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Sophos Antivirus review: sophisticated security
Last Updated by Moh'd on
February 16, 2021
Based in Oxford, U.k. Sophos is a worldwide leader in cybersecurity. Sophos products protect nearly 400,000 organizations in more than 150 countries from some of the most advanced cyberthreats.
SophosLabs utilizes Sophos' cloud-native and AI-enhanced solutions to secure endpoints (laptops, servers, and mobile devices) and networks against evolving cybercriminal tactics and techniques. These threats include breaches, ransomware, malware, exploits, data exfiltration, phishing, and more.
The award-winning Sophos Central cloud-based platform integrates Sophos' entire portfolio synchronizing the best-of-breed products, from the Intercept X endpoint solution to the XG Firewall, into a single system called Synchronized Security.
Quick Stats
If you're interested in Sophos antivirus products and wish to learn more, keep reading.
Security and protection
In regards to antivirus security, how should an Antivirus protection assessment be measured? Do we simply take the words of the AV creators for their own devices?
The best way to assess an Antivirus on its functionality is by using a third-party antivirus testing lab.
Third-party testing Labs are experts with well-constructed criteria and testing methods on testing AV-products, providing an unbiased opinion on product security.
1. AV-test scores
AV-lab reports for the home product for individuals were dated back to 2011, which is very outdated, as for reports on the endpoint product for companies are more up to date, recent reports with high scores were found.
Sophos reports using the same technology used in their endpoint product and home product, while they are no recent reports on their home product, the endpoint product reports by av-test are up to date.
The endpoint product scores, according to AV-test were as follows:
It gets a 6/6 score on its ability to detect malicious ware.
Sophos Antivirus scores 5.5/6 in the impact on device performance department is minimal. This means it won't take up your device's resources.
Sophos Antivirus has a low false-positive rate with a 6/6 usability score. This means it's unlikely to mistake regular files for harmful ones.
2. AV-Comparatives
Sophos Antivirus test by AV-Comparatives was dated back to 2016 and hasn't been updated since.
Sophos Antivirus scores 1/3 stars (Standard) in the impact on device performance department. This means it affects system performance relative to other antiviruses.
Sophos Antivirus has a Real-World Protection Test with a 1/3 stars (Standard) Real-world protection score. According to a test conducted with 1619 Domains/Files, this score is to check the rate of detection of malicious files and Domains.
Sophos had a 10 False Positive rate (False Alarms), with the industry average in the test being 26. While successfully blocking 96.2% of threats.
Proper Real-World Protection takes into account how well an antivirus blocks threats and can differentiate between threats and none threats.
Malware removal Test
Sophos Antivirus has a 2/3 (Advanced) score regarding Malware removal. This test checks the ability of Antivirus to remove malware that has already infected a PC. Out of 45 Test cases, Sophos scored an 82 out of 100.
Firewall protection
While Sophos' home product doesn't provide firewall protection, they have a separate firewall product aimed at enterprises named XG Firewall. The XG Firewall is meant to be bought separately.
Ease of use
While a desktop app provides you with a user-interface, clicking on the dashboard automatically takes you to a web page displaying the dashboard using the cloud.
Plans and Features
Rather than having multiple plans to choose from, Sophos has only one plan, The Premium plan.
Threat Protection
Keep your valued, private information safe by blocking viruses, ransomware, and other malware from stealing or destroying files, documents, and photos.
Anti-phishing and hacking
Surf the web with confidence, knowing Sophos Home protects your online shopping and banking from phishing and hacking.
Private Browsing
Anti-tracking prevents individuals and companies from tracking your data online. Tracking is often used to tracks your data from websites you visit, allowing for identity theft profiling. While big companies like Google and Facebook have trackers implemented in many websites online, used for targeted advertisement.
Google tracker can be found lurking in approximately 75% of webpages online! Facebook is found in 24%. Trackers are used for targeted advertisement.
Privacy Protection
Stops hackers from accessing your webcam or microphone – a feature found in various malware types – to block spying and predatory acts.
Protect All Your Devices
Provides licensing for up to 10 PCs or Macs from virtually anywhere. As for Androids and iOS devices, it provides an unlimited amount.
Sophos Pricing
| Sophos home product Premium | |
|---|---|
| One year | $44.99/ 10 devices |
| Two years | $74.99/ 10 devices |
| Three years | $104.99/ 10 devices |
Money-back guarantee
Sophos provides a 30-day money-back guarantee for users, to experience their product before deciding.
Last words
Sophos Antivirus doesn't really seem that focused on individuals; their endpoint product for companies seems very good and secure, but it's tailored for companies rather than individuals.
The Sophos home product lacks many extra features that other antiviruses use, and there haven't been any updates on their home product on third-party testing labs, while the endpoint product has been getting regular updates.
Never the less Sophos mentions that the technology used in their home product is the same used in their endpoint security product.
If you're looking for an endpoint product for a company, Sophos might be a good choice. As for individual use, other products such as Norton and Bitdefender might give you better results depending on what you're looking for.