anti_virus

The bottom line: Although AVG has flagged a little in the past few years, AVG Internet Security 2011 breathes some new life into one of the most popular security programs around with a shorter install, better usability, and faster scans.

Review: The never-ending mantra chanted by security suite vendors sounds a lot like "faster scans, easier to use, better performance," and AVG has released a new version that it says accomplishes all three. Certainly, the scans are faster, it does install more quickly, and some tweaks to the interface have made it easier to use. However, changes to … Read more

The bottom line: A new name heralds some big changes for Trend Micro's Titanium suites. The overhaul to Titanium Internet Security 2011 brings users a faster suite with a smaller system impact. However, Trend Micro's new security engine is too untested to be able to recommend it.

Review: Trend Micro's updates for 2011 bring a substantially overhauled suite, from the name down to its detection engine. The new version brings a new interface, new cloud-based detection engine, and new features that, on whole, are changes as impressive as those that Norton has gone through the past few … Read more

The never-ending mantra chanted by security suite vendors sounds a lot like "faster scans, easier to use, better performance," and AVG has released a new version that it says accomplishes all three. AVG Anti-Virus Free 2011, available today exclusively from CNET Download.com, looks and feels like an overall better program.

The new AVG Free has a faster installation process. It's not as zippy as the minute-long installations that some of AVG's competitors offer. I found that the program can go from completed download to ready to use in about 5 minutes. A big contributing factor … Read more

"Most impressive" is one way to describe the latest Norton updates from Symantec. After three years of progressively better versions and significant improvements, Norton Internet Security 2011 and Norton AntiVirus 2011 look incredibly sharp. Gone are the days of crippling system behavior and debatable security efficacy.

Instead, Norton gives people blazing installs and quick scans, useful system-managing tools and security extras like the capability to scan your Facebook wall for malicious links, and most importantly, extremely high ratings in threat detection and prevention. With a 30-day trial that has no other restrictions, anybody who's willing to pay … Read more

Antivirus and security software may have an expiration date, but it's not dead yet. We found evidence in the form of Norton's new offerings, which were released just last week to praise from CNET editors. Internet Security 2011 maintains its recent strong performance record and introduces some useful new features in the latest version, making it one of the top Internet security suites available. Meanwhile, AntiVirus 2011 offers the same core high-quality computer and networking protection features as its more full-featured sibling, but comes with a slightly cheaper price tag attached.

We also spent some time with BitDefender Total Security 2011, … Read more

We've been hearing it for years: antivirus software is dead. But is it really? If so, it seems to have more lives than Richard Nixon.

Rather than being the industry's swan song, mobile devices could be its redemption opportunity.

The antivirus industry is in major transition as threats have evolved from being just the viruses and worms written to exploit holes in Windows that plagued computers in the 1990s to the exploits that target vulnerabilities in Web applications and end user gullibility today.

Many consumers fork over at least $40 for Norton AntiVirus or something similar, many more … Read more

Norton Power Eraser is a new tool from Symantec that the company says is the home user's last, best hope for eradicating an aggressive malware infection. Power Eraser is free, and one component of the update to Norton Internet Security 2011 and Norton AntiVirus 2011.

By making Power Eraser free, the company hopes to draw in users who have been scared off by years of bad experiences and who haven't given the Norton suites a chance since the programs' turnaround in the 2009 versions. Although Power Eraser represents an aggressive approach towards helping infected consumers, the suites have … Read more

Heading off to class with a shiny new laptop is one of the best things about the back-to-school season, but we have yet to find a laptop that's perfectly set up out of the box. The typical first-time-use experience for a new laptop owner can be a frustrating one, with pop-up warnings from your free antivirus trial software; annoying settings to go through the first time you launch Internet Explorer (likely the only browser preinstalled on your machine); and missing or crippled apps for burning DVDs, opening ZIP files, or playing videos.

Unboxing and setting up a couple of … Read more

This year's update to Kaspersky Internet Security doesn't appear to make any massive changes to the 2010 version, but Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 offers enough that's new and improved to bring back the faithful, and maybe attract some new believers, too. Highlights include expanded sandboxing, a similar-but-better interface, a desktop gadget for quick access, and except for average scan times, generally strong benchmarks.

The cost of the main suite could be a deal-breaker for many, so there's the lower-priced Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2011. However, it also lacks many of the most exciting features in its bigger brother. … Read more