Sophos Antivirus Review

Sophos Antivirus: Overview

Sophos is one of the oldest players in the game, having protected both businesses and home users online along with their devices since 1985. The Britain-based software and hardware provider offers comprehensive protection against all kinds of threats and has the infrastructure to support everyone, from individuals sat at home right through to major corporations that are particularly vulnerable to targeting.

Sophos specializes in protecting organizations that have up to 5000 employees due to its state-of-the-art endpoint security systems, email and mobile safeguarding, and threat management protocols. Whatever kind of Sophos user you are, you’ll find all the protection you need right here.

Features

Both versions of the Home package offer AI, web protection, and Remote Management. However, the paid option does offer better personal protection and live chat, two incredibly important components found with any antivirus provider that’s worth its salt,  and the level of encryption you can expect with the free option won’t come close to what you’ll get when paying for Sophos antivirus.

General 

Though Sophos doesn’t have a money-back guarantee, what makes it stand out is its free antivirus. Admittedly, it doesn’t pack quite the punch as the paid subscriptions, and we wouldn’t recommend it for long-term use, but it’s a great way of testing out the UI and exploring the safety features without having to lay out any money. It’s available for all major platforms too.

Threat Protection 

Sophos users get the full suite of protective measures; basically every ‘anti’ you can think of is offered here. From spyware to phishing, all potential threats out there are stopped in their tracks.

Scanning

Choose to perform scans yourself manually or let Sophos do the work. Scheduling or running automatic scans means you won’t need to worry about any viruses getting through the firewall or existing for long enough. 

Performance and Protection

As the system is cloud-based, you can access and manage the protection from any device on your approved list.

Malware

Sophos uses the most up to date malware scanning technology to remove any threats that might be already present in your system. What’s more, it uncovers any traces of those that have been previously removed but have left behind some files on your devices, ensuring you’re always properly protected.

CryptoGurad Ransomware

The ransomware protection employed by Sophos is some of the best in the business. It’s able to prevent both local and remote files from being installed on your devices and safeguards all important files and data. You won’t have to worry about ransomware making its way onto your devices with Sophos as your last line of defense. 

Phishing Detection

Phishing is an all-too common form of attack and even the best of us fall for it. While harmful to individuals, such an attack can seriously harm organizations, and companies are made up of individuals, a lot of them, so they’re even more susceptible. Sophos’ phishing detection detects when these attacks are occurring and shuts them down before the damage is done.

Webcam Spyware Protection

How scary to assume that visiting a nefarious website without realizing it, or downloading software with hidden viruses, could mean your every move in front of the computer is watched.

Spyware is a troubling thought, and anything you get seen doing on there that you’d prefer to remain private could be used as blackmail against you. Sophos’ spyware protection ensures you’ll never have this problem, and that any attempts made at installing this on your device will be shut down immediately.

Firewall

With the in-house next-gen firewall, there’s essentially no chance of finding yourself exposed to online threats like viruses, or experiencing issues due to system weaknesses or vulnerabilities. Sophos’ firewall is state of the art and is constantly upgraded to meet changing industry demands and new technological advancements.

Privacy and Security

Sophos protects thousands of businesses and individuals around the globe, employing a number of privacy and security measures to keep users safe. In terms of privacy, there’s an in-house VPN available that ensures the safety of businesses’ shared drives as well as access to them performed remotely or anywhere else off-site. For security, there are various exclusive tools as well as endpoint encryption, anti-malware, anti-phishing, and much more.

Safe Browsing

Sophos’ Safe Browsing feature is an extension that tracks any suspicious sites and redirections you might encounter and prevents access in real time. Adware, spyware, and other nefarious threats are easily avoided as a result. Should you browser become compromised, you’ll be alerted as it happens.

Keylogger Protection

Sophos Home provides sophisticated keylogger protection and ensures you won’t fall foul of this threat. Keylogging malware, once installed, records anything typed into an unsuspecting victim’s keyboard, from bank details to email passwords, so you need to know you can trust your antivirus. Sophos has a proven record of detecting this malware and safely removing it.

Sophos Mobile

Sophos’ threat management application offers comprehensive defensive control for all Android and iOS devices. Though it can be used for personal accounts, this is designed to support the dynamic needs of businesses that want to maintain the security of their data and shared access across a large number of devices. Adding and removing devices is just one thing that can be done here; running diagnostics, monitoring real-time risk severities and creating reports for safety improvements are all possible and more.

Having one centralized space for managing multiple devices across a number of locations is a huge benefit to responsibly ensuring the integrity of your company’s security protocols.

Pricing Plans

Lab Results

The more positive third-party testing antivirus software receives, the more you can trust it to protect you against the various threats you face using the web. Results from audits that took place during July 2019 boast high scores for Sophos, which go hand in hand with the positive reviews received by big names like AV-Test and PC Mag. 

Ease of Use and Interface

Sophos is incredibly easy to use, especially since it specializes in both business and home use. Many antivirus users are first-timers, so it needs to be something that they can understand from the get go, all while incorporating the essential tools that the most experienced and deep-diving web users expect. As for businesses, Sophos antivirus needs to be able to manage complex needs, ensure constant uptime, and that the interface is straightforward enough so people can focus on running their businesses.

Customer Support

Sophos users have 24/7 access to the comprehensive knowledge-base. Most issues can be resolved simply by heading over to the FAQ section and also the library of videos that challenge typical usage concerns and technical troubleshooting

If you need to speak to a member of the technical team, customer support is available Monday - Friday, US Eastern Time. The contact details for all countries can be found on the support page. If you’re a premium user, you’ll also be resolve issues much quicker through the live chat option.

How to Setup and Uninstall

Installation is a straightforward process and can be complete within a matter of minutes.

1. Register a Sophos Home account
2. Log in to your Home Dashboard
3. From the dashboard, click 'Download.'
4. Allow the program to run, then click 'Run it.'
5. After the download is complete, It will direct you to the dashboard
6. Click 'Add device.'
7. Select the best-suited option to complete the installation

Uninstalling Sophos from your system is just as simple to achieve.

Windows:

1. Right-click on 'Start' and select 'Apps and Features.'
2. Double click on Sophos (If prompted to restart, so so and restart the process)
3. On the next window click 'Uninstall
4. Once complete head to your dashboard and remove the device

Mac:

1. Open magnifying glass
2. Type 'Remove Sophos Home'
3. On the next screen click 'Continue
4. When prompted, enter password
5. Allow 'Uninstall' to run then click finish

Our Verdict

We found that Sophos was a reliable choice for both businesses and home-users alike. The protective measures available ensure that all threats, from malware to Trojan horses, are readily thwarted and quickly identified. What’s more, with essential tools like the built-in keylogging protection and Safe Browsing extension, you’re backed by comprehensive protection. Sophos makes sure that all browsing requirements, along with every device its software is installed on, won’t ever fall foul of the ever-upgrading threats that you’ll encounter on the web. Plus, with live chat support alongside a reliable knowledge-base, you’ve got all the support you need should any issues arise.