Windows Integrated and 3rd Party Security

We all know that recently, malware has become much more common and advanced, and is now capable of doing much more destruction than simply being a nuisance, for example identity theft. In response, the new Windows Vista has taken protection much more seriously than they did with previous OS's, and have basically made it considerably more secure than anything Microsoft has ever created. With the new, enhanced Security Center, User Account Control, Protected Mode, Windows Defender and more, you get plenty of security offhand, even without third-party additions. That is definetly not to say that you should neglect getting a third-party security software; because you most definetly should. While Defender offers basic spyware protection, test results have revealed its below par performance for detecting and removing spyware. This is of course to be expected, as Defender is free, however, it means you will need to purchase a third-party security software. The current leaders in Security Suites are: "McAfee Total Protection", "Norton 360", and Windows Live OneCare". Below is a brief explanation of each one:


1. MCAFEE TOTAL PROTECTION

McAfee Total Protection is a great, thorough security suite, and includes all of the vital tools necessary to secure a PC. It is also extremely light on system resources, and has virtually no negative impact on system performance. Now McAfee did a great job with the amount of features within their suite; the only problem is the way they designed it. The whole interface lacks focus, and the suite basically feels like a bunch of security features with no relation to one-another. This will upset most users, ranging from casuals to advanced, as it can be difficult to locate, enable and monitor activity of some vital elements. It has a very good scanning engine, and rarely misses any malware. Overall, it offers good security, in not-so-good format, however should be sufficient for most users.


2. NORTON 360

Norton 360 is Norton's response to lots of negative feedback to previous security suites. They truly responded well. Norton 360 has a brilliant, easy to navigate interface, all essential securtiy features, free online storage, and system optimization features. Unfortunately, it only supports IE7, and this can present a potential problem to Firefox lovers. Aside from this, Norton 360 has a redesigned scanning engine, borrowed from Norton Internet Security 2007, and is in many ways superior to both McAfee's and Window's scanning engine. It has best results with locating and removing malware, and is mercifully quick. Combined with free 2 GB of online storage, optimization features and effective fraud monitoring, Norton 360 is a great choice for home and student users.


3. Windows Live OneCare

Microsoft decided to add more effective and advanced security software to defend Vista, at an extra cost of course. What came out was rather dissapointing, especially from Microsoft. Windows Live OneCare has a very simple interface, simply because it doesn't have a lot of tasks to perform. It includes only the bare essentials to protect a computer, and has literally nothing besides that. It has a mediocre scanning engine, and has missed the most malware in tests, compared to McAfee Total Protection and Norton 360. It is also heavier on system resources than both Norton 360 and McAfee Total Protection. That's not to say it's a bad security suite. In the end, it gets the job done, and adds an extra layer of security on top of Vista's integrated features.




CONCLUSION: In the end, the choice is yours. Yes, Vista redefines integrated security, but it is still vital to add 3rd party security for sufficient protection. Above I gave three good security suites; there's no question that there's more than that, and you can feel free to look at other options too. If you'd like my recommendation, I personally like Norton 360; its great interface, large range of features, and great performance all add up to an ideal Security Suite.

Cheers

 

I really think those security suites are a waste of time and money. Go with a solid anti-virus program and just use Windows Firewall or Zone Alarm, then Windows Defender for anti-malware.

NOD32 for anti-virus hands-down, as you'll see here:

http://www.av-comparatives.org/

 

simple antivirus programs don't offer full protection... and defender is not sufficient for spyware protection

 

Norton really raised their game then?

But I must ask, this is your opinion? Or copied from a source? Or will you be posting your testing criteria?

Sentences like "it only has an average scanning engine" may well be true for all I know, but a little substance wouldn't go amiss

 

i have done much research before posting this, and there is ample information, some of i which i adapted, on cnet

 

I agree with this, except for Windows Defender. Probably isn't a bad program but no single antispyware app is enough. Personally, Adaware and Spybot work for me (they're free ) but there are lots of other good apps that can be used along with Defender.

 

just be very careful with spybot; when downloaded from the internet, there are countless fraud version of it that are actually spyware in themselves

 

Not sure if that's directed at me or just at readers in general. I've been using the program for several years, and usually download from Download.com or Snapfiles. So far, never had a problem with apps from either site.

Trust me when I tell you that you're not the only person here who's done his research on this particular subject. There are some very sharp people who post on this forum (unfortunately, that crowd may not include the likes of myself . . . )

 

ok....so this is intended for people who haven't done their research....

 

by the way what's up with kapersky....i hear they've gone under some major improvements