Many vendors release updates to their products in the fall and assign their names to the number of the coming year. Solutions from other companies do not have similar numbering. ESET assigns each version its own serial number, and their release is usually not scheduled for a specific time of year. Let us remind you that the previous version of NOD32 was released in January 2013. ESET NOD32 Antivirus 7 ($39.99 license) promises improved antivirus and phishing protection. However, when tested, the anti-phishing component did not show any significant improvements.

ESET has made virtually no changes to appearance antivirus. The only difference from previous versions is the presence of four access icons to popular components, previously there were three.

Good results in independent laboratories

ESET participates in testing from all popular antivirus laboratories, and the results of the product are stable and very high. ICSA Labs and West Coast Labs have certified the product for antivirus detection. In Virus Bulletin, ESET set a record of receiving the VB100 award 12 times in the last 12 test series.

AV-Comparatives runs two different antivirus tests. One is a conventional test that tests signature detection, and the other is a retrospective test with deliberate use of outdated antivirus databases and confrontation the latest threats"zero day". ESET was rated ADVANCED+ in the retrospective test and ADVANCED in the traditional test.

Of course, it is very important that the antivirus removes all malware found. West Coast and ICSA have certified the antivirus for cleaning as well. In a test that evaluates threat removal performance, AV-Comparatives gave ESET an ADVANCED+ rating.

One more important criterion evaluation of antivirus solutions is to reliably block new network threats. Dennis Technology Labs tests antivirus products against web-based threats. The laboratory uses a unique replication system that guarantees equal testing conditions for different products. ESET achieved Level AAA, the highest level at Dennis Labs. The antivirus received ADVANCED+ in dynamic testing from AV-Comparatives. AV-Test awarded the program 5 points out of 6 possible for protection effectiveness.

ESET did not lose points for false positives in no AV-Comparatives test and scored very well in Dennis Labs' false positive test. A perfect 6 points in the usability test from AV-Test also indicates the absence of false positives.

The only evaluation category in which ESET was not so good was performance. The product received an ADVANCED for performance at AV-Comparatives. In AV-Test it received only 2 points out of 6 possible. However, in PC Magazine's own tests, no significant slowdowns were noticed.

Not the best blocking of dangerous downloads

Recently, PC Magazine introduced a new type of test that tests how well antivirus programs do at blocking links that lead directly to downloading malicious files. A database of such addresses is compiled with the participation of MRG-Effitas. The links participating in the test are no more than a day old, so countering such serious threats is a real test for antivirus products.

The test opens each link and records the antivirus response. Does it block the browser, preventing access to that link? Does it interrupt downloads or add downloaded files to quarantine? Or he simply prefers to “knuckle down” and do nothing.

Among the products tested using this method, avast showed the best effectiveness! Free Antivirus 2014. It blocked 79 percent of downloads, with most of the blocking occurring at the network level. BullGuard Antivirus (2014) has the worst result – only 30 percent of blocked threats.

ESET's performance fell within the range of these two indicators. The product was able to block 41 percent of downloads, preventing access to links in half the cases. In other cases, an already downloaded malicious file was blocked. It's interesting to note that some of the links were flagged as "potentially objectionable content" even though they were clearly malicious. These links are listed as blocked.

Good malware blocking

ESET also participated in the traditional malware blocking test. Immediately after opening the folder with malicious samples, the antivirus began deleting them. When a threat is detected and resolved, ESET displays a pop-up window informing you of the event. Multiple notifications appear in the same window, and you can either view them or dismiss them all at once.

ESET blocked 83 percent of threats very quickly. In the trial with manually modified files, the same rate was observed - 83 percent.

Once the remaining malicious files were launched, ESET blocked approximately half of them. The final detection rate is 94 percent, placing ESET firmly at the top of the results table. However, BullGuard, Avira Antivirus Suite (2014) and Ashampoo Anti-Virus 2014 were each able to detect 97 percent of threats.

The overall ESET blocking score is 9.2. The same indicator is found in Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus+ 2014 and McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2014. It's comparative high result, but AVG AntiVirus FREE 2014, Avira and F-Secure Anti-Virus 2014 managed to score 9.4 points.

Reduced effectiveness of anti-phishing

The press release for the new version 7 mentions “an improved component for blocking fraudulent sites, resources with a dubious reputation and potentially objectionable content.” In PC Magazine's own tests, the new component performed worse than its predecessor.

To test anti-phishing, a collection of the latest links to fraudulent sites that have not yet been verified by vendors is used. Each link is opened, the editor is convinced that the site is indeed fraudulent, i.e. looks similar to the resources of financial organizations and contains sections of code designed to steal private data. In addition, during the test, the antivirus response to a dangerous site is recorded - blocking or ignoring.

ESET's detection rate was 58 percent lower than Norton's reference protection. Let's remember that version 6 of NOD32 blocked 48 percent fewer phishing threats than the solution from Symantec. Therefore, ESET is not an effective enough solution to provide reliable protection against the latest phishing attacks.

Fast antivirus protection

Full scan clean test system using ESET took 18 minutes, much less than the average of 28 minutes. The subsequent scan took less than a minute because ESET does not rescan files that were initially determined to be safe.

The ESET website contains a rich collection of cleaning utilities. Each of these programs is designed to remove a specific type of malware that can bypass normal scanning. IN new version You can run the “ESET Custom Cleaner”, this feature can be found under the Help and Support tab. If you accept the scary "may cause stability issues" warning, the tool will begin removing threats like Conficker and Sireref. ESET plans to add more features to this component in the future.

If ransomware is blocking access to the desktop or malware has rendered Windows inoperable, the user can create boot disk or flash drive. This operation will need to be done on a clean computer, on which you will also need to install the Windows Automated Installation Kit.

When malware prevents your antivirus from installing or prevents a scan from running, a boot disk can be a very useful solution. ESET's online scanner can also help. Problem still exists? The product includes a powerful diagnostic tool that can give agents technical support a clear picture of the processes occurring on the computer. If necessary, a technical support representative will be able to remotely control the computer for diagnostics and recovery.

Additional features and training

You can run the SysInspector diagnostic program at any time. The reports are always very detailed and this information can be used for analysis. For example, one filter groups items by risk level. Select sort by highest risk and you'll see which files pose the greatest risk. It is very effective to compare reports over different time periods.

A new feature in version 7 is the list of running processes. It offers more features than the standard task manager. This tool determines the prevalence of the process, the time of first launch and the degree of risk. You can view the full application name, not just the file name. The only thing that cannot be done is to end processes, as in a regular task manager.

From the Tools tab you can launch ESET Social Media Scanner, which can be used as a free standalone service. The tool checks Twitter and Facebook accounts for dangerous links in one minute. Optionally, you can send a warning to the sender of the malicious link. In addition, the tool assigns a rating for private settings and makes recommendations on how to increase this rating.

Not every user has a complete understanding of computer security. ESET now offers its customers full-scale automated training. Both casual and advanced users will be able to learn a lot through animated stories about the residents of the fictional town of Bloomfield.

“Favorite” of laboratories

ESET has done a good job of blocking malware. The results were much worse when blocking the latest malicious links or phishing sites. On the other hand, independent antivirus laboratories consistently award ESET high ratings and scores. Based on these metrics alone, the antivirus is an excellent choice.

Let us remind you that the “Editor's Choice” title is shared by Norton AntiVirus (2014) and Bitdefender Antivirus Plus (2014). All of them can reliably protect your digital world.

ESET NOD32 Antivirus 7 review:

Advantages

• Consistently high scores in independent antivirus laboratories;
• Fast system scans, even faster repeat scans;
• Computer security training available;
• Contains useful additional functions and tools;
• Good result in blocking threats in PC Magazine's own tests.

Flaws

• Average effectiveness at blocking the latest malicious links;
• Weak protection against phishing.

Overall rating

ESET releases new products when they are ready to use; the company does not adhere to an annual schedule. ESET NOD32 Antivirus 7 demonstrated decent performance in tests of the PC Magazine Internet portal. These results are confirmed by numerous tests in third-party antivirus laboratories.

About antivirus ESET NOD32 many PC users may have never even heard of such antivirus programs, like Doctor Web or Kaspersky Anti-Virus. But this is not a reason not to take it seriously and forget about it.

Back in high school, in physics lessons, we were taught that the force of action is always equal to the force of reaction. But, it must be said that this statement is true not only for science, but for the whole world as a whole. The faster technology and progress move forward, the more counterbalancing factors appear. This also applies to the world computer technology- simultaneously with improvement operating systems and software are being improved and viruses are also being improved.

However, a so-called “counterbalance to the counterweight” was found in the form of antivirus programs. And far from the last place in the antivirus product market at the moment is occupied by ESET NOD32, developed by Slovak programmers.

Advantages of ESET NOD32 Antivirus

Experts say the main advantage of this antivirus is the low load on the system, which is due to the peculiarities of creating the program itself (it is written in Assembly language), and a decent speed of diagnosing problems in this very system, unlike many other antiviruses, such as, for example, Kaspersky Antivirus, which checks presence of viruses for too long. In addition, when updating its anti-virus databases, ESET NOD32 does not create additional inconveniences during use, does not load the channel and uses a special system of mirror servers, which allows you to receive updates much faster than competitors.

The program uses not only virus signature databases, but also a heuristic method for identifying them, which allows you to actively counter viruses that have not yet been studied and have not previously been entered into the database. Plus, the size of antivirus updates is measured not in tens of megabytes, but only in hundreds of kilobytes, which is important for the procedure for updating the virus signature database, especially for office computers.

Standard equipment of ESET NOD32 Antivirus

What does it include:
Built-in standard resident protection Antivirus MONitor, which checks the files that are used in real time by the PC owner.

Scanner on demand , which scans only when you want to check the system for malware. There is a built-in scan scheduling function that allows you to audit disks as quickly as possible and with the least load on the system.

Internet Monitor is a program that allows you to prevent hard drives from being contaminated by malicious junk from the Internet. Checks HTTP traffic and mail files. Some configurations may not interact well with Windows products, so during installation a software compatibility diagnostic is performed and you may be prompted to disable this component.

Document MONitor. As you already understood from the name, this application interacts with office programs and documents, and uses the official Microsoft API interface, which diagnoses not only Word, Excel, PowerPoint, but even .

Updated package of ESET NOD32 Antivirus

Since its development, many updates have been released for the ESET NOD32 antivirus. For example, running on the interface ThreatSense, anti-malware module. The program also has a personal firewall that successfully interacts with similar services in Windows and monitors all transactions between the protected computer and other computers on the network.

ESET SysRescue, which appeared in the fourth version of the ESET NOD32 antivirus, makes it possible to create a boot disk with an antivirus utility to scan the system for viruses and successfully remove them. The main advantage of ESET SysRescue is that its operation is independent of the operating system status, although it has direct access to the disk and its entire file system. It is thanks to this that it is possible to remove all those intrusions of viruses that cannot be removed in a running operating system.

Removable media control function allows you to create a separate virtual bootable media (USB, CD, DVD) in order to prevent viruses from penetrating onto the media. Typically, this application is used when it is known that there is malware on the disk or already exists, but it cannot be removed, disinfected, or isolated.

The fifth version of ESET NOD32 antivirus introduced the service ESET Live Grid, which allows you to diagnose traffic to and from the Internet in real time. At the time of presentation, this service was considered the pinnacle of technological solutions in PC protection.

Moreover, already in version 4x it appeared special program, which will protect you from receiving unwanted mail - spam.

Also, using ESET NOD32 antivirus, you can restrict your child’s access to unwanted sites. This is the so-called service parental controls .

Enhanced Media Control provides the ability to automatically scan digital devices, connected to a computer.

However, among the updates in the fifth version, experts especially highlight the presence of the function Optimized Startup Procedure , which significantly reduces the load created by the antivirus on the computer’s operating system, and therefore allows Windows to load as quickly as possible when turned on.

Antivirus ESET NOD32 supported by the vast majority of operating systems, including OS for mobile devices: Windows Mobile, Symbian, Android. Many laboratories specializing in PC protection against malware highlight ESET NOD32 among others for its speed, ease of use and reliability.

And if your computer needs reliable protection with minimal settings, I advise you to go to the official ESET website and install it. Unfortunately, this antivirus product is not free. The cost of its licenses for a year ranges from 500 to 2500 rubles. An alternative to purchasing a key for a paid license can be to search on file hosting sites on the Internet for fresh, valid TRIAL keys, as well as current update servers ESET NOD32. It’s up to you to decide which of these methods to use, and if you are a fan of freebies, the Yandex and Google search engines will help you.

Today there are many paid and free solutions among antivirus programs. All of them guarantee maximum system protection. This article will review and compare two paid antivirus solutions: Kaspersky Anti-Virus and ESET NOD32.

If we compare Kaspersky and NOD32 in terms of interface convenience, then at first glance it is clear that the main functions of these antiviruses are in a prominent place. If the user needs, for example, to add a folder to antivirus exceptions, he will have to go to Extra options. This situation is observed in Kaspersky and NOD32. The only difference in the interface is the design.

The Kaspersky main menu consists of a list of main tools, buttons "More Tools" and a small settings icon.

The NOD32 main menu consists of several basic functions, and on the side you can find a list of other sections.

And yet in NOD32 the structure of the interface is more obvious.

ESET NOD32 1:0 Kaspersky Anti-Virus

Antivirus protection

The main task of every antivirus is reliable protection. Both antivirus products were scanned by a current archive of 8983 viruses. This method is one of the simplest and is aimed at checking the effectiveness of the anti-virus scanner.

NOD32 completed the task in just 13 seconds, but also showed a not entirely satisfactory result. After scanning 8,573 objects, it identified 2,578 threats. Perhaps this is due to the specifics of the antivirus and it would cope better with active threats.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus scanned the archive for 56 minutes. This is quite long, but the result is better than in NOD32, because it found 8191 threats. This is most of the entire archive.

ESET NOD32 1:1 Kaspersky Anti-Virus

Directions of protection

Antiviruses have similar components. But NOD32 has device control, which allows you to block access to disks, USB drives, etc.

In turn, Kaspersky has an IM antivirus, whose task is to ensure security in Internet chats.

ESET NOD32 1:2 Kaspersky Anti-Virus

In normal mode, NOD32 consumes very few resources.

Kaspersky is much more power hungry.

When scanning a system, NOD32 places a heavy load on the system at the beginning.

But after a few seconds it reduces the load.

Kaspersky consistently loads the device with these parameters.

ESET NOD32 2:2 Kaspersky Anti-Virus

Additional features

Both antiviruses have their own additional features. Kaspersky has it screen keyboard, recovery after infection, cloud protection, etc.

In GOD32, the tools are aimed more at system analysis.

ESET NOD32 2:3 Kaspersky Anti-Virus

In the end, the victory goes to Kaspersky antivirus, because it is largely aimed at ensuring the security of the device. But which antivirus is worth using, each user decides for himself, because both products are worthy of attention.

After installing Windows, you should think about the security of your computer and which antivirus to install, for example, free or paid. The Internet is becoming one of the main spheres of human activity. However, many attackers develop programs for easy money making or for the purpose of espionage.

There are a huge number of tricks that can be used to infect a computer and often the user is not even aware of the threat. Simple caution is no longer enough; mandatory protection with antivirus applications is required. The article discusses which is the most effective antivirus for Windows 7.

It should be noted that there is no absolutely perfect software to set and forget about threats, as one utility will never be able to identify all threats using one method.

Professionals say that even if you install the most “stuffed” antivirus program on your computer, this will not provide a complete guarantee of eliminating threats. New malware developments appear every day. Which one is the best best antivirus for Windows 7? To answer this question, you will first need to find out what viruses are.

Virus software

This computer programs, which can independently reproduce and damage computer data.

List of some types of malware:

1. Keyloggers;
2. Trojans;
3. Rootkits;
4. Spies.

Antivirus utility

A program that analyzes the system and, if malware is detected, notifies the computer owner about the threat, and also performs treatment or removal of the virus application. The anti-virus utility constantly monitors processes and analyzes the functioning of all programs on the PC. It is recommended to install only one anti-virus program on one computer at a time, otherwise they may conflict and as a result the user will end up with many errors and a slow-running Windows.

A significant number of antivirus utilities have been developed, which have their own pros and cons. For example, some cope well with the presence of viruses in the system, while others do not allow programs that pose a threat to be introduced into the computer or have the ability to effectively destroy them.

Conventionally, antivirus programs are divided into 2 types:

1. free;
2. paid.

They differ not only in price, but also in the effectiveness of protection.

Many will be upset by the fact that qualified programmers say that the best protection for Windows 7 will be provided if you install a paid antivirus. Free software can also provide basic protection, and we'll also look at the best of them below.

The best paid antiviruses for Windows 7

Kaspersky

It is the most popular of all antivirus programs in the Russian Federation. Professionals convince us that this is the best choice for Windows 7. Thanks to the most powerful algorithms and the largest database of viral content, which is constantly updated.

What is the main disadvantage of this utility? This is the need to stop applications when the antivirus system is fully scanned.

The creators of this utility made the paid version not much different from the free version, so they managed to get a significant number of Avast followers. But even the paid option often misses malicious utilities.

Dr.Web

One of the most common antiviruses among users. The main advantages include the ability to treat individual files. This is a significant advantage over other antivirus programs, because... allows you to restore the data required by the user. Disadvantages: the high price of a full-fledged version of the program.

This software is not very widespread in the Russian Federation. Has a Russian interface. Requires complex preliminary setup, so it is recommended only for experienced PC owners. In addition to basic functions, it provides protection against spam and fraud. Alerts about phishing. However, users are not happy with the verification process, which takes a significant amount of time and the high price of the product.

The best free antiviruses for Windows 7

According to the results of tests by specialists of free antivirus applications on PCs with Windows 7, “360” was recognized as the best Total Security" and "Panda Cloud Antivirus". Good indicators were found for “AVG” and . Not significantly, but Ad-Aware has worse results. Free Antivirus". The best software for Windows 7 turned out to be free software based on the Bitdefender engine.

What is the system resource requirement?

The best free ones were “360TS” and "Panda Cloud Antivirus". They had minimal impact on computer hardware thanks to the use of new cloud technologies that use the power of servers for verification.

What is the speed?

Those with the slowest operating speed: "Ad-Aware Free Antivirus", "Bitdefender Free Edition" and "Comodo".

The fastest among the free ones: “360 Total Security”, “Avast” and “AVG”.

What is the ease of use?

"Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition" does not offer Russian language during installation. Only “360 Total Security” can boast of a convenient and practical interface.

The article reviews only the most popular utilities. To ensure maximum security for your Windows 7 computer, we recommend following these tips:

1. when using external storage media, a preliminary scan of their memory is required for the possibility of infection with malware;
2. requires the use of regularly updated anti-virus software;
3. It is not allowed to launch unknown applications from unverified sources;
4. there should be constant monitoring while surfing the Internet possible threats in real time;

Conclusion

Absolutely draw a conclusion - which is the best software for Windows 7 is not possible.

What conclusion can be drawn for paid programs?

Of the paid programs, based on the parameters considered, you can give preference to Kaspersky or Doctor. There are hypotheses online that Kaspersky Lab itself develops viruses that can only be detected by their program. However, the experience of most users proves the high reliability of this antivirus program.

What conclusions can be drawn for free programs?

For active Internet users, it is optimal to choose the free “360 Total Security”. And if you have a good command of English, it is recommended to install the free version of Bitdefender.