Overview and features

In the two years since its 2009 launch, free malware protection tool Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) has become the world's second most popular security package – a big change for a company regularly criticised for how it managed Windows' security.

While much of that may be down to the cost, compared with much of its competition, it's also a well-designed anti-malware tool with both anti-virus and anti-malware capabilities.

Available for Windows XP (Service Pack 2 and higher), Windows Vista and Windows 7, and in both 32- and 64-bit form, Microsoft Security Essentials is part of the Genuine Windows programme, and can only be used on consumer PCs.

Small businesses do have an exemption, and can run it on up to 10 machines; any more than that and you need to use Microsoft's Forefront Endpoint Protection tools. It's a small download, the latest beta version is 9MB for 32-bit machines, and 11MB for 64-bit.

Microsoft has done its best to keep MSE unobtrusive. There's no obvious slowdown when it runs, and all you see is a tiny task bar icon that shows whether your PC is protected or not. Right-click to launch a settings tool and to run scans – with a choice of quick, full or custom.

Installation is quick and easy, with MSE replacing Windows' built-in anti-spyware Microsoft Windows Defender. Once installed it downloads an updated set of malware definitions from Microsoft's update servers and scans your PC, before starting up real-time protection.

That first scan is relatively quick, and took less than five minutes on our test laptop. A small icon in the task bar is the only sign that MSE is installed and running, and it changes colour depending on the risk to your PC.

Green is, of course, good and yellow means that it's time to run a scan.

MSE will automatically run a quick scan once a week, although we'd recommend changing the default 2am on Sunday to a time when your PC is likely to be turned on. You can limit the amount of CPU that MSE will use for a scan (the default is 50%), and you can also make sure it won't scan if you're using your PC. We'd recommend leaving real-time protection on - it won't use too much power or add significant latency to downloads, and will reduce the risk of downloading malware inadvertently.

Other tools built into MSE let you tune it to exclude specific files and locations from scanning, as well as specific file types and even specific processes. You're better off not changing these settings, since it's impossible to predict how malware may disguise itself or what zero-day attacks they might use. A custom scan will check specific files, folders, or drives, while a full scan will check everything on your PC. We'd suggest sticking with quick scans for everyday operation, which look for common malware and check system files.

The advanced options in MSE's Settings tab enable you to include removable drives in scans, to protect flash drives as well as your system disks. You can turn off archive scanning (although we'd recommend leaving it on, since it's able to detect malware wrapped in several layers of zip compression). Other options enable you to set system restore points automatically before making system changes, including deleting, running or quarantining detected malware.

You're also able to set how long MSE will keep quarantined files before automatically deleting them. Use the History tab to see and remove quarantined malware, with links to online information about the malware so you can decide whether to delete a file or not.

So how can Microsoft give a tool like this away for free? While it doesn't advertise it, MSE is part of Microsoft's Forefront suite of security tools, based on the Forefront Endpoint Protection client used on enterprise desktops. When MSE detects malware it reports back to Microsoft, giving the company a wider view of the security landscape than it would get from just its enterprise security software. With millions of free copies of MSE, Microsoft's paying customers get a more responsive and more secure set of tools, and we all get better security.

The reporting system Microsoft uses is its Active Protection Service (previously known as SpyNet). You can choose whether to be part of it, but if you don't, you won't get full protection from MSE, since it won't detect and alert you if unknown software has been download or is being run.

Basic membership gives you additional protection in return for sending Microsoft details of downloaded and detected software, while Advanced membership sends more details, including how the software runs, what filenames it uses and where it installs.

The process should be anonymous, but there is a slim possibility that personal information could accidentally be sent back as part of reporting malware behaviour – something to consider when signing up for the Active Protection Service.

Verdict

If you want good, free antivirus software, then Microsoft Security Essentials is the tool for you. It's small, doesn't sap system performance and gets regular automatic updates to keep you secure. There's no obvious downside to using MSE – and because it's the basis of a revamped Windows Defender that will ship as part of Windows 8, it could well be a good idea to get used to it now. With Microsoft regularly updating MSE there's really no excuse to not run anti-malware tools, when they're as good as this – and especially when they're free.

We liked

MSE is one of the simplest and easiest to use anti-malware tools around. It's quick, unobtrusive and works without slowing your PC down.

Malware is caught quickly, and the default actions work well for most users. It's a small download, and keeps itself up-to-date. And above all, it's free – with no need to register or re-register.

We disliked

There really isn't much to dislike here, since MSE provides the service you want, carrying on raising the bar for all the other anti-malware vendors out there.

Our one big caveat is the default time for scheduled complete system scans. Once a week, at a time that a PC is likely to be off is not good enough, by a long way.

Final verdict

If you're not running anti-virus software, you really have no excuse. MSE is free, simple to use and has been tested by independent anti-malware certification bodies.

It may not have all the features of other security suites out there, but that's really not that important – especially when widespread use of MSE should help make it a safer internet for everyone.

Malware isn't just a problem for a single platform. With this in mind, Kaspersky ONE is designed to help those with wide needs.

It includes the company's well-regarded anti-malware software for Mac, Windows, Windows Mobile up to 6.5, Symbian 9.1 to 9.4, Blackberry, and Android 1.5 to 2.3 (both phones and tablets).

The big exception is, of course, iOS: although Kaspersky would like to create antimalware software for Apple's mobile OS, the kind of deep system integration required simply couldn't be done under Apple's rules for the App Store. Arguably, there's less need for it given the control that Apple has over what gets into its Store.

The idea behind Kaspersky ONE is simple: you buy a subscription for either three machines (£45) or five (£80), and can install on whatever mix of Macs, Windows and the rest you need. That could be two Macs, two Windows PCs and an Android tablet. Or, it could be five Macs: it's entirely up to you.

In use on the Mac, Kaspersky ONE spotted all the malware we threw at it, both Mac and Windows. We also checked the system resources it was using with Activity Monitor, and found that it consistently used less than 1% CPU time, which effectively makes the impact of it on system performance unnoticeable.

Overall, if you need anti-malware protection for a range of different platforms, Kaspersky ONE offers a solid product with good performance at a decent price.

ZoneAlarm made its name in firewalls, and the one that comes with Extreme Security 2012 is extremely accomplished.

There seem to be as many options for the firewall as other internet security packages have for their entire suite. As we delved into advanced options of the firewall, we were very impressed with the level of control offered.

Even without changing any of the default settings of the firewall, we found that we weren't constantly interrupted by popups asking for permission to allow programs though – an annoyance common with badly configured firewalls.

ZoneAlarm Extreme Security comes with lots of additional features, and most of them have a heavy emphasis on controlling what information is sent and received by the PC its installed on.

One of the things we liked the most when using this software was that the default settings are well configured, so if you aren't keen on tweaking some of the more complicated options you can leave them and your PC will still be well protected.

The application control settings are particularly powerful, and let you control which programs and services on your PC can access parts of our network.

The browser virtualisation feature works in a similar way to Panda Internet Security 2012's SafeBrowser. It creates a virtual space to browse the web, keeping it separate from the rest of the PC and displaying false ports to trick hackers.

The antivirus scanning, parental controls, online storage and anti-spam features are all welcome, and they work perfectly well, but we feel that they are almost afterthoughts compared to the headline firewall protection.

ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2012 is a powerful and sometimes confusing security suite. If you want user-friendly interfaces, you're better off with Norton Internet Security 2011, but if you want full control over your home network, get this.

While the current trend in internet security suites is to sit quietly in the background and protect the user's PC with the minimum of fuss and nuisance, we found that Panda Internet Security would occasionally display a popup from the taskbar.

These messages, known as 'Panda Bulletins', can be turned off, but they are distracting.

The interface is straightforward and clear, with an emphasis on delivering essential information rather than eye-pleasing graphics. This is one reason why Panda Internet Security 2012 feels less system resource hungry than some of its flashier competitors.

While we ran the initial scan, we found our test PC was much more responsive than when Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 was running, with CPU usage hovering around 28 to 30 per cent and peaking at 70 per cent.

The scan took one hour 52 minutes, and highlighted a number of tracking cookies that Kaspersky and G Data ignored. This is as much a case of over-zealousness on Panda's part as it is carelessness on the others'. The files identified were annoyances a best, yet Panda identified them as 'Spyware programs'.

The Panda SafeBrowser is sandboxed browser that runs in VirtualBox and can be used to access potentially dangerous websites. A virtual keyboard is also included to help thwart keylogging software when you're typing in passwords.

We can't help but feel that this addition is a bit redundant – if the antivirus scan, download scan and included firewall are doing their jobs then there should be no keylogging software installed on your PC in the first place.

An over-cautious internet security package is better than one that takes securing your PC for granted, and Panda Internet Security 2012 works hard to offer a feature-packed security suite.

Performance should always come before a fancy graphical interface. No one wants ugly, unintuitive menus, but neither do we want our computers to slow down when there's a fancy animated window popping up.

Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 is a good looking program that's easy to navigate, but it comes at an unnecessary performance price. It's a shame, because on the whole this is a very solid security package.

The parental control tools offer decent control over what content children can see and who they can talk to online. We found the website filtering effective and easy to use, with sensible categories. Our instant messaging chats were logged, and conversations were easy to follow if there's a certain contact you're unsure about.

You can also track word usage, entering words you want to be alerted to when they're typed into a website, search engine or message. We chose the relatively innocuous 'beans' as our keyword and sure enough, each time we typed it, it was logged by the software. We could see where the word was typed, but not the context in which it was used, so its usefulness was limited.

Social network monitoring was hit and miss, taking a while to display messages sent via Facebook, and ignoring Twitter altogether.

During a scan, Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 maxed out our test PC's CPU, and even lightweight programs became unresponsive on occasion.

Our initial scan of the test PC (with 435,379 files spread over two hard drives) took one hour 19 minutes to complete. This was noticeably faster than G Data Internet Security 2012, though most of the time difference is down to G Data's DoubleScan technology.

This version benefits from better cloud protection, with on-demand whitelists and sandboxing of unknown threats. We found this to be a very good security package, but with a bit too much bloat.

Sometimes it feels like G Data is trailing behind its competitors, introducing 'new' features that have been present in other internet security suites for a while.

For example, Internet Security 2012 includes a low-profile idle scan that kicks in when your PC is inactive. Highlighted as 'New!' on the box, this is a feature that most antivirus software has had for some time.

The suite's various tools are brought together in a new interface called G Data SecurityCenter. We found this to be an improvement on previous versions, with information about our test computer's security status clearly displayed.

Although G Data boasts that Internet Security 2012 is light on computer resources, there's a noticeable slowdown after installing it, and Norton AntiVirus still beats it in terms of minimal performance impact –a testament to Symantec's progress with cutting the bloat from its product.

Our initial scan of the test system, took one hour 44 minutes – a lot longer than Kaspersky Internet Security 2012. Speed isn't everything though, and in some ways a longer scan time can be quite reassuring, as the antivirus software leaves no stone unturned.

G Data is certainly thorough, with two virus-scanning engines checking each file. It adds an extra level of protection, though it does impact on performance, with the G Data CPU usage peaking at around 92 per cent on our test PC.

The spam protection and plugin for Outlook add a few seconds onto the usual email send and receive times, but it's a minor inconvenience for the added protection.

Virus definitions are updated hourly, and with a combination of behavioural analysis, heuristics and cloud-based collaboration, G Data Internet Security 2012 offers a solid, though sometimes cumbersome security package.

There have been enough malware scares on the Mac lately. This suggests that the days of not even thinking about checking if your Mac is host to something dubious may be over.

Intego VirusBarrier Plus is a small application (available only from the Mac App Store), which lets you scan your Mac for threats, and, if it finds anything, helps you get rid of them.

It scans your hard drive or selected files for both Mac and Windows malware. This means not only are you protecting yourself, but you're also ensuring you don't unwittingly pass on anything to your PC-using friends.

Scans can be scheduled, so you don't need to remember to run it. What VirusBarrier Plus doesn't do, though, is proactively protect you from downloading or installing anything dodgy – it simply scans your system and reports on what it finds.

It stops short of offering the kind of protection that you'd normally expect from an anti-malware package, but it has the advantage that there's no messy software running on your Mac, potentially impacting performance.

Sophos offers a 'Home Edition' of its antivirus package, which includes the ability to scan files on launch – something that VirusBarrier doesn't include.

But £5.99 is a pretty small price to pay for peace of mind, and if you're only concerned with scanning for Mac-specific threats you can even get the Mac-only VirusBarrier for free from the Mac App Store.

As a solution for checking if your Mac has anything odd installed, Intego VirusBarrier Plus works well.

Now that broadband internet has become better at handling larger uploads, online backup solutions have become a much more viable way to keep your most important files and documents safe. They don't require extra hardware, like external hard drives, and the files are kept in a remote location that will keep them safe if something happens to your PC – or even your home.

A lot of online backup utilities offer a free version with limited space, with the option to purchase more space. This marketing model relies on users signing up for free, then being so impressed that they subscribe to get more space and extra features.

Dropbox is one of the most popular online backup solutions, mainly because of its simplicity – you can back up and sync files by dragging and dropping them into the Dropbox folder.

Now AVG, best known for its free antivirus software, has entered the ring with its own solution: Live Kive.

Although reasonably easy to use, it's still a long way from Dropbox's intuitive interface. From the main page you can select how often you want to back up, when folders and their contents should be synchronised, and when designated files and folders are shared between your devices.

Tabs along the top let you delve deeper into the settings, like which files and folders you want to save online. You can choose the save folders by category – like 'Music' or 'Documents' – or click 'Advanced' to select files or folders.

Live Kive lacks the simplicity of Dropbox, but its comprehensive interface means you can tweak settings to create a backup plan that suits you perfectly. The interface also does a good job of being as straightforward, or as in-depth as you need.

The free version gives you 5GB of storage space, while the paid-for versions give you 25GB or unlimited space.

AVG Live Kive is a strong contender that's still in its early stages. The free version is well worth trying out, and with AVG behind it we're sure it will go from strength to strength.

Computers (and the internet in particular) are a huge part of children's lives, and parents are increasingly concerned about them accessing unsuitable or dangerous material.

These fears aren't completely without basis. In an arresting study by BitDefender, out of 1,570 parents questioned, 95 per cent reported that their children had accessed pornography online. The same study also found that children are becoming more tech savvy – 12 per cent of teenagers were able to uninstall or otherwise get around parental control tools.

Trend Micro has been in the internet security business for a long time, but Online Guardian is its first product aimed at concerned parents.

The software includes social network monitoring and internet filtering, and like a lot of parental control software products, it attempts to tread the fine line between keeping kids safe online without betraying their trust or curbing their freedom too much.

Thankfully, Online Guardian offers a lot of scope for controlling what it monitors and blocks, so you can tweak it until you feel more comfortable. This is worth doing, because the settings err on the conservative side, and may block sites that you don't mind your kids seeing.

You can also use sliders to set times when children can use the internet, and how long for.

There's no software to install during the initial setup process – everything is done through the web browser. Once you've finished, you download a small program that then applies the settings to whichever computer you run it on.

The software's web filtering tool caught most sites belonging to banned categories, but some did slip through. While straightforward adult sites are easily banned, Online Guardian sometimes missed more complex and vague sites that feature a mix of content – some which could be deemed unsuitable.

User reports are easy to read and understand, but there is a noticeable impact on internet speeds when using this service.

Antivirus is a cut-throat market, and companies like Norton now feel obliged to add features that break away from their central role. But does this make Norton 360 Version 5.0 a better product?

Installation requires a couple of reboots, which is to be expected. However, the virus signatures aren't updated immediately. When LiveUpdate did run, it downloaded a whopping 98.16MB of updates.

The full scan also attempts to back up your files online, which gets in the way of the task in hand. Monitoring CPU use during a full scan shows peaks of well over 60 per cent, despite efficiency claims.

False positive

The scan caught our planted test viruses, but declared an industry standard password-cracker in the Recycle Bin to be an infection. It took a considerable amount of digging to find this information, because the scan report only said that it couldn't resolve a threat, without giving a name or a location.

The full scan also tries to optimise hard drives without being asked. By this, we assume it means defragmentation, leading us to wonder why an antivirus package is undertaking this task.

It's the assumption that you'll simply accept and enjoy all the facilities Norton 360 has to offer that turns us off most. It also added a toolbar to Firefox. Screen real estate is at a premium, and we were never asked whether we wanted it.

The pop-ups (ads explaining facilities offered by the toolbar) are as annoying as the nagware that infests new PCs.

Overall though, Norton 360 does what it claims. It provides excellent antivirus protection, protects your identity and much more to keep you safe online. The annoyances come from trying to be all things to all men, when perhaps it would be best to focus on what it's always excelled at.