Bit Defender Internet Security.

[Electrode]

Good day everyone, for the past year or so I have been using a free Antivirus software and was really happy with it. Interestingly enough our Local Incredible does not carry my preferred Antivirus software, and has outright refused to order the software.

I was offered Bit Defender Internet Security at a cost of R250. This did not include the installation file, I had to register online and download the antivirus that totalled just over 500Mb of data according to Telkom Transfer Information. It then did a large update that pushed it to just under 600Mb of data. Its day to day update consumed about 12 Mb of data per day.

From this point it wanted to take control of my passwords, browser and other functions I do not fully comprehend. There is no boot Scan functionality that I can find, no real options regarding updates. If it finds something harmful I have no options on what to do. The Software ask me to select an action and regardless of my selection it simply continue to ask me for a selection and cannot continue to the point where I can do anything like perhaps deleting the infected file.

Now this is a paid for product recommended by Incredible so I expect proper controls with no limitation to its functionality. And yet I have had nothing but trouble with this software from the beginning. It also slowed down my browser performance and nags me to leave websites I would normally trust and never had problems with.

It also has a problem with the HP Pavilion sound driver as it alerts me that it is a virus? The previous antivirus never had a problem with it. It has a 021 number I can phone but that phone call will cost more than the antivirus itself.

I am dissatisfied with this Antivirus and is planning to uninstall it and rather install my old one again. I cannot stand it when I pay money for something and it cannot deliver its promises.

What are your recommendations?

[IanF]

I use Eset Endpoint security and it works this side http://www.eset.com/za/home/

[irneb]

Personally ... I avoid them where I can. Over my near 30 years on computers I've taught myself to be my own AV, through trial-n-error. Every single time I've relied on an AV to do the job for me I got infected, but every time I've kept my click-happy-fingers off the mouse on web pages I've spent months to years without any infections and without AVs.

My latest ... 5 years now (well actually closer to 6) my PC at home hasn't had an AV or Virus on it. It does run Linux though, so that may also be a factor. But even the VMs running on top of it (from W95 through W10) also don't have any such, and they all are also still virus free. The only places where I'm forced into this sort of stuff:

• Work. I get a PC which the IT department set up. They've got the enterprise versions of AVG and MalwareBytes running on it. And guess what, I've still found it to let stuff through, which it then catches a week later (i.e. after infection, sometimes requiring format & re-installation to get rid of). But my biggest pains with it? It keeps thinking some of the software I use for work are viruses and moves them to the vault - one which always goes there is the stuff they use for payslips over here (i.e. every month I have to re-install it because trying to get it out of the vault corrupts the damned thing).
• The bank's online site keeps nagging me to install Trusteer Rapport. Get excruciatingly irritated when the bank's site keeps opening this popup every time I do anything. So I've setup a VM solely for the purpose of my online banking, the entire OS with only a browser and the TR security suite.

Other than that, I don't use the cr@p, don't allow it anywhere, don't want it, and have actually come to the conclusion that most (if not all) AVs (especially free, but from my experience even the paid stuff) are in fact more like viruses themselves.

Just to confirm this: http://www.cio.com/article/3020324/a...ulnerable.html And yes, that is something I've experienced first hand, both through MalwareBytes and AVG - receive some spam email, don't even open / view it, and still it installs by exploiting the AV itself. So I will first accept that article to be true, thus the AVs mentioned therein (Eset, Kaspersky, Avast, AVG, McAffee, MalwareBytes) are no-goes for me personally, and seeing as they're some of the "big names" I effectively eliminated all AVs from my "preferred programs" list.

[Brett Nortje]

Good day everyone, for the past year or so I have been using a free Antivirus software and was really happy with it. Interestingly enough our Local Incredible does not carry my preferred Antivirus software, and has outright refused to order the software.

I was offered Bit Defender Internet Security at a cost of R250. This did not include the installation file, I had to register online and download the antivirus that totalled just over 500Mb of data according to Telkom Transfer Information. It then did a large update that pushed it to just under 600Mb of data. Its day to day update consumed about 12 Mb of data per day.

From this point it wanted to take control of my passwords, browser and other functions I do not fully comprehend. There is no boot Scan functionality that I can find, no real options regarding updates. If it finds something harmful I have no options on what to do. The Software ask me to select an action and regardless of my selection it simply continue to ask me for a selection and cannot continue to the point where I can do anything like perhaps deleting the infected file.

Now this is a paid for product recommended by Incredible so I expect proper controls with no limitation to its functionality. And yet I have had nothing but trouble with this software from the beginning. It also slowed down my browser performance and nags me to leave websites I would normally trust and never had problems with.

It also has a problem with the HP Pavilion sound driver as it alerts me that it is a virus? The previous antivirus never had a problem with it. It has a 021 number I can phone but that phone call will cost more than the antivirus itself.

I am dissatisfied with this Antivirus and is planning to uninstall it and rather install my old one again. I cannot stand it when I pay money for something and it cannot deliver its promises.

What are your recommendations?

Well, why is it so popular then? some distributors, back a few years ago, only stocked bit defender, yes? if it was a problem with the product, the returns would have caused them to basically have to buy their own stock back, which would have bankrupted the company, of course.

If it were that the software is faulty, then wouldn't it be in the paper? i mean, media loves to report on things diving, as it drives up consumer purchases of papers as it is exciting to see these things, and, have a good laugh. people also think they are professionals, often, and want to broaden their knowledge on these things - has it appeared in any journals as to why it is doing these things?

Then again, if people are so lazy they buy anti virus software and shelve it, never installing it, making it a pretty decoration around the house, then you got a problem.

[Conspirors]

Naah! Bitdefender sucks. There are lots of third party ones that are much good than this. You can try McAfee or even quickheal, its new and basically good.

[Didditmiself]

Naah! Bitdefender sucks.

I agree with you entirely. I've also tried Kaspersky. I still rely on Norton even though it seems that once you've installed it, it embeds itself in your computers' registry and you can never uninstall it entirely. I sometimes wonder if the AV companies' don't actually create viruses - if there wasn't the constant threat of new ones, one would simply install the AV and not bother year after year to get the latest. What do other IT boffins here think?

[irneb]

I sometimes wonder if the AV companies' don't actually create viruses - if there wasn't the constant threat of new ones, one would simply install the AV and not bother year after year to get the latest. What do other IT boffins here think?

I definitely agree with you on that ... many a truth is spoken in jest ... one one of the GREAT humorous truth-sayers had this running idea in his books: The Firefighters_Guild of Ankh-Morpork

Though from my experience it's pretty much more "in-your-face" than even just that ... the AVs themselves are in fact trojans causing all the same stuff you'd expect from your every day virus. Not to mention most of them form vectors for other viruses to infest your computer - see the link in my previous post. If you think about it ... makes lots of economic sense ... why wait for someone to get infected by chance with one of your marketing worms ... just have your "anti" cr@p-ware product infest a few client PCs so you can tell them: "I told you you needed to upgrade!"

Pretty much the mafia protection racket on the internet ... the AVs taking the role of the collectors and the viruses being the enforcers.

[majikins]

Firstly I would say you get what you pay for. Free Antivirus by definition is not looking out for your best interests. Although something is better than nothing, if you are serious about having decent protection for your system, a paid license is best. Bitdefender is actually rated one of the top providers and its strange that you are having so much of issues. This is the support page - http://www.bitdefender.com/support/i...security-2016/. You can log a case and chat live. I would suggest a bit of patience as you have already spent R250 - support is generally good here.