*NEW!*
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010
Kaspersky brings a new and improved antivirus software to the table this year. As with previous versions, it's a dependable and powerful antivirus and antispyware application.
During our testing, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 performed extremely well with only a few deficiencies.
We're very pleased to see that Kaspersky continues year after year to produce one of the best antivirus software options on the market today.
The core antivirus and antispyware features scored very high in our tests, and there was only one area that needs real attention.
IMPROVED FEATURES
Excellent antivirus protection
Solid spyware & adware protection
Powerful real-time protection
The anti-phishing feature was less than impressive. Our testing revealed some poor results in this area.
Other than antiphishing, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 is still a stellar product. For basic antivirus and antispyware protection, you can't go wrong with Kaspersky. And they've proven it year after year.
Kaspersky tends to be priced a little higher than most antivirus software; we hope they reduce their price in the near future.
That said, however, we're still very happy with Kaspersky's continued attention to its core suite of virus detection capabilities.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 Features
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- Real-time Protection
Protects your computer in real-time against viruses, spyware, adware, and malware. You can relax knowing your antivirus software is protecting you 24/7.
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- Spyware Removal
Stops spyware and adware from attacking and infecting your PC. Keeps your PC clean and free from unwanted spyware applications.
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- Web-page scan and URL Protection
Scans and monitors web sites for dangerous code that could harm your PC.
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- Email Protection
Protects your inbox from viruses, spyware, adware, and malware by scanning all incoming and outgoing emails. Scans email text for dangerous web-links and malware.
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- Instant Messaging Protection
Stops dangerous file transfers that attempt to come through your Instant Messaging (IM) conversations. Keeps your IM conversations free from suspicious contacts.
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- Anti-phishing
Helps keep your PC safe from harmful phishing sites that want to steal your sensitive and personal information. Protects against Identity Theft.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 Assessment
Here we've listed a breakdown of each category we've tested for Kaspersky Anti-Virus Software 2010. Each category was given a percentage rating based on those tests.
Antivirus Installation: 100%
If you purchase the instant download version, the download only took about 5 min to complete.
Kaspersky then gives you the choice of a default installation, or you can choose to install custom components only (default is recommended).
Once installation is complete, Kaspersky will prompt you to download the latest antivirus definition updates. This only takes about 3 min.
You'll need to reboot for the most current updates to take effect. Overall, a very clean and easy installation.
Un-installation: 95%
If you ever need to un-install Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010, you can either do so through Windows' ADD/REMOVE section, or through Kaspersky's self un-install feature.
The un-install was simple and clean with no advertisements or prompts for a survey.
There were only a few trace elements left behind that were completely harmless. You'll need to do a final reboot to complete the un-install.
User Interface: 85%
The user interface navigation was not as easy as some of the other software we tested. When changing settings of some features, it was possible to have up to 5 individual windows open at a time.
We found other antivirus programs that consolidate options and settings better to be more effective at helping us configure the antivirus settings as needed.
Some of the navigation links led to the same screens as other links making them redundant and a bit confusing. The amount of icons and graphics used on the control panel seemed excessive. This made the user interface seem over-crowded with more controls than it really had.
Not a bad user interface, but it could be improved.
Real-time Protection: 98%
Kaspersky's real-time antivirus protection works fast and efficiently. Suspicious files are quarantined as soon as they reach your PC. However, real-time protection doesn't remove malicious files from Zip files by default. You'll have to adjust this setting.
Kaspersky scored a 90% removal rate for viruses and spyware that was blocked and captured during our real-time protection testing. In fact, Kaspersky's removal rate was higher than most other software we tested.
Other malware was equally identified, blocked, and quarantined.
With a fast acting response time, and a 90% removal rate during our tests, Kaspersky did very well with real-time PC protection.
Manual Scan: 98%
Kaspersky detected and removed up to 90% of all viruses, spyware, adware, trojans, and other malicious installers during a full-system, manual scan.
We didn't detect any re-installation attempts, and no reboot was needed to purge the computer.
While it may seem like a 90% success rate is still open to infections and attacks, keep in mind that no antivirus is 100% accurate. 90% or higher is still an excellent testing result.
The total, in-depth manual scan took only about 16 min altogether.
Resource Usage: 95%
Resource usage for Kaspersky antivirus used only 2% - 8% of total CPU during real-time activity. Only about 80% of the CPU was used during a full-system scan. 50 - 190MB of memory was used during a full system scan. Not bad for an industrial strength antivirus software like Kaspersky.
Spyware/Adware Protection: 95%
Kaspersky did a fantastic job at removing adware and spyware. During our testing, 100% of spyware was detected. Even spyware that was recognized as spyware or adware, but not deemed dangerous, was removed anyway just to be safe.
A reboot is required for the software to completely remove the software, which was a little slow. It seems Kaspersky does a mini-scan prior to rebooting just to be on the safe side. Once rebooted, the spyware/adware was completely removed.
As a note, one of our spyware test samples was not fully removed on the first reboot. However, Kaspersky re-detected it and ultimately removed it after a few reboots. There were a few other instances of this kind, but the final result was a complete spyware and adware removal.
Virus Removal on a Pre-infected Machine: 92%
We pre-infected our testing computer, then installed Kaspersky Anti-Virus to see how it would handle the threats. Kaspersky responded quite well.
It found and removed up to 90% of all threats previously entrenched on our PC (a full update of current virus and malware definitions is needed first for maximum efficiency – a normal process during installation).
As a note, there was only one spyware application that prevented Kaspersky from being installed. It turns out that none of the other antivirus software we tested could get past this pesky blocker either. We assume a solution to this one issue will be included in their next update.
Overall, Kaspersky performed much better than expected on our pre-infected PC.
Email Protection: 98%
90% of all viruses, spyware, and other malware were successfully detected and prevented from being downloaded via email when real-time protection was active. No significant resource usage drain was detected. There was only one brief CPU usage spike around 60% during our testing that quickly returned to normal.
IM Protection: 98%
Kaspersky's IM (Instant Messaging) protection was extremely effective. Any file that tried to transfer through IM was instantly scanned. Kaspersky alerts you if any dangerous files are detected. Or, if the file was known to be dangerous, Kaspersky will simply deal with the file accordingly before it ever gets to your system.
Anti-phishing: 70%
The anti-phishing feature was not as effective as we expected. Not a single phishing URL was detected when we tested Kaspersky's anti-phishing component. Even though we tried known phishing sites that were only 2-10 hours old, no phishing attempts were detected by Kaspersky (even though the latest updates had been installed).
Phishing sites tend to disappear after 24 hours, but we went back and re-tested our sample sites just to confirm our results. No alerts were given even after visiting these known phishing sites again. To add insult to injury, Internet Explorer and Chrome detected more phishing URLs with better accuracy than Kaspersky did.
Not a good record for Kaspersky's anti-phishing feature.
(If you've been a victim of phishing in the past and are looking for protection against phishing,
BitDefender Internet Security 2010 showed excellent anti-phishing capabilities in our testing with 100% accuracy and zero false positives.)
Antivirus Definition Updates: 90%
During our testing, the latest virus and spyware definitions seemed to be available approximately every two hours even though we couldn't find any documentation on how often the updates are scheduled.
We'd like to see faster updates, but 1-2 hours is about average for most antivirus software applications.
Customer Support: 89%
Kaspersky offers 100% free customer and tech support. As of this writing, we haven't found any hidden fees or charges for special services (except for any long-distance phone charges that may occur.)
You can launch the "FastTrack" support webpage from the Kaspersky control panel. This webpage will answer most of your common questions.
Once in the FastTrack webpage, you can find a support link for further assistance. You'll be directed to the knowledge base, bu you can also contact customer service directly from there.
While Kaspersky's support phone number is a Boston area code (not a toll-free number), you still get 100% free support for Anti-Virus 2010 and Internet Security 2010 as well.
Phone Support is available Monday: Friday 8AM to 9PM EST. Chat is available from 9AM to 9PM EST as well. Or, you can always submit a support ticket and get a reply via email.
Phone support is available Monday-Friday 8AM to 9PM EST. Chat is also available from 9AM to 9PM EST. Or, you can submit an email support ticket as well.
Overall, a good effort by Kaspersky to provide you with free customer and technical support.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010
Review Conclusions
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Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 Scores
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Antivirus
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$39.95
|
| Overall Internet Security Protection |
95 |
| Real-time Security Protection |
98 |
| Manual Antivirus Scanning |
98 |
| Resource Utlization |
95 |
| Virus Removal (Pre-infected Machine) |
92 |
| Antivirus Definition Updates |
90 |
|
Additional Internet Security Features
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| Spyware/Adware Protection |
95 |
| Email Protection |
98 |
| Anti-Spam Protection |
* |
| Firewall Software |
* |
| Parental Controls Software |
* |
| IM/Instant Message Protection |
98 |
| Anti-Phishing Protection |
70 |
|
Other Software Ratings
|
| Installation |
100 |
| Un-installation |
95 |
| User Interface |
85 |
| Customer Technical Support |
89 |
|
* These features are available only in
Kaspersky Internet Security 2010.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 remains a strong, and reliable antivirus protection option this year.
Our testing showed very positive results, and we're extremely pleased to see Kaspersky keeping up the good work this year with excellent antivirus and antispyware protection.
We hope they'll fix their anti-phishing problem with a more robust and reliable anti-phishing feature. As it stands now, poor anti-phishing is still a concern for us.
- Excellent antivirus protection
- Solid real-time protection
- Better antispyware and adware protection
- Anti-phishing needs work
- Good resource usage
On the plus side, our testing showed great results for IM scanning, email protection, and resource usage.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 is still a bit more expensive than most antivirus software applications, but in most areas of Internet security protection, it's still worth every
penny.
If you're a loyal Kaspersky user, their 2010 antivirus program is a logical upgrade. If you're in the market for a new antivirus software, Kaspersky will do the trick just fine--we certainly consider it one of the best antivirus software options this year.
Whatever you decide, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 continues to impress.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010
XP System Requirements
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- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or higher.
- CD-ROM drive
(NOT required for installation via the Internet)
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| Software
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Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
(Service Pack 2 - 32-bit only)
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| Processor/CPU
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Intel Pentium processor 300 MHz or faster (or compatible)
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| System Memory/RAM
|
256 MB
|
| Free Disk Space
|
375 MB
|
| Email
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- All POP3, SMTP, IMAP, MAPI and NNTP supported clients
- Microsoft Outlook 2002 or later
- Microsoft Outlook Express 6 or later
- Windows Mail
- (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, and other webmail not supported)
|
| Instant Messaging
|
- Yahoo! Messenger
- MSN Messenger
- Trillian
- AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
- ICQ
- Jabber
- Google Talk
|
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010
Vista System Requirements
|
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or higher.
- CD-ROM drive
(NOT required for installation via the Internet)
|
Software
(32/64 bit)
|
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Microsoft Windows Vista Business
Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise
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| Processor/CPU
|
Intel Pentium processor 800 MHz or faster
32 bit (x86)/64 bit (x64)
[or compatible]
|
| System Memory/RAM
|
512 MB
|
| Free Disk Space
|
375 MB
|
| Email
|
- All POP3, SMTP, IMAP, MAPI and NNTP supported clients
- Microsoft Outlook 2002 or later
- Microsoft Outlook Express 6 or later
- Windows Mail
- (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, and other webmail not supported)
|
| Instant Messaging
|
- Yahoo! Messenger
- MSN Messenger
- Trillian
- AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
- ICQ
- Jabber
- Google Talk
|
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010
Windows 7 System Requirements
|
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or higher.
- CD-ROM drive
(NOT required for installation via the Internet)
|
Software
(32/64 bit)
|
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate
|
| Processor/CPU
|
1 GHz 32-bit (x86)/64-bit (x64) or higher
|
| System Memory/RAM
|
1 GB RAM (32-bit)
2 GB RAM (64-bit)
|
| Free Disk Space
|
375 MB
|
| Email
|
- All POP3, SMTP, IMAP, MAPI and NNTP supported clients
- Microsoft Outlook 2002 or later
- Microsoft Outlook Express 6 or later
- Windows Mail
- (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, and other webmail not supported)
|
| Instant Messaging
|
- Yahoo! Messenger
- MSN Messenger
- Trillian
- AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
- ICQ
- Jabber
- Google Talk
|
Kaspersky Anti-Virus vs VIPRE
