This is of particular interest to me because my Norton/Symantic subscription has just run out, and I cannot afford a re-up until later this month.
I guess the bottom line here is no one can afford to risk an infection.
What I don't understand is why would a person or persons want to waste all of that intelligence on a destructive program, when they could use it to benefit the world. I think that invasive technology must pay off better than the honest programmers can make.
I guess I am truly a naive sentimental fool after all. On the other hand is ½ a million enough to someone to go court as a state's witness, and risk death from retribution by the perpetrators?

You might try AVG Free - I've used their free version at home ever since I got mad about how much of a system hog Norton was - they update it every week, it loads like lighting, and I've recommended it to many others. I've been using it for several years. They have a pay version for business machines that I use at work, but they offer it free for home use. I'm delighted.

Thanks Masbury. I'll check it out. But I did already reup my Norton subscription. I was only $49 a year and they do have a good application.