Detection, detection, detection. This is the single most important criteria that should be considered when purchasing antivirus software. With many different certifying agencies and varying results in each, deciding between them may seem a daunting task.
The most comprehensive testing with the widest range of products is performed by AV-Test.org. A project of the University of Magdeburg and GEGA IT-Solutions GbR, Andreas Marx, products are tested on a variety of platforms and against both in-the-wild (ITW) and Zoo viruses.
An in-the-wild virus is one that has been reported by at least two official participants of the Wildlist. This list is maintained and updated monthly to provide some sort of benchmark against which to guage the detection capability. Unfortunately, the WildList is not always a true representation of viruses currently circulating nor is it any indication of a product's ability against an unknown threat. Indeed, there are only approximately 250 viruses listed on the WildList, though there are over 60,000 viruses in existence.
Zoo viruses are those not necessarily listed on the official in-the-wild list, but rather collections compiled by a virus researcher. A products ability with Zoo viruses can determine how well they perform with a given class of viruses. For example, a product that consistently performs well with Linux viruses might be considered more favorably in a mixed environment that included both Windows and Linux systems.
AV-Test.org examined thirty-one antivirus products on each of the following platforms: Microsoft Windows 98, NT, 2000, XP, and ME. Testing included detection of ITW viruses with both the on-access (realtime) and on-demand (manual, requested) scanners and their entire Zoo collection for on-demand scanning.
The products tested were: Avast! Home Edition, AVG, AntiVir Personal Edition, AntiVirenKit (AVK), BitDefender Professional, Bullguard, Command AntiVirus, Dr. Web, eScan 2003, eTrust AV (CA engine), eTrust AV (VET engine), F-Prot for Windows, Freedom, Anti-Virus, Virus Utilities, Kaspersky AV Personal, McAfee VirusScan Home, MkS_Vir, Nod32, Virus Control, Norton AV 2003, Power AV XP, Panda AntiVirus Platinum, PC-cillin 2002, Proland Protector, QuickHeal, Reliable AV (RAV), Sophos Anti-Virus, VirusBuster, ViRobot Expert, and V3 Pro Deluxe 2002.
