2008-Feb-27 - BitDefender Antivirus 2008

BitDefender Antivirus 2008

BitDefender Antivirus 2008 is perhaps the most improved of the antivirus applications we've seen so far this year.

Still, for the price, and for the excellent quality of its antivirus protection, BitDefender Antivirus 2008 ranks among our few top contenders for 2008.

BitDefender Antivirus 2008 costs $24.95 for a single license and $29.95 for a three-user license.

BitDefender Antivirus 2008 opts for a no-nonsense interface. Should there be any security issues, one of the large icons will display red. For remediation there's a large Fix This button, or you can click the specific graphic to see what's wrong.

BitDefender Antivirus 2008 covers a lot of ground, protecting your system from viruses, spyware, privacy breaches, phishing attacks, and rootkits. And BitDefender is the only antivirus product we've seen that advertises a Gamer mode, minimizing protection alerts and resources while you're off playing games.

For instance, with antivirus scans, the default setting scans files during boot, recently accessed files, packed files (although not archived files), incoming and outgoing e-mails--so far so good. The only difference with the more aggressive setting available is the addition of scanning activity on port 80 and port 443. BitDefender's HTTP scan blocks malicious ActiveX and JavaScript, and is part of the antivirus and antispyware protection. Do you need that? Again, there is not enough guidance within the program to help users make that decision; most browsers offer add-ons that will also screen for these scripts.

As for the default privacy protection, BitDefender will look for instances of private information leaving the computer and guard against spyware attempting to install on the machine. The more aggressive setting adds cookie control and script protection, which most browsers will also allow you to control. Do you need this protection if your browser already provides similar protection? Again, BitDefender doesn't offer enough guidance within the program to help users make that decision. Most browsers offer free add-ons that will screen for these scripts as well.

BitDefender provides a fairly complete package of technical support for its antivirus product. Greatly improved from last year is the built-in help file, although it would be nice if it were also context sensitive so that when we have a question about the Identity Pirvacy feature, the help file opens on that section immediately. BitDefender also offers an online Getting Started document, but we found its intended audience to be the Internet security suite users, not those starting out with just the antivirus product. BitDefender also delivers an adequate online FAQ, and there are several active user forums.

Finally, you can e-mail or call a toll-free number, 888-868-1873, for live technical support.

Other BitDefender Products:

BitDefender Mobile Security v2 , BitDefender Total Security 2008 , BitDefender Internet Security 2008 , BitDefender Antivirus 2008 , BitDefender Mobile Security v2

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