AV-TEST evaluates 19 security suites for Windows 11
Independent testing laboratory AV-TEST has released the results of its first security performance study for Windows 11, comparing 19 different software packages.
The Magdeburg-based security lab AV-TEST has evaluated 19 antivirus and security suites to determine their effectiveness within the Windows 11 operating system. The study measured each product’s malware detection capabilities, system resource consumption, and frequency of false positives. This marks the first major comparative analysis of security software specifically optimized for the latest iteration of Microsoft's operating system.
The findings indicate that many commercial security suites outperform the native Microsoft Defender in both protection accuracy and system impact. A total of 15 products received the 'TOP PRODUCT' distinction, with 11 of those achieving the maximum score of 18 points across all test categories. In contrast, Microsoft Defender placed near the bottom of the rankings, citing concerns regarding its ability to neutralize zero-day threats and its tendency to slow down system processes.
The test methodology involved subjecting each suite to over 300 zero-day malware samples and 30,000 known threats. While 12 vendors, including Avast, Bitdefender, and Norton, achieved 100 percent detection rates, others showed variance in identifying new malware. The report serves as an independent assessment for users evaluating whether to augment default OS security with dedicated third-party solutions.