PC Speak: Abney and Associates Internet Technology Review: Avast Internet Security (2014) Review: Short on Security

Source

Avast's suite has some premium features and is generally easy to use, but it fell short in the crucial area of protection.

Avast is a company perhaps best known for its free antivirus software. But paying for Avast Internet Security 2014 ($40 for one year of protection on one PC) will get you such premium features as a robust firewall, online banking security, and phishing and scam email protection.

Avast blocked 89 percent of zero-day (unknown) attacks in our real-world tests. That result may sound pretty good, but most of the suites in our roundup blocked 98 percent or more of such attacks. In our roundup, only Vipre Internet Security 2014 (at 87 percent) and Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Security Complete (at 82 percent) fared worse in the real-world tests.

When it comes to known malware attacks, Avast looks better on paper, blocking 98 percent of those attacks, except that all nine other security suites in our test group blocked 99 percent or more of them. Avast’s detection system properly ignored all of the innocuous programs, websites, and installations that AV-Test threw at it.

In AV-Test’s performance evaluations, Avast scored a low-impact 2—below average (in a good way) for a security suite. You system won’t take much of a performance hit by using Avast.

Installing Avast Internet Security 2014 takes you through just a couple of screens. Regrettably, one of those screens is a software push for installing Google Chrome as your default browser and the Chrome Toolbar for Internet Explorer. Ironically, one of the suite’s services is a browser cleanup tool that “removes annoying browser toolbars from your computer.” Avast’s installer relies heavily on the Internet, so the installation process can be time-consuming if you have a slow connection.

Avast’s interface is easy to use, but its multiple colors and font sizes say “freeware” rather than “premium security suite.” The main screen features a large banner that indicates protection level: A green checkmark is good, and a red x is bad. Under the main status are four buttons: ‘Quick scan’, ‘Browser cleanup’, ‘Mobile protection’, and an empty button that you can use to add a quick link to any feature (even help and support).

The rest of Avast’s options, including tools such as SafeZone (for banking and shopping protection), SecureLine (VPN), and a link to Avast’s online store, are discoverable through a menu on the left. VPN service is a nice extra: If you connect to a new network, Avast prompts you to select a protection level (private or public) to keep you safe while you’re browsing the Web.

Average users might find Avast’s settings menu intimidating. Few explanations accompany the top-level menus. The sheer quantity of advanced settings is daunting, and Avast’s explanations are geared toward fairly experienced users. Though the buttons and toggles are touchscreen-friendly, none of the menus let you tap and drag to scroll—you have to use the tiny, thin scrollbars instead.

Despite its clunky interface, Avast Internet Security 2014 offers many features you won’t find in other security suites. It could be worth considering if you favor range of features over ease of use.

Want to read more? You can visit our website

PC Speak: Abney and Associates Internet Technology Review: Suspicious Emails Spark Concerns with Amazon

Check my Source

With all of these data security breaches lately, customers of Amazon and Turbo Tax are letting me know they’re concerned.

But do they need to be?

Let’s take a look at the Amazon issue first.

Nicki from the West Valley, emailed about a deal she was making on Craigslist.

She was looking for a motor home and found one for a good price.

Then she got this email from the seller saying she wanted to use Amazon payments for the transfer of money.

Here’s part of the email:

“I had prearranged the deal with Amazon FPS. The trailer is located at Amazon’s shipping company, ready to be delivered. It will arrive at your address in 3 days. You will have 5 days to test it and inspect the motorhome and if by any reason you find something you don’t like about it you can send it back at my expense but I’m sure will not be the case.

If you are interested in knowing more info about how it works, I can ask Amazon to send you an email with more information on how to purchase it. Amazon will contact you shortly after they have the details with all the information that you need to complete this deal and you will also have proof that I am covered by them and a legitimate seller. If you would like to receive the email from Amazon with all the transaction information go on Amazon Payments by clicking on this link.”

Amazon payments are a legitimate site.

We sent Nicki’s concerns to Amazon. They say it appears this site is a scam.

Here’s Amazon’s statement to us:

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. The URL in your email is not owned or operated by Amazon.com or any of its affiliates. The site appears to be a scam and Amazon will take immediate steps to have it taken down. We also encourage any victims of these types of phishing scams to contact law enforcement.

“Amazon Payments was designed to help millions of Amazon customers securely pay on a third party website or mobile site with the information already stored in their Amazon account. When you click on ‘Login with Amazon’ or ‘Pay with Amazon’ the login page or pop-up window should only ask for your Amazon credentials (email address and password) and the URL should read either: payments.amazon.com or amazon.com. We will not ask you for your shipping or credit card information outside of the secure Amazon.com site. Customers trust Amazon with their payment information and we take that responsibility very seriously.

“There is more Amazon Payments security information here. We also encourage our customers to review the Amazon FAQ on phishing and Internet scams here. Please send any concerns to stop-spoofing@amazon.com.”

So Nicki’s email to us may have saved others from getting scammed.  

Make sure to check your credit report for any activity you don’t recognize.

Go visit this website

Abney and Associates Internet Technology Review: Norton Internet Security 2014 Review: Polished Security Suite with Excellent Protection

Check my Source

Norton is a solid choice, thanks to its excellent detection rate and polished, touchscreen-friendly interface.

Norton Internet Security 2014 ($80 for one year of protection on up to three PCs) looks great—and it offers excellent protection against all threats. Internet Security 2014 also provides mobile security, comprehensive parental controls, and system insights, so advanced users can track their PCs’ performance. But Symantec’s suite isn’t perfect: Its menus, settings, and features are geared a little more toward advanced users than toward security newbies.

In our protection tests, Norton Internet Security 2014 was excellent, on a par with Eset Smart Security 7, F-Secure Internet Security 2014, Kaspersky Internet Security 2014, and Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security 2014. Norton successfully defended our test systems against all zero-day malware attacks and all zoo malware assaults. Norton’s algorithms didn’t block or erroneously warn against any safe websites, nor did it flag any legitimate software as dangerous.

In AV-Test’s performance test, Norton received a mark of 8, tied with Eset Smart Security 7 for the highest mark among the ten suites in in our roundup, and an indication that you can expect to see a significant performance hit—slower startup and shutdown times and lag when opening and installing programs—when the software is running.

Norton Internet Security 2014's interface is easy to navigate.

Norton Internet Security 2014's interface is easy to navigate.

Installing Norton is a breeze, unless you have other security suites on your system (including trial versions). You must uninstall other antivirus programs before you can proceed with your Norton installation. Fortunately, Norton lets you uninstall incompatible programs from within its installer. The uninstalling process may require a restart, but a straight Norton installation does not.

Norton’s interface blends perfectly with Windows 8, with large buttons and toggles instead of tiny checkboxes. The main screen presents you with four large squares, for status (colored bright green if you’re protected, and red if you’re not), scanning, updating the malware library, and access to advanced settings such as network protection and parental controls. Along the top of the window are text links to other settings and services.

The settings menu is clearly designed for relatively advanced users. When you click the little question-mark boxes next to certain items, you jump to explanations on Symantec’s main support site, but Inline explanations—like those used in Kaspersky’s security suite—would have provided a more seamless experience.

Norton Internet Security offers excellent protection, albeit at some cost to PC performance. Its polished, touchscreen-friendly interface is a plus, but it isn’t especially accessible to novices.

Want more? Try to visit our website