Best lightweight antivirus to protect against malwares and ransomwares

I was recently tasked to find the best lightweight antivirus to protect our PC / laptops against viruses, malware, and ransomware.

A friend of mine who manages a hospital network recently got attacked by ransomware.

Ransomware is a type of malicious software created to deny access to a computer’s folders and files until a sum of money is paid.

According to FireEye Dynamic Threat Intelligence, ransomware activity has been rising steadily since mid-2015 and in March 2016, there was a noticeable spike.

The threats from cyber crimes are very real and it’s vital not to be the next victim.

For many years, I have assumed that Microsoft Security Essentials was adequate to protect my PC from viruses.

In Windows 10, Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) is known as Windows Defender. It’s basically built in to ensure that Windows 10 have some baseline level of virus protection.

The main issue with most commercial antiviruses

Once installed, you could feel your machine running slowly and sluggishly.

It’s like you’ve installed a bunch of CCTV security cameras at home to deter break-ins but constantly feel monitored or anxious.

This is the main reason why I’ve maintained using only MSE so far.

Is there a reliable and lightweight antivirus that works as fast as MSE but can provide much better protection?

Best lightweight antivirus = Webroot Secure Anywhere

When Webroot was recommended by my friend who’s laptop was infected by ransomware, I immediately gave it a try.

The trial installation was quick and simple and I was really surprised that it didn’t slow down my machine at all.

Unlike AVG which I’ve tried previously, Webroot is a lot faster and reliable.

By default, my pc is secured via the realtime shield, web shield, firewall and even includes identity protection.

The web shield works great as it informs me if a particular site is trustworthy, it has a possibility to be exposed to malicious links or even plain suspicious.

Sometimes URL links may arrive via email or social media sites. Once the link is clicked on, Webroot will check and warn if the site that you’re about to visit is safe to proceed.

If it’s not safe, this is what you’ll see.

So far I find Webroot and Kaspersky to be the best lightweight antivirus I’ve ever tried. Here, I would like to take this opportunity to recommend this antivirus to you as well.