The AV-TEST AWARD 2012: Awards Presented To The Best IT Security Solutions

Magdeburg, Germany, 28th January 2013 – AV-TEST GmbH is now presenting its awards to the best home-user and corporate anti-virus products of the year for the second time. The awards presented by Europe’s largest specialist test laboratory are used to honor the best security solutions available in the categories of PROTECTION, REPAIR and USABILITY.

Throughout the year 2012, a large number of well-known security products for Windows underwent complex certification tests in the AV-TEST GmbH test laboratory every two months. The AV-TEST AWARD is only presented to products that have earned such acclamation on the basis of their constant high performance. The awards for the best anti-virus solutions are presented in the test categories of PROTECTION, REPAIR and USABILITY.

This year’s AV-TEST AWARDS for home-user anti-virus products go to: - BEST PROTECTION 2012 – F-Secure Internet Security - BEST REPAIR 2012 – Bitdefender Internet Security - BEST USABILITY 2012 – Symantec Norton Internet Security

This year’s AV-TEST AWARDS for corporate protection solutions go to: - AWARD BEST PROTECTION 2012 – Kaspersky Endpoint Security - AWARD BEST REPAIR 2012 – Kaspersky Endpoint Security - AWARD BEST USABILITY 2012 – Symantec Endpoint Protection

The Categories Assessed

In the test category of PROTECTION, the candidates are examined using a variety of different types of current malware in order to test how they respond to threats. These examinations take the entire functionality of the protection programs into account.

In the category of REPAIR, we test the repair performance of a security solution. We evaluate the solution’s ability to remove active malware and to restore other system changes, as well as its performance when detecting and removing specially hidden malware (rootkits).

In the test category of USABILITY, security software is assessed with regard to the influence that it has on the system on which it is installed. The candidates are examined according to system interferences such as warning messages and blockages, false positives during system scans and whether the computer slows down while the software is being used.

AV-TEST – Our Name Says It All

The AV-TEST AWARD acts as confirmation of high-quality and consistent development work for all manufacturers of IT security software. The independent experts at the AV-TEST GmbH test laboratory use the award to honor companies’ commitment towards making a valuable contribution towards protection against Internet and cyber crime with their high-quality security solutions.

According to Andreas Marx, the CEO of AV-TEST GmbH: “By presenting the AV-TEST AWARDS, we want to raise awareness of the significance of high-quality PC security solutions among end users and companies and underline the importance of continuous development work.”

More Background Information

AV-TEST GmbH places high value on ensuring a high level of transparency in all of its tests, which is why the reports from tests carried out in 2012 can all be accessed free of charge on the company's website at .

The website also contains all of the white papers that document the company's standardised test procedures:

For more information on the AV-TEST AWARDS please visit:

Press representatives can find graphical material concerning the AV-TEST AWARD 2012 and the company AV-TEST GmbH at:

Press contact: Mr Andreas Marx presse@av-test.de Telephone: +49 (0)391 6075460 Fax: +49 (0)391 6075469 www.av-test.org

About the AV-TEST Institute

AV-TEST GmbH is an independent service provider in the fields of IT security and anti-virus research, specializing in the detection and analysis of the latest malware and using it to perform comprehensive comparative tests on security products.

The fact that we use extremely up-to-date test data enables us to quickly analyses new malware, detect virus-based trends at an early stage and examine and certify IT security solutions. The results produced by the AV-TEST Institute form an exclusive basis of information that helps manufacturers to optimize their products, enables specialist magazines to publish findings and provides end customers with support and orientation when choosing their products. The company AV-TEST has been operating in the German cities of Magdeburg and Leipzig since 2004 and employs 28 members of staff boasting extensive professional and practical experience. The AV-TEST laboratories are equipped with 300 client and server systems in which over 500 terabytes of malicious and harmless data collected by the company are stored and processed.

For more information please visit our website at