As our regular readers know, every year we always recommend our best Internet security solution to our readers, based on who we trust enough to operate on our own machines.
Hey, we’ve updated this article to our recommended Internet security suites for 2014. To read the most recent recommendations, click here instead.
It has always been a tough call. Previous years you may know we have always edged towards either AVG or Kaspersky. But what are we recommending as our best Internet security 2013?
June 2012 saw the launch of Bitdefender’s latest all-round security solution Bitdefender Total Security 2013. Bitdefender have launched themselves as one of the major players in online security over the last few years and this is why we are recommending them to our readers – for the first time – as the best Internet security for 2013.
We always highlight the importance of having security software installed at all times in order to protect your computer, your information, your online accounts, protection from Identity theft and a whole host of other potential Internet scams. Bitdefender Total Security 2013 is a full, all-round solution meaning users do not need to install additional software because this package has everything any home user will ever need.
A full review follows after this, but first we’ll briefly explain the key reasons why we are recommending Bitdefender Total Security 2013 for the first time.
Use Facebook and/or Twitter? Some of the key improvements to this latest package includes social media protection for those who are prolific visitors to sites such as Twitter and Facebook – this means that links to external sites that are shared on those sites are pro-actively researched and blocked if BitDefender deems them to be dangerous. This is extremely helpful considering the prolific number of scams that circulate sites like Facebook, especially those scammy links that appear to have been posted by your social networking friends!
Use Google? It also does the same for search engines like Google (called Search Advisor), pro-actively searching the results pages of your search to check for potentially malicious websites. It has even saved us from some potentially embarrassing mistakes on more than one occasion! Scammers often use trending news to create scams by creating websites based on trending news topics and then lay in wait for unsuspecting victims to visit. Bitdefenders Search Advisor pre-emptively scans search results and blocks dangerous results with a big red X so you know not to go perusing!
Of course (imagine Q talking to James Bond right now) Bitdefender Total Security 2013 comes with all the usual refinements including phishing and identity theft protection, state-of-the-art firewall protection from unwanted hackers or intruders, some of the best malware detection and removal rates on the market and even great anti-spam protection to keep your inbox clean and uncluttered. (no rocket launcher or ejector seat in this package, sadly)
Read on for our full review. You can get our best Internet security 2013 solution through the link below. We hope you find it as useful and trouble-free as we did.
To start… the installation is as fast and painless as you would generally expect from a home-user security package, only taking a few minutes. Once that is complete the Bitdefender quickly checks for updates on the Internet and defaults to an “Autopilot” mode meaning after installation the security software is all ready to start protecting your computer with minimal fuss using its own recommended settings.
Installation is quick and painless. No stream of questions, just click and go.
The user interface is easy and intuitive, and users shouldn’t have too much trouble finding their way around if they choose to start tweaking their installation for optimal performance.
The dashboard is simple to understand and navigate, and shows all of your options
The antivirus component is understandably the most important aspect of any Internet security package since it is responsible for removing threats from a computer. Bitdefender has one of the best detection and removal rates and the 2013 edition does not disappoint detecting and removing all types of threats we put in its way. The usual options are available including a quick scan, full scan or custom.
Social networking protection is also a key component and one of the reasons why we recommended Bitdefender. Just like AVG, Bitdefender realise that more and more Internet users are online because of social networking and this means sites like Facebook and Twitter are the target for many online scams. Bitdefender Total Security 2013 automatically scans links sent to you from friends on social networking sites and tells you if they’re safe. This means users can click links on social networking sites safe in the knowledge that any scammy websites will simply be blocked.
Our Twitter feed, the green tick means Bitdefender has evaluated the link and deemed it safe. A cross means it is dangerous.
A particularly impressive feature for Bitdefender 2013 was its ability to block even the latest website scams that circulate, including malware sites and phishing attacks. The software successfully blocked all spam sites we’ve recently added to our archives including phishing sites, known retail scams and malware sites. This is particularly useful when it comes to spam email, which can often direct victims to these types of scams.
If Bitdefender spots a scam site, it will soon let you know and block access, keeping you safe.
Other features worth mentioning include gaming mode so online games don’t get interrupted with updates or scans, the parental control feature that allows sites be blocked or web access between certain hours, Bitdefender Safepay gives extra security when shopping online, Search Advisor scans search engine links to make sure they’re safe and File Shredder can permanently delete sensitive files from your computer so they cannot be pieced back together.
Overall, Bitdefender Total Security 2013 is certainly one of the most effective and easy to use security packages we have tested, and in our opinion and deservedly moves to our number 1 recommended spot. And as usual we practise what we preach, Bitdefender Total Security 2013 is currently running on all of our machines! In fact one of the most satisfying aspects to Bitdefender is the lack of messages and pop-ups – after installation the software just runs in the background and doesn’t bombard the user with pointless or irrelevant messages about what it’s doing or how it’s feeling!
