Articles by Neil J. Rubenking

A full-scale security suite contains all the security components you need: antivirus, antispam, firewall, parental control, and some kind of privacy protection. Then there’s what I call a mega-suite—a product that starts with full suite protection and adds more, much more. Backup and system tuneup are typical add-ons. G Data TotalSecurity 2014 is a perfect…

We’re almost five months into 2013, and you know what that means, right? Yes, it’s time for the 2014 security product lines to appear! G Data InternetSecurity 2014 is the first security suite I’ve reviewed that has 2014 in its name, but others will be along soon enough. At $44.95 for three licenses, G Data…

Even though not all of us can distinguish red from green, the vast majority of antivirus programs include an icon or banner that stays green when all is well but turns red when a problem arises. With its new user interface, G Data AntiVirus 2014 ($29.95, direct) marches to a different drummer. The top stripe…

Different vendors include different components in their security suite products, but at PCMag we consider antivirus and firewall protection to be the essentials. Ad-Aware Pro Security 10.5 ($36 per year direct; $48 for three licenses) does include those essentials, and very little more. Its antivirus protection is quite good, but the firewall leaves something to…

Ad-Aware originated in 1999 as a tool to warn users about “Web beacons”—tiny, invisible images used by advertisers to track online activities. It evolved into an antispyware tool and then into a full antivirus, capable of fighting all types of malware. The latest edition, Ad-Aware Free Antivirus+ 10.5, turned in an impressive performance in PCMag’s…

I try my best to keep up with all the new versions of all the antivirus products out there, but sometimes I miss one. The last time I reviewed Emsisoft’s offering, it was version 5.0. Somewhere on the way to the current Emsisoft Anti-Malware 7.0 ($39.95, direct) I missed version 6.0. There’s not much visible…

Many security vendors offer a three-tier product line: standalone antivirus, security suite, and mega-suite. Bonus features in a mega-suite can include backup, tune-up, password management, encryption, and more. ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2013 ($89.95 direct for three licenses) occupies the mega-suite slot in Check Point’s product line, but it’s woefully lacking compared to the competition and…

There are two main reasons to buy a security suite rather than a collection of individual security tools. The first is price—buying firewall, antivirus, antispam, parental control, and more individually would add up to much more than the cost of a suite. The second is integration. If your security components all work together, sharing code…

The best things in life are free, they say, but not all free things are the best. At PCMag we’re big fans of ZoneAlarm’s free firewall. The antivirus protection that Check Point added to create ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall 2013 just doesn’t come up to the quality of the firewall component. It dilutes this…