Virus Bulletin
Copyright © 2016 Virus Bulletin
This seems likely to be the last VB100 comparative on the Windows Server 2008 platform. Now aging somewhat, it has been superseded by the 2012 edition, with another server version of Windows expected before the end of 2016.
Our server tests currently include a deeper set of performance measures than are provided in our desktop tests, the extra time required to gather this data usually being balanced out by the somewhat smaller field of participants in server tests. This test saw fewer than 30 submissions – still a decent sized field, but more manageable than some of our busier desktop comparatives.
The platform itself has been fairly dependable over the years, the 'R2' having emerged in late 2009 as the server equivalent of Windows 7, also notable for being Microsoft's first operating system supporting only 64-bit architectures. Set-up required little more than for the images used in previous comparatives to be restored, some components to be updated, and our standard set of basic tools to be installed.
The test sets used for this comparative included the latest WildList available on the submission deadline (19 August), v4.020, which was released the very same day. The standard updates were made to the false positive collections, bringing their size to just under 900,000 files. RAP sets were built using all samples first seen in the few weeks either side of the test deadline, with adjustments, as usual, to focus on more prominent and common items (in future comparatives we hope to base these test sets on shared prevalence data from the AMTSO Real-Time Threat List, for greater accuracy).
With everything prepared, we were ready to dive into testing.
Main version: 9.1
Update versions: 4562.701.1951 build 158, build 168, build 173, build 180
Last 6 tests: 5 passed, 0 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 10 passed, 0 failed, 2 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Solid
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Shortly after testing completed, we heard news of significant changes at Agnitum, with the technology behind the company's Outpost suite being acquired by Russian search giant Yandex; it looks likely that the Outpost line will be retired by the end of 2016. For now, however, it remains a long-standing VB100 participant with a good history of stability and reliability.
Set-up was a little time-consuming, as usual, with a reboot required to complete. The product interface is clear and well designed with a decent basic set of controls. Stability was rock-solid throughout.
RAM use was reasonable, CPU use a little high, and our set of tasks took quite some time to complete. Scanning speeds were fairly fast with good improvements in the warm runs, and file access overheads also improved significantly after the initial settling-in period.
Detection was decent in the main, with a rather uneven spread through the RAP sets, but the WildList was handled well with no issues in the clean sets and Agnitum's Outpost comfortably earns another VB100 award.
Main version: 015.10.2.2505
Update versions: 150819-1, 150901-0, 150907-0, 150914-0
Last 6 tests: 6 passed, 0 failed, 0 no entry
Last 12 tests: 9 passed, 2 failed, 1 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Fair
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Avast Software has a strong record in recent VB100 tests, with a good run of passes over the last year. The business edition of the product was submitted for this month's test, which installed rapidly and presented an interface featuring what seems to be the fashion of late: a very dark colour scheme enlivened by flashes of garish colour. The overall feel was reasonably appealing though, with touches of the style that has earned the vendor's home-user offerings regular praise in these pages in the past.
Stability was decent for the most part, but the score was dented by a single unexpected reboot. Memory usage was fairly low, CPU use a touch above the average for this month's set of products, and our set of activities ran through in fairly unexceptional time.
Detection was very strong indeed in the reactive sets, and reasonable into the proactive sets, and with no issues in the WildList sets and nothing more serious than a few warnings of potential 'archive bombs' in the clean sets, a VB100 award is well deserved.
Main version: 2015.0.6125
Update versions: 4401/10465, 4409/10569, 10620, 4419/10649
Last 6 tests: 6 passed, 0 failed, 0 no entry
Last 12 tests: 12 passed, 0 failed, 0 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Fair
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AVG's CloudCare product has been the company's chosen submission to our tests for a while now, with a good record of passes. As usual, it installed in decent time with no reboot needed. The interface presented is dark and mysterious with much text subtly greyed out. The layout is fairly simple and sensible though, with a good selection of configuration options.
Stability was mostly OK, but on a few occasions intense scans seemed to cause the system to freeze up, and on one occasion there was an unwanted restart. Resource usage was fairly average for this test, with our set of tasks not too significantly slowed down. Both scanning speeds and file access lags showed significant improvement after initial familiarization with the system and files.
Detection was very strong, with good coverage everywhere, and with no problems in the core sets a VB100 award is comfortably earned by AVG.
Main version: 14.0.11.378
Update versions: 7.12.01.14, 7.12.05.214, 7.12.07.78, 7.12.08.204
Last 6 tests: 5 passed, 0 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 10 passed, 0 failed, 2 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Fair
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Avira's server solution is a full-blown enterprise tool with controls based on the MMC system, but set-up proved fairly simple and navigating the interface was not too taxing. The layout is reasonably intuitive and a good level of fine-tuning is available.
Stability was good in normal use, but a number of malware scans failed to complete. Resource usage was on the low side and our set of tasks ran through in reasonable time. Scanning was reasonably fast too, and file access lag times very low indeed, helped by the fact that most file read operations were ignored.
Detection was strong, with only a slight downturn into the later parts of the RAP sets, and with another flawless run over the certification sets a VB100 award goes to Avira.
Main version: 5.3.23.709
Update versions: 7.62115, 7.62334, 7.62432, 7.62516
Last 6 tests: 6 passed, 0 failed, 0 no entry
Last 12 tests: 12 passed, 0 failed, 0 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Solid
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Also boasting an impeccable record in our tests in recent years, Bitdefender's engine is the most popular with OEM and rebranding providers, by quite some distance. This month the installation took a little while to complete but once done presented the usual stark and minimalist interface, which still manages to provide a decent set of configuration options despite its apparent simplicity.
Stability was flawless. Memory use was a little above the average recorded this month, but CPU use was very low indeed and our set of tasks ran through in good time. Scanning speeds were OK, and overheads very light indeed.
Detection was as excellent as ever, with only the slightest downward trend through the RAP sets, and with a clean sweep of the core sets, Bitdefender's unbroken run of VB100 passes continues.
Main version: 5.1.35
Update Versions: 5.4.20
Last 6 tests: 0 passed, 5 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 2 passed, 7 failed, 3 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 4
Stability: Solid
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CYREN's product seems to have changed very little, on the surface at least, in quite some time. Lately, it has been putting in some very strong performances with excellent detection and solid stability, although false positive issues have stood in the way of certification. This month, the install was as fast and simple as ever, the interface as usual very simple and minimalist, but still managing to provide a decent basic set of controls.
Stability was once again rock-solid with no issues noted at all. Memory usage was very low indeed, CPU use a little above average. Scanning speeds were fairly slow, file access overheads fairly high, and our set of standard tasks was slowed down noticeably.
Detection was very strong, with superb numbers in the reactive sets where the company's cloud look-up system was in play, and still pretty strong in the offline proactive sets. The WildList was covered without issues, but once again the clean sets revealed a small number of false alarms, meaning there is still no VB100 award for CYREN despite yet another otherwise good showing.
Main version: 9.1
Update versions: 4562.701.1951 build 158, build 168, build 173, build 180
Last 6 tests: 5 passed, 0 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 10 passed, 0 failed, 2 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Solid
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The Defenx product is closely related to Agnitum's Outpost, and as such its future may be affected by the acquisition by Yandex of Agnitum's malware protection technologies. Defenx has been a regular in VB100 comparatives for many years now, with a good record of successes. Installation is a little lengthy, due to the wide range of components included in this full suite, but the interface is slick and responsive with a clear and simple layout and a good range of configuration options.
Stability was impeccable, with nothing to report. Our performance measures show fairly high resource usage and a rather heavy impact on our set of activities, but both scanning speeds and file access times showed significant improvements in the warm runs, indicating some good optimizations.
Detection was a little below par but still reasonably good in the reactive sets, dropping away rather sharply into the proactive parts of the RAP test. The core certification sets were handled well though, and a VB100 award is earned by Defenx.
Main version: 10.0.0.5631
Update versions: 10.0.0.5461
Last 6 tests: 5 passed, 0 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 9 passed, 1 failed, 1 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Stable
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Another implementer of the popular Bitdefender engine alongside its own technology, the Emsisoft product has also been doing well in our comparatives of late with a good run of passes. The installation of the latest edition proved speedy and the interface looked bright, colourful and attractive with a sensible layout and a good set of configuration options.
Stability was mostly very good, with just a single scan job not quite completing correctly, and resource use was low with a below-average impact on our set of tasks. Scanning speeds were pretty good too, and file access lag times were very low.
Detection was excellent, with just a slight downward trend through the RAP sets, and with a perfect score in the core sets Emsisoft comfortably earns a VB100 award.
Main version: 14.0.1400.1796 DB
Update versions: 14.0.1400.1789 DB
Last 6 tests: 6 passed, 0 failed, 0 no entry
Last 12 tests: 11 passed, 1 failed, 0 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Fair
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The server solution from eScan is a regular participant in our server tests, complementing its desktop sibling and helping build a very strong record of passes; once again the Bitdefender engine is included in the mix.
Set-up was somewhat time-consuming, but eventually completed to reveal an interface with a modern tiled layout and some splashes of colour to brighten the drab background. Configuration options are provided in excellent depth, and are easy to access and navigate.
Stability was shaken by a few problems with large scan jobs and some cases of the on-access component taking a while to kick in, but for the most part things went smoothly. Resource use was low and our set of tasks ran through in good time; scanning speeds were fast too, and file read overheads not too heavy.
Detection was excellent in the reactive sets, a little lower in the offline parts of the RAP test, suggesting that slightly older definitions had been included in the version submitted. The core certification sets were handled without problems though, and another VB100 award goes to eScan.
Main version: 6.2.2021.0
Update versions: 12118, 12184, 12213, 12250
Last 6 tests: 6 passed, 0 failed, 0 no entry
Last 12 tests: 12 passed, 0 failed, 0 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Solid
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ESET's business endpoint solution has been the company's submission of choice for our server tests for a while now, and in conjunction with the NOD32 consumer product, has helped maintain a superb unbroken string of VB100 passes. Installation this month was not the fastest but not too slow either, and as usual the interface is slick and appealing with a nice intuitive layout and a comprehensive set of configuration options within easy reach.
Stability was impeccable once again, with no problems even under the heaviest of stress. Resource use was low and our set of activities ran through in good time. Scanning speeds were good to start off with and much faster in repeat runs, and overheads accessing files were very light.
Detection was very strong too, with good scores across the board, and another clean sweep of the certification sets means yet another VB100 award for ESET.
Main version: 3.0.0.4
Update versions: 13.3.21.1/558925.2015081915/7.62115/5861651.20150819, 13.3.21.1/562295.2015090322/7.62332/5769232.20150903, 13.3.21.1/562868.2015901001/7.62428/5702159.20150909, 13.3.21.1/563522.2015091701/7.62515/5717726.20150916
Last 6 tests: 5 passed, 0 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 10 passed, 0 failed, 2 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Solid
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Another product integrating the Bitdefender engine, ESTsoft's ALYac has also achieved a nice string of passes of late. The current version has changed little over the last few years, and as usual installs rather slowly, most likely thanks to the distance of our test lab from the company's core markets. The interface is fairly clear, if a little wordy, and as ever adorned with cute cartoon icons.
Stability was very good with no issues to report, and resource use was pretty minimal too. Our set of tasks took a fair while to complete, and both scanning speeds and overheads were a little sluggish initially, but improved greatly in the warm runs.
Detection was superb, with very high numbers across the board, and with no issues in the core sets a VB100 award is easily earned by ESTsoft.
Main version: 5.0.9.1349
Update versions: 5.220/ 27.470, 27.758, 27.901, 28.035
Last 6 tests: 5 passed, 0 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 9 passed, 1 failed, 2 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Stable
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Fortinet continues to build an excellent run of passes too, with only a couple of 'not-quites' in the last five years. The product's installation process remains fairly zippy and the interface is minimal with only the most basic of configuration options, the bulk of the controls being reserved for central management.
Stability was almost perfect, our rating only dented by a single issue – a fairly minor one, where an update failed to complete smoothly. Resource usage was a little above this month's average, but our set of tasks was not overly impeded. Scanning speeds were reasonable, and file access times a little slow at first but much faster after initial familiarization.
Detection was very good too, with a slight downward trend into the proactive sets, and with perfect coverage of the certification sets another VB100 award goes to Fortinet.
Main version: 13.2.0.257
Update versions: AVA 25.3095/GD 25.5475, AVA 25.3314/GD 25.5543, AVA 25.3424/GD 25.5561, AVA 25.3499/GD 25.5592
Last 6 tests: 5 passed, 0 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 9 passed, 0 failed, 3 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Stable
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G Data's business solution is a full-on enterprise product with a central management console and client-side agents with their own basic interface. For our tests we installed both the admin tool and the client on the test machines, meaning the set-up time was rather longer than it would be for most endpoint deployments. The admin interface is clean and well laid out with a comprehensive set of controls and a relatively simple and effective deployment and management process. The client side also provides a good set of configuration options once enabled by the administrator.
Stability was mostly good but we did manage to overload things a couple of times, once by trying to export an epic log file and once when running a heavy-duty scan. The product recovered its poise fairly quickly though. Our performance figures may be slightly skewed by running both ends of the product on the same system, but they show resource usage only slightly above this month's average and a fairly high but not excessive slowdown of our set of activities. Speed measures show fairly decent scan times and fairly heavy lag times accessing files.
Detection, as always, was very high indeed, thanks to the combination of the Bitdefender engine and the company's own technologies, and with a clean run through the certification sets a VB100 award is easily earned.
Main version: 2.8.20
Update versions: 93058, 2.8.31/93310, 93401, 93557
Last 6 tests: 4 passed, 0 failed, 2 no entry
Last 12 tests: 7 passed, 1 failed, 4 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Stable
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Ikarus has a fairly decent record in recent tests. The product installs quite slowly and presents an interface that has become very familiar from its many appearances on the VB test bench; the layout is a little unusual but soon becomes simple to navigate with a little exploring.
Stability was very good, the only incident of note being an oddity with the interface, which vanished at the end of one scan. Resource use was fairly low and our set of activities completed pretty quickly. Scanning speeds were reasonable too, but our file access lag measures were rather high, even with some optimization on repeat visits to the same files.
Detection was very strong, and with no issues in the core sets a VB100 award is earned by Ikarus.
Main version: 5.7.1.0812
Update versions: 5.6.0/3.71, 5.7.3.0000, 5.7.3.0909
Last 6 tests: 4 passed, 1 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 9 passed, 1 failed, 2 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 23
Stability: Solid
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iSheriff is another product making use of the Bitdefender engine and another full enterprise solution, this time with the management system accessed via a cloud-based portal. The web interface is complex and detailed but reasonably simple to navigate with a little practice, and it provides a fairly thorough set of configuration options. Deployment of the client was straightforward too, with a button providing a link to a pre-prepared installer bundle.
Stability was very good indeed, with nothing to report, and resource usage was low with minimal impact on our set of activities. Scanning speeds were decent too, with a fairly low overhead accessing files.
Detection was pretty strong, although somewhat behind others using the same engine in the reactive sets. The WildList sets were covered without difficulty and in two of our three standard runs there were no problems in the clean sets either, but in one, a rash of false alarms popped up, all flagged as 'CloudScan' and grouped into two or three detection identities. Most of the alerts were labelled as heuristic detections but at least one, a simple text file, claimed to be the Zlob trojan. The absence of such issues in later runs suggests that there was a temporary blip in the company's cloud reputation system, but that blip was enough to deny iSheriff a VB100 award this month.
Main version: 15.1.0276
Update versions: 9.209.16940, 9.209.17080, 9.209.17130, 9.210.17209
Last 6 tests: 5 passed, 0 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 8 passed, 1 failed, 3 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Solid
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After a spell of only occasional appearances in our tests, K7 seems to be firmly back to regular VB100 testing, with a run of good showings over the last year or so. This month the product installed very quickly, presenting its usual militaristic interface with a good set of controls.
Stability was excellent, standing up to everything we could throw at it. RAM use was on the high side, but CPU use was very low, and our set of tasks wasn't too greatly impeded. Scanning speeds were blazing fast after the initial runs, which weren't too slow themselves, while overheads started off reasonable and soon became barely detectable.
Detection was pretty decent too, with a steady decline through the sets, and with another clean run through the core sets, K7 picks up another VB100 award.
Main version: 10.2.2.10535(mr1)
Update versions: N/A
Last 6 tests: 5 passed, 0 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 10 passed, 0 failed, 2 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Stable
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Kaspersky Lab once again entered both an enterprise and a small business product for testing this month. We start with the 'Endpoint Security' edition, which took some time to set up and required a reboot after the initial update, but once up it presented the usual highly polished interface, replete with fine-tuning options to satisfy even the most demanding admin.
Stability was good, with only one pretty minor issue noted: after one install the GUI indicated a 'malfunction' in several components, which was quickly rectified with no input from the test team and seemed to cause no problems thereafter, but was adjudged enough to count as a single point in our rating schema.
Memory usage was low, CPU use a shade above average, and our set of activities completed in very good time. Scanning speeds were not super-fast at first but certainly were after warming up, and similar optimizations kicked in when accessing files too, the overhead barely detectable after the first run.
Once again our RAP measures were unusable, but the core sets were handled impeccably and a VB100 award is comfortably earned.
Main version: 15.0.2.361(C)
Update versions: N/A
Last 6 tests: 4 passed, 0 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 8 passed, 0 failed, 4 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Solid
Kaspersky's second product this month caters to the small business market. Again, the set-up took a fair while, mainly completing the initial updates, and in the end the usual clean and appealing interface was provided, crammed with options but never feeling cluttered or difficult to find one's way around.
Stability was very good, with no problems to report. Resource use was pleasingly light and a good time was recorded through our set of activities. Scanning speeds and file access overheads benefited from the same excellent optimizations as the enterprise product, this time from an even lighter starting point in the lag time measures.
Detection figures were unavailable once again, but the WildList was fully covered, and with no issues in the clean sets, Kaspersky earns yet another VB100 award.
Main version: 7.62115
Update versions: 5861651, 7.62335/5762862, 7.62442/5712482, 7.62517/5710306
Last 6 tests: 5 passed, 0 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 9 passed, 1 failed, 2 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Solid
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Another product incorporating the Bitdefender engine, Norman's cloud portal solution is another with central management online and only very basic controls at the client side. It nevertheless proved simple to install and operate.
Stability was flawless throughout our tests, resource usage light, and our set of tasks completed rapidly. Scanning speeds were decent too, and file access lag times nice and light.
Detection was excellent, closely mirroring other products using the same technology, and another clean run through the core sets was recorded, earning AVG-owned Norman another VB100 award.
Main version: 7.20.0
Update versions: 7.20.2
Last 6 tests: 5 passed, 0 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 10 passed, 0 failed, 2 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Fair
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Panda's business solution has been doing well in our tests lately, with a good run of passes. The installation is a little drawn-out, but once complete presents the usual very simple client-side interface, which operates in tandem with a more detailed online management portal.
Stability was a little shaky, with a number of scan jobs crashing out or freezing up, and the management tool crashing on one occasion too. Use of local memory and CPU cycles was very low indeed, but there was a discernible slowdown of our set of tasks. File access lags were also noticeable, and scanning speeds were not the fastest.
Detection was decent but not spectacular in the reactive sets, dropping off considerably but remaining respectable in the proactive part of the RAP test, despite the lack of access to the product's considerable cloud resources. The WildList sets and clean sets were handled nicely, and a VB100 award is merited.
Main version: 1.0.0.55
Update versions: N/A
Last 6 tests: 1 passed, 3 failed, 2 no entry
Last 12 tests: 2 passed, 5 failed, 5 no entry
ItW on demand: 99.04%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 55
Stability: Fair
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PC Pitstop's product isn't really intended for server admins, but seemed quite happy to run on this month's server test platform, installing in rapid time. The interface focuses on system information, referring to the platform rather quaintly as 'Windows 7 Server' and digging around for software in need of updating. Configuration options for the anti-malware component are limited, but the basics are covered.
The 'fair' stability rating reflects only a single issue but a fairly significant one, essentially disabling the on-demand scanning component over several installs. However, the issue was already known to the developers and a fix came rapidly. Resource use was a little high and our set of tasks ran a little slowly, but scanning speeds were blindingly fast. Overheads were a little high, but not excessive.
Detection, aided by the whitelisting component at the core of the product, was pretty decent in the reactive sets and very strong indeed in the proactive sets where most solutions show significant decreases in coverage. The WildList sets were covered properly on access where the whitelisting is operational, but on demand there were a small number of misses, and in the clean sets there were a batch of false alarms, including items from Adobe and the Windows App store, meaning once again no VB100 award for PC Pitstop.
Main version: 16.00(9.0.0.49) 64Bit
Update versions: N/A
Last 6 tests: 3 passed, 0 failed, 3 no entry
Last 12 tests: 6 passed, 1 failed, 5 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Solid
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Quick Heal's standard business product was not too speedy to set up this month, but at least the install and update dialogs featured a little colour, in contrast to the main interface which is presented in stark black-and-white. The design is clean and clear though, with a standard tiled layout providing a good set of controls.
Stability was perfect, with no problems noted. Memory use was rather high, but CPU use low, and our set of tasks did show a fair amount of slowdown. Scanning speeds were not the fastest, and our file access lag measures showed significant impact, but this was much lighter after initial checks.
Detection was rather mediocre in the reactive sets, showing a strange spike in the first part of the proactive set before falling away again. The certification sets were well handled though, and Quick Heal earns a VB100 award without too much fuss.
Main version: 16.00(9.0.0.49) 64Bit
Update versions: N/A
Last 6 tests: 3 passed, 0 failed, 3 no entry
Last 12 tests: 3 passed, 0 failed, 9 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Fair
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Quick Heal's Seqrite range is aimed at larger enterprise customers, but on the surface at least, the server edition seemed little different from the standard business product, using the same black-and-white colour scheme and taking a similarly long time to install.
Stability was shaken by a few incidents where the scanner got stuck plugging through large sets of malware, but was otherwise OK. Resource usage was high in some areas and low in others, with a fair but not over-the-top impact on our set of tasks, decent scanning speeds, and file access overheads a touch high at first but improving quickly.
Detection was again not the best but just about within the bounds of respectability, and the core sets were properly dealt with, earning Seqrite a VB100 award too.
Main version: 11.0.25898.501
Update versions: N/A
Last 6 tests: 3 passed, 0 failed, 3 no entry
Last 12 tests: 8 passed, 0 failed, 4 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Solid
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Chinese web and IM giant Tencent returned to our test bench in the last comparative and is back again this month. The international version of the product is very different from the Chinese-language editions of old, with a very clean and simple interface providing clear, basic information and easy access to controls. Installation was extremely speedy.
Stability was also very good with no problems noted, and while memory usage was rather high, there wasn't too much use of CPU cycles and our set of activities completed in very good time. Scanning speeds were reasonable and file access lag times were barely impacted, mainly thanks to a lack of on-read scanning by default.
Detection, aided as usual by the Avira engine, was very strong indeed with only the slightest dip into the later parts of the RAP sets, and with a clear run through the certification sets, Tencent earns another VB100 award.
Main version: 8.4.0.17
Update versions: 3.9.2671.2 /43026, 43456, 43578, 43770
Last 6 tests: 3 passed, 0 failed, 3 no entry
Last 12 tests: 5 passed, 0 failed, 7 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Stable
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ThreatTrack Security's VIPRE engine is a relatively young beast compared to many in this month's test, but has built up quite a reputation for itself over the last few years. Installation wasn't too time-consuming and the latest edition of the interface is quite attractive: another very clean and simple layout but still managing to provide some decent controls and settings.
Stability was mostly very good with only a couple of errors during install, which seemed to be fairly transient. Memory usage was a shade below this month's average, CPU use a touch above, and our set of tasks wasn't hindered too much. Scanning speeds were a touch slow initially, but very fast on repeat jobs, with file read overheads showing similar improvements in later runs.
Detection was very good indeed in the reactive sets, dropping off fairly steeply into the proactive sets, and with another clean run over the core sets, ThreatTrack earns another VB100 award.
Main version: 2015(15.0.3.5432)
Update versions: N/A
Last 6 tests: 4 passed, 0 failed, 2 no entry
Last 12 tests: 7 passed, 0 failed, 5 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Stable
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Perennial high-performer TrustPort installed a little slowly on this occasion. The interface is a fairly simple tiled affair with a more comprehensive control panel also available.
Stability was good with just a few minor issues, the most significant of which was a loss of connection between parts of the product which required a reboot to rectify but did not recur. Resource use was light and our set of tasks ran through in good time, but file read overheads were rather high and scanning speeds not too impressive.
Detection was as superb as ever though, with very little missed and only the slightest downturn through the RAP sets; a flawless run through the certification sets earns TrustPort another VB100 award.
This month all products submitted for public testing were included in the final report.
Another good month with a high pass rate and most products proving stable and reliable, as seems to be the way with our server tests. Of those that didn't quite reach certification, the main point of failure was false positives as usual – it's worth pointing out that the false positive numbers are mostly fairly small, and even smaller when viewed as a fraction of the entire clean set used for the test, as usual pushing close to a million files. On the stability side, no products were rated worse than 'fair', which should please the end-users as much as it does the lab team.
All tests were run on identical systems with AMD A6-3670K Quad Core 2.7GHz processors, 4GB DUAL DDR3 1600MHz RAM, dual 500GB and 1TB SATA hard drives and gigabit networking, running Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2.
