Mcafee have also been kind enough to provide a back-up and restore feature which will back-up all of your important data so that if anything were to happen you could retrieve you data. This is possible one of the best internet security packages suited for the network because of these features.
However there are some faults which can not be ignored.
The technical support team is still lacking and when there are problems with the software there is not much help to resolve them. Users of the software do not rate it very highly and have complaints that a lot of the features do not work correctly.
This version of Mcafee only works on windows XP and Vista which means it cannot be installed on any systems which don’t use these operating systems.
I conclude that although Mcafee is highly recommended, there is a high level of computer knowledge required to get the full potentional from the program. Several users complain that it is too complicated to use and that there are unnecessary security features which disable programs and functions which casual computer users utilise.
Mcafee have introduced revolutionary technology such as the safe site feature which is colour coded and gives users a visual notification about websites which they are visiting. This technology has been picked up by some of Mcafee competitors and is a highly rated piece of technology.
Pro’s and Cons of Mcafee 2009
+There are much improved malicious software removal tools available to the user
+This year’s version is faster than last years and the program carries less weight than before.
+The detection and removal tools have been improved.
- The installation process is very complicated.
- There are still technical support issues.
- The length of time scanning is still too long
Norton internet security 2009
Norton internet security 2009 is a brilliant attempt to build on last year’s version. There are clear changes to the programs structure and they have made the program a lot more user friendly. There is also free telephone technical support which is a really impressive feature. There are some superior protection technologies in use which are really impressive. This program can also be used on most operating systems which is a useful feature because its means that as a company if you were to pick this application you would not have to narrow down what OS you would like to use. The scanning process has been speed up and the program doesn’t waste time rescanning file which have previously been scanned unless there is a change to the files.
There are also some interesting features like in Mcafee which benefit the user; however Norton does force users to use their premium support services which come at an extra cost. This is a feature which may annoy many users and potentially damage their reputation. There is also no uninstall option and you have to manually remove the program using the control panel option Add/remove program.
The presentation of the program is sleek and elegant. And you can choose to customise the appearance to your on preference.
The white listing feature is very useful because it shows the user trusted files and files which are on this list do not need to be scanned as often as files which are not on the list.
Norton also has a feature which gives the users the ability to monitor the health of their network which is very useful as it gives the necessary tools to view the health of the network as well as the security of the network. There is also the recovery disk feature which was very popular in the 1990’s however because of this there is not a backup feature, you would have to purchase a premium service. Compared to Mcafee this is a disadvantage because Mcafee features this option in their internet security package.
There are constant updates with Norton 2009 and they usually take place ever five minutes which keeps you network safe from new malicious software which may not have been defined by other security packages. This is a massive improvement on their previous live update feature.
I conclude that because of the changes made Norton 2009 has an improved speed, the white listing gives professional advice to the user about files which are safe and others which may not be and the free technical support make Norton 2009 a suitable package however in order to receive the full benefits of the package you would need to purchase further applications which are considered premium solutions. This will incur further cost. There are also issues which Norton has not found a solution to, the free telephone support pushes users to purchase more Norton product and does not actually give the professional support advertised.
Pros and Cons of Norton internet security 2009
+ Free technical support
+ A lot faster than last year
+ White listing lets you know what programs, websites are trusted
- Lacks adequate online support
- Forces users to purchase more Norton products
- Can be complicated to configure
Zone Alarm
Zone alarm is a free firewall which provides protection from hackers and viruses. There are four programs included in the package and each of them run independently. There is a firewall, an application control program, an internet lock and zones.
Each of these programs has different uses. The firewall controls the access to your computer from the internet, the application control notifies you of applications attempting to gain access to the internet, internet lock locks your computer while you are online but not using the internet and Zones monitors all parts of your computer. This package is free of charge and receives regular updates from the internet.
Instead of being complicated lie competitors Norton and Mcafee. Zone alarm use a different set up process which is a wizard. This is used to set up the firewall and makes this task surprisingly easy.
Zone alarm is an effective and easy to use tool which does almost everything itself. The design is user friendly and gives clear instructions about what each setting does. You can manually set different security levels to the different “zones” on your computer or you can let Zone alarm use the default settings.
A good feature included in this program is the “game mode”. This mode gives the user the choice to either not receive security alert or to receive security alerts while playing a game. This feature can prove really useful if you are a regular gamer.
Zone alarm is an efficient, productive and competent internet security package which is great for any average user. However if you require more advance protection then this is not the package for you.
Pros and Cons of zone alarm
+ “game mode” is a good feature which can be turned on or off
+price
+ Very easy to use and clear descriptions about what each setting does
+ Free and regular updates keep you protected
-Not as advanced as competitors
Conclusion
The internet security package which I have chosen is Zone Alarm. I have chosen this application because it is free and there are regular updates which are also free. Zone alarm is a firewall which blocks hackers and viruses from accessing your computer and causing serious damage. There are also many different features which make the package easier to use. Instead of manually setting up your security there is a wizard this makes the process easier and more efficient for most users. This wizard is used to set up your firewall, access to your computer, application control and the different “zones”.
The program runs efficiently and the cost is free. The updates are regular and do not take long to download and install. While on the internet the program notifies you of any attempts to access your computer. This feature lets the user see that the application is working and stopping intrusions. Most of the features which are integrated into zone alarm are controlled by the program and run themselves this saves a lot of time and creates more time for the user.
I conclude that there are many different internet security packages available to the users. What is interesting is that they all claim to do the same thing and they have all won awards at some stage from leading magazines.
My interview with a professional really enlightened me to how advance these programs are and why they are so competitive. There are organisations which have become more reliant on computers and digital technology and heavily rely on secure connections. Without these internet security packages the internet would be more dangerous than it currently is and organisations such as banks would cease to exist because hackers would have stolen all the money.
Internet crime is certainly real and although it is not a traditional crime it still leaves victims. And as we as a society move into the digital age I predict that digital crime will continue. Fraud, identity theft and terrorism all profit from internet crime and utilise it to its full potentional. There are strict rules and regulations when it comes to using the internet. When these rules and regulations are broken it is important that justice is carried out fairly keeping in mind that although it was not a physical crime that took place, digital crime still has victims.
When I looked at three different internet security packages I realised that most were competing for the big contracts with government organisations, banks, research centres and not many were providing for the casual internet user. This was quite
shock but not surprising. Zone Alarm was different and aimed to make the internet safe for a casual user.
The aims of my research were achieved. I have looked at a range of leading internet security applications which are all highly rated and compared them. I have given an evaluation of each and a list of their advantages and disadvantages, compared price, features, ease of use, user reviews and my own knowledge to achieve this task. My interview with a professional who works in the industry has given me an understanding of internet security which I never had before.
The sources which I used were very useful and aided me in finding important information which would help me make my final decision. When I was researching I used the Wikipedia tool to find general facts about the different security software which is available. I also used CNET to find user reviews so that I could read about how the software is used by casual internet users.
These sources were very useful because not only did they give general information about the software but they also gave information about how the software operates on a day to day basis.
The internet security packages which are available today set clear guideline for customers about what they do and they also prove that they are useful. This is seen in test run by individuals. These test show that without internet security you are guaranteed to contract a digital virus on your computer.
Without internet security computer networks and the internet will cease to exist.
Plan of work
Evaluation
Sticking to the timetable was easy because I had clear dates for when certain task would be completed and the research was not difficult. There were some occasions when I had completed the research and could move onto another piece of the research.
I choose to research Mcafee internet security 2009, Norton internet security 2009 and Zone alarm. I chose these three products because they are all popular and used by many different industries.
I chose to do an interview because I felt that I could gain a lot more knowledge from a face to face interview with a professional who works in the industry rather than a general questionnaire. My interview was direct and to the point and I only asked questions which I felt were relevant to my research.
However the original interview date had to be changed because on the actual day the person who I was going to interview was not available. This was not a major issue as we rescheduled a date which was convenient for both of us.
The most difficult part of the project was completing my conclusion. This was difficult because all of the different software’s claimed to do the same thing. So when I was giving my final thoughts I had to compile all three and show an overall understanding of how and why internet security is available and so important.
I feel that this research project was very interesting and I learned many new facts about internet security which I did not previously know. Also I feel that if someone were to read my research they would receive a lot of useful information which could help them make an informed decision about the security package which they choose to purchase.
Appendices
Glossary
Virus – a virus is a piece of software which has negative effects on your personal computer. This can range from complete loss of control to wiping of your hard drive.
Anti virus – anti virus software is software which is designed to combat viruses which you may have contracted while using your computer. Anti virus software requires regular updates in order to be effective
Mal-ware - is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's permission.
Ad-ware – Ad-ware is advertising software which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer after the software is installed on it or while the application is being used. Some ad-ware has been linked to spy-ware
Spy-ware – is software which attempts to intercept personal information within your personal computer and transport the information to another location where it can be used for criminal activities.
Firewall - A firewall is an integrated collection of security measures designed to prevent unauthorized electronic access to a networked computer system. It is also a device or set of devices configured to permit, deny, encrypt, decrypt, or proxy all computer traffic between different security domains based upon a set of rules and other criteria.
Trojan horses- are software’s which pretend to be something harmless but is actually searching your computer for personal information. They can also be harmful pieces of software which damage your computer permanently.
Worms – these are applications which multiply when they are inside your system and perform malicious actions which can seriously damage your computer and they also have an effect on other applications.
Windows Xp/Vista – A popular operating system which runs on the majority of computers in homes and business
Installation – the first step a user has to take before they can use a piece of software
Interview questions and answers
This interview was with a desktop support engineer who works in a prominent bank in the city.
Q. As a professional user of Mcafee how easy do you find it to install and can it be installed on most systems?
A. As a professional user of Mcafee I find that initially installing the program is just a matter of clicks, however the setting up of the application can be complicated and confusing at times. There are several settings which need to be activated in order to receive full protection from unwanted programs which travel the internet. Also because the bank needs a secure internet environment some of these settings need to be configured correctly otherwise the consequences could be dire to the bank and our investors.
Q. Would you consider the software to be “user friendly”?
A. it really depends on what you expect from the program. If you want a secure connection to the internet at all times then you need to configure the settings to your personal preference and if you are not too computer savvy then this could prove difficult. However if you just want standard protection then you can just install the program and leave it.
Q. Does it matter if you use a wireless network? Are there any constraints on what kind of internet security you can use or do they all work the same?
A. It shouldn’t matter if you are using a wired network or wireless network because they both essentially do the same thing. However I do not use a wireless network because I personally do not feel they are fully secure at the moment.
Q. As a professional what would your professional advice be to someone who doesn’t use internet security but regularly uses the internet?
A. I would advise them to immediately purchase an internet security package. Install it onto their system and run a full scan of their system.
Q. Should casual internet users be worried about internet security or is it just people who purchase online and use the internet a lot who should be worried?
A. If you are connected to the internet you are at risk of your computer being hacked into and altered or someone using your computer to access another system which would then come back to you and cause you a massive amount of problems with the law.
Q. As a desktop support engineer do you come by many viruses and invasion attempts?
A. Fortunately our systems are all up to date and are regularly updated automatically. This helps prevent a lot of “invasion” attempts so viruses and mal-ware is not really at the front of our problems. We as a team more deal with user support. These problems can range from printer failure to complete network failure. However my department deals more with software there is another department for hardware issues.
Q. So I’m guessing that internet security is important but not the most pressing issue at your workplace.
A. No I think you have it all wrong. Internet security is one of our most important issues. We just make sure that all holes are secure to avoid infiltration. However most of our problems on a day to day basis are user caused which means we concentrate a lot on desktop support. However if we did not invest so heavily into internet security we would have a lot more dangerous problems and it is most likely that we would not exist as an organisation anymore.
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CNET editors' rating: Very good
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Average user rating: out of 8 reviews
Product summary
The good: McAfee Internet Security 2009 is faster and lighter than last year's version with better malicious software detection and removal capabilities.
The bad: McAfee Internet Security 2009 stumbles a bit on installation and technical support.
The bottom line: Once it's up and running, McAfee Internet Security 2009 is competitive with Norton on speed, detection, and removal of malicious software.
Specifications: License qty: 3 users ; License type: Complete package ; OS type: Windows
Price range:
CNET editors' review
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Reviewed by: Robert Vamosi
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Reviewed on: 11/12/2008
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Released on: 10/15/2008
At first glance, McAfee Internet Security 2009 appears not much different from last year's offering, a truth that masks some improvements in programming under the hood. In our tests, we found McAfee Internet Security 2009 to be as fast as the much improved . What McAfee adds to the competitive landscape is faster malicious software detection. With Active Protection, they're neither talking about hourly signature file updates nor five minute updates like rival Symantec; at McAfee they're talking about instant updates. In terms of features, we found that McAfee has the most tools of any suite we reviewed. In addition to antivirus, antiphishing, antispyware, and a personal firewall, McAfee provides a backup-and-restore feature and several handy utilities. We still have minor issues with McAfee's technical support, although it has improved over last year. For a full protection suite, we were impressed with McAfee Internet Security 2009.
Setup
McAfee Internet Security 2009 offers three-user licenses for $69.95, with $10 off; street prices may be even less. McAfee Internet Security 2009 runs on Windows 2000, XP, and Vista, while Norton Internet Security 2009 only runs on Windows XP and Vista.
McAfee continues to use a bootstrap method of downloading code to your machine, it then installs the suite module by module. This year, the process was much faster in our informal tests. According to McAfee, this method allows it to offer the latest build; the alternative is to install the product, then immediately update. We experienced an unusual problem, one that most users won't. We found that by having Internet Explorer 8 beta 2 installed on our test machine, we could launch McAfee Internet Security 2009 but not see or use any of its features; the Security Center interface was blank. By removing IE 8 Beta 2, we were able to use the product. While this is not expected to be a problem once the final version of IE8 is released, it is worth noting.
Should you want to remove McAfee Internet Security 2009, there is no uninstall option for McAfee in the Start menu listing. Instead, you'll need to use the Windows Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs option. Again this year, after a reboot, we were pleased to find little evidence on our machine.
Interface
We continue to like that McAfee integrates all of its tools--security, utility, and networking--in one interface. The McAfee Security Center offers a left-hand navigation for all tools, with a right-hand windowpane for system status. There are two tables of contents: one lists basic features, which should be sufficient for most people, while a second lists tools that are more advanced.
Features
Like other security suites, McAfee Internet Security 2009 includes all the features within its , then it adds additional protection for the Internet suite. Like McAfee VirusScan Plus, McAfee Internet Security 2009 includes McAfee SiteAdvisor, an antiphishing protection package.
What's new is McAfee's Active Protection (also known as Artemis) that lets the product detect and remove a new threat that is only minutes old. How it works is the application uses its heuristics and built-in signature files to detect and remove known threats. When McAfee Internet Security finds a new threat, it sends it back over the Internet to the up-to-date McAfee AVERT Labs database, then receives an update for that one new threat. McAfee states that the process is almost "instantaneous." McAfee will continue to send down daily signature file updates to McAfee Internet Security, but will move toward using the instant feedback mechanism of its Active Protection in future releases.
Also new is enterprise-class spam protection. McAfee includes support for Outlook, Eudora, and Thunderbird in its protection, as well as POP3, MAPI, and Web connections.
ZoneAlarm is designed to protect your DSL- or cable-connected PC from hackers. This program includes four interlocking security services: a firewall, an application control, an Internet lock, and Zones. The firewall controls the door to your computer and allows only traffic you understand and initiate. The Internet lock blocks Internet traffic while your computer is unattended or while you're not using the Internet, and it can be activated automatically with your computer's screensaver or after a set period of inactivity. Zones monitor all activity on your computer and alert you when a new application attempts to access the Internet. Version 7.0.483 is a bug fixing release.
CNET Editor's Note: ZoneAlarm is free for individual and not-for-profit charitable entity use (excluding governmental entities and educational institutions). Advanced features are available.
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Record and edit sound files.
Editor's review of ZoneAlarm Firewall (Windows 2000/XP)
- 5.0 stars
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"A totally free, very effective firewall"
An effective and easy-to-use firewall program, ZoneAlarm does a great job of keeping your PC safe from a variety of threats. ZoneAlarm uses a simple wizard to make configuring a firewall, which seems like a daunting task to many computer users, incredibly easy.
Maintaining and updating settings also is a snap when you're using the stylish interface and its simple slider controls. The program's Zones feature allows you to assign different security levels for a local network and for the Internet.
A great recent addition is small but quite helpful. A new "Game Mode" lets you automatically allow or deny alerts when you're in the middle of playing a video game. We found ZoneAlarm very good at recognizing and automatically including settings for our local network.
In all our tests, the firewall guarded against all external and internal threats it encountered. ZoneAlarm is an excellent firewall choice for just about any average user.
Most popular Firewall Software downloads
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Make long distance calls from your phone or PC
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CNET editors' rating: Excellent
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Average user rating: out of 77 reviews
Product summary
The good: Internet Security 2009 has a leaner footprint, improved speed, white listing and other technologies to mark clean files as trusted, and free technical support.
The bad: Despite its free telephone support, Norton Internet Security 2009 lacks adequate online technical support and, either intentionally or not, drives users to its paid technical support services.
The bottom line: Norton Internet Security 2009 hits all the right security notes and its superior protection technologies might even win back some jaded anti-Symantec folks, though for some technical support may continue to frustrate
Specifications: License qty: 3 PC in one household ; License type: Complete package ; Min Operating system: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic , Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2 , Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition SP2 , Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium , Microsoft Windows Vista Business , Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate , Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2 ; ;
Price range:
CNET editors' review
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Reviewed by: Robert Vamosi
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Reviewed on: 09/09/2008
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Updated on: 09/11/2008
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Released on: 09/09/2008
Editors' note: On September 11, 2008, we changed the rating of this product after ranking it against other 2009 Internet security suites and after completing additional customer service testing.
Symantec has been listening to its users, and this year the company delivers a slimmed-down and faster Norton Internet Security 2009. The suite of tools packs in the kinds of features people want most in an Internet security suite including some forward-looking technology. Almost all the security vendors have recognized the changing threat landscape and have rethought traditional protection. We especially like the Insight feature, which identifies "trusted" files and applications and doesn't waste time rescanning and rescanning them unless there's been a change. No other product does this. The redesigned logic behind Norton Internet Security clearly shows in CNET performance testing: it is faster and considerably lighter than last year's version, and even some standalone 2009 antivirus applications. And Norton continues to win awards in third-party effectiveness testing. Lagging behind, though, is Symantec's technical support. While Norton users now have free telephone support, Symantec still doesn't provide enough of a knowledgebase, or even an adequate user's manual. Once again, this year it emphasizes its premium services a bit too much. That said, Norton Internet Security 2009 presents a remarkable transformation of a product and is worth a second look.
Installation
On our test system we downloaded the 58MB final build of Norton Internet Security 2009 and installed the product within a minute. Instead of relying upon Microsoft's installer, which Symantec has blamed for much of its past product bloat, the company started over, designing its own installer. There is the added advantage that as criminals target MSI files (say to prevent you from installing a security defense product on your already compromised machine) Symantec won't be affected--for now. The new installer process works fast, borrowing streaming technology from its Norton Ghost product. Symantec says installation takes less than a minute, and they were right. On both Windows Vista and Windows XP test machines, we were up and running in one minute and without a reboot.
Should you want to uninstall, Norton includes an uninstall option. In the past, Norton left a mess. Now, after rebooting our machine, what is left behind is licensing information.
Interface
Speaking of a mess, we didn't like last year's Halloween colors on the user interface. This year's redesign is much cleaner and more sophisticated, one befitting a major security product, and the colors used on the Interface can be changed if you want. Also gone are the tabs reminding you that you can purchase other Norton products. Specific tools can be turned on and off easily without diving into the configuration settings. The configuration settings page itself is always one click below the main page. The interface also offers a pop-up dialogs to explain specific terms, although thorough explanations of the choice users have in changing the settings is still lacking.
In the lower left-hand panel are two bar graphs representing the overall Windows resources used and one for the specific resources used by the Norton product. Compared with the resources used reported within the Task Manager in Windows, we noticed a slight synch problem between what Windows reported and what Norton reported for the overall system. Symantec confirmed that while Norton Internet Security 2009 is looking at the Windows Task Manager, it is doing so at different intervals. We like the transparency, and think the presentation here is better than the line graphs used in some other security applications. Should you want line graphs, an icon will reveal how the system and Norton CPU usage has been since the system was last rebooted.
Features
Norton has, in the recent past, included some sophisticated technology from its enterprise products, which is good because it's cutting-edge, but it's also bad, because it doesn't necessarily integrate with the product, nor is it necessary. In Norton Internet Security 2009, they seem to have found the right balance.
Whitelisting, the buzzword of security products for 2009, is included within the new suite, and by marrying it with other technologies, Symantec makes it more suited for the user. Files on a whitelist are deemed trusted, and thus do not need to be scanned as often. Not all "safe files" make it onto the whitelist. For those, Norton uses a community process, called Insight, similar to that used by other security products such as . The thinking is that if thousands of other people are using this suspicious file, chances are it's not a new piece of malware but a new application. On the other hand if only a few are using it, then maybe it's worth it to take another look to see if it's malware.
Norton enhances its home network monitor, giving you a system administrator's perspective on the relative health and security of all the computers within your home.
And Norton Internet Security 2009 brings back the concept of the Recovery Disk once popular in the early 1990s, but declines to include a backup solution (you'll have to buy another Symantec product for that).
Gone is the awful LiveUpdate component of past Norton products. With 2009 products, Symantec is providing antimalware definition signatures every few minutes or so. On the interface you'll see a notice indicating how many minutes since the last update. We didn't see definitions older than four minutes in our testing.
Bibliography
Mcafee
Date of access: 6th of March 2009
Norton Anti Virus
Date of access: 6th of March 2009
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_anti_virus
Zone alarm
Date of access: 6th of March 2009
Mcafee internet security 2009
Date of access: 8th of March 2009
Norton anti-virus 2009 16.0
Date of access: 8th of March 2009
Zone Alarm
Date of Access 9th of March 2009
Internet security
Date of access: 12th of March 2009