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Entered CNET Catalog: 09/21/2005
SKU: CNETFSECUREINSECURITY06
Manufacturer: F-Secure Corp.
Manufacturer description
Today viruses spread rapidly over the Internet causing widespread damage to computer users. Home users are no exception to this. If you are connected to the Internet, it is essential to protect your PC against computer viruses and hackers trying to find "open doors" in your system. F-Secure Internet Security 2006 includes award-winning antivirus software, as well as an easy-to-use personal firewall. Furthermore the product can filter unwanted spam from your email and, with the help of the parental control feature, block access to websites with questionable content. You and your family can surf safely on the Internet, open email attachments and use your computer without fear of viruses, spyware, spam or hackers. F-Secure Internet Security 2006, the all-in-one security suite provides complete and easy to use protection against Internet threats. Automatic and daily protection updates reliably guard your computer against new, previously unknown threats that criminals are constantly developing to access your personal data.CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 01/27/2006
F-Secure Internet Security 2006 provides a strong defense against Internet baddies, including viruses, malware, spam, phishing attempts, and cracker intrusions. It's aggressively priced $20 less than competing suites from McAfee and Symantec, and its well-crafted interface makes it easy to change security settings. Even better, F-Secure won't slow your PC to a crawl during full system scans. But F-Secure needs to be more proactive in blocking spyware. Also, it takes a very long time to run a full scan, and it doesn't provide an antispam toolbar for Microsoft Outlook. Phone support costs a bundle, too. Still, F-Secure packs plenty of muscle to ward off security threats. It's a worthy upgrade for F-Secure Internet Security 2005 users, and a solid, affordable choice for newcomers.
During setup, F-Secure was more demanding than other security suites we've tested. For example, it made us uninstall potentially conflicting applications, including Spybot Search and Destroy, Lavasoft Ad-aware (which F-Secure's antispyware technology is based on), and Yahoo Toolbar, which also has antispy features. F-Secure automatically uninstalled these apps with one click; however, we question the wisdom here, since running more than one antispyware app is often necessary to thoroughly protect your system.
The start-up wizard in F-Secure made it easy to configure our security settings, including the new Time Lock feature, which lets parents limit Internet access to a specific time--9 a.m. to 9 p.m., for instance--to prevent their kids from going online unsupervised. Total installation time ran about 30 minutes--on a par with best-selling competitors Symantec Norton Internet Security.
F-Secure's interface will appeal to advanced users who like to tinker with security settings. Like Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2006, F-Secure lets you add and remove individual file formats from the list of scanned file types. Granted, most people won't ever touch this feature, but security aficionados may choose to remove specific formats from the list to shorten system scans or to add formats to bolster protection. This level of granular control is pervasive throughout the interface. For instance, F-Secure lets you run scheduled scans after your computer is idle for 5 minutes--handy for lunchtime virus checks. None of F-Secure's competitors offer this level of configurability.
F-Secure Internet Security 2006 improves the 2005 version's security suite by adding several security tools at an affordable price. It now has real-time antispyware protection based on Lavasoft's respected Ad-aware. It also has Time Lock, a parental-control device that sets time limits on your kids' Internet access. Unlike any of its competitors, F-Secure detects and destroys mysterious root kits that can plant Trojans and keyloggers on your system. Unfortunately, it doesn't provide an antispam toolbar for Microsoft Outlook--a handy way to block or allow individual e-mail senders. By contrast, security suites from McAfee, Norton, and PC-cillin all ship with this feature.
Real-time spyware detection is a good thing, and F-Secure has it, but it should be more proactive. Like PC-cillin and Norton, F-Secure allowed us to download and install WhenU WeatherCast, a free desktop utility known to contain adware. Once WeatherCast was installed, however, F-Secure detected and offered to quarantine it. McAfee was a more aggressive spyware defender, identifying WeatherCast as potential malware before we downloaded it.
F-Secure's scanning performance is a good-news/bad-news scenario. The bad news is that F-Secure takes an eternity (well, almost) to run a full-system checkup. The good news: you'll be able to get work done during an F-Secure scan. Overall, unlike some well-known security-suite competitors, F-Secure isn't a huge burden on your system performance.
F-Secure's phone support is pricey: $3.99 a minute for North American users. McAfee and Norton customers pay similar rates, but PC-cillin customers get one year of free phone help. F-Secure's e-mail support is free, and our mail queries to the company's tech reps were answered promptly and accurately within one business day. F-Secure's support site has a new series of E-Learning tutorials, which are well-designed Flash-based lessons that show beginners how to set up and use Internet Security 2006. The site also includes a fairly comprehensive set of FAQs on installation issues, program features, and other security topics.
User opinions
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User Rating: 
10/10
Best Security - all easy to use
Pros: easy to understand, configure and use; runs steadily; seamless security;
Cons: little slow in the beginning, even though it seems to make itself at home after a day or two
Three thumbs up!!
User Rating: 
9/10
Good but needs some tuning
Pros: Caught trojan that Zone Alarm let bring my PC down. It uses few resourcs, and updates frequently
Cons: Slow scanning, no icon in right click menu
User Rating: 10/10
The best Internet Security for the price I'm paying.
Pros: It doesn't hog computer resources like Norton
Cons: I can't think of one.
User Rating: 
8/10
Excellent and easy to install and use
Pros: Rootkit detection and I spoke direct to support
Cons: didn't like Spybot, but that's rubbish anyway
User Rating: 
1/10
Expect rebate problem
Pros: Nothing special compared with Norton or CA
Cons: They do not honor mail in rebates
User Rating: 
4/10
not that good
Pros: detected many a virus ca missed
Cons: long scan time Hijacked both kaspersky and lavasoft
That is a different story however, F-secure was unable to delete the virus it found and it froze when trying to clear some simple TC'
s. I don't know about it finding 30 plus virii ,but for my personal test I was looking for something that would work on my wireless network and bitdefender did the best.
I didn't try Norton or McAfee because I can't get a free version so easily of those. These are the two biggest names and I would like to try them seeing as how I can still test them.
If you really want to know about how everyone does however, go to AV test they have tested by creating there own virus and seeing the reaction overall kaspersky did probably the best by heuristic approach it identified their virus (some actually found it by scan). It however came up with an update second to bitdefender and was fast at reidentfying the virus with a changed name. Bitdefender was slow when they changed the name for some reason.
All f-secure is is a collection of other products that are available and update faster than f-secure gets them anyway. I reccomend that you get kaspersky and ZA. For spyware removal spysweeper is mot thorough (look at spyware warrior the biggest name in spyware and the site of the petition against spyware)
M big question is this why not get something like bitdefender and if you are absolutly crazy about your computer use the free f-secure scanner occasionally?
User Rating: 9/10
Seamless Security
Pros: Works great
Cons: None so far
User Rating: 
7/10
Great advantages, but also equally great drawbacks
Pros: The ultimate user interface, potent firewall and anti-virus, does not slow applications load or execution.
Cons: Not so strong anti-spyware, slows computer to a halt during scan.
The user interface is a gem. I wish all Windows applications had such a clean and intuitive interface. It pleases the eye, and it is extremely intuitive. If, for example, Word is trying to access the Internet, the message is accompanied by a clear picture, showing Word with an arrow attached to it, pointing a globe?
F-secure anti-virus and firewall are both very strong, but the anti-spyware module should be better.
But the greatest drawback of this product is its scanning speed. It is incredibly slow, putting the system to a complete halt from time to time.
All in all I find this to be a nice security suite, but an unbalanced one, putting together great advantages alongside great shortcomings. I find both Norton and McAfee suits to be more balanced and hence a better buy.
User Rating: 8/10
Good as a firewall and spam filter, needs work as a virus/spyware detector
Pros: Good spam filter and firewall.
Cons: Not too good at finding spyware and adware
User Rating: 9/10
One of the Best Security Suites avilable and Easy to Use
Pros: Install and Forget, No noticeable slow Down in Boot or Performance
Cons: I have been using it for 3 months and there haven't been any!
There is no slowdown in the boot up time of my PC AMD 2800 processor, 1gb RAM with Windows XP SP2
F-secure has many small processes constantly running but they do not seem to impact on performance. Why should I know? Before this I was using Macafee, before, that, Kaspersky, before that Nortons.
I have used all the major AV programmes and suites including free ones and I can confidently say this is the best and easiest Suite to use.
It is not my opinion on this - most of the other computer magazines have the same view as me. Cnet needs to review this product longer.
Kaspersky is the best AV programme, but it doesn't have a security suite. F-secure is the best security suite.
How can the cnet review say the spyware component needs work on? It captures everything - even the things that Nortons ?@"' let through and trashed my computer.
I have had f-secure for 3 months and nothing has got through.
User Rating: 9/10
Best AV program available (IMHO)
Pros: Outstanding scan engine, solid anti spyware, blocks before its too late
Cons: "scheduled" scan doesn't kick off as scheduled
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I switched to F-Secure a couple of years ago (I happen to be using the "Client Security" version rather than Internet Security 2006) and have been very happy. The first thing I did after installing F-Secure was scan my system and remove 30 some viruses that Norton had missed in all the years it had been running.
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The inclusion of Lava-Soft's Ad-Aware as the embedded Anti-Spyware leaves me wondering what the C/Net reviewer is expecting. A major complaint in the original review was the need for a better anti-spyware package. Hogwash -- you can't get any better than Ad-Aware.
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The only real complaint I have is that I have turned on the scheduled scanning (I've got five licenses for five machines between my house, the office, and at my daughter's place) doesn't seem to work on any one of them.
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F-Secure is a solid 9 out of 10 -- I'd never go back to Norton or McAfee regardless of how much hype you try and give them.
User Rating: 8/10
Good powerfull anti virus based on Kaspersky v.5 engine
Pros: - AntiVirus Engine adn easy instaltion and configuration,
Cons: Bad registration metod with ActiveX and work with WebSide.
- Problem with ActiveX vcomunication Producer/
client.
