BlackBlade's Security Review

[BlackBlade]

Welcome everyone to my security review.

The following security review will cover anti-virus programs, anti-malware programs, firewalls, and other useful security tools. I have put long hours and many, many days into this review. As per request, this review will be released in installments as I complete the official written report. This review will span multiple posts as it is too large to post all at once.

The following review is as un-biased as possible, and is intended to educate users about the current status of their PCs security and what they can do to make it better.

You may NOT re-post, save, claim, or otherwise use this review outside of AnimeA without my written consent. If I see people breaking this rule, I will remove the review.

You may discuss this review in the official thread here:
BlackBlade's Security Review Discussion


Now, onto the review!

[BlackBlade]

BlackBlade's Security Review

This reviewer of the following security software programs has not been paid, encouraged, or otherwise persuaded to review a product and/or to score a program a certain score. The following review is as unbiased as possible. All copyrights used in this review are property of their respective owners.
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This security review covers the areas of:

• Antivirus Programs : Results Part I, Part II, Part III
• Firewalls Results: Part I, Part II, Part III
• Anit-malware Programs (spyware, adware, key loggers, etc.) (Results Coming Soon)
• Extra Security Tools (Coming Soon)

This review will first list and explain the software of each category. The programs will then be listed in “best-at-the-top” order. Every product reviewed was tested on a Windows platform computer. Onto the review!

[BlackBlade]

Antivirus

The following antivirus programs were reviewed (in no particular order):

• Avira AntiVir Personal Classic
• alwil avast!
• Grisoft AVG
• ClamAV and Clam Win
• F-Secure Anti-Virus
• Kaspersky Anti-Virus
• Panda Security Antivirus 2008
• Panda Security Online Active Scan
• Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2008
• McAfee VirusScan Plus

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Avira AntiVir Personal Classic – AntiVir is one of the most popular free anti-virus programs. From the parent company Avira, AntiVir is a British based program that allows users to download and use the anti-virus program for free. Their program acts like any other anti-virus program with real-time protection, scanning, and updates.


alwil avast! - avast! (and that is not a typo) is another popular free anti-virus program out there. It is free for personal home use, and also spouts real-time protection, scanning, email protection of both webmail and POP3/IMAP emails, updates, IM protection, automatic updates, and WiFi protection. It is considered “light weight” and also includes VRDB (the Virus Recovery Database) Generator, which ensures that your anti-virus protection is running at 100%.


Grisoft AVG - AVG, by Grisoft, is the most used free anti-virus program on the Internet. It has a strong user base with over 60 million users. Like avast, this also scans emails, however it lacks webmail protection. Grisoft is prompt in releasing new security updates. Even there is no direct support, there is a large community for support.


ClamAV and Clam Win - Both of these free programs were reviewed as one because they share the same backbone. ClamAV is primarily a server email scanner or professional email scanner. Clam Win is a port of ClamAV for use on the Windows operating system. Both of these programs are supported by an independent group of users and software coders. Generally, anti-virus updates are quick and efficient. This software works on Linux, OS X, and Windows with equal protection on all three systems.


F-Secure Anti-Virus – F-Secure is an “up and coming” anti-virus company with a surprisingly good record. This pay-for software is known for the quick turn-around of anti-virus protection. This also monitors the “core” of your computer to make sure that the internal necessary files are not altered. It has real-time protection, scanning and email protection.


Kaspersky Anti-virus – Kaspersky is another pay-for anti-virus program. This program boasts that it has the best protection and most positively identified malware pieces. It monitors your computer for any malicious activity, and can roll back any changes made by malware programs. They also boast to have a great turn around time for new anti-virus updates, (Zero-Day). It has real-time protection, scanning and email protection, IM protection, automatic updates, and WiFi protection.


Panda Security Antivirus 2008 – Panda Security is another newer company joining the security race. Panda boasts great support and fast anti-virus updates. This one program also includes AntiSpyware, AntiPhishing, and AntiRootkit software for one price. The programs can be slight memory users, but this should be fine for newer computers. Panda adds new virus definitions daily, and protects with real-time protection, scanning, automatic updates, and email protection.


Panda Security Online ActiveScan – This program is not really a full protection suite, but rather an online virus scanner and remover. This scanner installs an ActiveX controller on your computer and allows it to scan and disinfect your computer via the Internet. This does not provide real-time protection.


Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2008 – One of the two “big name” home security companies, Symantec's Norton is usually bundled with computers and sold at large retailers. Due to their large size, they have greater support capabilities than some of the other company's listed here. This program is also able to block spyware (through an extra add-on) but not remove it. Norton has real-time protection, scanning and email protection, along with automatic updates.


McAfee VirusScan Plus – Another “big name” home security company, McAfee's VirusScan Plus is a bundled piece of software that claims to protect you from virus, spyware, and hackers. They have a large support system as well, though it is difficult to even find a phone number to call them. This program is sometimes bundled with new computers and can be found in any large retailer.

[BlackBlade]

The Review: Anti-Virus


Part I


Every piece of software above was tested with the exact same conditions. A computer was infected with 12 different viruses ranging from root kits to worms, along with some “suspicious” files. Each program was tested on its ability to detect, remove, and repair the viruses, as well as detecting the suspicious files. The amount of time that it took to scan was also factored in as well. Also, if the program failed to completely remove the virus, points were deducted. The maximum amount of points that could be received was 850. The points have been converted into stars for visual representation. The top 3 programs have a detailed explanation of why they received the rank that they did.


0 – 170:


171 – 340:


341 – 510 :


511 – 680:


681 – 850:


For the purpose of this review, the free and the paid anti-virus programs will be ranked separately.


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[BlackBlade]

Part II



Free Programs:

1. avast!
   Score: 658
   avast! receives 4/5 stars in my review, the highest of the free anti-virus programs. The power of the programs detection is bar-none. It effectively removes viruses and other pests in the first sweep, though once I needed to sweep twice to move something to the virus vault. avast! will also scan your computer on startup, before your core operating system files are even loaded to make sure that your computer is completely clean. The VRDB system is a great companion to the anti-virus system and has a seamless integration. This program got marked down, however, because it requires users to constantly be in front of the computer during the scanning process to determine what to do, and it did require a second pass to clean everything. Scanning speed was also in the “mid” range. Overall, this is the best free anti-virus product that I reviewed, and it was so close to getting 5/5 stars.
2. Avira AntiVir Personal Classic
   Score: 575
   Coming in second place is AntiVir. This program identified all of the viruses in the test on the first scan, though it missed some suspicious files. Also, when I tried to move the virus to the virus vault, two of them could not be moved and I had to change their extension before removal. This scan also took an average amount of time to scan the entire system. This lacked some of the systems that made avast! so great (like boot scans), so it did not score as high, yet it still retained its 4/5 star rating.
3. Grisoft AVG
   Score: 500
   Scoring at an exact 500 is Grisoft AVG. Because this is one of the more popular free anti-virus programs out there, I was surprised to see it perform...average. It took 3 scans to detect and remove the virus files. After the third scan, however, it detected “suspicious files” that were not the ones that I placed. The files it detected were some of the core OS files that had not been touched by the virus programs. This program also requires users to remain at their computers during a scan to tell the program what to do. Updates are manual, and the UI needs a face lift. Overall, it was average. I guess we all cannot get first place....
4. Clam AV and Clam Win
   Score: 448
   Even though this program is built to handle the scanning of emails, it does a decent job of cleaning a computer.

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[BlackBlade]

Part III





Pay-For Programs:

1. Panda Security AntiVirus 2008
   Score: 786
   Scoring as #1 on my review is this wonderful program. Panda is the highest ranking anti-virus that I tested, and it deserves all of its 5/5 stars. Scans with this program were quick, it detected and removed all of the viruses while also detecting the suspicious files and removing them too, all in the first scan! I also noticed that, on my system, it wasn't that bad with memory usage, as I had previously posted before. Updates to this program's database are delivered daily, or even multiple times in one day. Panda is really keeping up with the latest virus happenings. Honostly, I was slightly surprised with the result of this test. It looks like underdogs can come out on top.
2. Kaspersky Anti-Virus:
   Score: 694
   Arriving in second place is Kaspersky's latest Anti-Virus. Again, I was shocked at the detection ability of this program. It detected all of the viruses, suspicious files, and even the tiny residue left over from the test before it (McAfee) on the first sweep. So, why didn't this program come in first place? It, unfortunately, detected files as viruses that were not viruses and tried to delete them. These files were left over from the McAfee testing (take a good look at their review...). This detected the viruses running in the system memory immediately, something that took the other scanners some time. Overall, this product still gets its 5/5 stars!
3. F-Secure Anti-Virus:
   Score: 623
   Third place is F-Secure Anti-Virus. This program received a similar score as avast! above, something that I took note of. This anti-virus program speaks for itself. It is slightly pricey, but it offers great protection and security to your computer. This also detected all of the virus programs, but missed on half of the suspicious files. The viruses were cleaned on the first sweep, but I did see that this tended to hog CPU cycles. 4/5
4. Panda Security Online Active Scan:
   Score: 320
   Panda Active Scan is not a full anti-virus product. It is an online ActiveX scan that will detect and disinfect the viruses on your computer. One of the test viruses actually stopped it from working. Once I removed that one myself, the scan detected the virus files, but only disinfected half. Bottom line, go with the full and real version of this software.
5. McAfee VirusScan Plus:
   Score: 20
   No, that is no typo. This got a score of only 20. Why? The virus programs actually disabled this program, not allowing it to run, scan, or disinfect. The 20 points come from the UI.
6. Symantec Norton AntiVirus
   Score: 20
   Same as McAfee review above.

Overall

Overall, all of these products (except for McAfee and Norton) worked very well at cleaning up the infected system. For the free user, avast! looks like the way to go, with the pay software winner going to Panda. Some of these “battles” were really close and came down to a few key points.

[BlackBlade]

Firewalls

The following firewalls were reviewed (in no particular order)

• ZoneAlarm Free Firewall
• Comodo Firewall Pro 3.0
• PC Tools Firewall Plus 3.0
• Ashampoo Firewall Free 1.20
• Jetico Personal Firewall v.2
• Outpost Firewall Pro
• Sunbelt Personal Firewall
• Microsoft's built in firewall on Windows

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ZoneAlarm Free Firewall- This firewall is one of the most popular free firewall softwares out there. ZoneAlarm has a very large user base, and has consistently scored high on independent ratings. This product is not natively free; it is basically a stripped down version of ZoneAlarm's other paid-for firewalls. It only contains a basic firewall controller. It does not offer automatic updates.

Comodo Firewall Pro 3.0- Comodo is a company that is newer to the PC security industry. They started off selling SSL certificates and other web-based security products. They have now evolved to offer a free firewall, anti-virus, and anti-malware programs. Comodo Firewall Pro has some features that many paid-for software lacks, such as its “Defense +” security monitoring system. This offers automatic updates to all of its systems.

PC Tools Firewall Plus 3.0- PC Tools is a company that specializes in programs that all PC users need to have. Their free firewall has basic protection and advanced filtering rules. A simple UI allows you to gain access to most functions in very few clicks. This does not offer automatic updates.

Ashampoo Firewall Free 1.20- This uniquely named company opened up its once paid-for firewall to the public by making it free. This firewall boasts a small memory footprint as well as a design that 4 year-olds will understand. Ashampoo Firewall Free also offers “Novice” and “Expert” modes for those who want more control over what their firewall does to their system. This also comes with other utilities such as a start-up manager and a file shredder. I could not find any information on updates within the system.

Jetico Personal Firewall v.2 – Jetico Personal Firewall v.2 is just that, a personal firewall. This program does not need a flashy UI to work. It is simply an IPTables firewall with a small footprint. This firewall acts more like how popular server firewalls (like AFP) work by using a list of known good and bad IP addresses, and bocking all of your PC's ports until you manually open them. This does not offer automatic updates.

Outpost Firewall Pro- From the security company Agnitum, Outpost Firewall Pro is a pay-for firewall option that is usually tailored at larger businesses and organizations. It it made for security in a large scale, and adapts to any changes in the network to ensure that you are always protected. This program also comes with an anti-spyware utility.

Sunbelt Personal Firewall- Sunbelt acquired the Kerio Personal Firewall after Kerio wanted to dump the project. This is a pay-for firewall that offers an average array of functions and offerings. It can block web advertisements, and warns you if you try to access a phishing site. This is not Vista compatible yet and, as far as I saw, offers no automatic updates.

Microsoft's Built In Firewall- The firewall the began to ship with Microsoft's Windows XP SP2 was also in this review. Microsoft took some initiative to secure its Windows platform, but how well does this system really stand up to the test? Updates are handled by Microsoft Update.

[BlackBlade]

The Review: Firewalls

Part I

Each firewall was tested under the same conditions. A testing computer was completely wiped clean and given a fresh Windows XP SP2 operating system with all updates and patches. I then used numerous port scanners, as well as another computer of mine to try and gain control over the testing computer. Each firewall was installed one at a time and tested for its ability to lock out ports, block bad incoming connections, block potentially harmful outgoing connections, for overall ease of use, for permissions rules, any extra features, and for its UI. The maximum amounts of points that a firewall could receive was based out of a 800 point total. For ease of use, the scores of the firewalls have been converted into a “star” rating system. Half stars are not awarded. The top three programs contain a detailed explanation on why they scored the way they did. The remaining programs may have a shorter explanation, or none at all. The stars are as followed:

0 – 160:


161 – 320:


321 – 480 :


481 – 640:


641 – 800:

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[BlackBlade]

Part II

Firewall Review:

1. Outpost Firewall Pro
   Score:765
   This firewall did amazingly well in all of my tests. The average ports were blocked and secured, and almost all malicious connections I tried were disabled by the firewall. The reason why this firewall got marked off was because I was able to get one connection through when I changed my IP address, however after about two minutes the firewall locked me out. It had adapted and black-listed the new IP that I tried to use. The same thing happened when I tried to perform a “self attack” to test the outgoing protection. It allowed the first few tries, then black-listed its own IP (ironic?) and would not allow more connections to itself. However, all normal internet traffic was not bothered at all. Outpost is my #1 pick, but its price will keep some people from picking it up. For those people, keep reading.
2. Comodo Firewall Pro 3.0
   Score: 728
   In second place, is Comodo Firewall Pro. This free firewall outperformed some of the other paid-for options that I tested, and it truly is one great product. Comodo Firewall Pro 3.0, besides being great at stopping my attacks, also came with a system called “Defense +” which monitors core system files and alerts users when someone (or something) tries to change these files. This system can really be helpful when protecting yourself from Trojans and worms. Depending on your settings, the warning boxes can be very annoying, thus Comodo lost some points. However, I applaud its effort to lock me out and keep the testing computer secure. It's UI is nice and its install walkes you through setting up all of its advanced features. And thats another thing, this firewall has features found only on higher-end firewalls, but Comodo is free! This program is defiantly worth a look.
3. ZoneAlarm Free Firewall.
   Score: 690
   Scoring at #3 is another free firewall. From this point on, the competition gets real competitive. ZoneAlarm's Free Firewall is one of the most popular free firewalls out there, and it deserves its title. It did a suburb job at blocking my attacks, though it did let one slip through and did not black-list it as Outpost did. However, the port that it allowed me to access was an extremely high port that was tied to the updater of a word processor. So, even though it let me access that port, I could do very little because the port was technically open for full transfers. ZoneAlarm was easy to set up and ran well. Some of its pop-ups can get annoying, and the UI can be slightly confusing for some. Overall, it is a great choice for a free firewall, but it does not beat Comodo.

[BlackBlade]

Part III
Firewall Review

**I had to post the rest of the firewalls here because of a max number of pictures-per-post restriction. Because these programs were not in the Top 3, they do not have a detailed description. If you have a question as to specifically how well these programs performed, then post it in the discussion thread**

4. Ashampoo Firewall Free 1.20
Score: 652


5. Sunbelt Personal Firewall
Score: 624


6. PC Tools Firewall Plus
Score: 580


7. Jetico Personal Firewall v2
Score: 544


8. Windows Built In Firewall
Score: 210
Turn off this firewall now and use one of the top 3. This is the worst firewall I have ever tested.

Overall Results

I am very happy with these firewall programs. Today's security tools are really working for the consumer, and they do a great job of defending their systems. I was also glad to see that some of the free firewalls performed just as well, if not better, than some of the paid-for solutions. Do yourself a favor and turn off Windows Firewall and use either Comodo or ZoneAlarm for a good free firewall, you will thank me later.