Virus Bulletin
Copyright © 2016 Virus Bulletin
As we return for a second visit to Windows 10, this month's VB100 comparative sees a fairly extensive selection of products taking part. While the list includes most of the familiar names from the last few years there are also a few fairly recent additions, some of which are still working towards their first VB100 certification. The test report is somewhat delayed, due to a combination of a backlog of work, some health issues, and some rather puzzling behaviour by the platform, so this report will once again be briefer than usual, as well as missing the usual sets of performance data – we hope to see this data reinstated in the next comparative.
Windows 10 is now the default Windows version pushed by Microsoft, with Windows 7 usage discouraged but still supported. The newer version still has some way to go to reach the popularity of Windows 7, with some of the changes introduced in Windows 10 continuing to discourage uptake. One such change – to the way updating and patching works – caught our test team somewhat off guard this month, with some overlooked setting having resulted in all sorts of unexpected background behaviour during our performance tests. Unfortunately, this went unnoticed until the data was processed, at which point some large discrepancies were revealed between machines, with several gigabytes of additional data having been downloaded to some. The resulting imbalances ultimately meant our performance data had to be abandoned. Otherwise, if one can ignore some other potential pitfalls of the platform - such as the harvesting of personal data, which seems to have become a key feature – installation and usage proved fairly uncomplicated, and the platform was for the most part stable and well behaved.
Our other pre-test duties mainly concern the sample sets, which were approached in the normal manner, with the clean sets continuing to be updated until the test deadline of 22 June. The latest WildList available on this date was used to build the other main certification set, and the sets used for our detection tests were built on the fly, using samples from the last ten days prior to each phase of the test.
With our standard tools in place and the test sets and products ready to go, we got down to the business of putting the products through their paces.
Main version: 15.0.17.273
Update versions: 8.12.100.54, 8.12.103.188, 8.12.104.240, 8.12.106.84
Last 6 tests: 4 passed, 0 failed, 2 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: Solid
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Avira's paid‑for edition missed out on our first visit to Windows 10, but demonstrated this time that it is quite at home on the platform, showing impeccable stability and its usual strong detection levels. The certification sets were dealt with well, earning Avira a VB100 award.
Main version: 5.1.38
Update versions: 5.4.25
Last 6 tests: 4 passed, 1 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 5 passed, 5 failed, 2 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Fair
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CYREN's Command product has been around for quite some time and generally proves simple to operate, with results depending heavily on the handling of the clean set – something which has been much improved of late. This month there were a few stability problems, mainly with scan jobs crashing or freezing. On the detection side things were a little better, with some good scores recorded, particularly when using the company's cloud lookup system, and with no problems in the certification sets a VB100 award is well deserved.
Main version: 3.0.1.1
Update versions: 16.2.22.1/595911.2016062223/7.66019/6858364.20160622, 16.2.22.1/598338.2016071117/7.66278/7056588.20160711
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 first of this month's glut of products using the ever-popular Bitdefender engine, South Korea's ESTsoft has been a regular in our tests for a while now and has managed a clean sweep of all our Windows comparatives in the last couple of years. Stability was very good indeed, with no problems noted. Detection was strong too, and the certification sets proved no problem, earning ESTsoft another VB100 award.
Main version: 5.4.1.0840
Update versions: 5.00233/35.00574, 35.00846, 36.00007, 36.00312
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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Fortinet's desktop product appears in almost all of our tests, generally with good results. There were a few stability issues this month, including a failed update, a frozen scan and an unexpected restart, but as usual detection was good. The certification sets were handled well, and a VB100 award is earned by Fortinet.
Main version: 2.9.26
Update versions: 98352, 98399, 98419, 2.13.19/98444
Last 6 tests: 3 passed, 2 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 7 passed, 2 failed, 3 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 3
Stability: Solid
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We've seen products from Ikarus in most of our comparatives over the last few years, with high detection rates occasionally balanced by a tendency to false alarm from time to time. This month, stability was impeccable and detection pretty strong, with flawless coverage of our WildList sets. In the clean sets, however, a couple of items were incorrectly flagged, including some components of an IronCAD design package, which means there is no VB100 award for Ikarus this month despite a good effort.
Main version: 5.8.2
Update versions: 5.8.3.0000/3.71, 5.8.40000, 5.8.6
Last 6 tests: 3 passed, 2 failed, 1 no entry
Last 12 tests: 8 passed, 2 failed, 2 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Stable
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Just as the finishing touches were being put on this report we heard news that iSheriff had been acquired by Mimecast, which could mean some changes for users of the product. For now, the product is much as we've known it for a while, built around a cloud-based management portal with multiple features and controls, from which the endpoint agent is deployed and operated. It was pretty stable with only a couple of very minor issues noted, related to logging consistency, and it scored well in detection thanks to that ubiquitous Bitdefender engine. The core test sets were ably handled, and another VB100 award goes to iSheriff.
Main version: 16.00/9.053.1 64bit
Update versions: N/A
Last 6 tests: 2 passed, 0 failed, 4 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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Quick Heal's Seqrite business line has become a regular in our tests in recent years, and for the most part closely resembles the consumer editions we're even more used to evaluating. Stability wasn't quite perfect, with a couple of scan jobs freezing up and on one occasion the entire machine locking up, but detection was decent, and with no problems in the certification sets a VB100 award is earned by Quick Heal.
Main version: 16.0.0.5676
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: Solid
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TrustPort's core product line is apparently just as well suited to business use as to consumers, so it appears in both categories this month despite there being no physical differences in the product. Stability was rock-solid with no problems even under the heaviest of pressure, and as usual detection was very strong indeed. The core certification sets were brushed aside with ease, and TrustPort earns another VB100 award.
Main version: 2.0.4919.0
Update versions: 2.0.0.2923, 2.0.0.2950, 2.0.0.2957, 2.0.0.2974
Last 6 tests: 0 passed, 2 failed, 4 no entry
Last 12 tests: 0 passed, 3 failed, 9 no entry
ItW on demand: 91.02%
ItW on access: 87.21%
False positives: 32
Stability: Fair
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Zillya! has yet to achieve VB100 certification, but gamely keeps trying. Claiming to be the only anti-virus lab in the Ukraine, the company continues to improve and refine its solution, which does seem as if it will be a contender for certified status sometime soon. The product looks fairly attractive, but stability remains a little shaky, with a couple of strange behaviours from the PC and a couple of unwanted restarts. Detection was not the strongest and declined rather sharply through the test sets, but the WildList set was somewhat better handled. Unfortunately, false positives were noted in fair numbers, including components of older versions of both OpenOffice and WordPerfect, so there is no award for Zillya! quite yet.
Main version: 12.1.2272 Build 12.1.3076.0
Update versions: 160622-0, 160712-0, 12.1.3076.6/160720-0, 160728-0
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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The mighty Avast announced acquisition of freemium arch-rival AVG during the testing period, but it seems fairly likely that both lines will remain in existence for a while at least. Avast's product is clean and good-looking, and managed to get through the test process without even a wobble. Detection was solid, and with another clean run through the certification sets, Avast earns another VB100 award and joins the elite group of those with 12 passes in the last 12 tests.
Main version: 16.81.7640
Update versions: 4613/12464, 4613/12563, 4627/12606, 4613/12647
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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Also sitting pretty with a dozen passes in the last two years, AVG's product is visually a little on the dark side much of the time, favouring subtlety over explosions of colour, but it generally performs well. We noted a single unexpected restart during the test, denting the product's stability rating considerably, but there were no other issues. Detection was strong, and with a good showing in the certification sets AVG maintains that unbroken run of VB100 awards.
Main version: 15.0.17.273
Update versions: 8.12.100.54, 8.12.103.188, 8.12.104.240, 8.12.106.84
Last 6 tests: 2 passed, 0 failed, 4 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: Solid
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Avira's consumer edition is also hugely popular, with a massive user base taking advantage of its rock-bottom pricing and enjoying the clean design and impeccable stability which earn it the affections of the test team. Detection was strong as usual, and with a flawless run over the certification sets, a VB100 award is comfortably earned.
Main version: 20.0.28.1477
Update versions: 7.66023/6861151, 20.0.29.1517/7.66232/6964544, 7.66330/7130593, 7.66502/6932762
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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Bitdefender's own product joins a line-up cluttered with other implementations of the same engine, and has maintained a perfect record in the VB100 tests for a while now. The interface is as dark and brooding as ever, and stability proved very good indeed, unshaken by all our test processes. Detection was pretty decent too, the core certification sets proved no problem, and another VB100 award goes to Bitdefender.
Main version: 16.0.321.1
Update versions: 7.66023, 16.0.321.7/7.66233, 16.0.321.8/7.66398, 7.66519
Last 6 tests: 3 passed, 0 failed, 3 no entry
Last 12 tests: 6 passed, 0 failed, 6 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Solid
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Despite only participating in our consumer tests, BullGuard has managed to build up a strong record of passes over the last few years. The product integrates the Bitdefender engine, and generally does well in our tests, this time putting in a wobble-free run on the stability front and notching up a decent set of detection scores. In the certification sets there were no surprises, and another VB100 award goes to BullGuard.
Main version: 14.2.255.000
Update versions: 8.6.1.51
Last 6 tests: 2 passed, 0 failed, 4 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: Fair
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Check Point's ZoneAlarm has been a familiar name in security circles for over 15 years, and has achieved passes in all the VB100 comparatives it has appeared in for at least the last 24 months. This time we had a few stability problems, including an incident of the interface locking up at the end of a big scan job and another when the test machine restarted unexpectedly during installation. Built around the Kaspersky engine, detection scores were decent across our standard sets, and with a clean run through the certification sets, a VB100 award is earned by Check Point.
Main version: 19.4.0.239
Update versions: 7.66023/6861151,19.6.0.326/7.66232/6964544, 7.66330/7130593, 7.66536/6988200
Last 6 tests: 2 passed, 0 failed, 4 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: Stable
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Compuclever is a rather less familiar name on our test bench, but it has cropped up a few times in the last few years with good results each time. Stability was dented only by a very minor error, where an installation failed to complete successfully, but was otherwise very good indeed, and detection, aided by that Bitdefender engine once again, was good. The core sets were covered well, earning Compuclever another VB100 award.
Main version: 11.8.0.6486
Update versions: 11.9.0.6513
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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Emsisoft's product has achieved a pass in all of the last two years' worth of Windows tests, only missing out on our annual Linux comparatives. This month it passed again in some style, with a perfect stability rating, good detection levels and another clean run through the certification sets.
Main version: 14.0.1400.1891 DB
Update versions: N/A
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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Another product making use of the Bitdefender engine, eScan has a very long and illustrious history in the VB100 tests and can now boast a 100% record over the last two years. Stability was excellent, detection levels very good indeed, and the certification sets presented no problems, thus adding another VB100 award to eScan's sizeable collection.
Main version: 9.0.381.0
Update versions: 13687, 13759, 13796, 9.0.386.0/13838
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 history in our tests needs little introduction, with a remarkably consistent run of success dating back many, many years. Once again stability was impeccable, the clear and appealing interface remaining responsive even under severe pressure, and detection was decent too. The certification sets presented no difficulties, and ESET adds another VB100 award to its stash, making a total of 99 since the test was launched in 1998.
Main version: 8.3.40.56
Update versions: 8.12.100.84, 8.3.40.80/8.12.103.188, 8.3.40.88/8.12.105.30, 8.3.40.102/8.12.106.174
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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Essentware is a fairly new name to our tests, although the PCKeeper brand has been around for a while in various other guises, generally doing pretty well thanks to the Avira engine under the covers. Stability this month was a little shaky, with a couple of scans locking up and on a couple of further occasions the entire test PC locked up, requiring a reboot to move things along. Detection was strong though, and with a good performance in the certification sets a VB100 award goes to Essentware.
Main version: 25.1.0.12
Update versions: AVA 25.7064/GD 25.7115, AVA 25.7286/GD 25.7227, AVA 25.7384/GD 25.7272, AVA 25.7572/GD 25.7352
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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G Data can also boast of having passed all our Windows tests in the last two years, and once again recorded a rock‑solid performance with no stability problems observed. Detection, provided by the Bitdefender engine alongside the company's own technologies, was good, with no issues noted in the certification sets, earning G Data another VB100 award.
Main version: 4.0.0.10011
Update versions: 2016.06.22.01, 2016.07.12.01, 2016.07.18.01, 2016.07.28.01
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: Solid
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Inca's nProtect has apparently been around since the year 2000, but has only recently become a VB100 regular, passing all the tests it has entered in the last year. It looks slick and clean, and performed smoothly throughout testing with no stability problems. Detection, again supported by Bitdefender, proved strong with a perfect run through the certification sets, and Inca picks up another VB100 award.
Main version: 15.1.0295
Update versions: 9.230.20011, 9.232.20141, 9.233.20220, 5.1.0296/9.235.20294
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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K7's products have appeared in most of our tests for some time now, only missing out on our Linux comparatives, and generally doing very well. This month we noted a minor stability issue: the product interface locked up for several minutes while the settings were being checked. However, the incident did not recur and seems pretty rare, with a 'Solid' rating very much the norm for K7. Detection remains a little behind the leaders but still very respectable, and with a good showing in the certification sets, K7 comfortably merits another VB100 award.
Main version: 16.0.1.445(c)
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: Stable
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We've had products from Kaspersky Lab in 97% of our VB100 comparatives since the very beginning (our per-product test history appears less well populated, as the company has a broad range of solutions and likes to ensure different ones are tested regularly), producing solidly impressive results in the majority of those many tests. This month, with the flagship consumer suite on the test bench, we had only a fairly trivial stability incident where the interface became unresponsive for a time (to be fair, it was working hard to process the results of a large scan job), but otherwise everything was rock-solid. There are no RAP detection figures to report, but as usual the certification sets presented no problem, earning Kaspersky another VB100 award.
Main version: 11.11.898.9090
Update versions: 11.11.898.9090, 11.11.898.9090, 11.11.898.9202
Last 6 tests: 3 passed, 0 failed, 3 no entry
Last 12 tests: 6 passed, 0 failed, 6 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Fair
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Lavasoft submitted a pair of products to the test once again this month. We start with the free edition. Since switching to the Bitdefender engine and putting together a glossy new interface a year or so back, we've seen some good performances from the venerable Ad-Aware brand, and this time things were pretty dependable once again. We did note a single unplanned restart, when an update kicked off mid-way through a large scan job, but there were no other stability problems, and with strong detection and a clear run through the certification sets, a VB100 award is comfortably earned.
Main version: 11.11.898.9090
Update versions: 11.11.898.9090, 11.11.898.9090, 11.12.945.9202
Last 6 tests: 2 passed, 0 failed, 4 no entry
Last 12 tests: 2 passed, 0 failed, 10 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Fair
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The 'Pro' edition of Ad‑Aware has a pretty similar look and feel to its free sibling, and put in a similar performance too, with just a couple more stability incidents of the same type but still managing to stay within the 'Fair' zone. Detection rates were good again, and the certification sets properly handled, earning a second VB100 award for Lavasoft this month.
Main version: 98352
Update versions: 98402, 98419, 98444
Last 6 tests: 0 passed, 2 failed, 4 no entry
Last 12 tests: 0 passed, 2 failed, 10 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 6
Stability: Fair
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MSecure has been appearing in our tests on and off for a while now, with a number of issues in recent years which thankfully seem to have been resolved in this latest version. Stability was far from perfect however, with a number of errors occurring during updating, some logging problems, and a few GUI crashes during scans and log exporting. Thankfully, detection was dependable with some good scores and full coverage of the WildList sets. In the clean sets however, we noted a few false alarms, including on parts of the IronCad package and some older items from SAP and Asus. This meant no VB100 award for MSecure this time, but it was a very near miss.
Main version: 1.0.38.74700
Update versions: 0.14.25.7687, 1.0.38.75004/0.14.25.7795, 1.0.38.75127, 0.14.25.7836, 0.14.25.7881
Last 6 tests: 2 passed, 1 failed, 3 no entry
Last 12 tests: 2 passed, 2 failed, 8 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Solid
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NANO managed its first VB100 pass in the last (June 2016) test, and returns for another try straight away. The product is clear and easy to use, and proved remarkably stable under the heavy strain of our testing processes, showing no signs of stability issues at all. Detection was a little below par, and showed a steady decrease through the test sets, but the certification sets were properly dealt with and NANO can be proud of its second VB100 award from two attempts.
Main version: 7.60.0
Update versions: N/A
Last 6 tests: 2 passed, 0 failed, 4 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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Now firmly established as a regular in our tests, Panda has picked up a good string of passes in the last few years. This time we had a couple of minor stability problems, mainly simple updating errors and a few synching problems with the web management interface, but nothing too serious. Detection was decent where we were able to measure it, and the certification sets were dealt with nicely, earning Panda another VB100 award.
Main version: 2.0.0.4
Update versions: 2.0.0.4, 2.0.0.4, 2.0.0.5
Last 6 tests: 0 passed, 3 failed, 3 no entry
Last 12 tests: 1 passed, 5 failed, 6 no entry
ItW on demand: N/T
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 13,753
Stability: Buggy
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The PC Matic approach is a little different from that of most of our participants, with whitelisting playing a major role in the product's detections, leading to some interesting results over the last few years. There were some fairly severe stability issues on Windows 10, with a number of blue screens cropping up through the tests and giving the team some extra work to do, but the developers proved fast to respond to issues as we reported them. These wobbles aside, it finally seems that our tests have been able to fully exercise the product's detection capabilities, with just about everything in our sets blocked by the product. Sadly, that also meant a fairly large proportion of our clean sets was blocked, something which may be due to the way the sets are stored (lacking entries in the local catalogue of installed packages, which is checked as part of the analysis process by some products). There were also some issues with the WildList detection, including some highly undependable results when using the on-demand scanner component – all other results were obtained on access, but the on-demand results proved too wildly unreliable to include in the report. So there is no VB100 award for PC Pitstop, but some truly epic scores in our RAP/Response tests.
Main version: 7.00/10.0.1.7 64Bit
Update versions: N/A
Last 6 tests: 4 passed, 0 failed, 2 no entry
Last 12 tests: 6 passed, 0 failed, 6 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Fair
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Quick Heal's second entry this month is the vendor's consumer version, which appears in most of our tests. This month it got stuck a few times with the GUI freezing up, but mainly only when asked to do some seriously heavy lifting. Detection was very good indeed, and with another clean run over the certification sets, a second VB100 award goes to Quick Heal.
Main version: 11.0.59518
Update versions: 11.0.62308, 11.0.63017
Last 6 tests: 1 passed, 0 failed, 5 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: Fair
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The ITbrain product first hit our test bench a couple of years ago, picking up a cluster of passes before going quiet for a while. Now returning, it ran pretty well, with just enough GUI freezes and failures‑to-launch to push it into the 'Fair' stability category. Aided by the Bitdefender engine it picked up some solid detection rates though, and with a good performance in the core sets another VB100 award is earned by TeamViewer.
Main version: 11.4.26230.901
Update versions: 11.6.26241.901, 11.626245.901, 11.6.26247.901
Last 6 tests: 5 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: Stable
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Tencent's PC Manager line has been with us for a number of years now, and has picked up passes in all our Windows comparatives in the last year. Other than a single, fairly gracefully handled error updating the integrated Bitdefender engine, it ran smoothly and picked up some good detection scores. There were no problems in the certification sets, and a VB100 award is comfortably earned.
Main version: 11.4.26222.901
Update versions: 11.4.26240.901, 11.6.26242.901, 11.6.26246.901
Last 6 tests: 1 passed, 0 failed, 5 no entry
Last 12 tests: 1 passed, 0 failed, 11 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Stable
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A second product from Tencent, similar to the main product but featuring only the company's own in-house technology, the 'TAV' edition also had only a few fairly minor problems; it has been left out of the RAP test at the vendor's request, as it seems to make heavy use of cloud resources which are not available in parts of this test. In the certification sets though, with all features active, it performed admirably, easily meeting the requirements to earn a VB100 award.
Main version: 8.1
Update versions: 8.1.97, 8.2/8.2.10, 8.2.14, 8.2.20
Last 6 tests: 0 passed, 1 failed, 5 no entry
Last 12 tests: 0 passed, 1 failed, 11 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 99.91%
False positives: 2
Stability: Stable
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Italy's TG Soft has submitted its VirIT product for VB100 testing a few times in the past, most of them more than five years ago. Back for another try, it looks much the same as in the past with a brightly coloured, rather fun old-school design, and proved fairly stable with only a very trivial error noted – a button that appeared not to function. Detection lagged some way behind most of the field, but things were a lot better in the certification sets; almost all of our WildList measures were fine, but a few items were missed in just one of three on‑access runs over the sets. In the clean set meanwhile, a few items were flagged, including some HTML files included in a package from Apple. So there is no VB100 for TG Soft yet, but we would expect it to make the grade very soon.
Main version: 9.3.5.7
Update versions: 3.9.2671.2-3.0/50298-7.66020, 50756-766280, 50928-7.66382, 51124-7.66520
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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The VIPRE brand continues to exist in a new guise, with the in-house engine originally developed by Sunbelt now sidelined by that oh-so-popular Bitdefender engine. The latest version of the product has a clean and tidy interface, which performed pretty well with only some trivial surface glitches to complain about. Detection was pleasingly strong, and with a good run through the certification sets, a VB100 award is easily earned.
Main version: 16.0.0.5676
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: Solid
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The second entry for TrustPort this month, with little new to add thanks to its very close similarity to the entry in our Business category. With the rock-solid stability and superb detection levels to be expected from this product, it easily earns another VB100 award.
Main version: 1.1.1251.0
Update versions: N/A
Last 6 tests: 1 passed, 0 failed, 5 no entry
Last 12 tests: 2 passed, 0 failed, 10 no entry
ItW on demand: 100.00%
ItW on access: 100.00%
False positives: 0
Stability: Stable
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The final product to comment on this month is another multi-engine affair, Wontok making use of both Avira and Bitdefender engines to put together some more epic detection levels. With only a very minor visual glitch denting stability ratings and a perfect run through the certification sets, a VB100 award is well deserved by Wontok.
This month there were no products submitted for testing which failed to reach the required standards to be included in this report.
In this fairly busy desktop test with a broad range of participants, we saw a pleasingly high pass rate with most products comfortably able to deal with our baseline certification requirements. A few had some problems, most of which were related to false alarms in our clean sets – which happen to all products from time to time but seem to hit some more than others. The main thing keeping the test team on their toes this month was stability, with the Windows 10 platform still fairly new, still perhaps somewhat unstable in itself and, it would seem, still very easily tripped up by an unforeseen interaction with a complex piece of software. We saw a very large number of system crashes, blue screens and unplanned reboots this month, which hopefully the platform and product developers between them can resolve. For the most part these were likely influenced by the heavy loads our tests put on products, but quite a few occurred during much more 'normal' activities such as installing, configuring and updating products, so it's likely that at least a few users in the real world will have been seeing some of these problems too.
Next up, in a slight re-organization of our normal pattern of platforms, will be another visit to Windows 7, squeezed in to give Microsoft time to release the much-anticipated 2016 Server, the big brother to Windows 10, which looks likely to give us another set of headaches.
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 10, x64 Pro Edition.
