*NEW!*
Kaspersky Internet Security 2010
In the areas where it really counts, Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 does a fantastic job at detecting, preventing, and eliminating viruses, spyware, adware, and other malicious software.
We like Kaspersky a lot, and they've consistently been one of the best, most innovative antivirus security software vendor for many years.
Our testing showed excellent results in all areas of security protection with only a couple of areas that could use further revision.
Overall, Kaspersky delivers excellent virus and malware protection, but only average anti-phishing and parental controls, and a less-than-perfect firewall.
IMPROVED FEATURES
Great Antivirus Protection
Better Spyware Protection
Solid Real-time Coverage
Every year brings significant progress from Kaspersky; we hope they'll improve some of their deficiencies this year (and lower the price.) Regardless though, Kaspersky is a terrific Internet Security suite for anyone.
And overall, Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 does a great job at general PC protection.
Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 Features
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- Real-time Protection
Gives your PC real-time protection against viruses, adware, spyware, and malware. This allows you to relax knowing your Internet Security software is actively protecting you at all times.
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- Antispyware and Anti-Adware
Keeps spyware and adware from infecting your computer. Cleans up the mess that spyware and adware leaves behind.
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- Web-page scan and URL Protection
Scans web pages for the existence of malicious code that could harm your computer.
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- Email Protection
Scans incoming and outgoing messages for viruses, spyware, adware and malware. Helps keep your inbox safe from dangerous web-links and programs.
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- Instant Messaging Protection
Scans file transfers that attempt to come through your IM conversations. Helps to make sure your conversations are free from suspicious intruders.
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- Anti-phishing
Keeps your computer safe from malicious websites that try to steal your personal and sensitive information. Helps protect against Identity Theft.
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- Parental Controls
Helps keep your kids safe online by blocking inappropriate web sites as well as setting time limits.
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- Firewall
Your first line of defense against intruders. Keeps your PC safe from outside attacks.
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- Anti-spam
Keeps junk mail out of your inbox.
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- Sandbox Testing
A feature which allows the Internet Security software to safely run and test a potentially dangerous file before it does any damage to your PC.
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- Rescue Disk Creation
Creates a rescue disk that will allow you to boot your computer if it becomes unable to boot due to a virus or spyware infection.
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- Activity Eraser
Easily erase activity history, cookies, and browser cache.
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- Vulnerability Scan
Looks for vulnerabilities in your system such as AutoRun and other potential holes.
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- Microsoft Widows Setting Troubleshooting
This feature runs a scan and displays Windows settings that you may want to change to make the PC more secure.
Kaspersky Internet Security Suite 2010 Assessment
Here we've listed a breakdown of each category we've tested for Kaspersky Internet Security 2010. Each category was given a percentage rating based on those tests.
Antivirus Installation: 98%
When installed from a web download (as opposed to from CD), the download takes about 5 minutes.
You can then let Kaspersky choose the default settings for install, or you can choose to custom install only certain components. (We recommend the default for most users.)
You'll then be prompted to download the latest antivirus definition updates. This only takes about 3 minutes.
After which, a reboot is needed for the current updates to take effect. We strongly encourage you to reboot--it's worth the time.
Overall, a clean and simple installation, really what you'd expect from a top antivirus firewall maker like Kaspersky.
Kaspersky Internet Security Installation Screenshots
Un-installation: 95%
If you choose to un-install Kaspersky Internet Security 2010, you can either do so through their uninstall feature or through Windows' ADD/REMOVE section.
Either way, the un-installation is clean and easy with no prompts for a survey or other advertisements, as some other vendors do.
We only found one trace element left behind that was completely harmless. A final reboot is required to complete the un-installation.
User Interface: 85%
Though not bad, navigation wasn't as easy as some of the other Internet security suites we tested.
When changing the settings of some features it's possible to have 5 separate windows open.
This is in contrast to some other Internet Security suites which listed all settings in one window and just expand to adjust settings more easily.
Some links led to the same screens making the link redundant. The amount of graphics and icons used in the control panel seem excessive to us, making the control panel seem crowded.
This gives the perception that it has more controls then it really does.
Not a bad user interface, but it could be better.
Kaspersky Internet Security User Interface Screenshots
Real-time Protection: 92%
Kaspersky's real-time antivirus protection is fact acting. It quarantines suspicious files as soon as they reach the computer.
The default setting for real-time protection does not remove malicious files from ZIP (.zip) files, however. You'll want to adjust this.
Kaspersky had a 90% removal rate for the spyware that was captured in real-time during our testing. In fact, Kaspersky had a removal rate higher than many other antivirus firewall software suites we tested except for VIPRE.
Other malware was equally identified and either blocked or quarantined.
With a 90% removal rate during our tests, and a fast acting response time, Kaspersky did very well in real-time antivirus protection.
Manual Scan: 94%
During a full-system, manual antivirus scan, Kaspersky detected and removed over 90% of all malicious software including viruses, spyware, adware, trojans, and other installers.
No instances of re-installation attempts were detected, and no reboot was needed to purge the system.
Although it may seem like a 90% success rate is still susceptible to attacks, no antivirus is ever 100% accurate. 90% or higher is still a very successful result in our opinion.
Also important is its speed: The full, in-depth manual antivirus scan only took about 16 minutes total.
Kaspersky Internet Security Manual Scan Screenshots
Resource Usage: 92%
During real-time usage, Kaspersky used only 4% of the total memory. During a full-system scan, about 87% of CPU was used. Memory used during a full scan ranged from 50 - 112MB.
Not bad for heavy-duty Internet security software like Kaspersky.
Kaspersky Internet Security 2010
Antivirus Scanning Resource Usage
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| Real-Time Memory |
4.0% |
| Manual Scan Memory |
112MB |
| Manual Scan CPU |
87% |
Note: These are the average results we found during our testing.
Every PC is different, of course, so your results may vary, but we expect these results to be fairly representative.
|
Kaspersky used 4.0% memory during real-time protection.
Kaspersky used only 112MB of memory during a manual scan.
Kaspersky used 87% of CPU during a manual scan.
Spyware/Adware Protection: 95%
For anyone whose computer is badly infected with spyware Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 is a great choice.
Kaspersky did an excellent job of removing spyware and adware. 100% of spyware was detected during our testing. Even programs that weren't dangerous (but were recognized as spyware/adware) were removed anyway.
Removal sometimes required a reboot which was a little slow. It appeared that Kaspersky was doing a small antispyware scan prior to rebooting just to be safe.
After rebooting, the running program was completely removed.
One of our test spyware samples was not removed on the first reboot, but it was re-detected and finally removed after a few reboots.
We found a few other instances of this type of hesitant removal process, but the end result was a complete removal of spyware and adware.
While not ideal, we were glad to see it was able ultimately to get the best of spyware that had dug its tentacles deeply into our test systems.
Virus Removal from a Pre-infected Machine: 92%
We pre-infected our testing PCs, then installed Kaspersky to see how it well it did removing the viruses.
Kaspersky, we're glad to say did quite well, finding and removing 90% of the threats already entrenched in the system. (Note: this requires a full update of current threats from the Kaspersky database first - a normal process after installation.)
There was only one spyware program we tested that actually prevented Kaspersky from begin installed.
In fact, most antivirus software and Internet security suites we tested couldn't be installed once this pesky spyware program was already installed. We presume a solution to this problem will be included in an upcoming update.
Other than that single instance, Kaspersky performed extremely well.
Email Protection: 98%
Kaspersky detected and prevented 90% of all malware from being downloaded via email when real-time protection was engaged.
Resource usage for email scanning was minimal. We only saw Kaspersky spike to 60% CPU usage very briefly during our testing then return to normal.
Anti-spam: 70%
The Kaspersky spam filter requires some training to be most effective. You must mark 50 emails as "spam" and 50 emails as "good" so that it learns what is spam and what isn't.
This process can be a little confusing and time consuming for first-time users. Even after we trained it, the spam filter wasn't very effective.
For instance, emails marked as spam require you to create a specific rule to move that email to the Junk folder. Yuck.
Also, if an email originated from a specific domain and was labeled as spam, Kaspersky doesn't offer to block future emails from that same domain. Sometimes this is a valid approach and at least good to have as an option in your anti-spam arsenal.
Only about 30%: 50% of spam was correctly identified. Outlook's default spam filter set on low was more effective than Kaspersky.
Firewall: 85%
Kaspersky Internet Security Suite 2010
Firewall Scores
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Firewall Performance
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| Inbound Blocking |
90 |
| Outbound Blocking |
90 |
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Other Firewall Ratings
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| Firewall Ease-of-Use |
85 |
| Configuration Flexibility |
85 |
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Kaspersky's firewall was not as easy to use and effective as it's been in previous versions.
That said, when used in conjunction with antivirus and antispyware protection, Kaspersky does a solid job of protecting your computer overall, providing a good all-in-one antivirus firewall solution.
However, in testing the firewall alone, we found some less than desirable results.
On the plus-side, malware that was previously installed was blocked and given correct classifications.
Parental Controls: 72%
Overall, Kaspersky's parental controls were very simplistic and not very effective.
It offered minimal control of web page blocking and did not contain any more features such as keylogging IM capture, social network blocking, email monitoring, or online alerts.
Kaspersky offers three setting categories: Parent, Child, or Teenager, which can be assigned to separate Windows logins.
You can choose to block some web pages or just log the event. Specific URLs can be blocked or excluded.
On the plus side, Internet access scheduling is available as well as time limit settings, which is a feature even some dedicated parental control software lacks.
Ultimately, the blocking of web pages was the least effective feature (which is one of the most important).
While it blocked some of the more obvious sites, it didn't block pornographic images in Google for instance.
The heuristic setting didn't seem to make much of a difference, and there were no settings to block specific programs from running.
All that being said, we have always felt that (at least for now) separate
parental control software
is needed no matter which antivirus firewall softwrare or Internet security software you go with.
None of them have the degree of control parents really need to protect their children online.
IM Protection: 92%
Kaspersky's Instant Messenger (IM) scanning worked extremely well. Each file that attempted to transfer via IM was instantly scanned.
If any suspicious or dangerous files were detected, Kaspersky would alert you or deal with the dangerous file accordingly before the file could get to your PC.
Anti-phishing: 70%
The anti-phishing feature was not very effective at all.
In fact, when we tested Kaspersky's anti-phishing, not a single known phishing URL was detected. We tried known phishing sites that were 2-10 hours old, and still none were detected (despite having the latest updates installed).
Phishing sites are usually gone within 24 hours, but we went back and re-tested these sites just to be sure. Still no alerts were given when we visited these known phishing sites again.
In fact, Internet Explorer and Chrome alone caught these phishing URLs with better efficiency than Kaspersky did.
Antivirus Definition Updates: 90%
We couldn't find any definitive documentation on how often antivirus and malware definitions are available, but during our testing, updates appeared to be available about every two hours.
It could be faster, but that's about average for most Internet Security and antivirus software.
Customer Support: 89%
All tech and customer support for Kaspersky is 100% free. As of this writing, we haven't been able to find any hidden fees or charges for services (except for any long-distance phone charges you may accrue).
From the Kaspersky control panel you can launch "FastTrack" support. This launches a webpage that has answers to the most common questions.
From there, you can find a support link. From the support link, you'll be directed towards the Knowledge base, but you can also find a link to contact customer service directly.
Kaspersky's support phone number is a Boston area code, so it's not toll-free (unless you're in Boston, of course!) However, support for all aspects of the Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 (including firewall antivirus, too,) is free.
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.
Overall, a solid effort by Kaspersky to provide you with all means of free customer and technical support.
Kaspersky Internet Security Suite 2010
Review Conclusions
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Kaspersky Internet Security Suite 2010 Scores
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Antivirus
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$59.95
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| Overall Internet Security Protection |
95 |
| Real-time Security Protection |
92 |
| Manual Antivirus Scanning |
94 |
| Resource Utlization |
92 |
| Virus Removal (Pre-infected Machine) |
92 |
| Antivirus Definition Updates |
90 |
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Additional Internet Security Features
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| Spyware/Adware Protection |
95 |
| Email Protection |
98 |
| Anti-Spam Protection |
70 |
| Firewall Software |
85 |
| Parental Controls Software |
72 |
| IM/Instant Message Protection |
92 |
| Anti-Phishing Protection |
70 |
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Other Software Ratings
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| Installation |
98 |
| Un-installation |
95 |
| User Interface |
85 |
| Customer Technical Support |
89 |
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Kaspersky's Internet Security 2010 is still a solid, reliable, and potent antivirus and total protection software. Despite its flaws, Kaspersky still does what it promotes to do: protect your PC.
We'd like to see a stronger firewall, but our testing still showed acceptable strength.
- Excellent antivirus protection
- Great real-time protection
- Improved antispyware and adware protection
- Needs better anti-phishing
- Firewall needs some attention
- Anti-spam needs work
- Resource usage is good
The antispyware and adware detection and prevention was much better than expected. We're glad to see Kaspersky takes these threats seriously.
Real-time antivirus and malware protection was excellent, and IM scanning was stellar as well. Very impressive Internet security protection on these fronts.
Overall, Kaspersky still manages to be a real contender in the Internet Security market.
Their software tends to be more expensive than most, but if you're a loyal Kaspersky user, this year's version will be worth it.
If your budget doesn't have room for the Kaspersky Internet Suite 2010, you may want to consider one of our other top picks this year, which offer similar protection at a lower price.
Kaspersky Internet Security Suite 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
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| Free Disk Space
|
375 MB
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| 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
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- Yahoo! Messenger
- MSN Messenger
- Trillian
- AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
- ICQ
- Jabber
- Google Talk
|
Kaspersky Internet Security Suite 2010
Vista System Requirements
|
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or higher
- CD-ROM drive
(NOT required for installation via the Internet)
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Software
(32/64 bit)
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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
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| Free Disk Space
|
375 MB
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| 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
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- Yahoo! Messenger
- MSN Messenger
- Trillian
- AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
- ICQ
- Jabber
- Google Talk
|
Kaspersky Internet Security Suite 2010
Windows 7 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
(32/64 bit)
|
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate
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| Processor/CPU
|
1 GHz
32-bit (x86)/64-bit (x64) or higher
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| System Memory/RAM
|
1 GB RAM (32-bit)
or 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
