Six Prescriptions to Combat Viruses;
Your PC may be more vulnerable than ever to malicious attacks.
Use one of these antivirus programs to safeguard your system

Antivirus Software; Software Review; Product/Service Evaluation
By Jeff Bertolucci

YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO BE A technophile to be aware of the destruction computer viruses and their ilk can cause. In recent months, malicious bugs like the Blaster worm and the Sobig virus have been headline stories in the news around the world.

That's why you need an antivirus program protecting your PC. The best of these applications can not only block already existing viruses spreading on the Internet but can also take down new variations before they wreak havoc on your system.

These six packages promise an ounce of prevention against viral nasties, plus most notify you when you need virus-definition updates. A couple even handle related vexations, such as spam or spyware. As more ill-willed code comes in e-mail attachments and compressed files, most of these programs can scan incoming and outgoing file types to give your system maximum protection.

F-SECURE ANTI-VIRUS 2004

EDITORS' RATING 7.0

PROS: Easy-to-navigate interface; scans inbound/outbound e-mail

CONS: No pre- or post-installation scan; no firewall; no phone support

F-Secure Anti-Virus isn't as well-known as industry leaders McAfee VirusScan or Norton AntiVirus, but the $56.90 2004 version of this European import has the chops to compete with the big boys.

While F-Secure's setup is quick and painless, we were surprised the program didn't conduct either a pre- or post-install scan. Norton AntiVirus 2004 does the former to provide an extra measure of security, while almost every antivirus application does the latter. Of course, you can manually run a system scan if you choose.

F-Secure's 2004 version borrows its streamlined, efficient user interface from F-Secure Anti Virus Client, the company's corporate offering. The new interface is the program's best feature. It replaces the clunky design of previous versions, which inexplicably featured an add-on utility for scheduling system scans. The new main screen provides fast access to key features, including the scheduler and e-mail scanner. It also warns you, with a yellow exclamation-point icon, if your virus definitions are outdated.

F-Secure performs the virus-busting basics well. Its real-time scanner ferrets out viruses, worms, and Trojan horses, examines all file downloads, and scans both inbound and outbound e-mail. A previous version of F-Secure passed Virus Bulletin's most recent Windows testing, and previous versions have also been certified by the independent antivirus testing laboratories at AV-Test.org and West Coast Labs.

On the downside, the program lacks a firewall for preventing digital delinquents from commandeering your PC. Also, its real-time scanner doesn't inspect compressed Files unless you configure it to do so, a simple task, but one that many antivirus novices likely won't do. In our informal tests, F-Secure's drag on system performance was slightly greater than that of the competing antivirus applications reviewed here--although far from unbearable. In addition, F-Secure doesn't offer phone support for this product, although it provides some help through e-mail.

Despite its faults, F-Secure Anti-Virus 2004 is a well designed virus fighter that's easy to use and competitively priced.

MCAFEE VIRUSSCAN 8.0

EDITORS' RATING 7.5

PROS: Light on system resources; improved worm detection

CONS: No firewall; pricey phone support; long queues for free tech-support chat

A major face-lift to McAfee VirusScan has resulted in a streamlined virus fighter that's faster to install, easier to configure, and less of a resource hog than Norton AntiVirus. Nevertheless, McAfee removed its personal firewall from this current version, the $59.99 VirusScan 8.0 ($49.99 for the download).

VirusScan replaces the previous version's ungainly, browser-like interface with the McAfee Security Center, an interface from which you can manage all the security programs on your PC, including third-party firewall, privacy, and spam-blocking apps. McAfee has improved its worm-detection skills with WormStopper, previously known as Hostile Activity Watch Kernel (HAWK), which blocks malicious, worm-like behavior, often before a signature-file download is available. The ScriptStopper feature, which finds and blocks malicious scripts, is unchanged from version 7.0.

A better integration with Microsoft Outlook includes on-demand scanning of all e-mail folders and archives to find viruses and worms lying dormant there. Like Norton, it scans inbound and outbound instant messages. (Its predecessor scanned inbound messages only.)

In out tests, VirusScan caused less of a drag on system performance than Norton. But VirusScan scanned our 1GB drive much more slowly than Symantec's program. In past Virus Bulletin tests, VirusScan has been tested and passed only once. Nevertheless, previous versions of VirusScan have been certified by the independent antivirus testing laboratories at AV-Test.org, ICSA Labs, and West Coast Labs.

McAfee charges $2.95 per minute (with the first 2 minutes free) or a flat $39.95 per incident for its phone support, $10 more than Symantec's flat fee. A more affordable option is McAfee's free online technical chat. We often found the chat queue to be unbearably long, however, day or night.

NORTON ANTIVIRUS 2004

EDITORS' RATING 7.8

PROS: Improved scanning of compressed files; offers pre-installation virus scan

CONS: Mediocre anti-spyware feature

The $49.95 Norton AntiVirus 2004 continues the program's tradition of topnotch security, but it adds an imperfect anti-spyware feature. Although it's a solid program for first-time antivirus users, Norton's substandard enhancements make it a questionable $30 upgrade for existing users.

Norton offers the option of a pre-installation virus scan, an added protection measure hot matched by its main competitor, McAfee VirusScan. This procedure adds a lot of time to the setup process, however--30 minutes on our test PC. Norton users get a year of free virus definitions, after which the annual fee is $19.95. In comparison, VirusScan users pay $14.95 annually after the first year.

The program adds enhanced detection of compressed files, now finding and deleting these hidden viruses on the fly. In addition, Norton now detects and destroys spyware, adware, and hacking tools lurking on your hard drive. Free stand-alone utilities such as Lavasoft's Ad-aware and PepiMK Software's Spybot Search & Destroy round up these same annoyances much better, however.

In our tests, Norton caused a 4 percent drag on our test system's performance. VirusScan, on the other hand, produced no perceptible drag. Still, Norton scanned our 1GB drive much faster than VirusScan did. Norton has been tested six times since 2000 by Virus Bulletin and has earned its coveted VB 100 percent title each time. Previous versions of Norton have also been certified by AV-Test.org, ICSA Labs, and West Coast Labs.

Symantec charges $29.95 per incident or $2.95 per minute for its live tech support via phone. The company does hot offer online tech chat, however, a feature McAfee offers for its VirusScan customers.

PANDA TITANIUM ANTIVIRUS 2004

EDITORS' RATING 7.1

PROS: Inexpensive; familiar browser-like interface; free phone support

CONS: No scheduler or firewall

Like Verxira Antivirus, Panda Software's Titanium Antivirus 2004 is best suited for those who want a simple, bare-bones antivirus application to zap viruses, worms, and other digital dangers. For $19.95, you get the software plus six months of updates, or for $39.95, a one-year subscription.

Titanium provides the antivirus basics, including real-time scanning of downloads, automatic virus-definition updates, and a coherent interface. It excludes some features that many consider essential, however, including a firewall. Titanium also lacks a scheduler for configuring unattended scans, a checklist item that's as common to antivirus software as the spell-checker is to word processors.

On the plus side, Titanium's automated approach to virus protection is ideal for home users, many of whom don't know a Trojan horse from a rocking horse. Pop-up screens tell you if your PC is properly protected, or whether an update is needed. The program's browser-like interface, complete with a home page and navigation icons, will be immediately familiar to every Windows user.

Titanium scanned our test system in about 30 minutes, a performance comparable with that of most antivirus programs, and automatically cleaned whatever infected files we threw at it. Previous versions of Panda's consumer antivirus software have also been certified by AV-Test.org, ICSA Labs, and West Coast Labs, but not by Virus Bulletin.

Panda offers free but not toll-free tech support and also provides help through e-mail.

A firewall would be nice, but considering Panda Titanium Antivirus 2004's bargain price, we're not complaining. For home users with simple security needs, it's an effective, low-cost option.

TREND MICRO PC-CILLIN INTERNET SECURITY 2004

EDITORS' RATING: 8.3

PROS: Includes firewall, anti-spam filter; tracks spyware; free phone support

CONS: Scheduler hard to find

Trend Micro's $49.95 PC-cillin Internet Security 2004 antivirus package adds security features not found in some competitors, including a firewall to block hacker intrusions and an anti-spam filter to weed out junk e-mail. Although its interface may lack the aesthetic slickness of Norton AntiVirus' or the spartan simplicity of McAfee VirusScan's, PC-cillin 2004 is a solid pick for PC-cillin 2003 upgraders and antivirus newbies.

Like any good antivirus app, PC-cillin scans both inbound and outbound e-mail, delves into compressed (for example, ZIP) archives, and performs automatic system scans at user-specified intervals. Like Norton, PC-cillin ferrets out adware, key loggers, and other hacking tools that spy on your data or track your actions online.

The new anti-spam feature is a welcome relief for in-boxes stuffed with irksome refinancing, work-at-home, and porn-site pitches, still, the bare-bones spam-blocker interface could use more configuration options to help users tailor the e mail filter to meet their needs.

In our informal tests, PC-cillin caught every virus and worm it faced. In our lab testing, its real-time scanner's drag on overall system performance was less than Norton's but greater than VirusScan's. PC-cillin 2003 passed Virus Bulletin's test, and previous versions of PC-cillin have also been certified by AV-Test.org, ICSA Labs, and West Coast Labs.

Not everything was peachy with version 2004, however. In particular, the scheduler for manual scans should be easier to find; it's buried under several layers and is hard to uncover, particularly for newcomers unfamiliar with antivirus software. In addition, PC-cillin 2004 doesn't inform you up front when your signature files are out of date, something McAfee and Norton do. But unlike Symantec and McAfee, Trend Micro offers free phone support if you run into trouble.

Despite its minor flaws, Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2004 is a powerful and feature rich antivirus package. It delivers plenty of security punch for the money.

VEXIRA ANTIVIRUS

EDITORS' RATING 7.5

PROS: No impact on system performance; requires little disk space; free phone support

CONS: Scans slowly; no integrated firewall; expensive annual renewal fee

The $34.95 Vexira Antivirus treads lightly on disk space and system resources and includes free phone support, something you won't get with the McAfee/Norton crowd. Nevertheless, it lacks Norton AntiVirus' handy wizards and PC-cillin's integrated firewall.

Vexira's simple icon- and menu-based interface may lack panache, but it's thought-fully designed and easy to navigate. Some of Vexira's other default settings are atypical. For instance, when the program finds malicious code, a pop-up message asks whether to delete or repair it, or perform some other action. Most antivirus programs do this automatically, without asking permission.

The absence of a firewall is disconcerting, and unlike its major competition, Vexira doesn't provide real-time scanning of inbound and outbound e-mail. It will, however, scan e-mail attachments whenever you open them. In our tests, Vexira had no impact whatsoever on system performance, but its scanning speed is dramatically slower than that of any antivirus software tested here.

Vexira has never been tested by Virus Bulletin, nor has it been certified by AV-Test.org, ICSA Labs, and West Coast Labs, so we are unable to report on its accuracy in finding viruses in the wild.

Like Panda and Trend Micro, Central Command offers free, but not toll-free, phone support. Despite the comprehensive support, Vexira's annual $29.95 license-renewal fee is still too high.

Overall, Vexira Antivirus is a low-impact virus killer that lacks some of the polish of its better-known competitors.

BYLINE: Bertolucci, Jeff, Copyright 2004 Gale Group, Inc. ASAP Copyright 2004 ZDNet Computer Shopper January 1, 2004