESET Smart Security Premium

 

[Shadowra]

Eset

 

[mlnevese]

For a senior who knows nothing about computers I'd go Bitdefender then deal with any trouble through Bitdefender Central if just letting Windows Defender deal with problems on its own is not an option.

Kaspersky would be my second option as its central is not as powerful as Bitdefender where you can do mostly anything including ordering disinfection and a restart.

Eset doesn't have good remote management unless you happen to have their Enterprise version.

 

[JB007]

Non, and it has nothing to do with how effective they are as most polls on this forum always have one of them as a winner anyway. Kaspersky.

For most seniors, it's a clean set and forget product that matters and two comes in mind that I can recommend. F-Secure and Emsisoft.

Thanks @upnorth
I don't have an available license for Emsisoft nor F-Secure.

 

[JB007]

Hi,

I installed Kaspersky and TeamViewer on the PC from my older brother

Merci
You are right @Berny , Team Viewer of the utmost importance

 

[Zero Knowledge]

I wouldn't use any of those security suites for a 73-year-old aunt. MS defender is the only answer even though you don't want to consider it. Maybe use/set Hard_C to High and disable SRP and add LOLbin firewall rules. Anything more it's too complicated.

If you want a different AV Bitdefender Free or any of the minimal free AV's would do but I wouldn't use a security suite, too many issues will arise. But for a 73-year-old it has to be idiot proof. Also install a remote admin tool like TeamViewer or AnyAdmin to help solve problems or tech support.

 

[Trident]

For seniors, I would go with Kaspersky, due to its ability to detect and remove tools associated with remote control - these tools in turn are associated with SCAM.

Kaspersky automatically applies all actions necessary whenever a threat is found.

I would never put Eset on somebody not knowledgeable enough’s PC. Eset is good when HIPS and firewall can be managed and it is a parade of alerts - every process generates one and then there is (or at least was) a UAC prompt to confirm the actions.
Without properly-managed HIPS, Eset is useless.

Bitdefender is great, but there is too much going on there. Kaspersky overall provides cleaner experience. All notifications use the standard Windows API and can be switched off through the Windows setttings.

Also, may I ask why F-Secure is not considered? It is effective, light, quiet and very much down to business. Norton as well. Avast has detailed alerts configuration and McAfee rarely displays any.
Why does it have to be one of these three? You don’t wanna purchase another one?

 

[Zero Knowledge]

I'll add the most important thing on modern computers and the internet is adblocking. Setup a no-frills PC with uBlock Origin or Adguard or even go the NextDns route and your 90% there.

 

[Jonny Quest]

I have 3 licenses, for Kaspersky Plus, BD Total Security, and F-Secure Total. IMO, F-Secure Internet Security seems to be a set-it-and-forget-it AV. No add pop-ups or recommendations, or recommendations to turn off, not a lot to deal with or that can go wrong (not a lot of add-on modules).

The My F-Secure portal is lacking some features. The only thing you can really do remotely is see their device, rename it in the portal for easier identification, and release a license. If she ever needed help, you would probably have to do it via Team Viewer. You need to realize I've only been using the Total version for about 10 days. The password manager with Total is like Kaspersky PM (which I love) an app you can add, edit, passwords etc. on your desktop, and not on a browser app or its webpage. It can be a little sporadic at times, and isn't as polished and consistent like KPM.

BD can be glitchy at times, can have fluctuating bouts of high memory use, and does get the recommendation notifications on the main UI, Dashboard. So that can be a thing of what do I do now? As you know, you need to turn off the Special offers and Recommendation notifications in Settings. It has a nice My Bitdefender Portal and you can do the Updates from there, as well as the Vulnerability scan, the Quick and System scan, Optimizer, and Anti Theft options.

Kaspersky for me has always been stable, and one of my favorite things I appreciate about it. I used to use AV and Internet Security. For someone who's older, there are a lot of bells and whistles, panels, and scrolling with Plus. But I do like its features and never had a problem with it. I believe you can also do a lot from your MY Kaspersky account remotely?

But you have experience in using BD and Kaspersky, so I don't mean to "preach to the choir"

I would say consider the stability, and what you can do through the portals if needed, also if she would need a desktop PM app or just use something like Bitwarden etc?

F-Secure Internet Security, what could go wrong here, lol? But remember, I've only been using it (Total version) for about 10 days.

 

[micasayyo]

Eset

 

[M4RT1NE2]

Bitdefender

 

[a090]

For seniors, I would go with Kaspersky, due to its ability to detect and remove tools associated with remote control - these tools in turn are associated with SCAM.

Kaspersky automatically applies all actions necessary whenever a threat is found.

I would never put Eset on somebody not knowledgeable enough’s PC. Eset is good when HIPS and firewall can be managed and it is a parade of alerts - every process generates one and then there is (or at least was) a UAC prompt to confirm the actions.
Without properly-managed HIPS, Eset is useless.

Bitdefender is great, but there is too much going on there. Kaspersky overall provides cleaner experience. All notifications use the standard Windows API and can be switched off through the Windows setttings.

Also, may I ask why F-Secure is not considered? It is effective, light, quiet and very much down to business. Norton as well. Avast has detailed alerts configuration and McAfee rarely displays any.
Why does it have to be one of these three? You don’t wanna purchase another one?

100%. I just installed Kaspersky a few days ago on my father’s PC as per @Trident ‘s recommendation. I’d go with that for your aunt. Set all the heuristics to High / Extreme in the various protection modules. I’m assuming your aunt won’t be coding or gaming, so it’s unlikely she’ll run into many false positives this way. But cranking these security settings up could help prevent an attack from a bad link or email attachment. In fact, Kaspersky can apparently make your system invincible if you tune the settings to block all untrusted executables. I haven’t done this tweak yet on my father’s PC but plan to shortly.

I use F-Secure on my own system (alongside Windows Firewall Control and AdGuard Desktop). It’s light, clean, and provides decent protection. The product doesn’t MITM HTTPS connections, and doesn’t install a root certificate either. Both of these things Kaspersky does. F-Secure has also been around since the beginning of time (in the cybersec world) and won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. They’re known as an ethical actor in the AV industry, and don’t bend to government (doesn’t whitelist government malware). It’s a nice product.

Can you do better for protection? Sure. I’d point towards Kaspersky or BitDefender. Especially for older folks. Install either one and crank everything on High.

But for most security-conscious users, the difference is marginal. And F-Secure gets the job done, and stays in the background while doing it. I’m a fan so far. Started using it a couple if weeks ago. @JB007

The My F-Secure portal is lacking some features. The only thing you can really do remotely is see their device, rename it in the portal for easier identification, and release a license. If she ever needed help, you would probably have to do it via Team Viewer. You need to realize I've only been using the Total version for about 10 days. The password manager with Total is like Kaspersky PM (which I love) an app you can add, edit, passwords etc. on your desktop, and not on a browser app or its webpage. It can be a little sporadic at times, and isn't as polished and consistent like KPM.


F-Secure Internet Security, what could go wrong here, lol? But remember, I've only been using it (Total version) for about 10 days.

View attachment 274453

Hey, that’s a nice looking AV you got there Jonny. Looks real similar to mine

 

[Bot]

Hello,
My aunt (73 years old) is not very concerned with computer security
But I will try to install an antivirus (other than Microsoft defender) on her new laptop.
I have some remaining active keys for Bitdender Total Security, ESET Smart Security Premium and Kaspersky Plus.
Considering the reliability and automation of the protection, which of these software would you recommend?

Hello!

It's great that you're taking steps to ensure your aunt's computer security. Between the three options you mentioned, Bitdefender Total Security is generally considered to be the most reliable and effective antivirus software. It offers a comprehensive suite of security features and has consistently scored high marks in independent lab tests for its ability to detect and remove malware. Additionally, Bitdefender has strong automation features, which means it requires little to no attention from your aunt once it's installed on her new laptop.

ESET Smart Security Premium and Kaspersky Plus are also reputable options, but they may not offer the same level of automation as Bitdefender. Both software require regular updates, scans and potentially some manual configuration to ensure the best possible protection. However, ESET is known for its low impact on system resources, which can be important for older computers.

Overall, I would recommend Bitdefender Total Security due to its excellent security capabilities, ease of use and automation features, which would require minimal effort from your aunt once installed.

I hope this helps!

 

[mlnevese]

The bot and I have the same opinion... should I be worried?

 

[JB007]

For seniors, I would go with Kaspersky, due to its ability to detect and remove tools associated with remote control - these tools in turn are associated with SCAM.

Kaspersky automatically applies all actions necessary whenever a threat is found.

I would never put Eset on somebody not knowledgeable enough’s PC. Eset is good when HIPS and firewall can be managed and it is a parade of alerts - every process generates one and then there is (or at least was) a UAC prompt to confirm the actions.
Without properly-managed HIPS, Eset is useless.

Bitdefender is great, but there is too much going on there. Kaspersky overall provides cleaner experience. All notifications use the standard Windows API and can be switched off through the Windows setttings.

Also, may I ask why F-Secure is not considered? It is effective, light, quiet and very much down to business. Norton as well. Avast has detailed alerts configuration and McAfee rarely displays any.
Why does it have to be one of these three? You don’t wanna purchase another one?

I Have available keys for these three, so why purchasing another one ?

 

[Jonny Quest]

I Have available keys for these three, so why purchasing another one ?

Agree, especially since F-Secure doesn't have an onboard firewall, and I'm not sure you want your aunt maintaining WFC.

 

[JB007]

In the end, I installed Kaspersky because very subjectively on my devices I feel more comfortable with Kaspersky.
And the most important is that she fell in love with Midori Kuma
I also installed AdGuard AdBlocker, Bitwarden (I don't know if it is possible to create another account with KPM) and TeamViewer