Kaspersky Antivirus is the major contender for Norton/Symantec's antivirus and internet security crown. It's one of Russia's major contributions to PC security, and around 120 other computer security programs license technology from Kaspersky. They are recognized as the world-wide leader in initial detection of threats, so you're protected faster and more completely with their products.
You'll also find that Kaspersky has a more stable history than Symantec Antivirus; user reviews for previous versions of Symantec could get quite heated, whereas Kaspersky has consistently been recommended by users for several years.
The only 'features' that Kaspersky misses out on that are included by other programs are pulse/push updates (though scheduled updates are quite sufficient), and tutorials on using the interface. Given the excellent level of tech support and the relatively uncluttered, easy to navigate interface, we don’t consider these to be major drawbacks.
Additional Features
Kaspersky ticks every single box for additional protection. You'll get:
Browser and operating system hijack protection
Keylogger protection
P2P and filesharing protection
In- and out-bound email and IM protection, spam and phishing attempt protection
Protection from hackers, backdoor attacks, dialers, adware and ActiveX controls
Identity theft protection
Threats detected
Viruses
Worms
Rootkits
Trojans
Malware
Spyware
What Real People Say
CNET user review by asaffer:
"In my work group, I have see all brands of antivirus. I use Kaspersky from 2004 (Antivirus until 2008 then I change to 2009 Internet Security and now with the 2010 version) and I am the only in the group, without virus or malware damage during this 6 years. Congratulations to Kaspersky team"
CNET user review by One Old Jedi:
"Strongly recommend Kaspersky over Norton or McAfee. I would have given it five (5) stars had it not been for the hidden settings change noted previously, and limited documentation to find the fix."
PCAuthority user review by chewyfingers:
"I think Kasperksy 2010 is a great product. It is easy to manage and use and provides some effective protection for the average home user. It's RAM footprint is still quite small and for an all in one solution, it hits the spot"
PCAdvisor user review by Peter, Cardiff:
"does not disrupt other software in the way thet some virus protection software does. It appears well managed and supported I already have this software on my main computer."
Should you buy Kaspersky Antivirus?
What's fabulous about Kaspersky Antivirus?
Backed by the fastest threat detection and update time of any other antivirus company
Neat features like a Kaspersky-created screen keyboard for IE and Firefox that can defeat keyloggers, a sandboxing tool called Safe Run, improved child access controls, and the ability to carry around a Rescue CD on USB stick
Only 6 seconds added to boot-up time
Tech support available on weekends and public holidays in business hours for all time zones
A behavioural detection engine means even non-listed threats can be detected and blocked
What Kaspersky Antivirus features are middle-of-the-road?
Need some practice to figure out the interface
Malware interceptions rates slightly below other products; though malware removal rates remain exceptionally high
Where does Kaspersky Antivirus fail?
More expensive than others
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