Name & Shame: Sophos Home: The Software That Now Floods You with Ads on Your Desktop

Six years ago, I made a post here talking about Sophos Home, a then-new free antivirus product from Sophos, a company traditionally known for its enterprise security products. I have been an active user of Sophos Home ever since that post, even going as far as to recommend it to friends and entrusting Sophos to protect my family's PCs.

Times have changed, and Sophos Home has had a real falling of grace since it launched. Recently, I ran into the straw that broke the camel's back: ads on your desktop. I no longer recommend that anyone use Sophos Home, and I have uninstalled it on all of my PCs.

In-Depth: Using Sophos Home Antivirus

NOTICE: I no longer recommend Sophos Home, and I strongly encourage that you uninstall it if you have done so after recommendation from this post. I will keep the original post below for historical reasons.

Is Windows Defender not cutting it for you? Do you feel like Windows Defender isn't as good as the usual run-of-the-mill antivirus vendors out on the market right now? Well, you wouldn't exactly be alone. Microsoft's own security product has had drastic improvements in the past, but Microsoft still seems a little off the pace when it comes to detecting newer infections.

Recently, I've discovered Sophos Home Antivirus after a recommendation by a user on Techtronix when the lounge (network lobby) was discussing antivirus/antimalware software. I decided to take a look because I was kinda bored of the Windows Defender + Malwarebytes Pro (that was going to expire soon anyways). After using the software for a few weeks, I've finally reached the conclusion that Sophos Home is actually software worth considering, especially if you're in the market for antivirus software.