ISP's Providing Free Anti-Virus Software For Their Customers

The following Internet Service Providers appear to offer some sort of free antivirus software for their customer's use. Free software of this sort can help the customer avoid becoming infected, and can represent an avoided cost to the customer that often amounts to $40-60/year.

Listing criteria:

This page is meant to list ISPs that are offering full machine-resident antivirus programs, free of charge for customer use. Given that, there are some antivirus programs that ISPs may offer which do not meet that standard, including:

• Time limited or trial period offers ("one month free!")

• Server-side filtering of email messages only (or other scope-limited antivirus services)

• manual/on-demand scan services ("click here to see if your system is infected!")

Those sort of offers, while a step in the right direction, are not sufficient protection these days, nor do they qualify an ISP for listing; ISPs need to offer a real antivirus product that will run directly on the customer's system for a reasonable period of time (duration of the contract with the ISP, a year, etc.)

• AOL: "... Comprehensive security features including virus protection for your entire PC..."

• Charter: F-Secure

• Comcast: McAfee

• RoadRunner/Time Warner Cable: eTrust EZ Armor from Computer Associates

• Shaw Cable Internet: Shaw Secure

• SBC Yahoo!: "Anti-Virus by Computer Associaties"

ISPS which DO NOT offer free antivirus software for customers:

• Earthlink: Norton AntiVirus Online costs $3.95/month

• Verizon: Internet Security Suite costs $4.95/month (e.g., $59.40/year) for a single PC, or $7.95/month for up to three PCs (e.g., $95.40/year)

Please note that offers are always subject to change by the ISP, and should be reconfirmed directly with the ISP; do not rely solely on this information for planning or decisions relating to your antivirus protection or connectivity choice.

Additions/corrections to this page? Contact joe@uoregon.edu