ANTIVIRUS SPECIAL...... 7 best free antivirus of 2017

7 best free antivirus of 2017





These security software offer real-time protection and scans for malicious malware

The new year brought with it a fresh raft of threats to your secu rity online. But top quality protection for your PC need not cost you a bomb. Many of the top developers of premium security software also offer free antivirus that offers excellent protection. In exchange, all you have to ensure is, your free antivirus is running all the time and live with some annoying pop-up notifications.

1. AVIRA FREE ANTIVIRUS

Fast, effective and discreet ­ Avira is the best free antivi rus for Windows Avira Free Antivirus is the slickest, clean est and least system intensive antivirus package you can have. It doesn't install a host of other packages (including a secure browser, VPN and safesearch plugin) by default, although they're there if you want them. However, it's not the glossiest package, and the install process is a bit pre-emptive.

2. AVG ANTIVIRUS FREE

Superb antivirus with a clear interface, AVG is a great choice for your home AVG Antivirus Free is reasonably quick to scan after the first initial pass, and the interface ­ ignoring the Zen bit of it ­ is clear and easy to use. Combine it with the mobile app and you can set it to scan and disinfect a machine without having to be close to it, which is a feature you won't know you need until it's too late.

3. PANDA FREE ANTIVIRUS

This antivirus uses the power of the cloud to take the load off your computer Although Panda Free Antivirus claims to be the world's lightest antivirus -offloading much of the processing work that would normally be done by your PC to the cloud -it is slightly slower than Avira. It scans quite quickly, and it's simple enough in its presentation for even the most technophobic user to find their way around.

4. COMODO FREE ANTIVIRUS

Serious security software for Windows, Comodo Free Antivirus pulls no punches This is among the hardest-nosed free antivirus packages out there. It features a `default deny' mode, which essentially blocks every single program that's not on its whitelist -if you let something through and your machine becomes infected, it's going to be your fault. There's cloud scan ning, so it theoretically keeps up with the latest found threats and automatically updates all users based on the newest discoveries.

5. ZONEALARM FREE ANTIVIRUS + FIREWALL

Robust virus and malware protection from the godfather of firewalls Back in the past, when the internet was young , ZoneAlarm was the leading free firewall.

It's therefore no su prise that ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus includes a firewall by default ­ a rare feature among its ilk. It's a big plus, at least if you're not competent in using Windows's own fire wall. It's easy to configure and offers interesting insights into the traffic coming to and from your PC.

6. IMMUNET ANTIVIRUS

A cloud-based security supplement to install alongside your antivirus software The Immunet AntiVirus is a tiny cloud-based free security app that's designed to run either independently or alongside your existing antivirus software. The former option isn't, perhaps, the best one. It's based on collective immunity, meaning the more people use it and report back with threats, the stronger its protection becomes.

7. 360 TOTAL SECURITY

A beefed-up antivirus suite with multiple scanning en gines to pick up threats Rolling in on a huge wave of bombast over 52 billion threats t hwa r ted i n 2 014 -comes Qihoo's 36 0 Total Security, which is mainly getting its figures from the third-party engines it uses to scan your PC.However, it eats more system resources than the rest. It scans slowly, but it passes widespread virus tests with flying colours .

Agencies