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Internet Analysis and Protection.
Protecting your PC doesn't end with antivirus/antispyware software.Another major security concern involves phishing Web sites. These bogus Web sites are designed to look just like a legitimate site, such as the site for your bank or credit card company. The phishing site tries to trick you out of your personal information, like passwords or sensitive financial details, by getting you to use the phony site. The 2011 versions of cheap antivirus programs from McAfee, Kaspersky, and Bitdefender include antiphishing protection.
Email is yet another source of PC vulnerability. All kinds of bad stuff can arrive in your inbox, including emails with tainted documents, virus-infested videos, emails with links to phishing sites, and who knows what else. Virus protection programs, whether free or cheap, often feature at least some security measures to detect threats in your email before you open a message. The 2011 versions of Norton, Trend Micro Titanium, and Kaspersky are virus scanners that provide email protection.
A handful of internet protection programs can scan your IM/chat messages to make sure you don't receive a virus or bad links via your instant messaging software. This is not a common feature in virus scanner software, and if you don't use an instant messaging program, it's one you can overlook. Regardless whether your virus protection software scans your instant messages or not, always regard any files, downloads, or Web links in an instant message with a great deal of suspicion, especially if an IM comes from someone you don't know. Norton Antivirus 2011, AVG Anti-Virus 2011 (starting at $20 for up to three licenses, Amazon
Keyloggers are another potential threat to PC security. A keylogger records the keystrokes you make on the keyboard and sends that information to the person who planted the keylogger. Keyloggers can snag sensitive information, such as passwords, bank login information, and other data, even as you type it. They aren't as common as other types of malware, and many virus scanning programs don't guard against such attacks even though they're a legitimate security concern. Two of the internet protection programs on our list, however, do; Ad-Aware Free is one. Kaspersky Lab Anti-Virus 2011 is the other; it features a "virtual keyboard" that appears onscreen (click on the appropriate letters and symbols with your mouse) and prevents keyloggers from snagging your keyboard keystrokes -- and you.
Are we out of the woods yet? Not quite. A few security threats remain that you may decide to defend against. One of the most potentially dangerous is a rootkit. This is a program lurking in your PC that can give an intruder complete access to your system, letting the attacker steal passwords or personal data, or simply take control of your PC. Rootkits can be very hard to detect and remove, but some internet protection programs include software that can sniff them out. Ad-Aware Free, Norton Antivirus 2011, and Kaspersky Lab Anti-Virus 2011 include rootkit detection.
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Best Cheap Antivirus Software
Ad-Aware Free
This free antivirus program earned an Editor's Choice award from PC Magazine due to its excellent malware detection, simple user interface, and fast performance. Read more »Antivirus Software Deals
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Norton Antivirus 2011
Norton Antivirus 2011 offers the best overall protection of any virus scanning program, according to reviewers. It also doesn't drain system resources as much as other software but scans can take a little longer than other programs. Read more »Antivirus Software Deals
Good Cheap Antivirus Software
McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2011
McAfee's base virus protection program offers some extras that most basic packages don't, such as a firewall and home network monitoring. It does an excellent job of protecting a clean PC but isn't the best at cleaning up an already-infected PC; it can be tricky to install. Read more »Antivirus Software Deals
Kaspersky Lab Anti-Virus 2011
Kaspersky Lab Anti-Virus 2011 is easy to use and does an excellent job protecting PCs, according to users and experts, but it loses points for slowing down PCs more than other antivirus software. Read more »Antivirus Software Deals
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Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus 2011
This program earns mixed reviews from experts, who assign low to mediocre ratings based on performance in test labs. Users like its speed and ease of use, but some grouse about limited control options. Read more »
Bitdefender Antivirus Pro 2011
Bitdefender Antivirus Pro 2011 has some strong points, such as a flexible, innovative user interface, but it underperformed in several expert tests. Some users say the program causes errors and may not install properly. Read more »
Products Mentioned in This Review
Panda Antivirus Pro 2012AVG Anti-Virus 2011
Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus 2011
Bitdefender Antivirus Pro 2011
McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2011
Kaspersky Lab Anti-Virus 2011
Ad-Aware Free
Norton Antivirus 2011
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