| Here are the features you should look for in each type of security software. Antivirus All good antivirus programs should come with these must-have features: -
Virus signatures Downloadable digital snapshots used by the program to identify viruses available daily or multiple times a day. -
Automatic downloads The program should download new virus signatures once a day or more frequently as they become available. -
Heuristics This is the ability for the program to learn from experience. Heuristic programming allows an antivirus program to stop a virus by detecting virus-like behavior before a specific infection is identified. -
Automatic scans The ability to schedule a virus scan. Look for daily, weekly, and monthly options that allow scheduling at a specific time of day. -
Email protection Most viruses arrive and spread through email so an antivirus program should at very least scan incoming email. Some also scan outbound email, although this feature can slow a system down. -
Frugal with resources A good antivirus program should not use a lot of memory or processor power to protect a system. It should have little or no impact on system performance. -
Virus cleaner A good antivirus program should not only stop viruses, but also clean infections quickly and on demand. -
Redundancy It's nice if an antivirus program also catches some spyware or defends against other threats such as phishing emails. Caution  | If you have antivirus program that has expired but is still working, is it any good? No! An antivirus program is useless if it's not protecting your computer from new threats. |
Anti-Spyware Here are the features I recommend you look for in an anti-spyware program: -
Spyware signatures Downloadable digital snapshots used by the program to identify spyware adware, hijackers, and Trojan horses. -
Automatic downloads The program should download new spyware signatures once a day or more frequently as they become available. -
Hijacker removal Browser hijackers are difficult to remove, but some of the better anti-spyware programs deal with the nastier infections. -
Live protection This is a feature that watches for spyware infections in real time at a series of entry points on a computer. Different programs use different terms. Microsoft AntiSpyware, for example, calls it real time protection. You might see it referred to as an immunization feature. -
Effective removal tools The program should not only be able to defend against threats, but also remove infections. Not all anti-spyware products are created equal in this regard. Firewall Here are the key features you should look for in firewall software: -
Inbound protection Analysis of traffic coming from the Internet into the computer. -
Outbound protection Analysis of traffic out from the computer to the Internet to see if a virus, spyware, or other malware is trying to communicate with the outside world. -
Stealth mode The ability to make the computer invisible even if probed from the Internet. -
Alert suppression Option to turn off or minimize alerts generated by attacks or probes from the outside and the ability to set alert levels for outbound traffic. These can be frequent and annoying. -
Downloadable policies Filters that can be downloaded from the Internet that keep the firewall up-to-date from certain malicious websites and new threats on the Internet. Ideally these should be automatic. -
Malware detection Detection and blockage of viruses, spyware, and other malware as it travels through the firewall. Some pro versions offer this. -
Lifestyle modes This is an optional feature, but a nice one if you can get it. It allows you to easily set the firewall for certain specialty uses of the firewall, such as serving a website, peer-to-peer file sharing, and gaming. -
Low maintenance You should be bugged by the firewall only when absolutely necessary. Get it Free From Your ISP As part of your security software shopping spree, check with your Internet service provider (ISP). Many offer free security suites that are actually made by big-brand security companies. For example, F-Secure makes a software suite that includes an antivirus, anti-spyware, firewall, and other security programs that are offered free or at a low cost by many major Internet providers to their broadband customers. It's branded by the ISP, but uses F-Secure technology. The nice thing about these suites is that you can turn some components off so you can choose to only use the applications you need in concert with ones you already have. |
Anti-Spam Here are features you should find in good anti-spam programs: -
High detection rates Good anti-spam programs should stop more than 90% of the spam headed for your inbox. -
Few false positives Very few legitimate emails should be mistaken for spam. -
Subscription management Emails that are from machines but are not spam, such as newsletters, should not be treated as spam. -
Spam signature updates It's helpful to have an anti-spam engine that can be updated with spam signatures so the software can be alerted to new spam being delivered across the Internet. -
Override An override mechanism that enables you to receive some mail that is tagged as spam but that you want to see anyway. -
Undo A good anti-spam program should make it easy to restore email that has been marked as spam, but isn't. Look for a one-button option. Cloudmark Desktop, for example, has an Unblock button. -
Anti-phishing feature Many anti-spam products catch phishing emails as well as spam. Hot Trend: Wireless Security Software Any minute now you'll see a new crop of wireless network security programs being offered in security suites. In late summer 2005, McAfee announced McAfee WiFiScan for $49, which alerts you to intruders on your network and does a security analysis to keep your wireless network secure. Expect Wi-Fi security programs to be the next big security software category. All we need now is a decent freeware version. |
The Absolute Minimum -
There's a lot of free security software that is as good as or better than its paid counterparts. -
You can trust freeware if it comes recommended by users on the Internet, credible reviews, or other sources you trust (like me!). Always check with multiple sources. Seeking a consensus will protect you. -
Payware, which is commercial software you pay for, is worthwhile if it offers a better experience or features not offered in freeware. -
The best kind of freeware is open source software, where the author makes the programming code available for inspection and improvement. -
Shareware software, in which the author asks for voluntary payment, is often worthwhile; just make sure it has a good reputation before you come to rely on it. -
Gimpware or trialware are versions of payware that have been crippled or have a limited free-use period to help upsell you to a full, paid version. -
Most payware security software should cost around $30 to $50. Most products are subscription based where you renew each year to continue to receive updates and signatures that identify malware. -
There are many features that an antivirus and anti-spyware program should have, but one critical one is daily signature updates. -
A software firewall should watch inbound and outbound data traffic. A bonus feature is detection and blockage of viruses and spyware as they cross the firewall. -
Anti-spam products should have a detection rate of more than 90% and a low rate of false positives, where legitimate email is marked as spam. |
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