Seven Security Suites Earn Top Marks in Latest Real-World Protection Test

The testing cycle highlighted a shifting landscape where malicious code, such as the Python-based worm MEL/Vacphage.A, now infiltrates reputable platforms like Epic Games’ Fab.com. This environment forces security software to look beyond traditional suspicious links and identify threats within otherwise legitimate file-sharing ecosystems. To simulate these conditions, researchers subjected 20 popular antivirus and security suites to a rigorous series of real-world internet threats.

Seven products achieved the highest ADVANCED+ designation for their consistent performance: Avast, AVG, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Microsoft, Norton, and TotalAV. The assessment process penalized products with elevated false alarm rates to ensure that protection does not come at the cost of usability. The full report, which details the methodology and individual performance metrics for every tested suite, is currently available to the public on the AV-Comparatives website.