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Best Security Software

2010 Internet Security Smackdown!


This year's contenders---Internet Security Slugfest---slug it out for the top spot.


Is there such a thing as "the best security software"? The answer doesn't depend on opinions, vendors' claims, or how much money is in it for the reviewer. Only independent tests by large testing firms can shed enough light for real comparisons. Read up on this on the Internet Security Reviews page.

What's more, just installing a security product on your Windows PC doesn't allow you to just sit back, smoke a stogie, and bask in the imperviousness of your fortified computer. There's a LOT more to security and that's what this site is all about. You need to learn how to LOCK DOWN your computer from the evil side of the Internet. Check out the Best Internet Security pages for more information.

There are literally thousands of new security threats released on the Internet EVERY DAY and you could become a victim in the next heartbeat. All of us know more than one person who has lost everything to some bloody virus turning their computer into a paperweight. More on this in the Internet Security Threats section.

The table below only includes products that were tested by three big, independent testing labs. There were others that were not tested by all three labs but may be just as effective. More on that process at the Independent Testing Labs and Triple E Key Awards pages.

I like Internet Suites that include antivirus, antispyware, and a firewall. You can certainly get more features in some packages but these three are essential in my view. So, take a look around and enjoy your visit here at best-security-software.com

Update: On June 5th, 2010, AV Comparatives released the Retrospective test for the products it tested in February 2010. This affects the scores for the "blocking" category below. This caused GDATA and Avira to swap places. Don't read too much into it though. The difference is only 10 points. They're both good products but Avira improved enough in this test to climb up a step.


Triple E Key Award   ? #1 Platinum Key #2 Gold Key #3 Silver Key
Image Symantec Norton Internet Security 2010 F-Secure Internet Security 2010 Kaspersky Internet Security 2010
Product Norton Internet Security 2010 F-Secure Internet Security 2010 Kaspersky Internet Security 2010
Effective
AV-Test
Detection: 98%
FP: Almost None
Blocking: 92.8%
FP: None
Detection: 85.8%
FP: Almost None
Blocking: 80.2%
FP: None
Detection: 97.5%
FP: Few
Blocking: 89.8%
FP: Few
Effective
AV-Comparatives
On-demand: Advanced+
On-access: Advanced
On-demand: Advanced+
On-access: Advanced+
On-demand: Advanced+
On-access: Advanced+
Effective
Virus Bulletin
VB100 (Win 7): Pass
VB100 (Vista): Pass
VB100 (Win 7): Pass
VB100 (Vista): Pass
VB100 (Win 7): Pass
VB100 (Vista): Pass
Easy Install/Remove: A
Setup & Use: A
Get Help: A-
Install/Remove: A
Setup & Use: A
Get Help: A-
Install/Remove: A
Setup & Use: A-
Get Help: B
Efficient System Drag: B+
Cost: B
System Drag: B
Cost: A
System Drag: B
Cost: B
Written Review Go to review Go to review Go to review
Prices 3 computer license: $69.99 3 computer license: $59.99 3 computer license: $79.95
Operating Systems Win 7, Vista, XP Win 7, Vista, XP Win 7, Vista, XP

Winners #4 #5 #6
Image
Product Avira Premium Security 9.0 G-DATA Internet Security 2010 McAfee Internet Security 2010
Effective
AV-Test
Detection: 87.7%
FP: Many
Blocking: 87.2%
FP: None
Detection: 90%
FP: Many
Blocking: 83.0%
FP: Few
Detection: 87.2%
FP: Few
Blocking: 86.7%
FP: None
Effective
AV-Comparatives
On-demand: Advanced
On-access: Advanced+
On-demand: Advanced+
On-access: Advanced+
On-demand: Advanced
On-access: Standard
Effective
Virus Bulletin
VB100 (Win 7): Pass
VB100 (Vista): Pass
VB100 (Win 7): Pass
VB100 (Vista): Pass
VB100 (Win 7): Pass
VB100 (Vista): Pass
Easy Install/Remove: B
Setup & Use: B
Get Help: B
Install/Remove: B
Setup & Use: A
Get Help: B
Install/Remove: B
Setup & Use: A
Get Help: B
Efficient System Drag: B
Cost: B
System Drag: B
Cost: A+
System Drag: B
Cost: A
Written Review Go to review Go to review Go to review
Prices 3 computer license: $79.95 3 computer license: $39.95 3 computer license: $44.99
Operating Systems Win 7, Vista, XP Win 7, Vista, XP Win 7, Vista, XP

Winners #7 #8
Image AVG Internet Security 2010 BitDefender Internet Security 2010 Theses eight Internet security suites were included in all three lab tests. Of course, there are others that may be just as effective but were not included in all three tests and you should definitely try them out. This is intended as a starting point only.
Product AVG Internet Security 2010 BitDefender Internet Security 2010
Effective
AV-Test
Detection: 92.2%
FP: Few
Blocking: 84.2%
FP: Few
Detection: 84.3%
FP: Few
Blocking: 77.8%
FP: None
Effective
AV-Comparatives
On-demand: Advanced
On-access: Advanced
On-demand: Advanced+
On-access: Advanced+
Effective
Virus Bulletin
VB100 (Win 7): Pass
VB100 (Vista): Pass
VB100 (Win 7): Fail
VB100 (Vista): Pass
Easy Install/Remove: B
Setup & Use: B
Get Help: A
Install/Remove: A
Setup & Use: B
Get Help: B
Efficient System Drag: B
Cost: B
System Drag: B
Cost: A
Written Review Go to review Go to review
Prices 3 computer license: $68.99 3 computer license: $49.95
Operating Systems Windows 7, Vista, XP Windows 7, Vista, XP

Legend: FP = False Positives

Best Security Software

"What is the most over-hyped topic in the security field? It's a serious problem with our industry. Companies emerge selling one thing: firewalls, public key infrastructure, biometric login, or whatever. In order for them to convince customers, as many as possible, to buy their stuff, they have to over-hype it. They have to claim that their solution is the one solution everyone needs. " -- Bruce Schneier from the article at csoonline.com

Security Tip Of The Week

Internet Security Tips
In an article from
InfoWorld
on Aug 5th,
2010, Roger A. Grimes
says, "If malware were
biological, the world
would be in the grip of
the worst pandemic in
history. In 2009, more
than 25 million different
unique malware
programs were
identified, more than all
the malware programs
ever created in all
previous years (see the
annual report from
Panda Labs). That's a
pretty incredible statistic. Malicious
programs now outnumber
legitimate ones by many
orders of magnitude." Wow.






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