Protecting Your Computer

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Published: August 21, 2008

There are dangerous hazards lurking online to infiltrate your computer. But help is on the way! Consumer Reports tested 10 Internet security software programs you have to pay for—like McAfee and Norton from Symantec—as well as software you can download free.

An outside lab created some variations of known viruses, which were kept on a disc in a safe in a lab. Consumer Reports ran them on a virtual machine, which is a virtual computer that is completely physically and electrically separated from any other computer or network. Those viruses were used to test the software to see if it would detect them.

To test the antispam programs, Consumer Reports ran a “bad e-mail” test to see how well the programs could detect real spam that we collected and a “good e-mail” test to see how often the software actually removes e-mail you wanted to keep. McAfee and BitDefender both came out on top in the tests. They sell for $50 for a year of protection.

If you just need basic protection and you can be sure that everybody practices careful computing at home, then freeware can be a good option. Tested were three free, easy-to-use programs that you can download:

Avira’s antivirus software

Microsoft Windows Defender antibadware program

SPAMfighter’s antispam software.

One way to protect your computer is to turn it off when you aren’t using it for long periods, or at least disconnect it from the Internet. That reduces the chance that a malicious computer can access your operating system. For more advice on practicing safe computing: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/computers/internet-and-other-services/net-threats-9-07/ways-to-stay-safe-online/0709_net_best.htm.

Consumer Reports has no commercial relationship with any advertiser or sponsor appearing on this Web site.