One thing I would like to be clear: nobody really needs a complete internet security suite. Many people think that in order to keep your computer safe, it is essential to pay an expensive subscription for a complete security suite.
Without spending a penny, however, you can put together some free programs and create the best do-it-yourself combination .
In addition to explaining why a security suite is not needed, let's see what are the best programs to use to get a complete security suite .
The only thing missing is integration, which is a single interface that brings all the programs together.
1) The Antivirus
The most important feature of any Internet security suite is antivirus.
An antivirus allows you to protect yourself from malware by checking in real time.
Antiviruses are not perfect, but they are the main level of protection for a Windows computer.
It is for this reason that the Window Defender antivirus is included in Windows 10 and 8 .
So, only if you don't have a computer with Windows 10 or 8.1 you must install an external program that does this control in real time, otherwise there are no problems.
As seen in another article, there are at least 10 best free antivirus to choose from such as:
- Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows 7, identical to Windows Defender of Windows 10 and Windows 8, with real-time protection, light and without paid versions.
- AVG Free offers a free version of its antivirus product with all the basic functions necessary for the protection of your computer.
- Avast Free, a free antivirus with essential protection, the one you need to protect your computer without having to install a complete suite.
Remember that only one antivirus can be installed on a computer.
If you use a system like XP and Vista no antivirus can save your computer from the vulnerabilities of these two operating systems now abandoned by Microsoft.
6) Scan for viruses, malware and spyware
Even if any antivirus has its own scanner to check for viruses and malware on your computer, it is worth asking for a second opinion (as you do with your doctor) to look for infections that escape the antivirus.
Since you cannot install another program that does real time control on a PC (also because two antiviruses are incompatible together) you can still have a program that only scans malware viruses and also spyware and adware that is often overlooked by antivirus programs.
The best program to scan your computer, find and remove all types of spyware, malware, adware and protect your pc is definitely MalwareBytes Antimalware .
It is also worth keeping a portable antivirus aside to do emergency scans so that you are always ready in case a virus deactivates the main antivirus.
3) The Firewall
Paid internet security suites also include the firewall.
Using a firewall can be a good idea if you know how to use it otherwise it's just an avoidable nuisance.
Someone may not believe it, but the built-in Windows 7 and Windows 8 Firewall is more than enough for the purpose because it blocks applications that try to act as servers (and have incoming traffic).
The Windows firewall does not block outgoing traffic which, however, in general, there would not be much to worry about.
If, however, it is necessary (not for ordinary users) to check the traffic also coming out of the computer and prevent some programs from connecting to the internet, you can enter the advanced interface of the Windows Firewall or install a free firewall program.
From the list of the best firewalls for Windows we mention those of which we have published a user guide:
- Comodo Internet Security, the most famous program of this type, quite easy to use, capable of blocking or asking for authorization for any program that is not recognized as safe.
- ZoneAlarm Free Firewall is a historical program that is still being developed and of which there is a free version that allows you to easily manage programs that can connect to the Internet.
4) Internet security
All popular browsers such as Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox or Opera provide protection against phishing and malware.
This means that, if you visit a malicious or malicious site, the browser, before loading it, will give a warning to the user.
Many Internet security suites install a plugin on these browsers which warns of links that should not be clicked because they are dangerous, which in any case are also generally superfluous.
Much more useful are the anti-tracking programs to prevent the collection of data such as Privacy Badger.
Another very useful and, I would say, indispensable program is ADWCleaner, which is used to check the presence of extensions, plugins or adware programs, that is, which insert more advertisements on the PC and monitor internet browsing for advertising purposes.
5) PC cleaning and optimization
Many security suites also have the function of cleaning up your PC of junk files and outdated data and optimizing your computer's performance.
A free program like Ccleaner is more than enough to do this job and it provides every tool to remove unnecessary files, erase private data for privacy and keep the disk clean.
To learn more, read the guide to using Ccleaner and become an expert
6) Other useful tools
Security software companies are always adding new features to their programs to cover multiple areas to be protected.
Whatever function you want, you can get it for free.
For example:
- Parental Control to set up a parental control on the use of the computer so as to also filter the inappropriate websites.
The easy Microsoft Family Safety program or a different program such as Qustodio can be installed on any Windows PC
- Anti-theft program to track down your laptop if it is lost or stolen.
You can then install the free Prey program to find your stolen or lost laptop
- Antispam filter already included in webmail like Gmail Yahoo Mail and Outlook.com to filter spam messages that are received in e-mail.
If despite this article you still want a single free program with all the integrated protection tools, in another article the best free and complete protection and security suites for Windows PCs are described.
