ClamWin Free Antivirus was a
free and open-source
Free and open-source software (FOSS) is software available under a Software license, license that grants users the right to use, modify, and distribute the software modified or not to everyone free of charge. FOSS is an inclusive umbrella term ...
antivirus tool for
Windows
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
. It provides a graphical user interface to the
Clam AntiVirus
ClamAV (Clam AntiVirus) is a free software, cross-platform antimalware toolkit able to detect many types of malware, including viruses. It was developed for Unix and has third party versions available for AIX, BSD, HP-UX, Linux, macOS, Open ...
engine. The software has not been updated since 2021.
Features
* Scanning scheduler (only effective with user logged in).
* Automatic virus database updates on a regular basis.
* Standalone virus-scanner.
* Context menu integration for
Windows Explorer
File Explorer, previously known as Windows Explorer, is a file manager application and default desktop environment that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It provides a graphical user i ...
.
* Add-in for Microsoft Outlook.
* A portable version that can be used from a
USB flash drive
A flash drive (also thumb drive, memory stick, and pen drive/pendrive) is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface. A typical USB drive is removable, rewritable, and smaller than an optical disc, and u ...
.
There are Firefox extensions that allow the users to process downloaded files with ClamWin.
No real-time scanning
ClamWin Free Antivirus scans on demand; it does not
automatically scan files as they are read and written.
The non-affiliated projects
Clam Sentinel and
Winpooch are add-ons that provide a real-time scanning capability to ClamWin.
Effectiveness
Historically, ClamWin Free Antivirus has been criticized for its poor detection rates and slow scans compared to other
antivirus
Antivirus software (abbreviated to AV software), also known as anti-malware, is a computer program used to prevent, detect, and remove malware.
Antivirus software was originally developed to detect and remove computer viruses, hence the name ...
programs. In past evaluations, it struggled significantly in detecting various types of
malware
Malware (a portmanteau of ''malicious software'')Tahir, R. (2018)A study on malware and malware detection techniques . ''International Journal of Education and Management Engineering'', ''8''(2), 20. is any software intentionally designed to caus ...
. For example, in 2009, ClamWin Free Antivirus failed to detect almost half of the
trojan horses, password stealers, and other
malware
Malware (a portmanteau of ''malicious software'')Tahir, R. (2018)A study on malware and malware detection techniques . ''International Journal of Education and Management Engineering'', ''8''(2), 20. is any software intentionally designed to caus ...
in AV-TEST's "zoo" of
malware
Malware (a portmanteau of ''malicious software'')Tahir, R. (2018)A study on malware and malware detection techniques . ''International Journal of Education and Management Engineering'', ''8''(2), 20. is any software intentionally designed to caus ...
samples.
In the 1–21 June 2008 test performed by Virus.gr, ClamWin Free Antivirus version 0.93 detected 54.68% of all threats and ranked 37th out of 49 products tested, with the highest-ranking product detecting over 99% of threats. Similarly, in the 10 August-5 September 2009 test, ClamWin Free Antivirus version 0.95.2 detected 52.48% of all threats and ranked 43 out of 55 products tested, where the best performer scored 98.89%.
These evaluations are over a decade old. In recent years, ClamWin has seen several updates, though comprehensive independent test results from major antivirus testing
organization
An organization or organisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences) is an legal entity, entity—such as ...
s are scarce. Users should consider that ClamWin remains primarily a free,
open-source
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use and view the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open source model is a decentrali ...
antivirus solution, which might not offer the same level of comprehensive protection as some
commercial products.
Despite the absence of new effectiveness information from major testing organizations, ClamWin continues to be a popular choice for users seeking a free and
open-source
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use and view the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open source model is a decentrali ...
antivirus solution. Users looking for more robust protection may need to consider additional security measures or alternative
antivirus
Antivirus software (abbreviated to AV software), also known as anti-malware, is a computer program used to prevent, detect, and remove malware.
Antivirus software was originally developed to detect and remove computer viruses, hence the name ...
solutions.
In 2011,
cNet gave ClamWin Free Antivirus a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, acknowledging its user-friendly interface and regular updates but also noting its relatively slower scanning speeds and lower detection rates compared to other
antivirus
Antivirus software (abbreviated to AV software), also known as anti-malware, is a computer program used to prevent, detect, and remove malware.
Antivirus software was originally developed to detect and remove computer viruses, hence the name ...
software.
See also
*
List of antivirus software
*
List of free and open-source software packages
This is a list of free and open-source software (FOSS) packages, computer software licensed under free software licenses and open-source licenses. Software that fits the Free Software Definition may be more appropriately called free software; ...
*
ClamTk, a similar interface for ClamAV, but for Linux desktop use.
References
External links
*
*
{{Antivirus software
Antivirus software
Free antivirus software
Free security software
Free software programmed in C++
Free software programmed in Python
Portable software
Windows security software
Windows-only free software
Software using the GNU General Public License