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September 2007 send to a friend printable version

Best security software

Some suites now offer superb one-stop protection

The days of installing a hodgepodge of stand-alone programs to protect your computer from online threats might be ending. More tools to zap spam, viruses, and other threats are being built into operating systems, e-mail programs, and other major applications.

Software programs are increasingly also sold in security suites. Those typically package together programs to fight malware--viruses, spyware, and spam--that are also sold a la carte. (For that reason; in our Ratings of stand-alone programs, available to
subscribers
; many products are followed by the name of the suite to which they belong, listed in parentheses.) Suites also add extra features such as phishing detection, child filters, and file-backup utilities.

There's a new class of supplementary security protection, as well. Browser toolbars you download, often free of charge, will check sites in an online search against a database and flag any that have been troublesome in the past.

Our tests of security software, done in our labs and those of an independent research laboratory, try as much as possible to emulate the conditions programs actually face on the Web. To do that, we use real malware, including viruses that are slightly modified versions of those found online, and spyware that we actually harvest from the Web. (We, of course, take extraordinary measures to ensure that all this bad stuff remains secure in our lab.)


WHAT WE FOUND

Here are some key findings from our security software comparison and what they might mean for you:

Of the nine security suites we tested, four are Quick Picks
(available to subscribers)
 that protect against viruses, spyware, and spam as effectively as the best stand-alone products. Though all cost at least $50 to purchase and $35 a year for renewal, using one of those four is generally cheaper and simpler than assembling an array of equally effective stand-alone programs. That's especially true if you're seeking protection for multiple computers in your household.

The suites also bundle in some extra features you won't get by buying a la carte. Though we didn't test those features for this security software comparison we think they're useful additions. For example, most suites include a filter that allows parents to block access to certain Web sites. Pricier suites of the best security software also typically add features to manage file backup and many Windows maintenance functions.

Stand-alone products are still worth considering, however. Indeed, they are the best choice if your computer lacks the 1 gigabyte of memory we think is needed to run a suite without much slowing of your computer. Some decent stand-alone products in this security software comparison are even available free of charge (see Free software, available to
subscribers
).

Operating systems do not yet provide full protection against all threats, though the spam filter built into the Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2003 and later versions performed exceptionally well.