Naturally, this suite includes all the protective features found in ESET NOD32 Antivirus. You can peruse that review for an in-depth look at the core antivirus features. Given that my review of the standalone antivirus is nearly two years old, I reran all my tests, with the results not changing significantly.
A full antivirus scan on my standard virtual machine testbed completed in 87 minutes, which is significantly faster than the current average of 113 minutes. ESET clearly did some optimization during that scan, as a repeat scan finished in just seven minutes, cutting more than 90% from the initial scan time.
(Credit: ESET/PCMag)
Independent antivirus testing labs around the world test dozens of protective solutions and regularly report on their capabilities. I follow five such labs, and four of the five included ESET in their latest reports. ESET holds perfect scores from AV-Test Institute, AV-Comparatives, AVLab Cybersecurity Foundation, and MRG-Effitas. My aggregate lab score algorithm maps all the results onto a 10-point scale and returns an overall result. With only perfect results, ESET has an admirable lab score of 10 out of 10.
AVG and Malwarebytes also have a 10-point aggregate score, but each is based on results from just two labs. Sophos Home Premium and Webroot have a single perfect lab score. I consider ESET’s score the best because it’s derived from more labs. The only security tools mentioned in the current reports from all five labs are Avast, Norton, and Microsoft Defender Antivirus, with scores of 9.6, 9.6, and 8.7, respectively.
I’ve changed out my main set of malware samples not once but twice since my last set of ESET reviews, but the test results came out much the same. When I opened my folders full of samples, it eliminated 31% of them on sight, up from 22% when last tested, but still very low. McAfee and UltraAV detected 100% of the samples before they could ever launch, and Malwarebytes managed 99%. It’s worth noting that, as before, ESET only wiped out half of my ransomware samples on sight, whereas most competitors eliminate them all or nearly all.
Continuing the test, I launched all the surviving samples. ESET caught all but one of the ransomware samples at this stage; however, the one that slipped past completely wiped out the virtual machine testbed. It also detected a significant number of other types of malware, achieving a total detection rate of 88%. It lost points in several cases by allowing the malware to install one or more executable files, resulting in an overall score of 8.2 points. That’s better than the 7.2 score it managed for my previous review, but still low. Against this same malware collection, McAfee and UltraAV managed a perfect 10, and Malwarebytes managed 9.9. AVG, Avast, Norton, and Webroot all achieved a very good score of 9.7 points.
(Credit: ESET/PCMag)
For another window into antivirus effectiveness, I challenge each security app by attempting to visit web pages that literally host malware downloads. Starting with a feed supplied by the testing experts at MRG-Effitas, I launch each URL in turn and note whether the antivirus blocks access to the URL, wipes out the malware download, or takes no action.
After running through hundreds of samples, I found that ESET steered the browser away from 67% of the dangerous URLs. In most cases, it displayed a red-bordered warning that it had found dangerous content, although for a few, it used a yellow border to flag content that it considered “potentially unwanted.” It eliminated another 28% by identifying and removing the malware, for a total of 95% protection.
(Credit: ESET/PCMag)
That 95% score is good, but a dozen competitors have achieved better results in their most recent tests. Avira, Guardio, and Sophos managed a perfect 100% score.
The same browser extension that identifies dangerous websites also steers your surfing away from phishing sites. These frauds masquerade as legitimate sites, including those of banks and financial institutions, as well as dating and gaming sites. Anyone who, fooled by the fakery, logs in to the phishing site has given away their credentials to the fraudsters. Yes, you can train yourself to spot the fakes, but most antivirus apps, ESET included, aim to help you.
(Credit: ESET/PCMag)
For the phishing test, I use recently reported frauds scraped from websites that collect examples of phishing. I include both verified phishing messages and reports that are too new for commonly used blacklists. I also compare the antivirus app’s response with the phishing protection built into Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
ESET has scored in the low 90s for the last several years. This time around, it achieved a perfect 100% accuracy, detecting every single phishing fraud. AVG, Avira, Guardio, McAfee, and Webroot also scored 100%, as did Norton Genie, which focuses on phishing, and Surfshark One, which has VPN protection at its core.
