Security for your PC

F-Secure Internet Security keeps your PC safe from cyber attacks.

Internet security is vital if you surf the Web, but if you are not IT-savvy, how do you keep your PC safe? F-Secure Internet Security 2008 suite has all the necessary tools to help users defend themselves from unsavoury elements while surfing the wild wild Net.

The program comes with various tools such as virus and spyware scanners, rootkit scanners, anti-Spam for e-mail messages, anti-phishing and firewalls - essential tools for protecting the PC.

A pleasant surprise was the option to scan the computer without installing the software: the option quickly presented itself when I inserted the installation disk into the PC.

The program also gets itself up and running without much trouble, and scans and quarantines viruses and spyware without too much fuss. And it continually scans all files and e-mail messages while you work or surf, so you have peace of mind.

The other notable feature is the Parental Control tool. The tool can categorise PC users under parents, children and teenagers, allowing parents to limit access to certain webpages on the Internet for each category. Parents can apply time limits on PC usage.

Because it is password-protected, children cannot access the application and change the settings. As a similar parental control feature can be found in Windows Vista, Windows XP home users will find this product useful.

However, the program requires the user to uninstall pre-existing security tools that reside in the PC before it can be installed. This is somewhat limiting, I feel, because I prefer 'the more the merrier' approach, which gives me more options and protection on how to tackle the slew of spyware and viruses.

Also, updating F-Secure virus and spyware definitions (database of virus and spyware) is really a pain as I had to try for nearly two days to get a response from the server via the program. And when I did get a response, it took a long time for the file to be downloaded. Totally unacceptable.

- By Wilson Wong, a freelancer and gadget enthusiast.

FINAL SAY

An all-in-one product that will be welcomed by those who want hassle-free protection from malicious Internet activities. The Parental Control feature is a bonus.