Kaspersky Internet Security 2009, 3-Desktop, 1 year Subscription (PC)

Kaspersky Labs have gained an enviable reputation as one of the top PC security firms around - not only is their anti-virus software habitually one of the top rated AV applications, but its engine is used by several other anti-virus providers simply because it is very good. Kaspersky Internet security 2009 combines this anti-virus engine with anti-spyware, a firewall and a HIPS into a single package, aiming to give protection against not only the more common nasties out there, but also against direct attacks, phishing, spam and attacks through instant messaging.

Setting up is fairly straightforward, taking around 10 minutes to install and update, provided you have a broadband connection. The suite comes pre-configured, which is handy as virtually every part of it is configurable in some way, giving you far more in the way of options than you could think possible. Once set up, it analyses your system to work out what's running and advising you if it thinks anything is less than benign. For me the HIPS has been pretty quiet, only asking about running processes when it's been absolutely necessary; KIS has a large in-built program database so, unless you have something unusual running, I doubt that it would give you much trouble.

The on-demand combined malware scanner takes around 45 minutes to do a full scan and provides not only a full malware scan but also an analysis of your PC to highlight vulnerabilities in your system and to advise you as to what software needs updating. This feature is extremely useful, warning you of weaknesses in programs that hackers could exploit. Similarly, the real-time protection is very well featured, allowing you to customise virtually every aspect of the scanner to suit your tastes.

The spam filter aims to learn who your friends are, which email addresses you've blacklisted, and to allow you to set up personal filters. In reality, though, spammers rarely use the same email account more than once so any spam filter would be hard-pressed to stop the deluge of unsolicited emails that most of us get. You're also provided with a 'virtual keyboard' to prevent keyloggers from stealing your passwords when you log on to (for example) your banking site. Keyloggers have become more advanced in recent times with many having the ability to capture screen shots as you type, and it isn't clear whether or not KIS can do anything to prevent this.

It is generally accepted that the three most important programs to have running on your PC are anti-virus, anti-spyware and a firewall, all of which are included here, wrapped up in a fairly easy to use package. In reality KIS probably gives you far more than the average user would ever need but it is nice to know that, should you ever want to start mucking about with your security settings, it also gives you leeway to do this. As with any fully-featured security suite, this one can be a bit troublesome if something happens on your system that it doesn't like, but if you don't mind getting your technical fingers dirty, KIS 2009 is one of the best around.

I own Kaspersky. I install it on every PC that I repair and it protects all of my home computers.

Why?

Because it is the best internet security suite on the market. Novice users can install it without fear, as the program defaults into an "auto mode" that will decide all the tricky questions itself, whereas power users can easily take full control of the suite and it's advanced detection techniques.

Version 2009 has a HIPS system (not the type that you shake at a party), but this HIPS system controls the applications on your computer and can intelligently decide what "safe" programs are (like microsoft word and others) and what "dangerous" programs are, and make sure that they do not have a chance to damage your computer. Virtual keyboard is useful for typing in passwords and usernames into bank logins to minimise the risk of keyloggers and antispam is accurate and has regular updates, like the virus signatures.

The scans are fast, the support is good, the detection rates are the best in it's class.

Top class product, wouldn't use anything else.

I've used a number of security suites over recent years, most recently ZoneAlarm, and would probably rate this top.

It doesn't offer anything very much out of the ordinary, but certainly seems to cover everything you might ask. Among other things, you get instant messaging protection, identity theft protection and parental controls, and all through an interface that I found very clear and logical.

One feature that IS novel (at least to me) is the virtual keyboard that you can have pop up when entering id's and passwords, to defeat key loggers.

Scans seemed fast and it always seemed light on use of processor and memory, so, overall, I'd strongly recommend Kaspersky 2009.