I don’t know if any of you saw this segment on Kaspersky on NBC News a few days ago.

http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/behind-kaspersky-labs-a-front-for-russian-intelligence-or-software-company-1013441091726

Kaspersky is one of the world’s largest anti-virus software companies.   I recently heard that they have 200 million users.  The company has also been on the forefront of security research.  For a time, I recommended  Kaspersky for my Windows clients but have not done so for 4 or 5 years.  At this time, none of my clients use their products.  At this time, I want to share about the anti-virus products that I do recommend.  I will also share (parenthetically)  the country that each of these companies is based in.

The mac OS comes with a built in firewall and also requirements that developers of Mac apps must adhere to.  However, there is no anti-virus that comes with the the OS (operating system).  There are two products that I have come to like over the years.   One is a paid product called Intego (France).  It will run you about $40 a year per computer.  The other is Avast (Czech Republic) for Mac. It is free.  While I don’t like that Avast tries to install trials of their other products on your system, like their VPN, they can be deleted.  I have found Avast and Intego to be proactive in pointing out threats on the Mac.    Due to their free phone support, I will give the nod to Intego here.

Windows 10 comes with basic anti-virus software built in.  It is good enough for many users.  The reason why a Windows user might want to use a paid anti-virus is to have more active protection.  In some cases users feel more comfortable knowing that their anti-virus product is intercepting web traffic to block possible threats.  There are three paid anti-virus products for Windows that I currently recommend:  ESET (Slovakia), Avira (Germany), and Avast.  Of these three, I will tip my cap to ESET because they offer free phone support.  I am always on the lookout for new providers to add to my list.

Many customers are willing to trust security companies based outside of the US because this can be a potential buffer against US government interference.  While not based in the US, many of these security companies have offices in the US or North America.