You need anti-virus and there is a load of advice online about which to buy. Who can you trust?
Some anti-virus reviewers know what they are talking about. Others don’t. Some are just in it for the money. How can you tell which reviews are worth your time?
How to choose anti-virus for your PC and your family
Most people believe that you should run anti-virus on your PC. Independent security experts, governments and every computer journalist on the planet promotes this advice. And they are not wrong. There is no doubt that installing anti-virus is one of the most important things you can do to keep your computer and its data safe.
Security planning can make your life easier to manage. It’s easy to become paralysed when you consider all of the threats that exist and all of the possible solutions. You can’t buy every security product available and you certainly shouldn’t even try.
There are risks that we all face (let’s call those ‘general risks’) and risks that are quite specific to you (‘individual risks’).
Security planning for anyone, whether you are the CEO of a large enterprise or a retired amateur gardener, should take into account what risks you (specifically) face and the consequences of something bad actually happening.
General risks
In this article we’re going to focus on cybersecurity, but the principles apply to any area of your life. In the computing world there are three major threats that we all face:
Everyone needs to protect themselves online. There is a lot of advice out there but much of it is confusing and contradictory. We’ll show you simple but effective steps you can take to put yourself in the top ranks. And you can help your friends and loved ones stay safe too.
Welcome to the Bluffer’s Guide to Home Cyber Security!
This article is going to tell you everything you need to know to stay safe online. It won’t baffle you with too much detail. But rest assured, although the steps are simple they are backed up by our thorough and unbiased understanding of how computer security works. We don’t have anything to sell you. This is all good, free advice.
The Enterprise Advanced Security testing programme includes new attack groups.
Our Enterprise Advanced Security (EAS) tests can assess any security software, hardware appliance, cloud service or combination thereof. Always evolving, these tests have expanded to include new attacks.
(These tests were originally called the Breach Response test. We renamed them for a number of reasons.)
Hackers and way they hack
Research on real attacker behaviour is a fundamental element of our EAS testing. Our team looks at the real-world behaviour of advanced threat groups, known as Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs).
Real-world security reports don’t always reflect your real world.
What makes a real-world security test useful? Does it need to provide a full assessment of a product or service? An assessment that is directly relevant for all potential customers? Or does it need to give just a taste of how effective a product can be?
The perfect security test
Tests can vary in how they are run and the level of information that they provide. Not all tests are equally reliable or even useful. But one thing they all have in common is that they aren’t perfect. Let’s look at how tests are limited, how you can interpret them and what the future holds.
Security testing needs to be more realistic and subtle than just running malware
Your own network can provide everything that an attacker needs to achieve its goal. In many ways it’s impossible to tell the difference between an effective attacker and a good systems administrator.
Awards, Testing Advice and a 6-year Endpoint Protection Review
Our third annual report is now online. Free for all, it highlights the cybersecurity trends of this year. Which security products were the strongest? How are they tested? And how can you learn more about assessing security?
Annual Awards and Advanced Security Testing
It’s been six years since we started testing endpoint security. We’ve trawled through all of our previous reports to show an interesting summary of how various products have performed over a long period of time. See who has improved and what challenges caused some products to fail.
Archive of security product and service test results
Cyber Security DE:CODED Podcast
All of our podcast episodes and related content
About
SE Labs Ltd is a private, independently-owned and run testing company that assesses security products and services. The main laboratory is located in Wimbledon, South London. It has excellent local and international travel connections. The lab is open for prearranged client visits.
