About antivirus ESET NOD32 Many PC users may have never even heard of such anti-virus programs as Doctor Web or Kaspersky Anti-Virus. But this is not a reason not to take it seriously and forget about it.
Back in high school, in physics lessons, we were taught that the force of action is always equal to the force of reaction. But, it must be said that this statement is true not only for science, but for the whole world as a whole. The faster technology and progress move forward, the more counterbalancing factors appear. This also applies to the world of computer technology - as operating systems and software improve, so do viruses.
However, a so-called “counterbalance to counterbalance” was found in the form of antivirus programs. And far from the last place in the antivirus product market at the moment is occupied by ESET NOD32, developed by Slovak programmers.
Advantages of ESET NOD32 Antivirus
Experts say the main advantage of this antivirus is the low load on the system, which is due to the peculiarities of creating the program itself (it is written in Assembly language), and a decent speed of diagnosing problems in this very system, unlike many other antiviruses, such as, for example, Kaspersky Antivirus, which checks presence of viruses for too long. In addition, when updating its anti-virus databases, ESET NOD32 does not create additional inconveniences during use, does not load the channel and uses a special system of mirror servers, which allows you to receive updates much faster than competitors.
The program uses not only virus signature databases, but also a heuristic method for identifying them, which allows you to actively counter viruses that have not yet been studied and have not previously been entered into the database. Plus, the size of antivirus updates is measured not in tens of megabytes, but only in hundreds of kilobytes, which is important for the procedure for updating the virus signature database, especially for office computers.
Standard equipment of ESET NOD32 Antivirus
What does it include:
Built-in standard resident protection Antivirus MONitor, which checks the files that are used in real time by the PC owner.
Scanner on demand , which scans only when you want to check the system for malware. There is a built-in scan scheduling function that allows you to audit disks as quickly as possible and with the least load on the system.
Internet Monitor is a program that allows you to prevent hard drives from being contaminated by malicious junk from the Internet. Checks HTTP traffic and mail files. Some configurations may not interact well with Windows products, so during installation a software compatibility diagnostic is performed and you may be prompted to disable this component.
Document MONitor. As you already understood from the name, this application interacts with office programs and documents, and uses the official Microsoft API interface, which diagnoses not only Word, Excel, PowerPoint, but even .
Updated package of ESET NOD32 Antivirus
Since its development, many updates have been released for the ESET NOD32 antivirus. For example, running on the interface ThreatSense, anti-malware module. The program also has a personal firewall that successfully interacts with similar services in Windows and monitors all transactions between the protected computer and other computers on the network.
ESET SysRescue, which appeared in the fourth version of the ESET NOD32 antivirus, makes it possible to create a boot disk with an antivirus utility to scan the system for viruses and successfully remove them. The main advantage of ESET SysRescue is that it operates independently of the operating system status, although it has direct access to the disk and its entire file system. It is thanks to this that it is possible to remove all those intrusions of viruses that cannot be removed in a running operating system.
Removable media control function allows you to create a separate virtual bootable media (USB, CD, DVD) in order to prevent viruses from penetrating onto the media. Typically, this application is used when it is known that there is malware on the disk or already exists, but it cannot be removed, disinfected, or isolated.
The fifth version of ESET NOD32 antivirus introduced the service ESET Live Grid, which allows you to diagnose traffic to and from the Internet in real time. At the time of presentation, this service was considered the pinnacle of technological solutions in PC protection.
Moreover, already in version 4x a special program has appeared that will protect you from receiving unwanted mail - spam.
Also, using ESET NOD32 antivirus, you can restrict your child’s access to unwanted sites. This is the so-called service parental controls .
Enhanced Media Control provides the ability to automatically scan digital devices connected to a computer.
However, among the updates in the fifth version, experts especially highlight the presence of the function Optimized Startup Procedure , which significantly reduces the load created by the antivirus on the computer’s operating system, and therefore allows Windows to load as quickly as possible when turned on.
Antivirus ESET NOD32 supported by the vast majority of operating systems, including OS for mobile devices: Windows Mobile, Symbian, Android. Many laboratories specializing in PC protection against malware highlight ESET NOD32 among others for its speed, ease of use and reliability.
And if your computer needs reliable protection with minimal settings, I advise you to go to the official ESET website and install it. Unfortunately, this antivirus product is not free. The cost of its licenses for a year ranges from 500 to 2500 rubles. An alternative to purchasing a key for a paid license can be to search on file hosting sites on the Internet for fresh, valid TRIAL keys, as well as current update servers ESET NOD32. It’s up to you to decide which of these methods to use, and if you are a fan of freebies, the Yandex and Google search engines will help you.
Many vendors release updates to their products in the fall and assign their names to the number of the coming year. Solutions from other companies do not have similar numbering. ESET assigns each version its own serial number, and their release is usually not scheduled for a specific time of year. Let us remind you that the previous version of NOD32 was released in January 2013. ESET NOD32 Antivirus 7 ($39.99 license) promises improved antivirus and phishing protection. However, when tested, the anti-phishing component did not show any significant improvements.
ESET has made virtually no changes to the appearance of the antivirus. The only difference from previous versions is the presence of four access icons to popular components, previously there were three.
Good results in independent laboratories
ESET participates in testing from all popular antivirus laboratories, and the results of the product are stable and very high. ICSA Labs and West Coast Labs have certified the product for antivirus detection. In Virus Bulletin, ESET set a record of receiving the VB100 award 12 times in the last 12 test series.
AV-Comparatives runs two different antivirus tests. One is a conventional test that tests signature detection, and the other is a retrospective test that deliberately uses outdated antivirus databases and counters the latest zero-day threats. ESET was rated ADVANCED+ in the retrospective test and ADVANCED in the traditional test.
Of course, it is very important that the antivirus removes all malware found. West Coast and ICSA have certified the antivirus for cleaning as well. In a test that evaluates threat removal performance, AV-Comparatives gave ESET an ADVANCED+ rating.
Another important criterion for evaluating antivirus solutions is the reliable blocking of new online threats. Dennis Technology Labs tests antivirus products against web-based threats. The laboratory uses a unique replication system that guarantees equal testing conditions for different products. ESET achieved Level AAA, the highest level at Dennis Labs. The antivirus received ADVANCED+ in dynamic testing from AV-Comparatives. AV-Test awarded the program 5 points out of 6 possible for protection effectiveness.
ESET did not lose any false positive points in any of the AV-Comparatives tests and earned a very good score in the Dennis Labs false positive test. A perfect 6 points in the usability test from AV-Test also indicates the absence of false positives.
The only evaluation category in which ESET was not so good was performance. The product received an ADVANCED for performance at AV-Comparatives. In AV-Test it received only 2 points out of 6 possible. However, in PC Magazine's own tests, no significant slowdowns were noticed.
Not the best blocking of dangerous downloads
Recently, PC Magazine introduced a new type of test that tests how well antivirus programs do at blocking links that lead directly to downloading malicious files. A database of such addresses is compiled with the participation of MRG-Effitas. The links participating in the test are no more than a day old, so countering such serious threats is a real test for antivirus products.
The test opens each link and records the antivirus response. Does it block the browser, preventing access to that link? Does it interrupt downloads or add downloaded files to quarantine? Or he simply prefers to “knuckle down” and do nothing.
Among the products tested using this method, avast showed the best effectiveness! Free Antivirus 2014. It blocked 79 percent of downloads, with most of the blocking occurring at the network level. BullGuard Antivirus (2014) has the worst result - only 30 percent of blocked threats.
ESET's performance fell within the range of these two indicators. The product was able to block 41 percent of downloads, preventing access to links in half the cases. In other cases, an already downloaded malicious file was blocked. It's interesting to note that some of the links were flagged as "potentially objectionable content" even though they were clearly malicious. These links are listed as blocked.
Good malware blocking
ESET also participated in the traditional malware blocking test. Immediately after opening the folder with malicious samples, the antivirus began deleting them. When a threat is detected and resolved, ESET displays a pop-up window informing you of the event. Multiple notifications appear in the same window, and you can either view them or dismiss them all at once.
ESET blocked 83 percent of threats very quickly. In the trial with manually modified files, the same rate was observed - 83 percent.
Once the remaining malicious files were launched, ESET blocked approximately half of them. The final detection rate is 94 percent, placing ESET firmly at the top of the results table. However, BullGuard, Avira Antivirus Suite (2014) and Ashampoo Anti-Virus 2014 were each able to detect 97 percent of threats.
The overall ESET blocking score is 9.2. The same indicator is found in Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus+ 2014 and McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2014. This is a relatively high result, but AVG AntiVirus FREE 2014, Avira and F-Secure Anti-Virus 2014 managed to score 9.4 points.
Reduced effectiveness of anti-phishing
The press release for the new version 7 mentions “an improved component for blocking fraudulent sites, resources with a dubious reputation and potentially objectionable content.” In PC Magazine's own tests, the new component performed worse than its predecessor.
To test anti-phishing, a collection of the latest links to fraudulent sites that have not yet been verified by vendors is used. Each link is opened, the editor is convinced that the site is indeed fraudulent, i.e. looks similar to the resources of financial organizations and contains sections of code designed to steal private data. In addition, during the test, the antivirus response to a dangerous site is recorded - blocking or ignoring.
ESET's detection rate was 58 percent lower than Norton's reference protection. Let's remember that version 6 of NOD32 blocked 48 percent fewer phishing threats than the solution from Symantec. Therefore, ESET is not an effective enough solution to provide reliable protection against the latest phishing attacks.
Fast antivirus protection
A full scan of a clean test system with ESET took 18 minutes, much less than the average of 28 minutes. The subsequent scan took less than a minute because ESET does not rescan files that were initially determined to be safe.
The ESET website contains a rich collection of cleaning utilities. Each of these programs is designed to remove a specific type of malware that can bypass normal scanning. The new version allows you to run an “ESET custom cleaner”, which can be found under the Help and Support tab. If you accept the scary "may cause stability issues" warning, the tool will begin removing threats like Conficker and Sireref. ESET plans to add more features to this component in the future.
If ransomware is blocking access to the desktop or malware has rendered Windows inoperable, the user can create a bootable disk or flash drive. This operation will need to be done on a clean computer, on which you will also need to install the Windows Automated Installation Kit.
When malware prevents your antivirus from installing or prevents a scan from running, a boot disk can be a very useful solution. ESET's online scanner can also help. Problem still exists? The product includes a powerful diagnostic tool that can give technical support agents a clear picture of what's happening on your computer. If necessary, a technical support representative will be able to remotely control the computer for diagnostics and recovery.
Additional opportunities and training
You can run the SysInspector diagnostic program at any time. The reports are always very detailed and this information can be used for analysis. For example, one filter groups items by risk level. Select sort by highest risk and you'll see which files pose the greatest risk. It is very effective to compare reports over different time periods.
A new feature in version 7 is the list of running processes. It offers more features than the standard task manager. This tool determines the prevalence of the process, the time of first launch and the degree of risk. You can view the full application name, not just the file name. The only thing that cannot be done is to end processes, as in a regular task manager.
From the Tools tab you can launch ESET Social Media Scanner, which can be used as a free standalone service. The tool checks Twitter and Facebook accounts for dangerous links in one minute. Optionally, you can send a warning to the sender of the malicious link. In addition, the tool assigns a rating for private settings and makes recommendations on how to increase this rating.
Not every user has a complete understanding of computer security. ESET now offers its customers full-scale automated training. Both casual and advanced users will be able to learn a lot through animated stories about the residents of the fictional town of Bloomfield.
“Favorite” of laboratories
ESET has done a good job of blocking malware. The results were much worse when blocking the latest malicious links or phishing sites. On the other hand, independent antivirus laboratories consistently award ESET high ratings and scores. Based on these metrics alone, the antivirus is an excellent choice.
Let's remember that the title of "Editor's Choice" is shared by Norton AntiVirus (2014) and Bitdefender Antivirus Plus (2014). All of them can reliably protect your digital world.
ESET NOD32 Antivirus 7 review:
Advantages
- Consistently high scores in independent antivirus laboratories;
- Fast system scans, even faster repeat scans;
- Computer security training available;
- Contains useful additional features and tools;
- Good result in blocking threats in PC Magazine's own tests.
Flaws
- Average effectiveness at blocking the latest malicious links;
- Weak protection against phishing.
Overall rating
ESET releases new products when they are ready to use; the company does not adhere to an annual schedule. ESET NOD32 Antivirus 7 demonstrated decent performance in tests of the PC Magazine Internet portal. These results are confirmed by numerous tests in third-party antivirus laboratories.
Today there are many paid and free solutions among antivirus programs. All of them guarantee maximum system protection. This article will review and compare two paid antivirus solutions: Kaspersky Anti-Virus and ESET NOD32.
If we compare Kaspersky and NOD32 in terms of interface convenience, then at first glance it is clear that the main functions of these antiviruses are in a prominent place. If the user needs, for example, to add a folder to antivirus exclusions, he will have to go to additional settings. This situation is observed in Kaspersky and NOD32. The only difference in the interface is the design.
The Kaspersky main menu consists of a list of main tools, buttons "More Tools" and a small settings icon.
The NOD32 main menu consists of several basic functions, and on the side you can find a list of other sections.
And yet in NOD32 the structure of the interface is more obvious.
ESET NOD32 1:0 Kaspersky Anti-Virus
Antivirus protection
The main task of every antivirus is reliable protection. Both antivirus products were scanned by a current archive of 8983 viruses. This method is one of the simplest and is aimed at checking the effectiveness of the anti-virus scanner.
NOD32 completed the task in just 13 seconds, but also showed a not entirely satisfactory result. After scanning 8,573 objects, it identified 2,578 threats. Perhaps this is due to the specifics of the antivirus and it would cope better with active threats.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus scanned the archive for 56 minutes. This is quite long, but the result is better than in NOD32, because it found 8191 threats. This is most of the entire archive.
ESET NOD32 1:1 Kaspersky Anti-Virus
Directions of protection
Antiviruses have similar components. But NOD32 has device control, which allows you to block access to disks, USB drives, etc.
In turn, Kaspersky has an IM antivirus, whose task is to ensure security in Internet chats.
ESET NOD32 1:2 Kaspersky Anti-Virus
In normal mode, NOD32 consumes very few resources.
Kaspersky is much more power hungry.
When scanning a system, NOD32 places a heavy load on the system at the beginning.
But after a few seconds it reduces the load.
Kaspersky consistently loads the device with these parameters.
ESET NOD32 2:2 Kaspersky Anti-Virus
Additional features
Both antiviruses have their own additional features. For Kaspersky, this includes an on-screen keyboard, recovery after infection, cloud protection, etc.
In GOD32, the tools are aimed more at system analysis.
ESET NOD32 2:3 Kaspersky Anti-Virus
In the end, the victory goes to Kaspersky antivirus, because it is largely aimed at ensuring the security of the device. But which antivirus is worth using, each user decides for himself, because both products are worthy of attention.
There is no doubt that modern computer and mobile systems must have some kind of standard or portable component for protection against all kinds of malicious software. One of the most powerful and interesting tools of this type is considered to be software products from Eset, which has been operating in the antivirus software market for quite a long time. Its priority application is a standard tool in the form of Eset NOD32 antivirus. Feedback from users who have tried using such tools is further proposed for discussion.
Basic Eset for home and office
Like any other security software developer, Eset is not limited to releasing just one product, offering all users without exception completely different tools focused on protection in different situations, dividing them (albeit very conditionally) into home and office applets . Among all that can be found among protective packages, the following are especially worth noting:
- standard antivirus NOD32;
- package for comprehensive protection NOD32 Smart Security;
- Internet security tools NOD32 Internet Security;
- home protector NOD32 Family.
Installation of Eset of any type
As for the installation of any of the above products in the Eset NOD32 line, reviews from almost all users and specialists look positive. The installation does not cause any particular difficulties even for ordinary users, since almost all actions are fully automated. But when installing any program for the first time, special attention should be paid to the presence of a previously installed antivirus or its remnants on the system. Likewise, under no circumstances is it recommended to simultaneously install several identical software products from this developer at the same time (for example, the standard NOD32 antivirus and Eset NOD32 Smart Security). Feedback from experts indicates that the installers of these packages themselves, subject to parallel installation, will not allow you to perform such actions. But separately in the operating system itself and on a virtual machine-emulator or in the OS that is used as a second one, such an installation is possible.
As for the system requirements, they look quite modest, which makes it possible to install and use any of the packages even on relatively weak machines. However, there are pitfalls here. If you look at the same reviews about Eset NOD32 Antivirus (as well as about any other package), they all have one significant drawback that simply irritates many. It is associated with the obsessive requirement to update program modules to the most current version, which is not always desirable for outdated computer systems. But, unfortunately, you cannot refuse this, since software components are updated in the same way as anti-virus databases, automatically.
During operation, no special loads on the processor and RAM were noticed. In addition, in the settings of any program, you can set background scanning only for those cases when the antivirus detects long-term system downtime.
Interface and basic settings
According to the overwhelming majority of both users and experts in the field of computer security, the appearance of any software product looks stylish, there is nothing superfluous, and generally makes a favorable impression.
However, many note the fact that some tools and settings are hidden so deeply that without special knowledge and skills it is almost impossible to get to them (this is especially true for situations when it is necessary to configure some special parameters, such as a list of exceptions and unblocking ports or Internet resources ).
Conflicts with other software
But it looks very commendable that not a single software product causes conflicts either with applications installed on the system or with those that are supposed to be installed. In the same way, antiviruses do not respond at all to the use of portable scanners, which can spontaneously make changes to system settings and parameters, deleting infected objects.
Eset NOD32: user reviews on threat identification
Antivirus databases are considered to be one of the largest of all. Reviews of the Eset NOD32 antivirus indicate that the security module itself has quite impressive characteristics and allows the identification of both obvious and potential threats based on behavioral and heuristic analysis. Cloud services designed to scan before viruses penetrate computers are not used, however, any program that has been developed is very successful in identifying and neutralizing them before they can cause any damage to the computer system. By the way, false positives, as observed, say, with Avast! or Dr. The Web is completely lacking in terms of identifying unwanted software.
It also looks interesting that antiviruses are very sensitive to attempts by other installed programs to access dangerous resources.
For example, when copywriters check text, they can often see pop-up warning windows indicating that some resource is blocked or the threat has been eliminated.
Reviews of Eset NOD32 Internet Security, Smart Security and Family
These two tools are very effective tools for providing comprehensive protection of any type and are focused not only on identifying threats that can penetrate when downloading files from the Internet or visiting any sites. In terms of identifying threats located specifically on dubious sites, these packages look head and shoulders above similar products. They even have the ability for the user to react in two ways to the warnings issued. On the one hand, you can promptly refuse to go to a dubious resource or block its web content for viewing; on the other hand, the user, despite the warning, can still go to the desired address. Particular attention in the anti-virus packages themselves is paid to verifying the authenticity of security certificates, which almost always excludes the spontaneous installation of various kinds of applets in the form of scripts launched on websites that install advertising viruses or ransomware.
Reviews about Eset NOD32 Family (this module is one of the varieties of Smart Security) also look very interesting. Particularly noteworthy is the low load on computer resources and the possibility of installation in the most, so to speak, frail systems.
It is also worth noting that, regardless of the package used, they all have two special tools that the user can install or activate at their discretion. These are modules for protecting bank payments and the so-called anti-theft.
Activation issues
As mentioned above, absolutely all Eset products are paid, and to many users the price of each of them seems quite high, especially if you purchase a license for a year or more. But here, as it turns out, there is a way out.
The fact is that on the Internet you can find many official sites that contain freely distributed activation keys for any program from this line. The latest versions, however, do not accept the keys themselves, requiring only the entry of a license. And that's no problem! In the same way, an officially free key can be converted into a license code on official rectifier resources. If we talk about unofficial activators, on the Internet you can find a small utility called TNOD User & Password Finder, which can be installed from custom antivirus builds.
When the system starts or when the user starts a file, the application checks the Internet for the presence of free valid licenses and activates it independently without the participation of the user himself. Actually, this method is somewhat illegal, however, despite this, you can find reviews about Eset NOD32, which clearly indicate that even in this case, not a single antivirus from the entire line of those presented conflicts with this software activator at all (and does not block it ).
Removing antivirus tools
Removing any antivirus from Windows systems is quite simple. You don't even need to launch Safe Mode.
Its own built-in uninstaller does this quite well, although it is better to use specialized applications for a complete cleanup. However, when re-installing, you should pay attention to the fact that after using the standard tools of some other software products (for example, from the developer Malwarebytes), some antivirus functions may not work without completely removing them and thoroughly cleaning the system registry.
What's the result?
It remains to add that almost all reviews about Eset NOD32 are positive. Despite the paid nature of any software product from the entire line, in general they look quite good and promising. And their use in offices and on home computers is completely justified. Many of those who have tried these packages in action do not regret the money spent on the purchase. If for some reason you do not want to buy official releases, or you simply do not have the money for it, as an option, you can use activation every thirty days. A little inconvenient, but the quality of protection exceeds all expectations.
The Internet is an integral part of the life of any person. With its help we communicate, receive information, and learn. The enormous benefits of the network also have a downside - the functionality of the Internet and its scale have become a convenient platform for scammers. Attackers can steal important information from your webcam, keyboard, or hard drive. Protection against illegal actions - antivirus for your computer.
Benefits of ESET PC Antivirus
ESET has taken a special place among programs that are used to combat fraudsters. No registration, free access and ample opportunities - this is why millions of users have chosen the software. The antivirus program optimizes the operating system and cleans it of junk files that reduce performance.
It’s worth downloading an antivirus to your computer if you want to ensure reliable protection for your electronic device. The program has powerful functionality:
- complete and quick check;
- scanning and searching for malicious software on removable media and hard drives;
- deleting suspicious files;
- tracking operating system updates;
- deleting files that slow down operation;
- possibility of restoring the OS.
Antiviruses for PCs guarantee the safe use of electronic devices. Special software is constantly developing and improving, and useful applications are being added. Positive user reviews confirm this.