Norton Internet Security 2007

Description:
Stay protected from the latest online threats when connecting to the Web. Norton Internet Security™ 2007 is always running in the background to detect and block viruses, spyware, worms, fraudulent phishing sites, and hackers before they can cause harm. Now you can browse online, download software, or exchange files via email or instant messaging knowing you’re protected from viruses and spyware. You can even set automatic scans to find and remove hidden threats buried deep in your system. Advanced phishing protection identifies and blocks fraudulent Web sites so you don’t accidentally provide any personal information when shopping or banking online. Automatically shield newly discovered security holes in the Windows operating system or other popular programs to prevent viruses, worms, and hackers from entering through these vulnerabilities.
Norton Internet Security provides a robust two-way firewall that blocks hackers from breaking into your computer and stops spyware and hackers stealing sensitive information from your computer.. Now you can maximize your protection anywhere you connect to the Internet. Log on at home, at a café, or on the road and Norton Internet Security automatically optimizes your security settings, keeping you connected and protected. In addition to protection updates, Norton Internet Security provides new product features as available throughout your subscription period.

System Requirements:
# Windows XP Home/XP Pro
# 256 MB of RAM
# 350 MB of available hard disk space
# CD or DVD drive
# Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 or later
# Email scanning supported for POP3 and SMTP compatible email clients.

Supported instant messenger clients:
# AOL® Instant Messenger - versions 4.7 or higher
# Yahoo!® Instant Messenger - versions 5.0 or higher
# MSN® Messenger -versions 6.0 and higher

Norton Internet Security 2007 Features

Firewall:
You can set up the firewall so it will monitor each program and its interaction with the Internet. However, there aren’t a lot of other configuring options pertaining to the firewall—once the software is installed, it takes care of itself.

Norton didn’t submit the firewall to be tested by ICSA or W.C.L. This doesn’t mean the firewall wouldn’t pass.

Antivirus:
Norton antivirus passed all major tests and is ISCA 2006 certified, VB 100% 2006 certified and W.C.L Level 1& 2 certified. This function has almost all of the features we looked for including on–access, real–time and heuristic scanning.

Antispyware:
Norton Internet Security is one of the few suites that submitted to and passed the ICSA 2006 Antispyware test. This software will protect against adware, keyloggers, trojans, browser hijackers and other spyware that attempt to compromise your personal information.

Other Security/Features:
The Norton Protection Center provides the education you need to keep your personal information and your computer safe online. The site includes an online virus encyclopedia. Here you’ll find a complete list of current threats and detailed information on each threat and risk.

At the time we did this review, Norton Internet Security also came with Norton SystemWorks. This software finds and fixes problems that slow down your computer and removes unwanted temporary files and Internet clutter that take up hard drive space.

Ease of Use:
This is a program you can install on your computer and forget about it if you choose. As soon as you install Norton, all of the features are preset to defaults so you never have to touch the program again. On the other hand, you can also customize many aspects of the program if you like.

The interface is easy to navigate with well–labeled buttons. Additionally, all options have a detailed description of what they do.

The only hitch we ran into was during the uninstalling process. We had a hard time completely removing the files from our PC.

Ease of Installation/Setup:
Setup is simple and the program will guide you through the entire process by asking simple questions so you get the type of security you need and want. We didn’t have any problems during the installation and setup process.

You can protect up to three PCs with one subscription.

Help/Support:
Norton provides a lot of self–help information including tutorials, a user guide, FAQs and a user forum. You can contact customer support by telephone, email and online chat.

Summary:
For $69.99, you can protect up to 3 PCs with Norton Internet Security. As a bonus, you’ll also receive Norton SystemWorks. Your computer will run securely and smoothly making your experience with the Internet more enjoyable.

McAfee Internet Security Suite 2007

Description:
McAfee Internet Security Suite with SiteAdvisor provides trusted PC and Internet protection so your whole family can enjoy online activities such as surfing the Web, shopping, banking, e-mailing and instant messaging. Always on, always protecting and always updating, McAfee delivers a worry-free Internet experience because it guards both your identity and your PC from viruses, spyware, e-mail and phishing scams, and hackers. With its new automated backup feature, McAfee Internet Security Suite with SiteAdvisor makes it easy to safeguard your most important photos, music, videos and files. If anything is ever lost or corrupted, you can restore files and data with just one simple click. In addition, the latest McAfee software and updates download automatically, so you never have to install anything manually when a new version is available. Also included in your subscription is McAfee NetworkManager, which simplifies control over the security of all your home PCs. NetworkManager plugs into McAfee® SecurityCenter, which has been redesigned to give you an at-a-glance view of your security status.

Features:
# Offers 8 in 1 protection for your identity, PC, and online experience.
# Shields your PC around the clock: always on, always protecting, always updating.
# Protects your PC from viruses, hackers and spyware.
# Backs Up photos, music, videos, and other important files automatically.
# Protects your online experience so you can surf the Web, shop, bank, e-mail and instant message safely and securely.

System Requirements:
Important: Your Operating System must be designed and tested to support English languages. This product does not support any versions of Windows prior to Windows 2000.

# Microsoft® Windows 2000, Windows XP Personal computer with Pentium-compatible processor 500 MHz or higher
# RAM: 256 MB
# Before Installation: 200 MB hard disk space
# After Installation: 125 MB hard disk space
# 800 X 600 or higher resolution
# Microsoft® .NET Framework version 1.1.4322
# Microsoft® Internet Explorer 6.0 or later
Note: To upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer, visit the Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/

Supported e-mail programs:
# POP3 – Outlook Express, Outlook, Eudora, Netscape, IncrediMail, Thunderbird; Japanese only: Shuriken, Becky, PostPet
# MAPI – Outlook
# Web – MSN/Hotmail, or e-mail account with POP3 access
Supported instant messaging programs:
# AOL Instant Messenger 2.1 or later
# Yahoo Messenger 4.1 or later
# Microsoft Windows Messenger 3.6 or later MSN
# Messenger 6.0 or later
Required for toolbar plug-in:
# Outlook Express 6.0 or later
# Outlook 2000, XP, 2003, or 2007
# Eudora 6.0 or later
# Thunderbird 1.5 or later

McAfee Internet Security Suite Features

Firewall:
The McAfee firewall will keep intruders out and your personal information safe. It monitors your computer’s ports and all data that enters or leaves. With one click, you can lock down the firewall, which blocks all inbound and outbound network traffic between your computer and the Internet. It also stops remote connections from accessing your computer.

This suite will protect your Wi–Fi connection and ensure nobody jumps on your wireless network to take advantage of your Internet connection.

Antivirus:
McAfee is one of the few companies that submitted their software to all three testing labs, ICSA, Virus Bulletin (VB) and West Coast Labs (W.C.L.), and passed all three tests. The suite offers a variety of virus scanning options. You can scan files on demand, real-time or schedule your system scans.

McAfee’s website provides current information on potentially harmful viruses and virus hoaxes to keep you safe and informed.

Antispyware:
The ISCA also gave their approval for the antispyware function of the McAfee Internet Security Suite. This software will detect spyware of all kinds including adware, keyloggers, trojans, browser hijackers and more.

Other Security/Features:
In addition to the main security functions listed above, McAfee further protects your computer and personal information by scanning emails and instant message attachments. The software will detect problems, filter spam and notify you of potential phishing schemes. Phishing is creating a fraudulent email or website that appears to be a legitimate company, like a bank, credit card company or government agency. The goal is to collect personal information.

McAfee also has extensive parental control features that will filter web content by keyword, by using a blacklist or by image analysis. You are able to set up an account and customize web filters for each user.

We used the “Maintain Computer” function to clean out old and unused files. You can shred the files for privacy purposes if you want. From this screen, you can also reconfigure your PC for optimum performance.

Ease of Use:
McAfee’s main user interface is well organized so you can quickly access and configure the firewall, antivirus and parental controls. You can also access reports and logs so you can see exactly what functions have taken place and what the results are.

One downside to McAfee is that our email application slowed considerably as the security suite scanned our incoming and outgoing emails.

Ease of Installation/Setup:
We didn’t have any problems while installing this software. The initial setup is simple and the software has default settings so you don’t have to do any extensive configuring. McAfee integrates well with other programs like Internet Explorer and Microsoft Outlook.

Help/Support:
To answer your questions, McAfee provides tutorials, a user manual and FAQs. You can also contact customer support by phone, online chat and email. We used the online chat and Van was very helpful and answered our questions.

Summary:
McAfee Internet Security Suite provides the security you need to safely navigate the web. A virus or spyware can do thousands of dollars of damage and compromise your personal information. For $59.95, McAfee will protect your PC and leave you worry-free.

BitDefender Internet Security

BitDefender®… The future of security now

BitDefender®, a division of SOFTWIN, was founded in Bucharest, Romania in 2001. A number one antivirus ranking quickly ensued and sparked heavy demand for its products across Europe and beyond. Having gone global, the company now provides superior threat management to over 41 million home and corporate users in more than 100 countries, with offices in the United States, Romania, Germany and Spain – and a major presence in numerous countries in between. BitDefender® is a pioneer in the field of security solutions and is poised to compete with the biggest names in technology through the integration of multi-level security solutions, one of which garnered PC World’s “#1 Best Buy” in March of 2006.

Our achievements include the combination of a classic, effective antivirus solution with personal firewall protection in June of 2001, with behavior-blocking technology again in June of 2001, and finally with proactive protection using advanced pattern technologies in September of 2002. Our exceptional programmers continue to provide robust technology and lightning-fast reaction time to new viruses, delivering security and satisfaction to individuals and organizations alike. BitDefender® products are available across platforms—WIN Linux, or FreeBSD. We invite you to try our solutions before making a purchase, and we also provide continuous online support through a dedicated live chat application. Our goal is that no BitDefender® customer be vulnerable to anything from damaging viruses to everyday annoyances like spam. It’s that simple.

A commitment to product excellence, seamless integration and extraordinary customer support sets the company apart and levels the playing field amongst the security giants. Consumers now have a choice when it comes to protecting their data, and increasingly, that choice is BitDefender®.

BitDefender Internet Security Features

Firewall:
West Coast Labs (W.C.L.) certifies BitDefender’s Firewall. It continually monitors all incoming and outgoing data to and from your PC. Within the firewall tab, you can see a real–time graph so you can visually see your computer’s communication with the Internet. BitDefender also monitors your Wi–Fi connection.

You can configure the firewall by choosing one of four different settings: Ask, Allow all White Listed, Allow All and Deny All. Each setting differs as to what information it will allow in and out of your computer and whether it prompts you before transferring data.

Antivirus:
Virus detecting is BitDefender’s specialty; this software continually passes all tests given by ICSA, VB 100% and W.C.L. This suite continually scans your computer for threats, and with the click of a button, you can scan your entire system or choose a specific area to scan like removable drives, memory or documents.

You are able to configure the antivirus settings to meet your needs. Choose one of three different levels of security—aggressive, default or permissive. Or, you can set a custom level where you choose exactly what you want to scan and what you don’t.

Antispyware:
In the antispyware tab, you can access the spyware statistics that include cookies blocked, registry blocked, scripts blocked and more. Furthermore, you can choose the protection level. You have the options of aggressive, default or permissive.

BitDefender will stop all major threats including adware, keyloggers, trojans and browser hijackers to keep your private information safe.

Other Security/Features:
BitDefender Internet Security comes complete with customizable web filters as part of the parental control function. You can set up user accounts and set specific criteria for the web filter per account. This will keep children away from potentially dangerous sites, pc damaging downloads or material you would rather they not access. Additionally, this software will scan email messages for keywords so you can ensure your kids aren’t receiving harmful emails.

You can also set each account so the user can only access certain applications and use the computer during set hours of the day.

New with BitDefender Total Security are tune-up features. You can improve your PC's performance by removing unnecessary files directly from the BitDefender interface.

Ease of Use:
The BitDefender Internet Security interface is simple to navigate with organized tabs. Simply select General, Antivirus, Firewall, Antispam, Antispyware, Parental Control or Update to configure the settings of that function.

Ease of Installation/Setup:
We didn’t have any problems installing or setting up BitDefender.

Help/Support:
Softwin provides tutorials, user manuals, and, on their website, FAQs. You can find a lot of valuable information here and these sources will answer most of your questions. For further questions, you can contact customer support by phone, email or online chat. We used the chat feature and the representative was cordial and helpful.

Summary:
BitDefender Internet Security suite retails for $39.95. This is a budget–friendly price for a top–notch product. BitDefender will defend your computer and personal information so you can surf the web at ease.