Antivirus privacy ratings
Malware scanners.
9 anti-malware are rated against 4 public criteria, and 9 have enough evidence for a letter grade. Of the 9 with a known jurisdiction, 5 are based in a Five Eyes country, and 5 in the wider Fourteen Eyes.
Criteria for this category · Suggest an addition · Markdown
| Name | Grade | Score | Data | Jurisdiction | Open source | No trackers or telemetry | No ads or data sales | Independent audit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Open-source antivirus engine for detecting viruses, malware and other threats on Linux, macOS and Windows, maintained by Cisco Talos. |
Grade C | 65 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | Yes | Partial | Yes | No |
Antivirus built into Windows that scans for malware, unwanted software and potentially harmful apps, with cloud-delivered protection from Microsoft. It turns on automatically when no other antivirus is installed. |
Grade F | 35 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | No | Partial | Yes | No |
Antivirus and security software from Kaspersky Lab for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. The US Commerce Department prohibits Kaspersky from selling or updating its antivirus products for US customers. |
Grade F | 30 | 100% | Russia Outside Eyes | No | No | Yes | Partial |
Antivirus and security software from Romania for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, with web protection, a VPN and anti-theft features. |
Grade F | 20 | 100% | Romania Outside Eyes | No | No | Yes | No |
Antivirus and security software from Slovakia for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, including the NOD32 antivirus engine. |
Grade F | 20 | 100% | Slovakia Outside Eyes | No | No | Yes | No |
Anti-malware software for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS that detects and removes viruses, ransomware, adware and potentially unwanted programs. |
Grade F | 20 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | No | No | Yes | No |
Antivirus and online protection suite for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, with identity monitoring, a VPN and web protection. |
Grade F | 10 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | No | No | Partial | No |
Security suite from Gen Digital that combines antivirus with a firewall, password manager, VPN and dark web monitoring, for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. |
Grade F | 10 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | No | No | Partial | No |
Antivirus and security software from Gen Digital for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, in free and paid versions. The US FTC fined Avast for selling users' browsing data through its Jumpshot subsidiary. |
Grade F | 0 | 100% | Czechia Outside Eyes | No | No | No | No |
Questions
What is the most private option among anti-malware?
No pick has been made yet. The table above is sorted by score, based on public evidence.
How are anti-malware rated?
Each entry answers 4 questions: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales and independent audit. Answers need links to evidence. See the full criteria.
Does jurisdiction matter?
Jurisdiction decides which laws can compel a provider to hand over data. Each entry shows its country and whether it is in the Five, Nine or Fourteen Eyes. The data a provider can hand over depends mostly on what it stores and who holds the keys. Read about jurisdictions and the CLOUD Act.