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AV-Comparatives has released its latest Security Survey, sending a clear message to cybersecurity professionals. People continue to buy security products, switch platforms, and worry about threats from state actors, AI, and surveillance. The group describes the project as “a comprehensive global study capturing current user behavior, technology preferences, and threat perceptions.”
Global Sample And A Tech-Savvy Crowd
AV-Comparatives gathered 1,328 valid responses from “real users” in 87 countries. The survey took place from November 20 to December 17, 2025. The report notes it used “control questions and checks to ensure the authenticity and validity of responses.”
Most respondents came from the United States, followed by Germany and China. The survey group was mostly technical, with about 42% calling themselves advanced users and another 26.5% identifying as IT professionals or experts.
Paid Security Dominates Desktop Decisions
Paid security tools are the top choice for desktop protection in this survey. About 74.5% of respondents use paid or commercial desktop security, while 25.5% use free options.
Age affected buying decisions. Users aged 34 and under chose free tools more often, while older groups preferred paid products. Skill level also played a role, with advanced and expert users more likely to pick paid tools.
For cyber insurance teams, this pattern supports the need for stronger endpoint controls in many insured environments. It also shows that control maturity varies by age and skill level.
OS – Windows 11 Leads, While Linux Gains Ground
Windows is still the main desktop platform among those surveyed. Windows 11 leads with 68.5%, followed by Windows 10 at 19.4%. macOS has 5.3%, and Linux or Unix-like systems have 4.5%.
The report links Windows 11 upgrades to hardware cycles, noting that many users bought new devices to upgrade. It also points out that novice users were often forced to upgrade because of older machines.
These changes affect risk. Newer operating systems improve basic security controls and change what is expected for patching in insurance questionnaires.
Browsers Show Privacy Interest And Fragmentation
Browser choices are more spread out than general web statistics show. Google Chrome leads with 27.1%, followed by Mozilla Firefox at 26.6%, Microsoft Edge at 17.4%, and Brave at 12%.
Brave’s popularity shows that people want more privacy-focused browsing. The report encourages vendors to support more browsers with security plug-ins, such as URL-blocking tools.
Mobile Security Gaps Stand Out
On phones, Android dominates at 74.3%. iOS holds 24.5%. Mobile defense shows a major gap. About 40.2% of respondents use no mobile anti-malware. IT professionals skip mobile security even more often at 44%.
When users deploy mobile protection, familiar brands lead. The global top list includes Bitdefender, ESET, Kaspersky, Avast, Norton, and others. Regional rankings shift by continent. Bitdefender and ESET appear near the top across regions.
This security gap increases the risk of claims related to mobile fraud and credential theft. It also contributes to MFA fatigue and raises the risk of session hijacking.
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Endpoint Vendors Stay Concentrated
Most people use a small group of desktop anti-malware products. The report lists ESET, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and Microsoft Defender as the most common choices.
Regional differences show clear patterns. ESET ranks first in Europe and North America in this dataset. Kaspersky ranks first in Asia and South or Central America.
The survey also asked which products readers want tested next. For consumer tests, Bitdefender, ESET, Microsoft, and Kaspersky were most requested. For enterprise tests, respondents also mentioned CrowdStrike, Sophos, and Trend Micro.
Independent Testing Shapes Trust
The survey asked users to name their sources for security test results. AV-Comparatives led with 73% of mentions. AV-Test followed at 30%. Magazines and online publications reached 19%.
The report credits that trust to independence and transparency. It says its public test reports remain “freely available” on av-comparatives.org.
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Threat Perception Targets States And Domestic Surveillance
Respondents named Russia as the most feared source of cyberattacks at 61%. China followed at 57%. The United States reached 42%. North Korea reached 36%.
Domestic risk also ranked high. About 24% feared cyber threats from “my own country.” The report links that fear to surveillance and privacy concerns.
The report also asks about the concentration of digital services in the United States. About two-thirds of respondents said this worries them. European respondents reported the highest level of concern at 74%.
Misinformation And AI Fears Rise Together
Over half of respondents reported encountering fake news in the past year. Politics and elections led the categories at 46.6%. Social media misinformation followed at 17.4%. Science and tech followed at 15.2%.
The survey also measured forward-looking fears. Adverse outcomes of AI technologies ranked highest at 45%. Censorship and surveillance reached 37%. Cyber insecurity also reached 37%.
AI Chatbots Trigger Fresh Data-Handling Risk
The report adds a new question on ChatGPT-style tools. It tracks whether users share sensitive information with chatbots. Personal health information and personal identity details lead the shared categories.
The report warns about prior chatbot data leaks. It says, “We strongly advise that chat bot users are cautious about sharing personal information.”
That warning maps directly to cyber insurance loss drivers. Staff can leak regulated data through everyday prompts. Policies and controls can reduce that exposure.
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