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AVG Internet Security Review: Internet Security Software |
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| Best two-year bargain; excellent URL blocker and process viewer; lacks parental controls | |
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[Editor's note: AVG is currently offering NextAdvisor visitors an exclusive 30%-off discount on its two-year plan, giving you a year for free. No coupon code is needed, just follow any of the AVG links from NextAdvisor]
It seems like just yesterday that we were reviewing AVG Internet Security 8.5. Version 9.0 is now ready for release and AVG has promised faster installation, more efficient operation, and better security. Last time we complained about a complicated firewall setup, and we're glad to see this has been simplified. In fact, version 9.0 improves on just about everything we disliked about 8.5's user interface and basic operations. Gone are the ambiguous link warnings and frustrating permissions errors. While most of the setup has been streamlined, expect a few extra steps. The first scan is to evaluate the programs on your computer. This won't scan for viruses. You'll have to enable that first virus scan yourself (or wait for the scheduled scan). A scan for rootkits (nasty malware that lives in your computer in separate pieces) is an additional step. Our first full scan was faster than with AVG 8.5, but still a bit longer than most Internet security software we've reviewed. The initial scan uncovered no viruses, but it did find two tracking cookies and a piece of spyware that we'd downloaded but never activated. We found the previous version of AVG to be awkward and counterintuitive. The new version improves a lot on the look and feel and adds some novel features. One of our favorites is a process monitor (ostensibly a function of the Identity Theft protection component) that shows all the EXE's running on your system and evaluates the potential threat-level based on key characteristics. It's a good way to see what's going on under the hood, even though the documentation could be better. Identity theft is the buzz word du jour with Internet security software in 2009. One thing we're surprised to see absent from AVG's security software is some personal information management tools that we've seen in other products, such as credit card and login protection. Most of AVG's identity theft protection offering revolves around the anti-malware process-viewer mentioned above, as well as free access to Identity Guard's Identity Theft Recovery Unit. The latter is not to be confused with pro-active identity theft monitoring, but if you believe your identity has been stolen, Identity Guard will help you in the steps to recover it. This includes 6 months of free credit file monitoring if they find your identity has been compromised. AVG performed fairly well as we sent it against known threats. Most of the time the url blocker prevented us from getting to the nefarious sites in question. It did fine against scareware sites and a piece of malware disguised as a flash plugin. It did fail to block an image-based trojan and did not detect a YouTube-based phishing site that the previous version had caught, despite its claims of having anti-phishing technology. It's hard to give AVG our full recommendation given the trouble it had with the image-based trojan, and the lack of personal information management tools and parental controls may make it less than ideal for some. But if you liked previous versions of AVG, then you'll probably find 9.0 a worthy successor, and the inclusion of identity theft recovery services is a nice bonus. At $54.99 for two years it's a real bargain, though it only covers a single user. Their trial period gives you 30 days to kick the tires, with no credit card required. System Requirements: Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 |
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| Price: | $54.99 for 2 years (after 30% discount) |
| Virus Protection: | Linkscanner detects and blocks malware threats |
| Adware and Spyware Protection: | Blocks and removes spyware |
| Identity Theft Protection: | Free use of Identity Guard's Identity Theft Recovery Unit if your identity is stolen |
| Spam and Phishing Protection: | Identifies fraudulent websites |
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