News, guides & sources

AV-Comparatives March 2026: Bitdefender, Norton, Avast and AVG earn top ratings

The spring Consumer Malware Protection Test is out: Advanced+ ratings across the established names, with online protection rates above 99.9% and low false positives for the leaders.

AV-TEST gives Microsoft Defender a perfect protection score again

In the January-February 2026 home user round, the free protection built into Windows scored 6 out of 6 for protection, strengthening the case that careful single-PC users can skip paid suites.

Windows 10 support has ended: millions of PCs now depend on third-party protection

Microsoft ended free security updates for Windows 10 in October 2025. PCs that cannot upgrade to Windows 11 are increasingly exposed, and antivirus alone cannot patch OS-level holes.

FTC orders Avast to pay $16.5 million over selling browsing data

The settlement that still shapes how we judge free antivirus: Avast sold detailed browsing data collected by its free products through subsidiary Jumpshot. The practice is now banned.

Is Windows Defender enough? The honest answer

Free protection now matches paid engines in lab tests. When paying still makes sense, explained without scare tactics.

The renewal-price trap, and how to never pay it

First year $29, second year $119. How the industry prices its products, and the three-step playbook against it.

Free and built-in protection, compared honestly

Defender, Avast, AVG, and Avira: what free actually covers, and what the business model behind free means for you.

Complete security suites: who needs one, who does not

VPN, password manager, backup, and parental controls in one subscription. When the bundle beats buying parts.

Identity theft protection: worth it or fear marketing?

Credit monitoring, dark web alerts, and million-dollar insurance. What you can do for free, and when Aura or LifeLock earn their fee.

The specialists: cleanup tools, featherweights, and Mac experts

Malwarebytes for infections, Webroot for old laptops, Intego for Macs. The focused tools that do one job well.

AV-Comparatives: independent antivirus test results

The Austrian lab whose Real-World Protection and Performance tests underpin most of our verdicts.

AV-TEST: protection, performance, and usability scores

The German institute testing every major Windows product every two months, on a transparent 18-point scale.

CISA: Secure Our World, official US security basics

The US cybersecurity agency on the four habits that prevent most incidents: updates, passwords, MFA, and phishing awareness.