Kaspersky 2012 offers solid however slow protection

The bottom line:
The new Kaspersky Anti-Virus for 2012 introduces a twin cloud-and-local security system bundled underneath an overhauled interface that is each simple to use and acquainted. The suite's scans are not the fastest, however it positively can defend you.

Review:
Kaspersky Anti-Virus continues to supply users with a high level of protection that has security tools not offered by several competitors. The 2012 version will not amendment the face of private laptop security, though this specific package of security choices has attracted enough devotees to form it a best-selling program, each in and out of the protection field. A one-user license for Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2011 retails for $39.95.

Editors' note: parts of this review are primarily based on CNET's review of Kaspersky net Security 2012.



Installation:
Installing Kaspersky 2012 wasn't the chore that putting in last year's version was. Kaspersky 2011 was affected by a bug that will halt the installation method if even minor Registry keys from competing suites were detected. The 2012 version had a swish and fuss-free install, and though it did not demand a reboot once completed, we have a tendency to found that registering the program would not take till once a system reboot was completed. Basically, you are on the hook for a reboot here. It's annoying, and there is nothing to be done regarding it attributable to the deep hooks into your system that security suites need.

Interface:
In the security suite business, there is a ton of cribbing and searching over the shoulder of the child sitting next to you, therefore Kaspersky's radically completely different new interface could be a pleasure to use. First off, it does not suck the life from your eyeballs. It retains the inexperienced, white, and grey theme from previous years, and also the rest is new.

Based on a mobile app-drawer style, it presents your security standing at the highest and stashes the four major safety features of scanning, updating, parental controls, and access to ancillary tools at very cheap. The app drawer layout puts key security standing info up front, and keeps your tools organized however simply accessible below.

You can slide the options sideways to visualize a lot of choices, or click the arrow at very cheap to drag up drawer-style the total list of choices. Settings and Reports live within the higher right corner, and each use terminology repeated throughout the interface. This creates a solid level of consistency, and need to attractiveness to basic security customers and power users alike.
A Cloud Protection button at the highest of the interface opens a screen that explains Kaspersky's new cloud technology. like its competitors that have already incorporated cloud-based detection, you'll be able to opt out of anonymously contributing your knowledge. (This does not cause you to any less safe.) Kaspersky's opt-out could be a bit tough to urge to, though. Hit Settings, then the annoyingly unlabeled Advanced Settings tab, and Feedback, and then uncheck the box to opt out.

Unlike competitor Bitdefender, that permits you to reorder the tool buttons in order that you'll be able to have those you utilize most frequently at the prepared, Kaspersky's tool layout is locked down. this is often one among the few drawbacks to the new style. Another is that within the Settings window, the tabs on the left are unlabeled and their icons aren't essentially as simple to interpret as doable. In order, they're Protection Center, Scan, Update, and Advanced Settings.

Labeling aside, the settings themselves were remarkably simple to navigate and comprehend--even the advanced ones. Meanwhile, jumping from feature to feature was a zippy expertise, and that we encountered fully no lag when skipping between screens.

Features and support:
The most notable improvement in Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2012 is its new cloud-based detection network. It sends knowledge anonymously to Kaspersky's servers, where a mix of automatic and manual processes find out whether or not that new program you've got downloaded is safe or not. the purpose of cloud-based detection is to lighten the suite's load on your system, whereas providing faster real-time defense. As you will see within the Performance section of this review, the changes have created Kaspersky higher at keeping you safe.

The File Advisor could be a Windows Explorer context-menu choice for looking for a file's name while not having to travel through the most Kaspersky program itself. It creates a pipeline from the Kaspersky Security Network, or KSN, to the files on your desktop. we have a tendency to found it pulled down name knowledge quickly, though its speed conjointly can rely on your net association.
The System Watcher was introduced last year as fancy name for the refurbished system log. The Roll Back feature has been punched up in 2012, therefore the suite will currently simply undo or roll back harm caused by any malware that will slip through, and also the Network Monitor feature shows you real-time traffic to and from your laptop. one among the higher ancillary tools is a web Explorer security analyzer, an honest plan if you are stuck on Windows XP and IE8 or earlier. It's weird that it does not support the other browsers. there is conjointly a virtual keyboard for when you are worried regarding keyloggers. It's largely an older feature that Kaspersky keeps around for bragging rights, as a result of it's highly unlikely that you'd have Kaspersky running and be infected by a keylogger.

The options accessible within the desktop gadget are overhauled to a lot of closely mirror the total UI. Click the middle of the monitor-style gadget to open Kaspersky's interface. Across very cheap are four buttons: Update; a security-action Task Manager; Reports, for digging into what Kaspersky's been doing; and a one-click button for jumping right into the virtual keyboard. it is a well-designed tool that puts the foremost essential Kaspersky tools front and center. safety features worked simply as quick as when inquiring the most program.

If you are conversant in current security suites, you recognize that all of them have some variation of a "Quick Scan." Kaspersky eliminated this last year, instead introducing a Vulnerability scan and significant Areas scan to enrich the total Scan. a part of this, we suspect, is as a result of Kaspersky's scans simply are not that quick. It will refocus the user's attention on the character of what the scan is longing for, though seeing as how most of the people in all probability wish their security to simply work, it'd be a trend that is not value bucking. When a scan is complete, it provides you with an inventory of counseled actions and knowledge on whether or not the matter need to be mounted ASAP or whether or not it is a minor issue, sort of a tracking cookie.

Performance:
Kaspersky net Security 2012 (KIS) shares identical detection engine as its less feature-laden sibling, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2012 (KAV), therefore each are mentioned here.

Kaspersky 2012 does not target speedy scans the maximum amount as its competitors. for many of the scan's length on a real-world laptop, it promised to finish in but three minutes, when actually over 3 runs it took a median over of eight minutes, 10 seconds. Meanwhile, the total Scan tightened up and completed scanning in one hour, thirty two minutes--that's regarding average for Full Scans.

CNET Labs' benchmarks bear out these findings. The in-lab scan time for KIS was one,320 seconds, faster than last year's one,750 seconds and however still the slowest scan we have seen this year. KAV took 1,208 seconds, conjointly faster than last year and one among the slower scans this year. Note that CNET Labs has modified check laptop operating systems, from a 64-bit version of Windows seven to Windows seven 64-bit running Service Pack one, therefore whereas we will mention the variations between last year's results and this year's, they don't seem to be directly comparable.

Kaspersky's system performance was fine once the pc had warmed up. The boot-time impact was atrocious, with KIS slowing down boot by twenty one.3 seconds and KAV adding twenty four.3 seconds. Shutdown impact was higher, with KIS adding twelve seconds and KAV adding nine.6 seconds. On MS workplace, iTunes decoding, media multitasking tests, and Cinebench, the 2 suites were around average. However, as mentioned earlier within the review, Kaspersky felt light-weight when used and it transitioned smoothly between its completely different options and when jumping to alternative programs.
As so much as threat detection and removal go, Kaspersky retains high marks on each counts. freelance testing agency AV-Test has marked consistently high scores for Kaspersky net Security 2011 throughout the primary 2 quarters of 2011. On a Windows seven laptop, Kaspersky scored five.5 out of half dozen on Protection, 4.5 out of half dozen on Repair, and four out of half dozen on Usability, for an overall score of fourteen out of eighteen, clearing the minimum of eleven for an AV-Test certificate.

In the second quarter, on a Windows XP laptop, Kaspersky net Security 2011 and 2012 did far better. The suite hit five.5 out of half dozen on Protection and Repair, and five out of half dozen on Usability, for a complete of sixteen out of eighteen, one among the most effective scores. However, it absolutely was one purpose far from the best-rated suite, Bitdefender.

Note that AV-Test defines its classes as follows: "The 'Protection' covers static and dynamic malware detection, as well as real-world zero-day attack testing. In [the] case of 'Repair,' we have a tendency to check the system disinfection and rootkit removal well. The 'Usability' testing includes the system slowdown caused by the tools and also the range of false positives."

Third-quarter results are not in however, however results shared by AV-Test with CNET indicate that the suite continues to perform well. It notched a ninety nine.4 p.c malware detection rate, on top of the average rate of ninety eight.5 p.c in might 2011 certification testing and simply behind Bitdefender's ninety nine.53 percent. The suite was ready to take away 100% of active malware infections, matching the trade average, and 94.4 p.c of rootkit infections. The rootkit infection detection and removal rate so much surpassed the trade average of forty four.4 percent. In AV-Test's zero-day attacks check, Kaspersky blocked ninety four.6 p.c of the attacks, compared with the typical might 2011 certification results of eighty.5 percent. The suite conjointly failed to generate any false positives.

In short, AV-Test found Kaspersky 2011 and also the new 2012 version to be highly effective security protection.

The most recent AV-Comparatives.org Whole Product check, that appearance at on-demand scanning, retroactive tests, and "real-world" guards as well as cloud-based protections, puts Kaspersky 2011 within the high six suites tested. The June 2011 check found that it blocked ninety eight.3 p.c of attacks and threats thrown at it, solely behind F-Secure, Panda, Trend Micro, Bitdefender, and GData. Meanwhile, viewing Whole Product check results cumulatively from January 2011 to June 2011 finds that Kaspersky 2011 came in eighth, blocking ninety seven.7 p.c of threats.

A third testing lab, Dennis Technology Labs, found Kaspersky Pure 2011 severely lacking on the efficacy front. Dennis Labs placed Kaspersky seventh out of eleven suites tested, with a complete Accuracy score of one zero one.75 out of a hundred and fifty.

It's honest to conclude that per third-party tests, Kaspersky has been highly effective over the past year since 2 out of the 3 tests we have a tendency to checked out gave it solid marks. However, attributable to slow scan times, an enormous impact on boot time, and not obtaining the best scores on the detection and prevention tests, it is also honest to mention that Kaspersky may do higher.

Conclusion: there isn't any doubt that Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2012 could be a solid suite, with some innovative approaches to keeping your laptop virus-free and your knowledge secure. Hopefully, its new cloud tech can get it even higher efficacy scores, and permit its engineers to figure on creating it faster.