Internet Security Suites Software Review

Cyber crime is a profitable business. Though estimates vary, cyber crime is expected to extort as much as a trillion dollars next year from governments, businesses and individuals. Yet more businesses, government agencies and entertainment companies are making the leap to online access at a record pace. We love the internet. It makes our lives easier and provides instant gratification; however, it also provides an access avenue to our computers and – even more critical – our personal information.

Comprehensive and reactive internet security software is required for a click-happy lifestyle. What makes an internet security suite different from traditional antivirus software is that it also includes other layers of protection, including antispam, antispyware, parental controls, privacy protection and much more to protect you and your PC or laptop from all angles.

Using the best internet security software, you can restrict your personal information from being shared online without your permission, protect your children from internet dangers, defend your PC from malicious apps and scan USB-attached devices for suspicious files. Many of the top security suites also include helpful extras such as secure password managers, file shredders, full screen modes and website advisors.

To learn more about what the best Windows internet security suites can do to protect your PC and identity, see our top choices: BitDefender, Kaspersky and Panda. You can also read more articles about internet security and cyber threats in our articles about internet security suites.

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Internet Security Software: What to Look For

The best internet security software can protect your computer and personal information from threats coming from all pathways – via the internet, connected drives, email attachments, corrupted video files, malicious applications, unsecured wireless connections and USB-connected devices. They will even protect your computer from your kids.

We rated highest the security software that has proven test after test to provide dependable and dynamic antivirus detection and removal running the most current Windows operating systems. We also looked for comprehensive security software that not only provides antivirus protection but also antispam, antispyware, privacy, antiphishing and internet search protection.

Here are the criteria we used to rank internet security suites:

Internet Protection
We gave the highest ratings to the internet security software applications that have a proven track record for providing consistent, reliable and proactive internet security. The suites we rated the highest all passed recent antivirus tests running Windows 7 and include the ability to combat known and emergent threats as well as detecting suspiciously behaving applications. We also looked for security suites that provide not just antivirus protection but also privacy protection, social network protection, spam filters, website ratings and more.

Security Features
The best Windows internet security suites go beyond basic virus protection to provide complete security through additional security features including parental controls, password managers, game modes, laptop tools and safe browsing. We looked for security software that not only provides a variety of protection options but also the ability to customize the settings. Though most users like their security software to run unobtrusively in the background using default settings, others want to fine-tune the software to react in a specific manner to particular websites or users. We gave preference to the software that can do both.

Help & Support
Internet security software should install quickly and offer nearly instant protection. However, should an issue arise, the security provider should offer adequate protection through online documentation, community forums, FAQs, help files and more. They also should provide free telephone, email and chat support via a helpful and knowledgeable support team. Our top internet security selections provide support during extended support hours, continuous software updates and timely threat information.

In the internet security software arena, competition is intense and threats constantly emerge to attack your PC and try to steal your information and infect your computer. So we compared all the top internet security suites to discover the ones that can truly provide the strongest protection from silent internet threats as well as accidental mouse clicks.