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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchIn AV-TEST’s January–June 2026 Windows Advanced Threat Protection endurance test, six consumer products tied for the highest reported protection score: Avast, AVG, K7 Computing, Kaspersky, McAfee and Norton each earned 105/105. The test covered ransomware and infostealers, not ransomware alone, and its result is specific to the scenarios and rounds the lab ran—not a guarantee for every PC.
What did AV-TEST’s 2026 ransomware-related test find?
AV-TEST examined 24 security products in a Windows Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) endurance test conducted from January to June 2026. The scenarios included both ransomware and infostealer attacks. Six consumer products completed all three rounds and earned the maximum protection score, tying at the top rather than separating into first, second and third place.
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AV-TEST’s scoring helps explain why identifying a threat is not the same as preventing its damage: a successfully defeated ransomware attack earned three points, while a successfully defeated infostealer attack earned four. Slow or partial prevention could lose points. A product could therefore detect an attacker yet still fall short of stopping the attack fully.
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| Product | AV-TEST score | Test exposure and reported outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Avast | 105/105 | Completed all three rounds and correctly identified 30 attackers in the tested scenarios. |
| AVG | 105/105 | Completed all three rounds and correctly identified 30 attackers in the tested scenarios. |
| K7 Computing | 105/105 | Completed all three rounds and correctly identified 30 attackers in the tested scenarios. |
| Kaspersky | 105/105 | Completed all three rounds and correctly identified 30 attackers in the tested scenarios. |
| McAfee | 105/105 | Completed all three rounds and correctly identified 30 attackers in the tested scenarios. |
| Norton | 105/105 | Completed all three rounds and correctly identified 30 attackers in the tested scenarios. |
| Bitdefender | 100/105 | Detected attackers in all 30 scenarios but did not stop every attack. |
| ESET | 93.5/105 | Detected 29 of 30 attackers. |
| Avira | 63/70 | Completed two rounds, detecting and fending off 18 of 20 attackers. |
| Microsoft | 35/35 | Completed one round in this endurance series. |
| Trend Micro | 28/35 | Completed one round in this endurance series. |
The 105-point results reflect three rounds; Avira’s result reflects two, while Microsoft and Trend Micro completed one. Those shorter series offer less test exposure. Do not treat their maximum possible scores as equivalent to a three-round result, or compare the raw totals as if every product faced the same amount of testing.
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Which result should you choose?
The six products with 105/105 are the strongest performers in this particular AV-TEST comparison, but the lab result alone does not identify one universal winner. It is evidence about Windows consumer protection under the lab’s mixed ransomware-and-infostealer scenarios. Your choice also depends on your devices, the product’s day-to-day behavior and the recovery plan you have if files are encrypted.
If you want the highest score in this test
Avast, AVG, K7 Computing, Kaspersky, McAfee and Norton share the maximum reported score after three rounds. There is no evidence in these results for breaking the tie or claiming that one of the six is best for every household.
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If you are considering Bitdefender or ESET
Bitdefender detected all 30 attackers but did not stop every attack, while ESET detected 29 of 30. These details matter: a detection count does not by itself tell you whether an attack was fully prevented.
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If you are considering a shorter-series result
Read the number of rounds alongside the score. Avira’s 63/70 covers two rounds; Microsoft’s 35/35 and Trend Micro’s 28/35 cover one. Their results are useful observations, but they do not provide the same exposure as three completed rounds.
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How do the independent labs test different things?
AV-TEST’s 2026 ATP endurance test is not interchangeable with a web-browsing protection test or an annual award. AV-Comparatives’ consumer Real-World Protection Tests evaluate suites under default settings, including on-execution protection features. Its February–May 2026 report says dynamic real-world conditions limit exact repeatability; cloud-service availability can affect results, and false positives and sample volume matter when interpreting differences. It also says products in a result cluster may be considered equally effective when their false-positive rate is below the industry average.
AV-Comparatives’ 2025 Consumer Summary Report based awards on several kinds of testing: Real-World Protection, Performance, Malware Protection, False-Alarm and Advanced Threat Protection. Bitdefender, ESET, Kaspersky and Norton were among the products awarded Top-Rated status. Those awards provide broader historical context, not a substitute for product-specific results from AV-TEST’s 2026 scenarios.
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- REAL-TIME PROTECTION Advanced security protects against existing and emerging malware threats, including ransomware and viruses, and it won’t slow down your device performance.
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Does antivirus software actually protect against ransomware?
It can reduce the risk, but no antivirus result is a promise that ransomware will never reach or encrypt your files. Real-time and behavioral defenses can inspect activity as it happens and attempt to block suspicious actions. An on-demand scan can find malicious files present when the scan runs, but by itself it does not provide the same ongoing protection against an attack in progress.
Lab results show how products performed under defined conditions. What happens on a particular home PC can differ with configuration, threat behavior, cloud-service access and other conditions. Consider both prevention outcomes and false positives: software that blocks legitimate activity can disrupt everyday work even when its threat detection is strong.
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What is the best free ransomware protection?
Start by checking the security features already available in your operating system and whether real-time protection is enabled. Security.org’s 2026 guide says Windows Defender includes Controlled Folder Access on Windows 10 and 11, but current feature availability and settings were not independently verified here. Check Microsoft’s documentation and your own Windows settings before relying on that feature or following setup steps.
Built-in protections and paid security suites are different choices, and a feature name alone does not establish how well it will suit your devices or workflow. Compare the protection evidence, platform support, controls and potential disruption. Do not treat an on-demand scan as a replacement for real-time defenses.
Why backups still matter if protection is installed
Prevention and recovery solve different problems. Security.org notes that antivirus can remove malicious software without decrypting files that have already been encrypted. A clean backup may provide a route to restore data, so keep important copies protected from the same devices and accounts ransomware could reach. Confirm that you can restore from the backup rather than assuming that having a backup is enough.
A practical way to compare products
- Match the platform: AV-TEST’s figures here concern Windows consumer products; they do not establish performance on other operating systems.
- Look at the outcome, not just detection: Check whether attacks were fully stopped, only detected or only partly blocked.
- Account for test exposure: Note each product’s number of completed rounds before comparing scores.
- Consider false positives and usability: Unwanted blocks can affect normal work, and another lab’s results may measure different conditions.
- Plan for recovery separately: Protection results do not show whether encrypted files can be restored.
AV-Comparatives cautions that there is no perfect security program or single best choice for every user. Use laboratory results as evidence to weigh against your operating systems, household needs, tolerance for extra suite features and backup arrangements—not as a guarantee or a ranking that settles every decision.
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