Immunet Antivirus Review

This free antivirus solution has been discontinued. Here's why the program was so popular and what you can use instead

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Immunet's services are discontinued as of 2024. Below is my look at what this program used to offer. Keep reading to learn all about this program and alternatives to Immunet Antivirus that I recommend.

What Was Immunet Antivirus?

Immunet Antivirus was a free software program for Windows from Cisco that used cloud computing services to provide one of the best free antivirus programs available. It was really easy to use and far less bloated than most antivirus solutions.

The software would stay connected to a network of millions of users and utilize this community to build their defense. When Immunet detected a threat on one computer, it instantly blocked that threat from all the other computers on the network.

Immunet antivirus free

Why Did Immunet Shut Down?

The Immunet website explains what happened:

Immunet has been available for over a decade. During this time the consumer product landscape has evolved significantly. While Cisco remains committed to contributing to global security defence through Talos threat intelligence, Immunet is not aligned with how Cisco is pursuing this goal.

Immunet Features

Compared to other antivirus apps, this one had some unique benefits, but it also lacked a few common features.

What We Like
  • Real-time threat detection; never needs a manual definition update.

  • Requires a relatively small amount of RAM to run.

  • Can be used alongside other antivirus programs.

  • Settings are easy to understand.

What We Don't Like
  • Doesn’t scan email databases.

  • No automatic detection of viruses on USB drives.

  • Doesn't always function correctly offline.

Here are some other details about this program:

  • FlashScan: Encourages this scan type right after installing to check for threats in running processes and startup registry keys.
  • Blocking Mode: Includes this optional feature you can enable in the settings to prevent new program installations until they've been determined as safe (the safe check takes just a fraction of a second).
  • Protection variety: Provides intelligent, on-demand scans to detect virusesspyware, bots, worms, keyloggers, Trojans, etc., even within archived files.
  • Custom scans: Run a custom scan if you need to check a specific folder or hard drive. This also works via the right-click menu.
  • Scheduled scans: You can set up scheduled scans so that Immunet will run a full, flash, or custom scan every day, week, or month.
  • Automatic quarantine: Includes the ability to turn off or turn on the quarantining of malicious and/or suspicious files.
  • Exclusions: You can add a file, folder, file extension, or threat name to the exclusions list so that it's ignored as a threat. Several exclusions are provided by default to avoid conflicting with other antivirus programs and Windows files.
  • Gaming Mode: Lets you use Gaming Mode to suppress all notifications.
  • History log: The file history log provides a detailed report of everything the program is doing, from running scans to detecting threats and blocking processes. You can even search through it by keyword and filter by date.
  • Engine options: Enable or disable ETHOS and SPERO cloud detection engines. You can also turn on the ClamAV engine to detect threats offline.
  • Windows support: It works with Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows Server versions 2022 through 2008 R2.
Immunet free antivirus scanning in Windows

My Thoughts on Immunet Antivirus

Obviously, I don't recommend that you continue to use this program if you already have it. And even if you can find a download for Immunet Antivirus, I don't suggest utilizing it because it won't be connected to the cloud services that made this program so great.

A major plus is that it was always connected to the internet and so it'd always update its defense definitions with information every other Immunet user gathered. This was the company's largest selling point and, frankly, about the only thing that set it apart from other antivirus programs.

Another neat thing about this app was that it could run in conjunction with other antivirus software like from AVG or Kaspersky. This isn't a common feature, so it was nice to see, but it didn't always work super well (lots of annoying notifications when they'd contradict each other).

Immunet Antivirus Alternatives

This antivirus solution could completely replace similar software from companies like McAfee and Norton that charge for their programs and for yearly access to important, often crucial updates. This constant updating, plus the cloud-based defense, made Immunet one of the most attractive free antivirus programs available.

Cisco doesn't have a formal replacement recommendation. I've always enjoyed using Kaspersky Free, but check out the link below for a list of other great suggestions.

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