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BitDefender Internet Security 2013 Review: Internet Security Software |
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| Everything security software should be: quiet, effective, with all the features you need (but never knew you needed) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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It's the little things that matter in life, right? Well, it's definitely the little things that matter to BitDefender in the new 2013 version of their Internet Security software. While the program offers the same great features and solid protection that BitDefender is known for, the security software company used little tweaks and additions to make the user's life easier and also make BitDefender Internet Security 2013 everything a security software suite should be.
Installation Usually, an easy installation with no hassles is enough to impress us. Really, what else can you ask for during installation? How about a full computer scan? That's right, while BitDefender is downloading and installing its software onto your computer, it is also running a full scan of your computer to make sure there are no viruses. And the whole process took less than 10 minutes. To say we were impressed would be an understatement. Interface After the major redesign of their interface in 2012, BitDefender did very little to update the interface for 2013, which is good. The interface is stylish, yet extremely simple to use. The bar at the top of the main page shows your threat level (green = safe; yellow = problems that need attention; red = major threat), as well as the Events, Settings and AutoPilot buttons. The Events page tells you any security activity that has happened to your computer since you last visited BitDefender. If there is any activity, a little red box with the number of "events" will pop up over the Events tab. Settings, of course, allows you to adjust the settings on the different tools. And AutoPilot simply lets you turn on and off the AutoPilot feature. Below, the seven different features (Antivirus, Antispam, Privacy, Firewall, Updates, SafeGo and ID Theft Protection) are highlighted on the main screen and can easily be reordered to prioritize which features are important to you. The slick Web 2.0 interface lets you manage all seven features seamlessly and intuitively. The one of the two updates that BitDefender made was adding a MyBitdefender button at the top of the screen, which houses your personal information features, like your account settings, parental controls and ID theft protection. The other is a security widget, which is a mini-version of the BitDefender dashboard that can sit in the lower right corner of your desktop and alert you to any security events that could threaten your computer. Antimalware and Antivirus
BitDefender continues its upward climb to the top of the Internet security software world with another 3-star rating from AV-Comparatives in the most recent Whole-Product Dynamic Test. Historically, BitDefender has always scored high on the antivirus tests performed by independent testing body AV-Comparatives, scoring 3 out of 3 in the last three Whole-Product Dynamic tests. It had the highest overall score from the recent testing, a first for BitDefender. It also was one of the best at not blocking clean domains, a problem that Norton struggles with. We did our own antivirus testing on the new version, and, as expected, BitDefender thwarted every test virus that we threw at it. Even the extra features like firewall protection and parental controls worked exactly as they needed to. Overall, BitDefender has become one of the top security suites when it comes to protection. Performance
Along with its minor improvements in both protection and features, BitDefender has also boosted its performance with its 2013 software. BitDefender received 3 out of 3 stars in the most recent performance test from AV-Comparatives, scoring a "very fast" in all but two categories. Along with a speedy performance, BitDefender also continues to boast their Autopilot feature, which allows the program to run in the background of your computer undetected. The feature lets BitDefender take care of most security threats behind the scenes and only notifies you via pop-up when there is a severe threat warning. Other Features BitDefender continues to utilize its array of features from previous years, including their parental controls, ID theft protection, and firewall and privacy protections. In addition to these standards, BitDefender has also added SafeGo, which scans your social networks for malicious web links, as well as a USB immunizer, which scans and clears any external drives of viruses or malware before it connects to your computer. The greatest new feature that BitDefender offers is SafePay. It uses the same technology as other sandboxing features to open up a browser window in a completely secluded environment — cutting you off from your operating system, and therefore any spyware or malware that may be affecting it — so that you can pay bills and deal with all your money issues in a secure space. It is also helpful for when you are unsure of the safety of a website and want to test it in a secure environment. The only issue is that if you have a program that saves all your passwords, it will not work in SafePay. Also, if you want to toggle in between SafePay and your desktop (to retrieve said passwords), you must close out of SafePay each time. However, it's a nice, secure alternative to your normal web browser. Conclusion There are three main things that the best security software should do: protect you from viruses and malware, protect your identity from being stolen, and do all of this without disrupting your normal computing experience. BitDefender excels at all three of these things, making it the best all-around security software that we've reviewed. System Requirements: Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows Vista * AV-Comparatives ratings on a variety of tasks related to the antivirus and anti-malware product. "Dynamic Test" refers to AV-Comparatives' Real World testing of a variety of security aspects of the different software suites. Older scores may reflect previous software versions. Visit BitDefender Internet Security 2013 Website | Compare to Other Internet Security Software |
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**Score indicates impact of antivirus product on system performance. Average of performance tests by AV-Comparatives. 
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