F-Secure - Internet Security 2009 review
online defence for your PC (26/01/2009)
A good, safe sounding name is imperative for your net security suite. If you called it Leakmaster Infest Security 2009, odds are you wouldn't sell many copies. F-Secure, on the other hand, sounds ultra-safe and capable. We don't know what the 'F' stands for, but we could hazard a pretty inaccurate guess.
F-Secure Internet Security 2009 installs without fuss, and sets itself up with the standard tabbed main interface and taskbar icon with quick links to the most common tasks such as running a virus scan. From the front end you can swiftly change the security level of the two main protective pillars, the virus scanner and Internet shield (from low, medium to high or a customised setting for advanced users).
The virus and spyware arm of the suite scans in real-time, keeps an eye on incoming and outgoing email, and can be scheduled to scan at set intervals. All the usual stuff, really. As always when reviewing a security product, our first step was to run a test scan of the hard drive. F-Secure acquitted itself admirably in the speed stakes, checking over our data-packed test drive in a time of one hour and fifteen minutes. For comparison we ran a scan with AVG which took an hour and forty minutes.
The suite's virus definitions benefit from F-Secure's DeepGuard technology. This means that when a new threat is detected by the program on any machine anywhere in the world, it's immediately sent to the central labs, and the company reckons that it can respond with updates to counter the outbreak within sixty seconds. Which is almost unbelievably impressive.
Internet Security 2009's system footprint is reasonably low, too, although during a scan our memory usage utility did detect a fair bit of strain being put on the system at times. However, these were sporadic spikes rather than constant sluggishness.
The Internet shield module includes a firewall, network intrusion prevention, application monitoring and a dial-up monitor that prevents malicious dialer programs from operating. Rounding this off is a spam filter, so it's a pretty standard package of security measures.
Parental control features are offered as an optional extra upon installation. This lets the user set up three different profiles if required - one for normal use, one for teenagers and one very restrictive for younger children - and these limit the bounds of Internet browsing and chat appropriately. Time periods for web browsing can also be specified so your kids are only allowed to go online when you want them to.
F-Secure - Internet Security 2009 features - Verdict
This is a fairly standard protection suite in terms of its content, but it's certainly a well executed package. We particularly liked the scanning speed and the DeepGuard near-instant response to virus outbreaks. The parental controls are a useful extra, too.
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