Internet Security Software

IDENTITY GUARD TOTAL PROTECTION WITH ZONEALARM REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Chart

Identity Guard's Total Protection with ZoneAlarm really lives up to its name. We believe it is the most effective total protection you can get to safeguard your computer and your identity. This service is unique in that it combines the top rated Internet security software from ZoneAlarm with the extensive identity theft protection services provided by Identity Guard. This is important because the goal of many hackers is to access your personal information and perpetrate any number of identity theft related crimes against you. Both of these services are very good as stand alone products but are exceptional when combined together to give you the ultimate in Internet and identity security. Identity Guard has recently further enhanced its offering by offering a free 30-day trial of its full service, making trying it and downloading the free Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite a no-risk proposition.

The ZoneAlarm software offers extensive protection against viruses, spyware and adware by identifying risks in real-time and preventing them from being downloaded on to your computer. ZoneAlarm has historically been able to identify and block new viruses and other malware in 0-2 hours which means that it is extremely effective against even the newest threats to your computer.

Installing ZoneAlarm is extremely simple and intuitive. It took us about ten minutes to download the software and another ten minutes to configure through the easy to use step-by-step installer. This configuration process included a complete scan of our computer's hard drive to identify any harmful programs that may be present. The ZoneAlarm installation also includes several options for setting up default security settings on your computer. We selected the 'auto-learn security settings' which automatically provided the appropriate security based on our computer's existing configurations.

We tested out the effectiveness of the ZoneAlarm Internet security software by visiting websites that we knew to be high risk and downloading programs that we knew included spyware. In each case, ZoneAlarm effectively alerted us to the potential issues present in either the website or the program we were downloading with simple easy to understand warning messages.

Another helpful feature of the ZoneAlarm Internet security software is their Wireless PC Protection. This tool helped us configure wireless networks in range of our computer and alerted us to any potential security issues present in those networks. Given the frequency that PC users access any number of wireless networks in public places such as coffee shops, office lobbies and airports, we feel that the wireless protection is another big plus for ZoneAlarm.

The computer and Internet security provided by ZoneAlarm is bolstered by the addition of Identity Guard's identity theft detection service. Identity theft detection services like Identity Guard help to detect that you have become a victim of identity theft by monitoring your credit file at all 3 credit bureaus (commonly called credit monitoring). Identity Guard goes far beyond other identity theft detection services by also proactively monitoring public records for any changes in your name, scanning for application or social security fraud, and monitoring the Internet's black market for any use of your credit cards or other personal information. They've also recently added anti-keylogging software, lost wallet protection (they can cancel your credit card accounts and give you up to $2,000 advance if you need it) and a Personal ID Risk Assessment. Like many credit monitoring services, Identity Guard Total Protection completes daily scans of all 3 of your credit files and notifies you of any changes. It also gives you all 3 of your credit reports and all 3 of your credit scores every quarter. If anything is found, they will alert you by e-mail immediately. They also make it very easy to place fraud alerts with the bureaus yourself if you want to take that extra preventative step. $20,000 of identity theft insurance is also included in your subscription in case the worst somehow does still happen.

Identity Guard with ZoneAlarm is priced slightly differently than the other Internet security software services we reviewed. Rather than paying an annual fee subscribers pay $14.99 per month which includes all of the features detailed above. The cost of this product is slightly higher than the other services we reviewed at about $180 per year, but it is actually quite a deal when you consider that you are essentially receiving three services, credit report monitoring, identity theft protection and Internet security software, for the same price that you would pay if you purchased Identity Guard as a standalone product. Plus, even if you choose to cancel your Identity Guard subscription within the 30 day free trial period you can keep the ZoneAlarm software (although you wouldn't receive any of the virus and spyware definitions which keep your computer safe against new threats), your 3-bureau credit report and score, and your public records report. All this alone would cost over $100 and they're willing to give it to you for free just to try the product.

Overall, Identity Guard Total Protection with ZoneAlarm offers a level of protection for your PC and overall identity that is unmatched by any of the other Internet security software providers that we have reviewed.

System Requirements: Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista

MCAFEE TOTAL PROTECTION REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Chart

McAfee offers an excellent set of tools to protect your PC and is confident enough in its service that it offers a 30-day money back guarantee. If you are unsatisfied with the software for any reason they will refund your money, no questions asked.

McAfee was easy to download and install on our Windows Vista PC. Once installed, however, it did seem to run slower than some of the other software products we have reviewed. This is likely due to the fact that McAfee is constantly doing so much to protect your PC. However, McAfee claims that its most recently released version of the software is faster than previous versions. Novice users may be a little intimidated by McAfee's Total Protection interface because it offers so many different options and types of protection. We found some of McAfee's menus to be a bit confusing largely because they had to be designed to accommodate so many different features.

McAfee Total Protection includes standard features such as anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-phishing and hacker protection. But it also includes some advanced features that most other services don't have, such as security for your entire home network and even automated backups for important files stored on your computer's hard drive. McAfee has also included easy to use multi-user parental controls which allow you to select which users can access certain prohibited websites. McAfee Total Protection 2009, McAfee's latest software release, adds even more features to the mix. McAfee's new QuickScan takes a few seconds to 10 minutes to check for threats in the most commonly infected places on your computer. When you're in full screen mode, whether you're working, watching a video or playing a game, McAfee 2009 will postpone security alerts and notices so that you won't be interrupted. Other new additions include anti-theft encryption software that lets you password protect files and network monitoring that alerts you if anyone attempts to connect to your wireless network.

One of our favorite and most practical features is McAfee's link security tool, which gives color coded risk levels for every link you scroll over on a website, in an email or instant message. This ensures that you can surf with confidence that you won't inadvertently end up on a questionable or dangerous website.

McAfee claims to protect over 130 million computers worldwide and based off of our experience we are not surprised so many PC owners have chosen to protect themselves with McAfee. Less technical users may experience some information overload when they first begin using the software. But because McAfee offers a 30 day money-back guarantee, even the least tech savvy individual can try Total Protection risk free to determine whether or not it is the right product for their PC security needs. Overall, we highly recommend McAfee Total Protection.

System Requirements: Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista

CA INTERNET SECURITY SUITE PLUS 2008 REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Chart

CA, or Computer Associates, Internet Security Suite offers a variety of effective Internet security tools. In fact, these are the same Internet security tools and computer protection tools that they also provide to major corporations worldwide.

CA offers a full suite of Internet security software products including protection against viruses, spyware, phishing and spam. We found that this product really shined when it came to identifying potential risks while on the web. Rather than using pop up windows or other alerts, CA adds a button to your web browser which identifies the owner of a particular website, their location and an associated risk level. Trusted sites have a green indicator while sites with low risk are yellow and high risks are red. This graphical representation in real time makes safe web browsing a breeze. These same tools work on links in emails or on web pages. You can simply scroll over a link with your cursor and a small unobtrusive window alerts you to any potential risks with the website associated with that link.

Downloading CA Internet Security Suite took us about 30 minutes. There were several customization options available throughout the installation process where we could decide whether or not we wanted to install certain portions of the software and leave out others. For example, we opted not to install the parental controls because no children would be accessing our PC.

CA also offers a unique monetary guarantee of $10,000 covering damage to your PC or identity theft. If your computer containing a properly downloaded copy of CA Internet Security Suite fails as a result of a virus or other malicious software then they will spend up to $5,000 to fix the problem. Additionally, they will spend up to $5,000 to help you recover from identity theft perpetrated against you as a result of criminals accessing your personal information from your computer while using the CA Internet security software product. We are always a bit wary of these types of guarantees and would never recommend that you sign up for a product because of a monetary guarantee. However, CA's Internet security software is top notch and we believe that the identity theft and computer protection guarantees are simply another positive feature of an already quality product.

CA Internet Security Suite is in the mid-range of the products we reviewed at $69.99 per year. While it is not the cheapest, it does offer licenses for up to three computers and a full suite of protection against viruses, spyware, phishing and spam. Many of the lower priced products in this category either don't offer as extensive of protection or are only licensed for a single computer.

We strongly believe that CA Internet Security Suite is some of the most thorough and user friendly Internet security software on the market and highly recommend it to most consumers.

System Requirements: Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista

ZONEALARM REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Chart

The ZoneAlarm software offers extensive protection against viruses, spyware and adware by identifying risks in real-time and preventing them from being downloaded on to your computer. ZoneAlarm has historically been able to identify and block new viruses and other malware in 0-2 hours which means that it is extremely effective against even the newest threats to your computer.

Installing ZoneAlarm is extremely simple and intuitive. It took us about ten minutes to download the software and another ten minutes to configure through the easy to use step-by-step installer. This configuration process included a complete scan of our computer's hard drive to identify any harmful programs that may be present. The ZoneAlarm installation also includes several options for setting up default security settings on your computer. We selected the 'auto-learn security settings' which automatically provided the appropriate security based on our computer's existing configurations.

We tested out the effectiveness of the ZoneAlarm Internet security software by visiting websites that we knew to be high risk and downloading programs that we knew included spyware. In each case, ZoneAlarm effectively alerted us to the potential issues present in either the website or the program we were downloading with simple easy to understand warning messages.

Another helpful feature of the ZoneAlarm Internet security software is their Wireless PC Protection. This tool helped us configure wireless networks in range of our computer and alerted us to any potential security issues present in those networks. Given the frequency that PC users access any number of wireless networks in public places such as coffee shops, office lobbies and airports, we feel that the wireless protection is another big plus for ZoneAlarm.

ZoneAlarm is the best overall value available in pure Internet security software at just $39.95 per year for up to three computers.

System Requirements: Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista

TREND MICRO INTERNET SECURITY 2008 REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Chart

Trend Micro calls Internet Security 2009 'PC-cillin' because it is like penicillin for your PC. Our research showed that this is probably an accurate description since the software incorporates all of the key features you would expect including anti-virus protection, adware blocking, and spam and phishing protection.

When we first reviewed this software last year, it only took a few moments to download and configure. We noticed right away that Trend Micro didn't have any significant impact on our PC's speed the way that several of the other software providers that we tested did. According to Trend Micro, the most recently released edition of their Internet security software actually installs even more quickly, boots up 50% faster and uses 40% less memory than the 2008 version. Additionally, the interface is very intuitive and we liked the fact that Trend Micro includes a Security Activity Dashboard to allow the user to keep track of how the software is working.

Trend Micro did its job by alerting us to known spyware and virus that we attempted to download in our testing. However, we have seen some reports of the software not being as good at identifying new threats. This may have something to do with the fact that Trend Micro updates their virus definitions daily as opposed to hourly like some of the other security software products we have reviewed. The 2009 edition also includes a new feature called Quick Scan, which checks for threats in the most likely places more quickly than a full scan and without interrupting you while you use your computer.

While Trend Micro does include a parental controls feature, it is not all that well designed. It is relatively easy to block certain sites, but once they have been set those sites will be inaccessible for all users on your PC. So, if there are sites that you would like to block your children from accessing you can do so, but you will also be prevented from visiting those sites. You can also choose what times your children are allowed to go online, and for how long, and even prevent them from typing personal information while online. Trend Micro also makes it easy to monitor what websites your children are accessing.

The key thing missing from Trend Micro's Internet Security from our perspective was more advanced identity theft protection. The service does include anti-phishing protection and a fairly extensive firewall, but it would have been even better if it had also included more advanced identity theft protection tools like password encryption and anti-keylogging features. The latest software adds an enhanced Home Network Security Management function, which lets you see and manage other computers in your home network and block wireless intruders.

Trend Micro is a good deal at $49.95 for up to three licenses. Its clean and intuitive design is a big plus for consumers that may be intimidated by the idea of running security software. Overall, we don't feel it is as feature rich as some competitors, particularly when it comes to identity theft protection, but we still recommend the software highly to most consumers.

System Requirements: Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista

KASPERSKY INTERNET SECURITY 7.0 REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Chart

You may not be familiar with the Kaspersky name as it has only recently been heavily marketed in the United States, but is recognized as an industry leader in Internet security software throughout Europe and Asia. In fact, their anti-spyware and anti-virus technology is so good that it is licensed into the products of over 120 other software companies including software giant Microsoft.

Kapersky's strength is their industry leading anti-virus and anti-spyware protection. Their virus and spyware/adware definitions are automatically updated to your computer hourly which means they can effectively detect even the newest threats to your Internet security and computer's health. Kaspersky also offers a very unique feature called 'Roll Back'. When a threat to your computer is identified you can choose to roll back your system to before the virus or spyware infection occurred. We tested this feature by downloading some known spyware onto our computer with Kapersky installed. The software immediately identified the threat and the process of 'rolling back' was simple and painless.

Kaspersky's spam and phishing detection are not as extensive as some of the other services we have reviewed. That being said, Kaspersky does offer a unique image spam analysis engine that can evaluate the risk of images sent an email. Many other spam filters have difficulty with identifying image spam versus images you may want to receive in email which can lead to false positives and cause messages from your friends and family to end up in your spam filter.

While Kaspersky Internet Security doesn't include any explicit identity theft protection it does include some features that certainly would make it more difficult for criminals to steal your identity. For example, they do provide additional layers of security on sites where you may be entering sensitive personal information and account details. The new 2009 release also includes an on-screen keyboard that can be used when entering passwords or other personal information, in order to thwart keyloggers.

At $79.99, Kaspersky is on the more expensive end of the spectrum versus other Internet security software providers. However, this price does include up to three licenses and their industry leading virus and spyware protection. We think that Kaspersky Internet Security is best suited for consumers that are looking for world class virus and spyware protection but don't require extensive spam protection because they already have a spam filtering solution in place.

System Requirements: Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista

NORTON INTERNET SECURITY 2008 REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Chart

Norton has become synonymous with PC security over the years for many users. They, along with their parent company Symantec, were among the first companies creating security software for PCs over two decades ago.

It took us nearly an hour to download and configure Norton Internet Security 2008, which was significantly longer than the download and configuration times of most of the other services we reviewed. Norton also seemed to run more slowly than some of the competitive Internet security software we tested. However, Norton claims that their newest software, Internet Security 2009, is actually the fastest security suite available, according to PassMark Software's performance tests. With an install time of less than a minute and faster scans that target only those files at risk, these new claims represent a market improvement of the Norton security software. That being said, we were impressed by overall functionality of the anti-spyware and anti-virus tools present in Norton Internet Security. The software effectively caught and eliminated several known malicious programs we attempted to download on our PC. Norton Internet Security 2009 introduces pulse updates, which are delivered to your computer every 5 to 15 minutes to detect and eliminate new threats. We were also impressed with Norton's phishing protection, which blocks access to websites that are known to be or suspected of being phishing scams. Norton also provides some basic identity theft protection in the form of added security for secure transactions, such as online banking or e-commerce shopping, and special encryption for sensitive password data.

When we first reviewed this service, we were disappointed to find that spam protection was only available as an additional download, rather than being included in the base product. But Norton Internet Security 2009 does come standard with spam protection. The latest software release also includes a new recovery tool designed to repair and recover badly infected PCs. Parental controls and confidential information blocking are now available through a free, downloadable upgrade. And Norton is now offering free, unlimited tech support via email, chat and phone for the first year of service.

Parental controls and confidential information blocking are also available through a free downloadable upgrade.

$69.99 per year for up to three licenses, Norton is a comparable value to the majority of the services we have reviewed. Overall we think it is a solid product but we would recommend either ZoneAlarm or CA Internet Security Plus over Norton Internet Security for most users.

System Requirements: Windows XP or Windows Vista

BITDEFENDER REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Chart

BitDefender offers a suite of Internet security software tools that is on par with many of the top services that we have reviewed. They incorporate hourly virus definition updates which identify and eliminate dangerous viruses in real-time. Additionally, their anti-spyware and anti-adware tools are also able to react in real-time to prevent infection of your PC. Both of these claims were supported by our testing which showed that BitDefender could immediately identify programs that could infect our PC and prevent them from being downloaded onto our hard drive. BitDefender also has 'adaptive' engines that are able to flag and block potentially harmful spam or phishing emails. Since these engines learn from the spammer's attempts to access your inbox you can be assured that they are prepared to react to the newest threats.

We believe that BitDefender really differentiates itself with its special operation mode called 'Gamer Mode'. In gamer mode the system continues to protect your PC but doesn't initiate any pop up security alerts as it does otherwise. It also reduces the system load so as not to slow down or disrupt any programs you are using. This means that you don't have to worry about these alerts interrupting a full screen gaming session and you can still rest easy that your computer is safe and secure from web based threats. While the feature is specifically targeted marketed towards gamers we also believe that it would be very useful for anyone that spends significant amounts of time watching full screen video content on the web. Whether you catch up on the latest primetime episodes at the office or have a full fledged home theater PC hooked up to your TV, gamer mode would ensure uninterrupted enjoyment of your video content.

BitDefender has added a few interesting new features with the release of its 2009 software. The latest update includes a 'File Vault' which securely stores personal information or sensitive files. BitDefender Internet Security 2009 also offers instant messaging encryption and a new laptop mode that prolongs battery life.

BitDefender is $39.95 per year for a single license, $49.95 to license 3 PCs and $79.95 for 5 PCs. If you are only looking to protect a single PC then it is one of the least expensive options, but if you need to cover multiple PCs the price is fairly standard.

System Requirements: Windows XP or Windows Vista