Reviews4,313 Reviews

All Reviews > Software > Business productivity > Security software

November 27, 2009

F-Secure Anti-Virus 2010 review

While F-Secure Anti-Virus 2010 is simple to use and does a reasonable job of blocking malware, it has a few bugs, and it couldn't beat some of its competitors.

In traditional malware blocking tests, F-Secure Anti-Virus' 99.8 percent performance at blocking known spyware, worms, and other malware from AV-Test.org's massive baddie collection was respectable, but three other current programs performed even better. The same goes for F-Secure's 99.3 percent adware block rate.

Its middling performance continued in heuristic tests, which use two-week-old databases and newer malware samples to simulate how well a program can detect malware that doesn't yet have a signature. F-Secure Anti-Virus 2010 scored a 66.7 percent detection rate, behind three other apps. And it finished its fourth-in-four performance in behavioural detection tests, a form of defense that attempts to identify brand-new malware based on how it acts on your PC. It put up warnings of one kind or another about 5 out of the 15 samples, and blocked 3. By comparison, G Data Antivirus offered warnings about 13 samples and blocked 12.

F-Secure Anti-Virus did rise above the pack when it came to removing existing infections. It successfully identified and neutered all 10 test infections, and it also tied for first (with Norton Antivirus) at getting rid of less important malware files and system changes. But it dropped just below the average with a scan speed of 8.1MBps (megabytes per second) for automatic scans - these occur when you save or copy a file, for example. That performance earned seventh place in the rankings.

See all: Antivirus reviews

The Finnish-made program includes an internet-based layer of protection that asks F-Secure's servers about new, unknown files on your PC. This "cloud computing" approach is meant to identify apps that the company knows are safe, and allows the program to focus scanning resources on potential threats.

F-Secure's app can also scan web traffic for potential threats before they land on your hard drive, but the feature is turned off by default. If you turn it on (a good idea), be aware that the program displayed a bug with some Firefox downloads. After a few test downloads, F-Secure Anti-Virus 2010 stopped warning about a file that should have triggered a warning every time. This issue didn't affect Internet Explorer in our testing.

The company says that this is a known issue, as is another bug that prevents the app from displaying the file name or other details for threats discovered after scans you run. A final bug left a bunch of files on a test PC after we uninstalled the program. Again, F-Secure says the problem is a known issue that's being worked out.

NEXT: our expert verdict >>

See also: Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2010 review

See also: G Data AntiVirus 2010 review

PCWorld.com

VERDICT >
1 | 2 | NEXT >

null null

Keep up to date by adding PC Advisor Reviews to your iGoogle home page or Google Reader

What is this?

Subscribe to PC Advisor now and claim your FREE gift

Question of the day!

Does your smartphone replace your need for a laptop when on the move?

Question of the day!

Does your smartphone replace your need for a laptop when on the move?

% of PC Advisor readers agree with you

Yes
TBC
No
TBC

What tasks can your smartphone do that would have traditionally been done on a laptop?

119 characters remaining

Follow the conversation at @SmartphoneFocus

web browsing, search facilities, voip, email, word processing everything RT @Graham_D_C

Mainly email but getting better at spreadsheets etc, RT @IDGdan

Total reviews: 4,313

See system requirements

expert rating

Overall

4/5

expert rating

F-Secure Anti-Virus 2010

READER REVIEWS


Google

PC Advisor Software Store


Recent reviews

Reviews index


Latest reader reviews

Latest reader reviews


Top news

News index


Latest blog entries

Blogs index


Sponsored Content

  • Take the internet to new places with the Nokia N800
    Communicate how you want to, where you want to with instant messaging, email and internet calling. View movies, browse the internet wirelessly and watch TV on the high-resolution screen and listen through high-quality stereo speakers with headphone jack.
    Buy now