What is it that makes Bitdefender and Kaspersky the top antivirus programs out there? They both are easy on your system resources they both have great core code that is powering their software. What is it that really makes them standout from the rest of the competition? It's really easy. They don't have targets on their backs. One of the biggest challenges that face Norton and Mcafee is that virus writers specifically write/test their viruses against their software. If I'm a virus writer, I want my virus to reach max exposure. The best way to do this is target the most common antivirus software, which right now are Mcafee and Norton. If you have 10 soldiers out on a battlefield and all of them have pretty much the same body armor but the enemy is concentrating all of its firepower on two of them, then the safest solider is the one not getting shot at. That's not to say that Bitdefender or Kaspersky can't stand up to the assault because they can. The surprise twist on this is that most virus writers use either Bitdefender or kaspesky so that they won't infect their fellow virus writers. Another Quick thing you can do to avoid spyware and viruses is drop IE (internet explorer) and use Firefox. Poor Internet Explorer it has the whole world focusing in how to exploit their browser. They are constantly under attack. By switching browsers you are significantly lowering the chance for you to be infected with adware, spyware or browser exploits. The same goes for antivirus software.