Most tested. Most awarded. Kaspersky protection.*

1

Score of TOP3 places

In 2023 Kaspersky products participated in 100 independent tests and reviews.
Our products were awarded 93 first and received 94 top-three finishes.

Kaspersky

100%

1st places = 93
Participation in 100
Tests/Reviews

80%

Top3 = 94%
AVG*

Kaspersky
Bitdefender
Avast
ESET
AVG*
Microsoft
Avira
McAfee*Trend Micro
NortonLifeLock
WithSecure (F-Secure)
AhnLabBroadcom (Symantec)*
Trellix*
CrowdStrike*

Avira
Avast

60%

CrowdStrike*

Broadcom(Symantec)*

40%
Trellix*

ESET

McAfee*Bitdefender
Trend Micro
NortonLifeLock

WithSecure(F-Secure)

Microsoft

AhnLab

20%

0%

0

20

40

60

80

Number of 1st places

100
N of independent tests/reviews* Notes:• According to summary results of independent tests in 2023 for corporate, consumer and mobile products.
• Summary includes independent tests conducted by: AV-Comparatives, AV-TEST, MRG Effitas, SE Labs, Testing Ground Labs, Virus Bulletin.
• Tests performed in these programs assess all protection technologies against known, unknown and advanced threats.
• The size of the bubble reflects the number of 1st places achieved.
• Most tested over the period 2013 to 2023.
• Vendors marked with * did participate in less than 35% of total number of tests, so they were added complementary to the chart.

93
67
54
32
29
27
26
26
25
24
21
20
14
12
8

2023 TOP3 metric description

2

TOP3 metric reflects how successful a vendor was inindependent comparative tests within a calendar year.
The main characteristic of success is a TOP3 score that shows how many times a vendor with its products gained thefirst, second, or third place in independent tests they participated in within a reported period. The TOP3 score is
calculated by dividing a vendor’s TOP3 counter by a vendor’s Participation counter.
The TOP3 score is determined for each participating vendor separately and then compared to each other.
1.

2.

Depending on a test, final test results may vary from giving awards for participating vendors to providing only a listof their detection rates and false positives.
A vendors’s TOP3 counter is incremented either for winning an award or ranking in the first three places in a test.
It cannot be incremented both for receiving the award and one of the first three places.
Several vendors can achieve equal results in detection rates, or summary results, or win awards of the same grade.
In this case, the vendors share the same place in the same test.
In case of detection rates or summary results, the place of a vendor with the lower result is calculated as “numberof higher ranked vendors + 1”. For instance, the sequence “1,1,2,3” is not possible, whilst “1,1,3,4”, or “1,2,2,4”, or“1,1,1,1,1,6” are . In the latest sequences TOP3 counter will be incremented for bolded vendors only.
In regards with awards, refer to rule clarifications listed in the tests description below.
A vendor’s Participation counter is incremented each time one of its products participates in a
test/review/overview.
In some tests several products of one vendor can participate in the same test. In those cases, since all products
increment the vendor’s Participation counter, the Participation counter can be higher than a total number of tests.

Only those who participate in 35% or more of the total number of tests have their results represented in the chart.
The deadline for submitting scores attained in 2023 is February 1st , 2024, with no option to add any test/review after
this date.
Among the security vendors participating in the TOP3 measurements are: AhnLab, Avast, AVG, Avira, Bitdefender,
Broadcom (Symantec), CrowdStrike, ESET, WithSecure (F-Secure), Kaspersky, McAfee, Microsoft, NortonLifeLock,
Trellix, Trend Micro. A complete list of participants appears at the end of this document.

Nof tests
enteredNof TOP3
placesScore ofTOP3
places (%)

N of 1st
places

Kaspersky

100

94

94%

93

AVG*

38

31

82%

29

Bitdefender

86

69

80%

67

Avast

74

59

80%

54

ESET

49

35

71%

32

McAfee*

38

26

68%

26

Broadcom (Symantec)*

26

17

65%

14

Avira

50

30

60%

26

Microsoft

57

32

56%

27

Trend Micro

48

26

54%

25

CrowdStrike*

15

8

53%

8

NortonLifeLock

47

24

51%

24

WithSecure (F-Secure)

46

22

48%

21

AhnLab

47

20

43%

20

Trellix*

29

12

41%

12

*Though AVG, CrowdStrike, Broadcom (Symantec), McAfee and Trellix participated only in
34%, 14%, 23%, 34% and 26% of the total number of tests, we consider valuable to have thevendors’ results represented in the chart.

2023 TOP3 metric description

3

The following tests were performed in 2023 and used to calculate the metric.
The test labs are listed in alphabetical mode.
SPECIFIC THREATS
APT• AV-Comparatives. Advanced Threat Protection Test:
Consumer and Business• AV-Comparatives. Endpoint Prevention and Response (EPR) test
• AV-TEST. Advanced EDR Test
• AV-TEST. Advanced Threat Protection Test: Consumer andBusiness• SE Labs. Enterprise Advanced Security (EDR) Test - Detection
RANSOMWARE• AV-Comparatives. Advanced Threat Protection Test: Consumer
and Business• AV-Comparatives. Endpoint Prevention and Response (EPR) test
• AV-Comparatives. Business Security Test
• AV-Comparatives. Malware Protection Test
• AV-Comparatives. Real-World Protection Test
• AV-TEST. Advanced Threat Protection Test: Consumer andBusiness• AV-TEST. Bi-Monthly Certification: Consumer and Business• MRG Effitas. 360 Assessment & Certification• SE Labs. Enterprise Advanced Security (EDR) Test – Detection• SE Labs. Enterprise Advanced Security (Ransomware) Test
• SE Labs. Endpoint Security (EPS): Enterprise Test
• SE Labs. Endpoint Security (EPS): Home Test
• SE Labs. Endpoint Security (EPS): SMB Test
• Testing Ground Labs. Ransomware Protection Test

PHISHING• AV-Comparatives. Anti-Phishing Test
FILELESS• AV-Comparatives. Advanced Threat Protection Test:
Consumer and Business• AV-Comparatives. Endpoint Prevention and Response (EPR) test
• MRG Effitas. 360 Assessment & Certification• SE Labs. Endpoint Security (EPS): Enterprise Test
• SE Labs. Endpoint Security (EPS): Home Test
• SE Labs. Endpoint Security (EPS): SMB Test
EXPLOITS• AV-Comparatives. Advanced Threat Protection Test:
Consumer and Business• MRG Effitas. 360 Assessment & Certification• SE Labs. Enterprise Advanced Security (EDR) Test - Detection• SE Labs. Endpoint Security (EPS): Enterprise Test
• SE Labs. Endpoint Security (EPS): Home Test
• SE Labs. Endpoint Security (EPS): SMB Test

REAL-WORLD TESTS• AV-Comparatives. Advanced Threat Protection Test: Consumer
and Business• AV-Comparatives. Business Security Test
• AV-Comparatives. Real-World Protection Test
• AV-TEST. Advanced Threat Protection Test: Consumer andBusiness• AV-TEST Bi-Monthly Certification Consumer and Business• MRG Effitas. 360 Assessment & Certification• SE Labs. Endpoint Security (EPS): Enterprise Test
• SE Labs. Endpoint Security (EPS): Home Test
• SE Labs. Endpoint Security (EPS): SMB Test

ANDROID TESTS• AV-Comparatives. Mobile Security Review• AV-TEST. Android Mobile Security Products Test:
Consumer and Business• MRG Effitas. Android 360 Assessment Programme• Testing Ground Labs. Android Malware Detection Test:
Consumer and Business

MAC TESTS• AV-Comparatives. Mac Security Test & Review• AV-TEST. Mac Detection & Performance Test:
Consumer and Business

DEDICATED TESTS• AV-Comparatives. Anti-Tampering Test
• AV-Comparatives. Parental Control Certification• AV-TEST. VPN Test

FALSE POSITIVES (FP)• All the tests mentioned above include FP measurements

2023 TOP3 metric description

4

The following tests were performed in 2023 and used to calculate the metric.
The test labs are listed in alphabetical mode.
AV-Comparatives• Product of the YearAt the end of the year, this annual award is given to theConsumer related product which attained the highest awards
in an entire year’s testing cycle, involving the following tests:
two Malware Protection Tests (MPT) + two Real-World
Protection Tests (RWPT) + two Performance Tests + Advanced
Threat Protection Test (ATP, formerly known as Enhanced RealWorld Test). According to AV-Comparatives’ rules, in cases
where two or more products receive the same maximum score,
the award goes to the product which gained the highest
individual scores and did not receive it the previous year.
The seal is counted as a first place in the TOP3 metric.
Products which were nominated, but did not receive the‘Product of the Year’ award, are given the ‘Outstanding Product’rank for their vendors, which counts as a second place in the
TOP3 metrics.
Products which achieved at least 90 points across the entire
test cycle are awarded the ‘Top Rated’ rank for their vendors,
which counts as a third place in the TOP3 metric. The rest
products do not gain an increment of TOP3 counter.
At the end of the year, medals ('Gold’, ‘Silver’, ‘Bronze’) are also
given for the best results in specific tests: MPT, RWPT,
Performance, ATP . As these test results have alreadycontributed to overall TOP3 metrics, the medals themselves
do not count towards it since 2015.
Only awards can contribute towards TOP3 counters in AVComparatives tests.

• Malware Protection Test
This test is a successor of the File Detection Test and includes
execution of the tested files. It is conducted twice a year and,correspondingly, is counted two times in the metrics. The test
consists of two parts: Detection Rate and False Positives.
Products receive the following awards: “Advanced+”,“Advanced”, “Standard” or “Tested”. Only products with“Advanced+” gain an increment of TOP3 counters for theirvendor.

• Real-World Protection Test
The test lasts for four months and is finalized in a half-year
report using mainly current, visible, and relevant malicious
websites/malware. The test is conducted twice a year and,correspondingly, counted two times in the metrics. Because all
product components contribute a significant role in overall
protection, results achieved in this category are a good indicatorof anti-malware product efficiency in real-world scenarios.
Products receive the following awards: “Advanced+”,“Advanced”, “Standard” or “Tested”. Only products with“Advanced+” gain an increment of TOP3 counters for theirvendor.

• Advanced Threat Protection Test:
Consumer and BusinessThis test uses hacking and penetration techniques that allow
attackers to target specific external computer systems, andevaluates how well security products protect against suchattacks. This test checks protection against targeted advanced
threats, such as exploits and fileless attacks.

Despite all products from consumer Main-Test-Series are
expected to be tested by default, the vendors were given theopportunity to opt out of this test before the test started, which
is why not all vendors are included in this test. This test is
conducted and counted in the metrics once a year. Consumer
and Business related products are assessed separately.
Consumer products receive the following awards: “Advanced+”,“Advanced”, “Standard” or “Tested”. Only products with“Advanced+” gain an increment of TOP3 counters for theirvendor.
Business products which block at least 8 of the 15 attacks usedin the test, without blocking non-malicious operations,are certified by the test lab and gain an increment of TOP3
counters for their vendor.

• Endpoint Prevention & Response (EPR) Test
This test is performed and counted once a year and evaluates
security solutions response capabilities (active response,
passive response) to targeted attacks, ability to take remedialaction, investigate the nature of an attack, collect and show
information on indicators of compromise in an easily accessible
form. The effectiveness of each product at preventing
breaches, the calculated savings resulting from this, thepurchase costs of the product, and the product’s accuracy
costs are factored by Enterprise EPR CyberRisk Quadrant.
Products receive one of the following three certification levels:“Strategic Leaders”, “CyberRisk Visionaries”, and “Strong
Challengers”, or they are not certified. Only products with
“Strategic Leader” gain an increment of TOP3 counters for theirvendor.

2023 TOP3 metric description

5

The following tests were performed in 2023 and used to calculate the metric.
The test labs are listed in alphabetical mode.
• Anti-Tampering Test
This test is performed and counted in the metrics one timea year. It focuces of evaluation of AV/EPP/EDR products
resistance to disabling or modifying its components orcapabilities through tampering.
Only certified products gain an increment of TOP3 counters
for their vendor.

• Business Security Test
This test is published twice a year. Correspondingly, it is counted
two times in the metrics. The report includes a review of various
business security products and evaluates the protection
efficiency in categories such as Protection Rate on different
malware sets, websites, and exploits, a False Positive level,
as well as an impact on system performance.
Products achieving, at least, 90 percent Protection Rate with noFalse Positives on common business software in the Malware
Protection Test and, at least, 90 percent Protection Rate withless than 100 False Positives on any clean software/websites
in the overall Real-World Protection Test, with no major
performance issues, are certified by the test lab, and gain an
increment of TOP3 counters for their vendor.

• Anti-Phishing Test
This test is performed and counted in the metrics once a year
and simulates a common situation: users rely on the anti-phishingprotection provided by their security products while browsing
the web. The test consists of two parts: Detection Rate andFalse Positives.

• Mac Security Test & Review
This review is performed and counted in the metrics once a year
and evaluates various Mac protection products against a
product feature list and measures protection levels in categories
such as Detection Rate on separate Mac- & Windows-related
malware sets and a False Positive level.

If all products achieve zero False Positives, the products
achieving the highest three places based on Protection Rate,
gain an increment of TOP3 counters for their vendor.

If all products achieve zero False Positives, the products
achieving the highest three places based on Protection Rate,
gain an increment of TOP3 counters for their vendor.

If any of participating products achieve any False Positives, only
certified products gain an increment of TOP3 counters for theirvendor.

If any of participating products achieve any False Positives, only
certified products gain an increment of TOP3 counters for theirvendor.

• Mobile Security Review
This review is performed and counted in the metrics once a year
and includes a malware protection test along with an overview ofadditional features (theft protection, battery consumption, etc.).
If all products achieve zero False Positives, the products
achieving the highest three places based on Protection Rate,
gain an increment of TOP3 counters for their vendor.
If any of participating products achieve any False Positives, only
certified products gain an increment of TOP3 counters for theirvendor.

• Parental Control Certification
This test is performed and counted in the metrics once a year
and evaluates efficiency of security products to preventchildren from visiting unwanted web sites.
Only products blocking at least 98% of pornographic websites
with zero False Positives on child-friendly websites, and having
no severe unresolved bugs (or design flaws) discovered during
the review, are certified and gain an increment of TOP3 counters
for their vendor.

2023 TOP3 metric description

6

The following tests were performed in 2023 and used to calculate the metric.
The test labs are listed in alphabetical mode.
AV-TEST• Best Protection Award: Consumer andBusiness
This annual award is given once a year for perfect results in theProtection category over the course of an entire year, during
which bi-monthly certification takes place. Consumer andBusiness related products are assessed separately.
Only products that receive this award gain a TOP3 counterincrement for their vendor.

• Best Usability Award: Consumer andBusiness
This annual award is given once a year for perfect results in theUsability category (which refers to False Positive resistance)over the course of an entire year, during which bi-monthly
certification takes place. Consumer and Business related
products are assessed separately.
Only products that receive this award gain a TOP3 counterincrement for their vendor.

• Best Android Security Award: Consumer
This annual award is given once a year for perfect results in the
Android security testing over the course of a whole year.
Only products that receive this award gain a TOP3 counterincrement for their vendor.

• Best Mac Security Award: Consumer andBusiness
This annual award is given once a year for perfect results in the
Mac security testing over the course of a whole year. Consumer
and Business related products are assessed separately.
Only products that receive this award gain a TOP3 counterincrement for their vendor.

• Best Advanced Threat Protection Award:
Consumer and BusinessThis annual award is given once a year for perfect results in the
Advanced Threat Protection testing over the course of a wholecalendar year. Consumer and Business related products areassessed separately.
Only products that receive this award gain a TOP3 counterincrement for their vendor.

• Bi-Monthly Certification: Consumer andBusiness
This year-long certification series consists of Consumer andBusiness segments, each divided into six separate, two-monthlong tests, which results are published every even months, i.e.
this test is counted 6 times in the metrics. Consumer andBusiness related products are assessed separately. All
participating products are evaluated and receive points inProtection, Performance and Usability categories. The sum of
the points gained in each category makes up the overall score;products in the top three have their TOP3 counters
incremented.

• Advanced Threat Protection Test: Consumer
and BusinessThis test is counted seven times in the metrics (October,
December, February, April, June, August, October). Consumer
and Business related products are assessed separately.
It assesses detection and threat prevention capabilities of endpoint solutions against APT attacks deploying ransomware anddata stealers, without generating False Positives on normal
operations. The executed attack chains are split into separate
stages attributed to different TTPs from MITRE ATT&CK. The
sum of the points gained in each stage makes up the overall
score; products in the top three have their TOP3 counters
incremented.

2023 TOP3 metric description

7

The following tests were performed in 2023 and used to calculate the metric.
The test labs are listed in alphabetical mode.
• Advanced EDR Test
This test is performed and counted in the metrics once a year
and measures the effectiveness of a security solution to identify
and thwart malicious activities typically associated withadvanced persistent threats (APTs). The study involved a seriesof red-team attacks simulated in two distinct detection
scenarios, each encompassing various tactics and techniquesthat an attacker may employ.
Only certified products gain an increment of TOP3 counters fortheir vendor.

• Android Mobile Security Products Test:
ConsumerThis year-long certification series evaluates various security
protection products for Android and consists of Consumer
segment only, divided into six separate tests. Their results are
published every odd months, i.e. this test is counted 6 times in
the metrics. All participating products are evaluated and receive
points in Protection, Performance and Usability categories.
The sum of the points gained in each category makes up theoverall score; products in the top three have their TOP3
counters incremented.

• Mac Detection & Performance Test:
Consumer and BusinessThis test evaluates various security protection products for Mac
OS X and consists of Consumer and Business segments,
which results are published and counted in the metrics four times
a year. Consumer and Business related products are assessed
separately. All participating products receive points inProtection, Performance and Usability categories. The sum of
the points gained in each category makes up the overall score;products in the top three have their TOP3 counters
incremented.

• VPN Test
The test is performed and counted in the metrics once a year.
It assesses and compares VPN solutions by separate disciplines
such as usability, security, privacy, speed, and transparency.
Each product that passes the certification gains an increment of
TOP3 counter for their vendor.

MRG Effitas• 360 Assessment & Certification
This test is conducted and published four times a year andevaluates both the ability to block initial infection and time taken
to detect and remediate malware on a compromised system.
This test replaces the older “Time to Detect & Remediate
Assessment” test and includes Online Banking part since second
quarter of 2020 that assesses the efficiency of products
against financial malware. Only certified products gain an
increment of TOP3 counters for their vendor.

• Android 360 Degree Assessment ProgrammeThis test is conducted and published four times a year andevaluates both the ability to block initial infection while copying
it to the device, so called the Early Stage Detection, and whilerunning it, the Installation Stage. The test also includes a false
positive subtest.
Products placing in the highest three positions based on the
combined of two stages Detection Rate gain an increment of
TOP3 counters for their vendor.

2023 TOP3 metric description

8

The following tests were performed in 2023 and used to calculate the metric.
The test labs are listed in alphabetical mode.
SE Labs (formerly known as Dennis
Technology Labs)

networks in the same way as criminals and other attackers
breach systems and networks. The tests include a detection
subtest and a false positive one.

• Endpoint Security (EPS): Enterprise Test
• Endpoint Security (EPS): SMB Test
• Endpoint Security (EPS): Home Test

Three products with the highest Total Accuracy Ratings scores(calculated as a combination of points of the two subtests) gain
an increment of TOP3 counters for their vendor.

These quarterly-long tests are formerly known as Enterprise
Endpoint, Smal Business Endpoint, and Home Anti-Malware
Protection tests, published and counted in the metrics fourtimes a year each. These tests aim to compare the effectivenessof anti-malware products provided by well-known security
companies. Enterprise, Home, and Small Business products areevaluated separately. The products are exposed to live Internet
threats during the test period. This exposure is carried out in avery realistic way, closely reflecting the customer experience.
The results reflect how products perform under real-life,
customer-use-case scenarios, i.e. what happens when a user
visits an infected website. The tests include a detection subtest
and a false positive one.
Three products with the highest Total Accuracy Rating scores(calculated as a combination of points of the two subtests) gain
an increment of TOP3 counters for their vendor.

• Enterprise Advanced Security (EDR) Test Detection
This test is published and counted in the metrics one time thisyear. It is also known as Breach Resonse Test and evaluates
effectiveness of a tested product against a range of hacking
attacks designed to compromise systems and penetrate target• Enterprise Advanced Security Test Ransomware
This test is published and counted in the metrics one time thisyear. The test examines the different hardware platforms’
abilities to detect known, unknown, and intentionally evasive
ransomware. The test includes a detection subtest and a false
positive one.
Three products with the highest Total Accuracy Ratings scores(calculated as a combination of points of the two subtests) gain
an increment of TOP3 counters for their vendor.

• Email Security Services Protection Test
This test is performed and counted in the metrics one time ayear and assesses how effectively the email hosted protection
services for the Office365 platform are at detecting and/or
protecting against threats in real time, including phishing, BEC(business e-mail compromise), social engineering and real world
spam. The test includes a detection subtest and a false positiveone.
Three products with the highest Total Accuracy Rating scores(calculated as a combination of points of the two subtests) gain
an increment of TOP3 counters for their vendor.

Testing Ground Labs
• Android Malware Detection Test: Consumer
and BusinessThis test evaluates how effectively mobile products can protect
users’ Android-based devices from threats. It includes a
detection subtest and a false positives one. Consumer andBusiness related products are assessed separately and are
published six and three times this year, correspondingly.
Three products with the highest Total Scores (calculated as a
combination of the two subtests results) gain an increment of
TOP3 counters for their vendor.

VirusBulletin• VB100 Certification
These tests are held every month to evaluate different types of
products (before that, these tests were held every evenmonths); the reports are published twelve times this year.
Each product that passes the certification gains an increment of
TOP3 counter for their vendor.

2023 TOP3 metric description

9

A complete list of participants in tests registered in TOP3-2023.
•

1E

•

CrowdStrike

•

Intel

•

Rising•Vendor B (AVC-EPR)•

Acronis•Cybereason

•

K7

•

Sangfor•

Vendor C (AVC-EPR)•

AhnLab

•

Cynet

•

Kaspersky•

Scanguard•

Vendor D (AVC-EPR)

•

AMD

•

CyRadar•Lavasoft•

Securion•

Vendor E (AVC-EPR)•

Antiy Labs•

Data443•

Mailcow•

SentinelOne•

Vendor F (AVC-EPR)•

ArcaBit•

Defenx•

Malwarebytes•

Seqrite•Vendor G (AVC-EPR)

•

Avast

•

Dr.Web

•

McAfee•

SGA EPS•

Vendor H (AVC-EPR)

•

AVG

•

Elastic•

Microsoft•

Shield Antivirus

•

•

Avira

•

EmsiSoft•

Microworld•

SOMANSA

Vietnam Posts andTelecommunications Group•

Bitdefender•

Enigma Software Group•

NAVER Cloud•

Sophos

•

VIPRE

•

Bkav

•

ESET

•

NortonLifeLock•

Super Speed•

VMware (Carbon Black)•

Broadcom (Symantec)•

ESTsecurity•

Palo Alto•TGSoft•WatchGuard•

Check Point•

Exosphere

•

Panda

•

ThreatBook•

Webroot•

CHOMAR•

Faronics•

PC Matic (PC Pitstop)•

Total Defense•

WithSecure (F-Secure)

•

Cisco

•

Fortinet•

PCProtect•

TotalAV•

Xcitium (Comodo)•

ClamAV•G DATA•

Private Internet Access Inc.

•

Trellix

•

Zoner

•

Clario•Google•Protectstar•

Trend Micro•

CMC Cyber Security•

Hammock•

Qi-ANXIN

•

TTB

•

Combo

•

Ikarus•

Qihoo 360•

Tweaking Technologies•

Coronet Cyber Security•

Intego•Quick Heal•

Vendor A (AVC-EPR)